Ask A&A: Job Promotions, Deepening Friendships, and Life Pivots

Welcome to The In Between Podcast. I'm Astrid.

And I'm Alexis. Join us as we explore the messy yet beautiful in-between seasons of life.

We'll discuss business, relationships, wellness, and everything in between to help you become the highest version of yourself.

Let's dive in.

Hello friends, and welcome back to another episode of The In Between Podcast. I am one of your hosts, Astrid.

And the other half of the pod, Alexis. And today is a special, special day because this is all around Answering your questions. This is a community episode, Ask A&A, as we have branded it. If you have other ideas of what we could call this segment, please let us know. But we had so many submissions. I'm so excited to answer your questions. And we have a mixture of voice audio messages from you all and a mixture of some questions that you all wrote in. So hope that we can get to all of them, but if we can't, we'll all— we'll try to answer them in the October Ask A&A. And that's just a reminder that you can go to the link in our bio at any time and submit a question at any time. And then whenever we are about to record our next A&A, we will, um, go through them. So with that, let's do a little life updates, a little in between, and, uh, then we'll get into answering all of your questions. What's up, girlfriend? What's new? How are you doing?

Oh my goodness. Um, life has been busy in the best way. Yeah, I came back with so much renewed energy from Europe and I have just been changing so many things about my life and it's just like this before and after, it feels like. But it's in August. I have the new year energy in August and I kind of love it. So that's what I've been up to. I am gearing up for a big week of— I have 4 shoots in 1 day on Wednesday, which is going to be madness.

Gosh.

But overall, I have 6 shoots and a wedding this week. So it's very, very busy. But, you know, just playing catch up from being away and getting all my clients in and just feeling really excited. And oh my God, big life update. One of my shoots was in People magazine last week. Oh my gosh.

The one with Nicole?

Yes.

Yes.

So Nicole's proposal went viral on TikTok because these This very kind group of people next to her recorded it and had the sweetest audio to it. She posted it to TikTok. It went super, super viral. People magazine reached out, interviewed her, and then they included all the photos from her proposal on there. So yeah, I, I opened up, um, my texts last Monday or Tuesday and it was, um, where we were in People. So that was really fun.

That is amazing. Congratulations. And it's so cool how, how that happened. So that's amazing. Go you, go Nicole.

We'd love to hear it. Yes.

Yes.

What is up in your life?

Well, I'm getting ready to leave the country again.

Third time in a year.

That is my theme. It's like, where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? I feel like it's low-key, where in the world is Alexis? It's giving me a lot of fuel, but I'm also trying to be super intentional with my energy, but really, really grateful, excited to go to Ireland and then London in the UK for 2 and a half weeks. So I'll be in Ireland for a week and a half and then I'll be in London and then surrounding areas for a week. And I'm really, really excited about it. So I work for a company called Circle. Um, I'm their senior brand partnerships manager, if you're new to the pod. And we have company offsites and retreats every 6 months. So twice a year. And we are meeting in Dublin, uh, for a massive company offsite. There'll be 120 or 130 of us in person. So always really great to work with the team. There's so much like. rich connection that comes from offsites as well as business decisions and like shifts in messaging. And there's just always a lot of really great things that come from that. And then I go to the UK after because we're sponsoring a conference in the UK. Um, really excited to hang out with some creators and meet people. So really looking forward to that. Just all the pre-trip stuff that you have to do to get ready for that.

Oh my gosh. I feel like every single person can relate to the stress before leaving a trip and all the errands. It's genuinely an Olympic sport. Like, I need a massage after I have finished packing and finished running everything.

Oh girl, I literally got a massage yesterday. I was like, I, I had a gift card for my birthday that I hadn't used yet, and I was like, it's been waiting for this moment. So it was well worth it.

Good.

With that, what are you in between right now? If also, if you're new to the pod, we always try to start every episode sharing what we're personally in between in life and business, because we always believe that you're in between something. So with that, what are you in between right now?

Well, I alluded a little bit to it in my life update, but I am in between just really making my environment fit my personality. And I am just going through this season of life where I am realizing I've outgrown my past self. behaviors and environment and way of thinking. And I have been feeling this shift come for the past year, and I've been feeling uncomfortable and trying to figure out how to make things click and how to move forward. And so I decided last week to sign up for a 3-month intensive coaching, and it's coaching mixed with therapy. And we're going to be diving into basically like my life vision and like, where do I actually see myself the next 5, 10 years? And she's really— she's a no bullcrap kind of coach. And I love her for that. She's very kind, but she is very straightforward. And so I'm excited for what I'll uncover in that. But ever since last week, and ever since having that step forward, I have just been shifting a lot of things in my environment and my habits and my house and my decor and like getting rid of old clothes. And yeah, this is just your friendly reminder that if you feel like there's something just not clicking, just try different things until it does click. And maybe something might not quite work, then try something else. And then until you finally get there. And I feel like I've really given myself the permission to not make the right decision, but just be okay with that wrong decision might get me one step closer.

Yeah.

And so I feel like I've been trying so many things and then finally it culminated to, oh dang, I need to take this next step professionally last week. And yeah, things are just clicking. Things are flowing. I am excited/nervous for doing a deep dive. It's literally every single week. Um, just looking back into my life, some of my choices, and just really looking at myself in the mirror. Um, so yeah, I did an intake yesterday, uh, for it, and one of the questions was like, how are you your worst enemy sometimes? I was like, I love this. So yeah, it's gonna be great. It's everything that I know my soul was craving.

Oh, that's beautiful. I'm so proud of you for getting the support that you need in this season of growth and Um, going like all in. I love that about you. You're like, once you decide, you're like, I am in this and I am 100% in. I'm locked in. So I'm really proud of you and I can't wait to hear the process and, uh, just how it continues to grow you as a person.

Thank you, love. Thank you. What are you currently in between?

Ooh, I, I do feel like I am currently in between a lot. Um, I was actually asking one of my girlfriends, one of my favorite questions is like, what big questions are you trying to answer right now in your life? And her and I like went back and forth and I, I had like 6 questions I was trying to answer, which also, I think that's my in-between is that I am in between a lot of personal transformation.

Mm-hmm.

And there are some really big questions that I'm trying to answer. And at the same time, I think a past version of myself would feel very impatient. She would feel really frustrated. She would feel like this sense of urgency to make a decision and to know what the answer is going to be.

Mm-hmm.

And this version of me recognizes that there are areas of my life that I do feel like I'm kind of in limbo or they feel like I'm in the middle of a transformation. And I don't quite know what the end result is going to look like. And I am doing my best to feel a sense of peace because I have the awareness that, hey, we're growing, we're stretching, we're pulling in this area, but it's okay that I don't quite know exactly what it's going to look like after this transformation period. So I know that probably sounds a little ambiguous, but, you know, in between my relationship, You know, where we want to be in the next 2 to 3 years. You know, what do I want my business to look like? Family planning. Like, there's a lot of things right now that I have very top of mind. And I would say I'm in between the tendency to be impatient and to feel a sense of anxiety and urgency around knowing.

Yeah.

And being really graceful and compassionate with myself and recognizing that some of these big questions do take time, and I am willing to give myself the time to, um, see where things land. So that's where I'm at right now.

I love that question that you asked your friends. Taking notes on that. I think that is such a beautiful conversation starter with your intimate group of people and community. And wow, girl, I relate heavily to what you said. And it's so hard when you're in those big questions and in that moment where you just don't know what the future's going to look like and you kind of have to make decisions, but you also don't want to rush the wrong one.

Yeah.

And as decision makers and business women, we were like, all right, we're action takers. And it's not necessarily a lack of action sometimes as much as it is just It's, you just, you're not 100% sure what that next step is. So not, we're, we're just going to linger here.

Yeah.

And having the patience to do that can take a lot of courage and just sit with yourself in that. You're practicing patience right now so much, it sounds like. And I'm very, very proud of you because that's so uncomfortable to sit in that. And I have no doubt that it's all going to fall into place how it needs to. Yeah.

Yeah.

And that in-between space is also so uncomfortable.

Yeah.

Thank you. Thank you. It's, it's been good. It's been gratifying to look at how present me is handling it versus me, you know, 6 years ago. So with that, in the, the spirit of growth and transformation, you guys have lots of questions of things you're in between right now. Um, questions that you're trying to answer for your life, different ways you're growing your business. So with that, let's kick it off with our very first voice message.

Hi, Astrid and Alexis. Um, my name is Sadie. I'm a longtime social media friend, follower of you guys. And, um, my question is a little on the business side of things. Um, I know For sure that Astrid has and utilizes an assistant. Um, and I feel like Alexis, if you might have experience as, as well with an assistant. But so I am a wedding photographer and I am starting to kind of give my friend who's gifted in, um, these kind of tasks some things off my plate, like posting on Pinterest and writing blogs and stuff. Um, so my question is like, How do you utilize, um, an assistant best? I'm kind of like at the beginning of this, so, um, I'd love any tips, um, things I should offload to my assistant and, um, maybe pay too, if you have any, um, ideas on that. So thank you. Keep it up. Big fan of the pod. Love you guys.

Okay. Love hearing our listener's voice. Thank you, Sadie, so much for submitting this question. I love this question because I. I had an assistant for almost 2 years, and I actually currently don't have an assistant. So I have pivoted from one space to the other. And so I think it can be extremely, extremely helpful. One determining factor and one way that helped me was what are the routine tasks that you're doing that are taking away from more CEO-level type of con— or type of task, or what are the things that only you can do? And that may be some of the routine things like follow-ups or scheduling a call or, um, I don't know, looking on Pinterest or creating a blog. Like, could you have somebody else help you with that? And while it is a paid position, I would always challenge myself with the things that I offload. How can I do with that time something that will bring in more revenue for the company? For example, I'm picking about Instagram and posting and marketing. And so I take that on. So if I'm offloading that, then I prefer to make sure I'm consistent with that. So if you're having someone right now that is going to be helping you, maybe look at some of those routine tasks. I love using HoneyBook to schedule a lot of things and do more of like the, the customer service end of things, like responding really quickly, um, giving them the, the customer service attention that they deserve. Blogs, Pinterest, all of that. The main reason I'm not using it anymore is because whenever I did set up my assistant and she started doing some of those routine tasks, then I started to find ways on how can I systemize some of this and automate to then use her time in other ways. And so whenever she had a different career opportunity came up, I no longer needed those essentials on the client front side of things, like if things are running well. So right now I don't utilize it, but if I were to start that again in the new year, which I probably will, it will be more targeted towards having them create a lot more reels, TikToks for me, uh, blogs, uh, a lot with my new website is going to be a key factor. Um, and yeah, as far as pay, I think it's based off of their experience. Personally, um, I paid a— I asked what they were looking for and then I thought that was too low, so I gave them above what they were asking for. But again, it's just based off of experience. Like if they've been an admin before and they can come in and set up workflows for you and set up a lot of things, then yeah, it's probably going to be more, but it'll be worth it. So I hope that's helpful and feel free to message me on that. Um, Alexis, do you have any other input on the assistant side of things?

Yeah, I was just going to bring up 2 key things. Um, the first one is around training. So once you decide what tasks you want your assistant to do, training them in a way where, are there ways, and I know Astrid mentioned this, are there ways that they can learn how to automate those? So like, if, if for example, they want to move on, you aren't like stuck doing those exact same tasks the way that they were doing.

Mm-hmm.

So are there ways that you can train them to not just do the task, But learn how to do the task better, quicker, and maybe even automate it. And then are there specific additional education trainings that you might pay for them to do? So if, you know, maybe they aren't familiar with your booking platform, like I know Astrid uses HoneyBook, could they watch some webinars and tutorials and training and maybe even a course on how to use that product better? And then now with that knowledge, they're able to automate. So I think it's looking at not just training, but continuing education. So that that hire is able to grow and scale with you. And then the other piece, I know that you mentioned that this was a friend. Love that. I think that friend-business relationships can be really fruitful. My only small bit of advice on that is just to make sure that you have really clear expectations and boundaries around when is friend time and when is like business time, because there is a dynamic there where you are now her boss. And she is now technically your employee, even though you're friends. And so just making sure that you are putting boundaries in place to protect that friendship and also making sure like when it's business time, we've got to talk business. And when it's friend time, we're, you know, we're hanging out as gals. So I know that can sometimes be a difficult transition and sometimes a bit awkward. So if you set those expectations with them upfront, I think you're able to, um, just avoid some of those weird experiences, um, down the line.

Absolutely. Such a great, um, addition to that. Good luck to you having an assistant. It honestly is such a big step in the business process. So I am so, so excited.

Yes. Okay. Next up.

Yeah. Moving on to our next one.

Okay. Next up we have Kate.

Let's listen.

Hello, Astrid and Alexis. My question for you is, What would be your advice to someone who is wanting to make a complete pivot, whether that be in their career or creatively, whether that would be something full-time or just for fun on the side? What would be your advice in getting started when you feel overwhelmed with where to start?

All right.

I love this question. Mm-hmm. I would say, first off, congrats on recognizing that you want to pivot. I think that sometimes getting to the place where you've recognized maybe you've outgrown Where you're at, or maybe you're just unhappy, or you're feeling a bit unfulfilled, and you want something different. I think that's huge. I also I hear you in the fact that you're wanting to take it slow because pivoting, changing can be very overwhelming, and you can get decision fatigue, and you can almost talk yourself out of the pivot because there's so many different decisions to make. So I would say one is recognizing what about your current situation. Do you not like? Like, what about where you're at makes you want to pivot? And then from there, I would go deeper into, okay, what are some small things that you can do outside of your day job? And again, like, I think it's probably not wise to just quit your job and not have any sort of, you know, sustainability or security there. So are there things that you can start exploring on the side? As a side job, or even just treat your pivot and your curiosity like a side hustle. So even if you don't quite know what you want to do, can you set aside 30 minutes a day and just research and spend time online? Can you read books? Are there things that you can do to get clarity before you actually make a decision, or whether that's start a side business, whether that's change careers? I do think that a lot of times these big career pivots require a little bit of research, especially if you don't know what you want. And that kind of sounds like you're not quite sure where you want to go. So I think step one is just doing a lot of research and investigation around where you're at, what's not aligning, and where you want to go. And then like the where you want to go question, there's a billion ways to get there, right? So what's What's the most— what's the simplest way that you could get there? If you could get there in 3 steps, what would it be like? Instead of, we're going to, you know, it's going to be this 20-step complex thing. I think that we can sometimes overcomplicate changing as well. And so is there a way that you can simplify the pivot? Anything to add?

Yeah, that was so wonderful. The only things I would add to that is I would be curious to know why are you craving this pivot in your life? And so I think that can also help narrow down options. So are you craving more creativity? Are you craving impact? Are you wanting a pivot because you want more financial resources? And so based off of like what resonates there, then we can even look at options for that. Because if it's financial, then now you've got your goal and you're like, okay, well, I want to pivot because I want to make more money. What are some options that can bring me X amount of dollars? You've got your focus and you can run with it. If it's creative, then okay, like what in that realm excites me, motivates me, pottery, painting, prints, etc., that you want to add and shift. And I agree, like just doing this first as a side hustle, I think like not being afraid to test out a lot of things and try things and And not fail, but like, okay, let me start doing a little bit of pottery. And then actually I hated that, that, that was very time consuming and would not be great. So stop doing it and move on to the next one. Now you're one step closer. Um, I think would be huge. And then the last thing would be, uh, from my end, reaching out to someone that is working already or doing the thing that potentially interests you. So if someone were to reach out to me and they're like, hey, Astrid, I'm interested in being a wedding photographer. Like, what's your take on it? I'd be, I would ask, are you okay sitting at your laptop for about 90% of the time? Because 10% is actually shooting, 90% is indoors and on your computer. And that, that's the reality of it. So there's a lot of things that someone already in the position can help. And maybe that will completely steer you away from even starting in that side hustle, but best of wishes to you. It sounds like a very exciting time as well. And I can't wait to see What comes of this season?

Yeah, I love this. Just start, just like start experimenting. And I love the idea too of like asking someone who's doing something that you want to do or whose life you're curious about and like getting deeper into what they do for work. Um, I think that's a great way to get on the research side of things.

Okay.

Next up we have our girl Charlie.

Hi girlies. I have a question for you. So you both are really great in conversations at asking really good questions that take conversations to a deeper level. And that's something that I would like to get better at, at doing. So what advice do you have for someone who wants to like be the one to take conversations past the surface level if the other person isn't leading them there?

I love this question.

Oh my god. If our podcast could be summed into one thing— It would be asking so many questions.

We're just curious gals.

Like, we have—

we just want to know all the things.

Absolutely. Do you want to go ahead and kick it off?

Sure.

Yeah.

Okay.

So I think that when it comes to going deeper in your relationships, I think that it usually starts with a desire actually to be seen. A lot of times we want to go deeper with others because we want them to see us. We want them to know us. We want them to be curious about who we are and what we're loving, what we're not loving. And like, we, we are curious because we desire people to be curious about us. And I think that while that might seem selfish, really at the core, we just want to be known. And so if you were to ask questions that you would want to answer, like, I think that's a big piece too. It's not always about reciprocity, but like, Hey, similar to what we opened this episode, I asked a friend like, what big questions are you trying to answer in your life? I wanted to hear, I wanted to know, like, and there was one that we were both trying to answer. So then we bought— we both got to talk about the same topic together and go deeper about that when it would, it would have not been awkward, but like sometimes just getting to those deeper discussions can be a little hard. And so I would say the big one is going first. So like, can you share something, you know, vulnerable or something that you're learning about yourself or an experience that you had that was meaningful to you first to set the tone and to try to like create an environment in this discussion where, hey, we're sharing, we're going a little bit deeper. And it kind of tells that person, Okay. Like they're being willing to share and I want to share as well. I think it can be really tough when you are sharing and the other person isn't and vice versa. And so it's like, you know, you want to meet each other on that level of depth and it creates a psychological environment of safety.

Mm-hmm.

I feel safe in this conversation. I'm going to open up and share something that I normally wouldn't. But because they're making me feel safe, then I want to share. So, I think it's a mixture of that, but also questions that you're just genuinely curious about, about their job, about, you know, their relationship, about their travel. Like, but it's not just, how was the trip? It's, what did the trip teach you?

Yeah.

It's not just, how's your job right now? It's, what are you learning about yourself in your job right now? It's not just, how's your marriage? It's like, what is your marriage teaching you right now? Those just shift in questions take it from topical, which we will default to topical answers. How's your job? It's good. But what's your job teaching you right now about yourself? Ooh, okay. Like, let's go a little bit deeper. So I think that's where small shifts in language can invite a deeper response and not trip that default, how's your day? Oh, it's good. Or how's your week been? It's fine. Versus like, what was— something me and my girlfriends do all the time, and I know that they're probably like, good God. I'm like, okay, babies, highs and lows. We're at dinner, highs and lows of the week. Like, let's go.

Yeah.

Big things we're celebrating, things that did not go your way. And we like to start there and then it just sparks into deeper conversation. But even something simple like that can really set the tone and people feel more comfortable opening up.

Oh my gosh, I love that answer. You took us to church. I'm like learning the shift of what you were talking about from topical to then the curiosity of like, what are you learning? That was so beautiful, so wonderful. I want to continue to practice that as well in my life because You're so right. We lean into the, how was the trip rather than like, what did it teach you? Or how, what, how are you different now from it? Like every time it's just a new layer to that. And I think that's just the beautiful way of leading with curiosity in a conversation. I love the note on like being able to ask, what, what do you want to be asked about? And the other thing that I would, uh, add to it is Just thinking back to when I first started this journey of like, I want to have deeper conversations and it can just feel a little awkward. You're like, I want this. I don't have practice in asking this. I don't feel comfortable. I am literally in this in-between. And so if you find yourself in that where maybe the questions don't flow naturally, get yourself a We're Not Really Strangers deck of cards.

Yeah.

I should be a sponsor by this point. But truly, that was so, so helpful when I started my journey back in 2020. And I would get together with my friends and you just pick a question. You can choose if you want to be just light and funny and get to know more about their childhood and like what shows are nostalgic to them and just very light, fun things all the way to deeper topics. Same with your relationship, same with family. But just having a third source ask the questions can also take the pressure off of like, oh, maybe you asked something a little bit too pointed. So depending on where you're at in the relationship, there's different tools, um, as well. And so I, yeah, I am so excited to practice what you said. This answering this question is wonderful. Yeah.

Yeah. We're not really strangers, I think also helped us go deeper in our friendship. Our very first trip together to Colorado. We whipped out those cards, baby, and we were just sharing. And it creates a tool to go deeper when maybe you don't have the questions or maybe the other person doesn't have the questions. It's just like a nice third party in the conversation that's like driving it forward. And then if a question comes up, you're like, ah, I don't want to talk about that right now. It's like, no problem, like moving on.

Yeah, yeah.

But that's also, um, You know, something I'm learning as well with, with my close friendships, when topics are brought up, they're like, I'm actually not ready to talk about that yet. That's okay too. And, and same for you. So there's boundaries of like, just because someone asks or just because you ask doesn't mean that someone is ready to share. And I think that's where just saying, I, I want to talk about that, but I don't think I'm ready to yet, but I really appreciate you asking. And when I'm ready— I'm going to come to you about it because now I know that like you care and you want to know. Even just those, like I've had that said to me and I'm like, no problem. I will be thinking about you. And we move on. And I think like whenever we're trying to go deeper, we can take that as like, oh no, I like really messed up. I asked too deep of a question. It's like, no, they set a boundary. They're not ready to talk about it. That's okay.

Right.

And you just keep showing up for them and you move on. Um, and I think that's something that we don't always talk about when it comes to deeper conversations is like where maybe you need to put up a boundary or you're not ready to discuss it yet. Um, and that is absolutely okay.

Oh my gosh, this is huge because I think a lot of times when our friends or our people are going through a really hard time, we can tend to just inch away from maybe asking about it. Or at least I experienced that when I was going through my divorce. It's like everyone will ask every question under the sun except, how are you really? Like, how are you navigating the divorce and now being single and all this stuff? And they're showing me in their own way their love and support. But whenever people would actually be willing to be uncomfortable and ask me that hard question, I felt so loved. And so even if I was not ready to answer it, and even if I would have been like, hey, I don't know actually, Mm-hmm. But thanks for bringing it up. A lot of times those questions were what I would journal about during the week because I just didn't have words for it. But thanks for bringing it up. Now I can deep dive into something else. So definitely, definitely such a great thing to keep in mind when our friends are going through a hard time as well.

Absolutely. Okay. I love that question. I could talk about that for ages. I know. Next up, we have our written portion of Q&A. Of some people that wrote in, um, to the show. So do you want to read this one? Yes.

Yes. So our first one is anonymous and she says, hi girlies, I'm fairly new in my job, about 2.5 months as she's writing this, and I'm enjoying it. I have a review coming up at the beginning of October where I was promised a raise if expectations are met. I'm confident that I'll get it, but I also want more and want to work in moving up in the company. The management is aware of this as I mentioned it in the interview and during some check-in conversations. A few other employees have told me how they have sort of made titles for themselves, and that's something I would like to mention in this performance review. What would be your advice to prove myself? For context, my current title is graphic designer, but I want to propose a title of creative director since I do a lot more than design in the creative marketing realm for the business. Eventually, I would like to move into a marketing role too, so any advice to help me get there would be appreciated.

Ooh, I love this question.

We love a career question. This is some of my favorite to answer.

Thank you.

Uh, are we a career podcast? No, we're more than that, but we could be. Um, okay, do you want to go first?

Um, you, you go ahead.

Okay. All right, a couple of things. First, I just want to Say how proud I am of you, because recognizing that you want more is amazing. And the fact that you went into the job and you verbally talked about, I want a raise at this point, if expectations are met, I think that's so smart. Kudos to you. Very strategic. Okay. Step number 1 would be based on your review in October. I know, you know, this is going to come out in September. I would have a conversation with my supervisor right now and say, hey, I know my review is coming up. Is there anything I can do to prepare for that? And I know that we also talked about a promotion/title change. Is there anything that I can do to prepare for that? I'm going to prepare, but is there anything specific that you need from me to see results, reports that I can come prepared to that discussion with? Like, because there's going to be preparation that you're going to do, but I think checking in with your manager prior to the review helps them know that you're being super proactive and strategic, but also decisions can be made in that meeting. Not, well, I need more information. And do you have that report? And what about this? So if there are specific expectations that they have and they need to see in that review meeting, that if you can come prepared with receipts, if you will.

Mm-hmm.

Of all of the work that really helps your manager be able to make a decision. The second piece of advice I would give for things that you can prepare is I love that you're thinking around the title of creative director. I would also propose a job description alongside of that new title. So not just what you're doing now, because you mentioned, you know, your current title is graphic designer, but you do a lot of other things in marketing and with the creative team. I would literally build out a job description of what you're doing now and areas that you want to grow into and ways you want to impact the business moving forward. So have that written job description with the new title. And I think that's what I would present at the meeting along, alongside of a raise. Like, this is what I, this is what I want to do for the business. Not, this is what I want. I know that's hard. Um, but like, this is what I want. This is like where I want to grow. Yes. And I think those conversations, when it comes to getting what you want, have to be through the lens of this is what helps the business. This is what I'm going to do for the business. These are the results that I'm going to get for the business. And yeah, of course you want it because you want, you know, growth. You want career growth. You want more like financial stability. Knowing that you want to get into a marketing role. Something to think about. The, the title of creative director is a little ambiguous. So titles I would play around with is something with the word brand in it. So from graphic designer to maybe like brand marketing manager or, um, you know, something along the line like brand creative director. But if you're wanting to get into more marketing roles and with your graphic design background, I think something around like brand marketing could be interesting and get marketing in your title. And once you have that, I think that also opens you up for a lot of other job discoverability and recruitment. So it's like, oh wow, she's a creative brand marketing manager. Okay. I know that she has expertise in blank, blank, blank. And she's specifically going to help the business on the marketing team. And so I think just like being really strategic about that title change, knowing where your career wants to go, because right now, based on what, what you want to grow, like let's say you were applying for a job at Circle where I work, we, we aren't hiring for a creative director, but we are hiring for the brand team and the content team. And so like when you're looking at different companies that you might want to work for, Go on LinkedIn and look at specific jobs that you would want to have and look at what titles do our people, um, working under that support that, that vision. So I hope that's helpful. Uh, just a few ideas, but you're going to rock it. You're going to kill it. And please send us a message and let us know how the review goes.

Okay.

Astrid, what do you got?

Oh my gosh. That was all excellent. Absolutely excellent points. Um, I would add to the LinkedIn factor and looking up the jobs that you might want to also like look at what are the requirements to get the jobs that you want. And so if there are things that you are currently not doing, for example, within a brand marketing role, they might ask for analytics and like being able to work with like SEO or reporting. And maybe you're not doing reporting now, you're doing more graphic design. Then how can you include that in this new proposal of a job title change where you're like, now every month I'm going to give you monthly reporting of what's working, what's not working. Let's do A/B testing with graphic design. So now you're overlapping a graphic design aspect with a marketing aspect that you can then take on to a marketing role, like testing creatives out and seeing what's most successful. The other thing that I was going to add as well is if in the case that you bring all your absolute A-game to this meeting and they decline the title change, Then whenever you're able to add the description and say, this is what I'm working towards, then when they decline it, ask, okay, awesome. Like, what is it that I am missing to be able to get there? What do you need to see to be able to get there so that we can work together to both be successful in these roles? And key, key, key factor that you mentioned was never word it or make it about yourself. Like, yes, it is your job promotion and everything, but look at it more from a business owner perspective and like, what are they missing out on right now by quote unquote only having you as a graphic designer? And so if you're already doing a lot more, then use that language and say, hey, I've been here for X amount of time. I feel like I have currently outgrown my role, and here is why I think that I should shift into this one. And so then you can say everything for this role, I feel like I've already met. Like Alexa says, bring those, bring those receipts. But that language of I've outgrown my role and I'm trying to figure out what my next step is and laying that out for them can be very helpful. Um, as well as when, if they decline it, then you're able to have language to Okay, and when's the next check-in? Because I right now feel like I've outgrown my role. So yeah, definitely always shift it to their perspective, what they can gain from it, gain from your time. You are an investment, and so what would they miss out in the next 3 months by not having you there? But I wish you the absolute best. It sounds like it's a company where you can very quickly grow, very quickly grow your resume as well. So be very, very strategic if they're allowing that much flexibility with the titles. That's really going to be helpful down the road.

I'll tell you, I'll give you a very real example of a mistake I made in my career. So I was, I started out as the affiliate, it was like a sales marketing role at ConvertKit. I worked there for 4 years and then after about 8 to 12 months in, I had an opportunity of like, do you want to continue down the sales path or do you want to run the affiliate program here at ConvertKit? And I chose the affiliate program and I was— my title, my official title was affiliate manager. Now, over the course of 4 years of working there, that program that I managed did $22 million in revenue. And I never— and I got raises. I start— I mean, I almost I over— I more than doubled my salary while I was there, but I was not strategic about my title. And that impacted my, where I came in at my next role. Like it, it literally impacted where I was able to start at Circle with my title, because I never asked for a title change based on how much I was impacting the business, how my responsibilities changed.

Yeah.

And I was just happy with the promotion in terms of money. That I didn't actually get a title promotion, and little things like that actually really do matter. And I think that sometimes in career advice you can hear you can hear advice like don't chase titles, and I do understand where that comes from. But I think in four years I never asked for a title change, and I I could have gotten it. I just didn't care, quote unquote. And then it ended up unfortunately impacting. You know, my start base at where I'm at now. And now I've had to like work really hard to get title changes. Whereas a lot of what I was doing at ConvertKit is what I'm doing now at Circle. And so all that to say, I'm really proud of you for being really strategic about titles, um, when and if like they're necessary for your growth. But there's just like a learn from my mistake, if you will, of like not caring about it.

Yeah.

And then it actually does matter in certain situations.

Absolutely. I love that you brought this up because in my experience in corporate, there was a huge, huge focus on like, oh, we don't care about titles. And like, if you ask for a title change, it came off as greedy.

Yes.

And I mean, I didn't care, but it was almost like looked down upon. And I do think it's the younger managers that were looking at it in that In that regard. So yes, absolutely ask for those title changes. Don't be afraid to do it. And like Alexis said, like you never know down the road how a title change can impact you or not impact you in the way that you want. Definitely focus on it.

Right. And it's also sometimes not always about the job you're in now, but the job you want at another company. And maybe titles do matter there. And so just because they don't matter in the ecosystem of where you're at doesn't mean that they don't matter. contextually. So anyways, love this topic.

Next question. Next question is so fun and is more specifically for you. So Kaylee submitted to us and she said, please tell us about this new morning Pinterest habit. What are you searching? What are you pinning? What are the benefits of this habit? And why did you choose to do it?

Yes, I love this question. Thank you for asking. This is new. This is new to me. I've been doing this for a couple of weeks now. And essentially before I jump into work, I journal, I free journal a page, just whatever I'm thinking, just things I want to get out. And then I jump on Pinterest. I set a timer for 5 to 10 minutes and I just search my home algorithm. So I am not searching anything right now. I mostly just look at my Pinterest algorithm on my little, like the home icon. Um, and then I, I'm specifically looking for things that inspire me, that remind me of the life I'm building. I think that social media a lot of times can be, you get on Instagram or TikTok and you're consuming other people's lives. You're consuming what's going on in their day-to-day. You're consuming their highlights, reels, and all of it's lovely. Something about Pinterest feels like this is for me. Like this algorithm is curated to me. What I'm pinning to my boards is about me and for me and about the life that I want. And I feel like I'm able to separate the inspiration that I'm seeing and I really am able to visualize it for myself. And I feel like social media doesn't really do that for me anymore. It used to be very inspiring to me and sometimes it is, but I feel like Pinterest is really where I'm like, lighting up creatively. And I'm reading different things and there's different journal prompts and reminders of the kind of woman I'm becoming and design and travel and fashion. And I feel like I'm able to look at that through the lens of the life I'm building. And it's really beautiful for me to start my day like that. And then I start and I get into work and I'm like, yeah, this is who I am. This is the life I'm building.

Yeah.

Here's the vision and how can I today behave, act, think in a way that supports my vision? And so, it's like I'm reconnecting with who I am and what I want every day. Whereas, I haven't personally found a visualization habit like Pinterest yet. I feel like Pinterest allows me to visualize what I want and where I'm going more than anything else that I've tried. So that's my habit and that's what I'm learning from it so far.

I love that. It almost sounds like a vision board exercise.

Every day.

But daily.

Yes.

And that's so beautiful. I did a vision board exercise last year and I made a collage from it and it was my phone background. And it was wild how many things from that one vision board, I would say 90% of it came true within a year and a half timeframe.

So cool.

It's so powerful, the images that we look at. And so I'm very interested in this habit that you have because being able to do that in the morning and having that reminder of who you want to be is so, so powerful. Where now it's more for me, I look at it more on the evenings where I'm like, oh yeah, this is what I want to do with my house or how I want to feel in my space or how I want things to look. And it's just an ebb and flow. But how beautiful to start your day with that. And it doesn't feel, even though it is a social media platform, it doesn't feel as cluttered as spending 5, 10 minutes on Instagram or TikTok where you just consume so, so— yeah, your attention span is just all over the place.

It's also like you're jumping topics. It's like politics and health and fashion. And it's like there's all these different opinions and noise. And I think it's like something about Pinterest is it's like, okay, this is my little world. And like, yeah, it's just—

I love that. Yeah, I think we need to all get together and just be able to share this habit. I think— I feel like it would be so fun to do a challenge where we're all pinning and we're all able to share like what you find every day, because I want to know what you're finding every day and I want to share what I find every day.

I love that idea. We should definitely do that. Someone actually asked, they're like, so can you share your Pinterest boards or what? Like, I want to know what you're pinning. And I'm like, wait, what?

You do? Like, you care?

My Pinterest boards are a mess right now. I'm like, I gotta clean these babies up. You know, like me 10 years ago on Pinterest pinning random things for like my wedding or my fashion. You're like, oh my gosh.

Um, so I need to clean some things up before I share, but maybe that would be fun.

Um, yeah. Okay, next question I think is for you around Editing.

Yes. Yes. So I got a question from a photographer that asked, I'm wanting to change my editing style. How do I make the switch with the existing clients who have booked with me with my old style? And then she also asked, do you shoot over or underexposed? So for the second part, I'll start there since it all relates together. I shoot underexposed. I think that whenever you are equal or overexposed, a lot of the detail from the photo is blown out. And so you cannot recover a lot of it. You can only go up. But if you shoot underexposed, there's a lot more color, a lot more detail that you can retain, and you can always make the image brighter. So that has been a key for me. And then as far as changing editing style, that is Such a great question because in the wedding industry, someone's booking you probably a year, year and a half out. And let's say 3 months or 4 months after they book you, you are shifting your style. And a lot of times they book you for that. And so the way that I have navigated this is I like to think that my clients trust my creative eye. And I don't think I've ever had a super harsh shift in my editing style. So it hasn't gone, gone from dark and moody to the super bright and airy or anything like that. But if it's within the same realm, then I would like to think that your clients trust your judgment and that in a sense, they're rooting for you to continue to get even better as a photographer, that by the time you shoot, you shoot their wedding, they have an even better product than what they signed up for a year and a half ago. And so I think it's a matter of just staying true to yourself, staying true through the whole process, and really listening to your clients as well. So if there is a scenario where you're shifting your editing style and then you deliver a wedding gallery or wedding sneak peeks a year and a half later and they don't like it and they don't resonate with it, then redo it for them in your old style to make that similar, there's always, I mean, you're, you're not, it's not a canvas and it's not permanently on there. You can re-edit and go back and do it in that style. Uh, but ultimately stay true to who you are as an artist. And if you are wanting to shift your style and you're wanting to shift the type of clients that you're getting and how your work looks, then trust yourself in that. And I, I was very worried about it for a really long time and I have yet to have a client be like, um, this is way different than what I signed up for 2 years ago. So just, just go for it.

It's great advice. Really good point too on someone booking you 18 months out and like you as an artist are going to evolve and trends might change. And like, I mean, even whenever you shot my wedding almost 5 years ago, the like blurry movement was not in like it is now, you know?

And it's going out now too.

It's going out.

Yeah.

So like, and like heavy flash was not in. 5, like there's just going to be certain trends and different styles that are going to change. I also wonder, could you put something in your contract that's like a clause that's like, you know, the photographer reserves the right to blah, blah, blah, that essentially is like, hey, your photographer isn't going to edit your wedding just like every other wedding. Is there like a creativity clause in there?

Yes. Yeah. Great question. Great point. I have it in all of my contracts that basically I am Reserving the right as the artist and the creator, and that ultimately I'll work to appease basically the client and work the best that we can. But ultimately my work will be reflective of what you see on my website. And so I think that's just a part of being a creative in the industry. And another thing that I'll say too is a lot of times when your clients resonate with your style, um, and with you as an artist, They are also seeing the shift in the wedding photography industry. So by the time their wedding rolls around, now they're also wanting like, oh my God, now I want the flash photos. Like they're so great. Or like, I don't like the blurry photos anymore. And so if you can be the kind of photographer that stays true to yourself and stays on top of like what's current, then you'll always be ahead of the wave and you'll be riding it right with where your clients want. And they don't feel like they need to go back or Or be like, shoot, 2 years ago me, or a year and a half ago me wanted that photographer, but now I actually wish I had this one because my style of what I want has changed.

Great point. Um, this was so fun.

So fun.

I love this. I love answering your questions. I also feel like, um, I'm glad that we're doing this monthly again. If there are any questions that you have, You can just go to the link in our bio, and we have like two little buttons: one that you can leave us a voice message, and then one that you can just write it in if you don't want to you know have your voice on the podcast. Totally understand that. But we're really excited to keep adding value and answer your questions, and just continuing to you know be in conversation with you. I mean, we're kind of in this relaunch 2.0 of the podcast, and. You know, having guests on and launching the Ask ANA. So if there are other ideas of ways you want to see the podcast grow or guests that you think we should have on the podcast or just ideas that you have, please let us know. Like we're so open. I feel like Astrid and I are in our own like mini transformation period with the podcast too, just to let you guys in on that. Like we're like, okay, we want to like keep growing and keep building, but we also want to keep serving the community and what are ways we can do that. So we're really excited for even just more around that that's coming. Um, but yeah, really, really grateful for every single question. We just love you so much and we're grateful that we get to do this. Yes.

Thank you all so, so much for tuning in to another episode. We adore you so much and I cannot wait to be able to do Q&A again next month. Um, as always, you can connect with us on Instagram @inbetween.pod, and you can connect with me @astrojohannaphoto.

Or me @alexistechmiller. And if you are feeling led, leave us a review on your podcast player. Would love to hear what you're resonating with on the pod. And with that, we will see you next week.