Second Act Success Career Podcast: Career Change Advice, Job Search Strategies, and Personal Development Tips

News Journalist Kristy Siefkin Took Her On-Air Skills And Launched A Career As A Communications Coach | Ep #40

November 29, 2022 Kristy Siefkin, Shannon Russell Season 1 Episode 40
Second Act Success Career Podcast: Career Change Advice, Job Search Strategies, and Personal Development Tips
News Journalist Kristy Siefkin Took Her On-Air Skills And Launched A Career As A Communications Coach | Ep #40
Show Notes Transcript

When Kristy Siefkin found herself shying away from her dreams as a child, she knew she needed to change. After building her communications skills in high school and college, she began working at non-profits that were close to her heart, eventually using her skills to become their spokesperson and help craft their messaging. This opportunity led her to becoming an on air journalist for more than 15 years in San Francisco and Phoenix. As the journalism industry changed, Kristy decided to bring her public speaking and communication talents to others, starting her own communications company, where she coaches clients how to speak confidently and effectively, whether in the boardroom, sales pitch or on camera. Listen now on the Second Act Success Podcast

SHOWNOTES:
https://secondactsuccess.co/40

CONNECT with Kristy Siefkin:

Website – https://kristysiefkin.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kristysiefkin
 
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristysiefkin/
 

SHOW BREAKDOWN:

0:00 – Intro 

0:11 – Kristy’s Childhood and inspiration

02:11 – High School where things start to change

03:16 – College and dreams of being a veterinarian

05:02 – First jobs - working for animal non-profits 

06:57 – Beginnings of becoming an on-camera spokesperson

07:54 – Grad School - Masters in multimedia communications 

08:22 – On-air journalist in San Francisco

09:13 – Moving to Phoenix for Fox affiliate

12:30 – Transition - Opening own communications coaching business

16:03 – Creating her new business

21:36 – Importance of communicating in all business areas

21:40 – Milestones she uses in her coaching

23:15 – Hooking your audience in 30 seconds

25:35 – Possible return to on air?  

27:19 – Contact Info

27:52 – 5 Fast Qs of the Week

27:58 – What different chapters in life taught you

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Second Act Success Podcast
Season 1 -Episode #40 - Kristy Siefkin on her path from On-Air Journalist to Communications Coach
Guest: Kristy Siefkin
Transcription (*created by Descript and may not be perfectly accurate)


[00:00:00] Shannon Russell: I'm excited to announce that the next session of the Second Act Accelerator Course will be launching in January. Join the waitlist at secondactsuccess.co/waitlist. 

This course is for career professionals, ready to pivot to a new purpose. I will help you narrow down those career change ideas that have been swirling around in your head using my Second Act Strategy.

By the end of the program. , you will have an action plan on how to get to that next career goal. Join like-minded individuals in our private community group. Plus you will have access to weekly group coaching, live workshops, expert guests, and one-on-one coaching with me. 

I have been busy working with my first cohort of students. And let me just tell you, they have been planning and progressing so well . Now it is your turn. Join the waitlist. at secondactsuccess.co/waitlist 

and I hope to see you in the next session of theSecond Act Accelerator this January. 

Now it's back to the [00:01:00] episode. 

[00:01:00] Kristy Siefkin: I think a lot of us deal with this,, the imposter syndrome or the fear that you're gonna do it wrong or you don't have all the skills necessary to do it. And I just got to the point where I knew I wanted so badly to try this, that I'd rather try it. and have it be a disaster and a complete failure and know that I had given it a go than to settle for what was a very respectable and, very good job that I was grateful to have.

Are you at a crossroads in your career? Ready for a change, but you're not sure how to get there. Don't worry. We are about to produce your best life together. Welcome to the Second Act Success Podcast. I am your host. Shannon Russell. I am a former Television Producer turned boy mom. I left my dream job to find family balance and in doing so, I produced my dream life. Now I am a Business Owner, Podcaster, and Career Coach. My mission is to help other women, like you, find what they are truly meant to [00:02:00] be doing. If you are ready to start over in your career or pivot to a new purpose, then get ready to be inspired by stories of women who have done just that. We will share advice and actionable tips to motivate you as you move along on your path. It is time to shine. So let's start producing your balanced life of abundance today. This is Second Act Success. 





[00:02:26] Shannon Russell: 

Hi, my friend Shannon Russell here with the new episode of the Second Act Success Podcast. Today, we are talking all things communications with TV Broadcaster, Kristy Siefkin. Kristy turned her longtime career as a national news correspondent. Into her own business as a professional communications coach. Kristy's journey going from a shy little girl to being fearless behind the mic is She shares. How, once you master the art of being a confident speaker, you will be unstoppable. Let me introduce you to [00:03:00] my friend, Kristy. Siefkin. 

I am here with Kristy Siefkin. Hi Kristy. Welcome to the podcast.

[00:03:07] Kristy Siefkin: Thank you so much Shannon. Thank you for having me.

[00:03:09] Shannon Russell: I'm so excited to chat with you. You have such an interesting journey. Why don't you tell me kind of how you were as a child.

[00:03:16] Kristy Siefkin: Absolutely. I was a bit of a shy child. I would say introvert. I didn't know what that was at the time, but later discovered it, very much attached to my mom's apron strings. I always en enjoyed close relationships with people and being with close family friends, but I was not a. Center of attention kind of kid.

I did have, as a child, a fascination with the Wizard of Oz, which I believe you share. You've got some love for the Wizard of Oz also. And, uh, was all things Wizard of Oz as a child. I mean, collected the lunch boxes, the McDonald's toys, the dolls, the stuffed animals. I could sing the whole Wizard of Oz script backward for you and forward, I share this only because when I was [00:04:00] very young, we had a school play.

They announced it was going to be the Wizard of Oz, and you would think this is the huge opportunity for me to take the dream role of Dorothy. And, uh, The day came, the big day came that they wanted us to raise our hand and volunteer for what we wanted to do and my hand didn't go. And of all things, it made no sense because this was something I had loved. And instead I volunteered when they asked who wants to be munchkin, I think I didn't even volunteer. I think I just ended up that because I didn't stand up to be Dorothy and it really, solidified for me that there was something inside of me that wanted to be able to step out and be more confident and go for the things I wanted and not be afraid. And it might seem like a, a small story that all kids have had these moments, but for me, I think it really epitomized. A bigger journey that happened in terms of coming into myself, being willing to speak up and, and eventually ending up in a career That had a lot to do [00:05:00] with being able to be in front of people and present yourself really confidently.

[00:05:04] Shannon Russell: clearly you remember that moment of probably a lot of disappointment in yourself. I'm sure that you didn't raise your hand. so talk to me about as you got into high school and going to college, like how did you kind of come out of your shell during those years or did.

[00:05:19] Kristy Siefkin: Well, I was a fabulously nerdy speech and debate kid. Also throw. Some, , science Olympia team, a year of athletes. Now I'm really embarrassing myself, but you know what, I'm, I'm proud of it because I, I've always been, I've always loved learning. I've loved education, so I really enjoyed school and the academic rigor of it.

But doing, doing speech and debate was a big piece of helping me get out of my shell. And even before that, It was being involved in the 4H Youth Program. It's an international organization focused on youth development. And I was forced. , Um, I forced myself to stretch myself to, to present in front of people and talk [00:06:00] about whatever the activity was that you were doing, do presentations around it. So that really helped to bolster my confidence as well.

[00:06:07] Shannon Russell: That's a great way to kind of come out of your, shell be used to your voice speaking in front of other people. And then talk to me about after high school.

[00:06:17] Kristy Siefkin: Absolutely. I thought I would be a veterinarian when I headed to college, just because I did do a lot with dogs growing up I used to train dogs and show dogs just like you see on tv. The Westminster Kennel Club in New York. That's something that I did as a kid, and uh, also trained service animals so worked training. Guide dogs with a blind wilderness search and rescue animals, and also some animal assisted therapy, pets. So I thought, Okay, yeah, I'll go the veterinary route. And I quickly discovered a couple things. First, I was deathly allergic to cats. And so when I interned in a veterinary hospital, even with allergy medication, it was really a struggle for me. And there are other animals, but that kind of combined [00:07:00] with I saw a lot of the sadness involved in the profession. I started. Down a different route. And while I was in college, I studied psychology, which I tell people I use to this day, every day. Well, it's not technically my, my job. I do integrate it into the training that I'm doing with a lot of people, which, which we can talk about later. But during that period, I literally found my voice as part of an acapella group. I don't know if you knew Shannon, that I was in an acapella group in college. I like to say it was like the OG acapella groups, but that was really fun. And there was another element of getting to perform. And when you're doing it in a group, there's kind of a safety element, right? When you're, whether you're acting or you are singing 

[00:07:43] Shannon Russell: So that was exciting in college. You didn't go into veterinary medicine, so what career did you go into right out of college?

[00:07:51] Kristy Siefkin: I combined the passion for animals with some of the, nonprofit management that I had learned through doing internships, uh, [00:08:00] with some of these companies in New York and in North Carolina. And my first job out of college was working for the American Kennel Club. So the organization that uc puts on those huge dog shows. But I wasn't doing anything with dogs. I was an internal business consultant, I was crunching numbers, I was writing business plans. I was helping the organization with co-branding, with other, uh, organizations looking at additional revenue streams. And it, it wasn't what I had envisioned as my dream job, but I loved the organization, I loved the people. And I had a mentor approach me at one point saying, You know, you're hiding your light under a basket was the phrase that she used, meaning she could tell that I had a gift for communicating, for teaching, for presenting. And that started to open the door to me doing some spokesperson work for the organization. And I then went on to work back on the West Coast where my family is based, went to work for Guide Dogs for the Blind, which is a school that pairs mobility dogs with blind [00:09:00] handlers for free. For life. So an, an incredible mission, incredible organization. And through that organization, got to do a lot of speaking and training as well, partnering with other nonprofits, with blindness schools, with donors and building support communities, not only in Phoenix, but also in la And throughout that period I was still based in San Francisco Bay area. Never knowing that Phoenix, this place I was occasionally. Visiting would end up becoming my home for a good number of.

[00:09:32] Shannon Russell: how incredible. So when you're working with such an amazing organization, were you a spokesperson for them on camera at this point 

[00:09:39] Kristy Siefkin: I did for, for the American Kennel Club. I was an on camera. spokes person in addition to doing my desk work. And then when I was with, Guide Dogs for the Blind, it wasn't a, a media role proper. I had an opportunity to go back to grad school while I was with Guide Dogs for the Blind. I thought I'd love to go back to grad school, either in psychology, which was [00:10:00] the undergrad or. Maybe give this broadcasting thing a go because I had done some internships with, PBS affiliates and I had done, interviews with um, anywhere from NBC network to Extra to a local news station. And so I started to get exposed to a spokesperson role. To what it was like to be in this, this exciting world of tv and I, I took the leap. I left an organization that I loved, go back and, and get my masters in multimedia communications.

[00:10:30] Shannon Russell: so that kind of led you to your second act.

[00:10:33] Kristy Siefkin: It did well, even led, led me to, I guess the second, and now I believe, I guess I'm on a third, technically

[00:10:39] Shannon Russell: probably on a third. Yes, you're right.

[00:10:41] Kristy Siefkin: gonna have to rename Shannon your podcast to third act. But, uh, that was still, within my, my twenties that I was going back to grad school and pursuing that and did that within San Francisco, had the chance to. Not only go to school, but start working for not one, but two local [00:11:00] stations in San Francisco. I felt incredibly lucky to get to intern and then turn it into freelance work for an independent station there. In addition to the CBS network affiliate doing, uh, everything under the sun, I started traffic was the very first thing I did, and then I started to dip my toe into doing weather and reporting, and those became consistent. areas of focus for me, not just in San Francisco, but also when I came back to Phoenix this time to take a contract TV job.

[00:11:33] Shannon Russell: That's a big exciting move cuz you're freelancing in San Francisco area, but now you have a contract role.

[00:11:42] Kristy Siefkin: Yes. Yes. And it, it was such an, an exciting decade of my life. I spent a decade at the Fox affiliate here,, in Phoenix, Arizona, and did everything from, hard news to feature, to anchoring the newscast to anchoring weather. [00:12:00] And it, it was incredible. It was, it was challenging as well it's a very competitive industry, and, it's tough to have quality of life with it. the news is on when people are not at normal working hours, so that means you either get up at 1:45 in the morning to go to a morning news shift, or that starts at 3:30 in the morning, or you work until 11 o'clock in the evening, or sometimes even later if you're remotely somewhere, um, you know, occasionally you're out of town. You are working on holidays and sometimes missing really big events for loved ones, especially if you're someone who works on the weekends, which I did for five of, five of the 10 years that I was here at this station. It was a tremendous opportunity. I mean, when I had left San Francisco and was reporting there, it was really in the heart of the Occupy Wall Street movement. And Oakland was a very active center of that. And so, at the time that I left, it sadly had become a really dangerous [00:13:00] environment for journalists. So part of what that transition was for me to Phoenix was to get to do some more of the uplifting and, happy news, if you will. Not everything I covered was happy, but I had the opportunity to do everything from flying with Kathy Rigby, the original Peter Pan from Broadway, getting to fly with. Stage at the GA center here to, skating with Disney On Ice.. Human interest stories, which for me was always so uplifting to help organizations and causes and people have a voice and publicize all of the good that's being done within our communities, and not just the bad.

[00:13:37] Shannon Russell: Right. And people need to see the fun stuff too. The people stories, more of the lifestyle. And I wanna point out something. I come from produced TV where I'm the producer and I'm writing scripts for talent that are saying the lines. But correct me if I'm wrong news, you are the anchor, the reporter, and you're very much working on the [00:14:00] copy and the news story as well.

[00:14:01] Kristy Siefkin: Very, very much so. Um, I, My very first reporting job, in fact was a one man band journalist or a multimedia journalist. And for those at home who haven't heard that term, it, it means that you wear every hat. So you are the reporter that is setting up the interviews, you're conducting the interviews, you're writing the story. You're the videographer who's, On a tripod filming it, and then you're the editor who goes back and puts that all together and then presents it live. And a big piece of what I really began to master and, and enjoy as I was doing reporting and anchoring in weather was how much ad-libbing was involved. It's one of the skills that I, I love to teach people and help them become stronger at. Because if you're in a job interview, you're on a television interview, you are at a conference presenting, you get thrown a curve ball question from the audience. Having those skills to respond on the fly is invaluable. And it can be learned. People think that it's just an inherent [00:15:00] gift. It, it is a little easier for some than others, but it definitely is something that's learn.

[00:15:05] Shannon Russell: you had a dream career and. . And so talk to me now about your transition out of being an anchor and into having your own business.

[00:15:13] Kristy Siefkin: Yes. It's been an exciting ride that I can't even say how grateful I am for this new adventure as well. Um, You know, as much as there are many great and exciting things about journalism, it also is very hard. And you. As you look at the the industry as a whole, and you definitely can appreciate this too, Shannon, it has changed a lot. And A theme that I started to see across stations was that people were being asked to. Twice as much work without any any help or any support. And at the end of the day, I really believe that your, product starts to suffer when that happens. Um, and and I think for me, that combined with wanting to. A lot more skills than what I was getting to use. um, I was just ready to, to [00:16:00] stretch and use some muscles that I felt were were gonna get atrophied,

[00:16:04] Shannon Russell: Mm-hmm.

[00:16:05] Kristy Siefkin: and going to, my point earlier about loving to learn and loving to grow, I knew that the impact I wanted to have, I could have it in a different way, but still using. Some of the skills I was day to day in my work, plus adding additional skills. My very first nonprofit job, I had had the chance to do a little bit of training and development. And then in my second nonprofit job, I actually created a speakers bureau that was responsible for training. Several thousand individuals across the un, the US and Canada to be spokespersons across the organization. So I decided to come full circle and tap back into those pieces of my early career that I really loved, which was being the teacher, being the mentor. . And I thought, it's not a traditional classroom, but there's a way that I can instill everything that I've learned over a decade or even two decades [00:17:00] into organizations and for individuals and help them Coherent, persuasive, clear communicators, whether it is on camera, it's in a boardroom, it's on a stage, and that's what led to the launch of my business in just this past spring of 20 22.

[00:17:19] Shannon Russell: Oh wow. You knew you had this vision, you knew you wanted to educate and help people. How do you put all the pieces together to actually form a business and tell us more about it.

[00:17:30] Kristy Siefkin: Absolutely. Well, I, for a long time wanted to do it and there was a lot of fear. And this takes me back to wanting to be Dorothy and not raising my hand for it. And I think a lot of us deal with this,, the imposter syndrome or the fear that you're gonna do it wrong or you don't have all the skills necessary to do it. And I just got to the point where I knew I wanted so badly to try this, that I'd rather try it. and have it be a disaster and a complete failure and know that I had given it a go [00:18:00] than to settle for what was a very respectable and, very good job that I was grateful to have. So I first enlisted a career coach when I thought that I might be transitioning into something that wasn't news. But I, I really wasn't thinking about entrepreneurship quite yet, and we essentially threw a lot of deep work together, determined that I needed to go out on my own. And so that is when I connected with a business coach in Australia of all places. And she helped me with some of the tactical pieces. But in terms of creating my programs, I essentially started doing. Field research and beta testing before I officially launched.

So I, on a volunteer basis, would work with organizations to see what help they needed from a presentation standpoint. Helped individuals who were writing keynotes, train individuals how to present to the media in different types of fields, and that provided me feedback with these areas that I think are really important. I invested all [00:19:00] this time in. They like X, Y, and Z, but they more want more of A, B, and C. And that allowed me to modify my curriculum. So now within my business, I, there's um, a couple of arms. I have the training and development arms. So I train individuals as well as corporate teams. And it's can be for any communication scenario. It can be you want. The individuals in-house to be better internal communicators. You want them to be better presenters externally with clients or stakeholders. Or it could be you want your, team members to just present themselves with confidence better., I'm, I'm custom making a workshop right now for a team that wants to work on their, their pitching abilities. So this is going back to reporting. This has part of what I love is getting to be exposed to different fields and different industries. So what you need as a presenter when you're a doctor and presenting at a conference is different than an entrepreneur who's pitching for funding. And that's different than a CEO who's [00:20:00] giving an inspirational keynote to kickoff a fundraising campaign. But the, what I've learned over the past few decades is applicable across all of those. Places and because of the themes of what, what makes an outstanding communicator, regardless of the industry, regardless of the venue or the stage, if you will, that led me to create a methodology. So I created something called the Go-to Speaker method, and it informs all of the programs that I do. It has not just the component of crafting the message as well as the verbal and non-verbal delivery, but it also has the psychology piece of it, that I mentioned earlier. And I don't care is the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company or somebody who was starting their first job. We all have and can struggle with those challenges of how we present ourselves and worrying how we come across and overcoming the voices in our heads that tell us if we don't do it perfectly, it's not worth saying, or if I don't do it just [00:21:00] right. The whole world's going to think less of me and my, my business or my work or my presentation is going to be a failure. So a lot of the work that I do in coaching clients individually and in a group taps into that psychological piece. And also the the emotional intelligence piece that's required to be a good communicator too.

[00:21:20] Shannon Russell: You're so spot on because we all need to know how. Take the thoughts in our head, communicate them properly to get our message across. So you're really helping people on all different levels, use their voice to the best of their ability.

[00:21:34] Kristy Siefkin: I love that. That's a great tagline, Shannon. And use your voice to the best of your ability. Yes.

[00:21:38] Shannon Russell: but no, it's true, right? Because you learn that from a young girl as you were growing up, to use your voice, stand up for what you. Believe is right for what you want and now you're able to help other people. So I can see how this is really opening so many doors of possible revenue for you and clients for you and all different businesses. [00:22:00] And what's great, I'm just thinking as an entrepreneur here as well, is that you know, this company that you're working with now, you're gonna come up with this awesome workshop to help them and you'll have that to help with others. And it just kind of snowballs from.

[00:22:13] Kristy Siefkin: It's great. And you, your observation is spot on. I mean, early on within my business , I spent. Easily over a year, working mornings all morning up until two in the afternoon and on my business to build all of the methodology and build all the ip, and then I'd go and work till 11 at night. I Thought that was tiring. Being an entrepreneur is even more exhausting, as you can probably attest, but it's really exciting because you get to see how many, different types. People and organizations you can impact and, the fact that we have this Zoom technology or WebEx or whatever whatever pick your poison, allows me not only to serve people here in the US but also abroad.

I've had the chance to train, individuals in Israel, in Spain. In [00:23:00] Singapore. I'm learning a lot also about cross-cultural communication from those who are trying to assimilate to, presenting to American standards. I'm learning about okay, what's different in other places around the globe? So that's, that's been part of the fascinating education and every time I go in to help an organization, With their messaging. Some of them say, Okay, well can you help us create a video about this? Yes, that's in my wheelhouse too. Or can you help us, script some messaging to use at X event. I get to learn all the ins and outs of totally different industries. And so that's really cool too. 

[00:23:32] Shannon Russell: With all of my guests. I can always find that thread that kind of connects everyone's different career points together. And for you, you're getting to use your writing skills, your communicating skills, you're presenting skills, your psychology skills, it's all just coming back. And I love that. And even, um, with my bipo here, I get to use all my producing skills from my first act, which is incredible. I get to produce and edit and write, and it's. It's incredible. I always like to remind people that just because you change [00:24:00] careers or change jobs or pivot, whatever it might be, you are still that person. You can go back to that previous career anytime, and you're u you're just taking those skills with you into a new transition.

[00:24:12] Kristy Siefkin: Absolutely. And I don't care what, what field you're in. There is an opportunity and honestly, somewhat of an expectation as well, that whether you are an engineer, a landscaper, a graphic artist, any of these fields that maybe traditionally. You didn't have to speak or you didn't have to communicate regularly. There's this expectation now that you are your own brand and that, are you on TikTok? Do you have a podcast? Are you posting short videos on LinkedIn? And, and that's a thread that I've seen within my clients across different industries is even those who are, are very successful in their own right, are realizing, shoot this landscape now and moving forward. Is gonna require me to be a good messenger and be able to do it, particularly on camera or in front of people, [00:25:00] to continue to, to build a following, not at a superficial level, but really to continue to engage clients and get people to use my, my business or my service. So that's been really fun to help in growing my business. See other people are growing theirs because of the, of the toolkit.

[00:25:16] Shannon Russell: I feel like I need to ask you your advice later on too, because as a producer and now a podcaster, , a business owner, I'm also a career coach, I'm so used to being behind the camera, but now I need to try to turn it around on me to do the ticks and do the reels and it's great to have someone like you to help everyone kind of along their way and, and make

[00:25:36] Kristy Siefkin: Well, thank you for that. We'll totally talk Shannon. I got you.

[00:25:40] Shannon Russell: God, I love it. Um, so I know, in just looking at your website and kind of what you do, you have, I saw you posted something about how to hook your audience in 30 seconds, and I think that's really valuable, even for a lot of my listeners who might be thinking about, you know, leaving that job, trying something else and [00:26:00] they need to have that elevator pitch is that kind of what you're talking about with a.

[00:26:03] Kristy Siefkin: Absolutely. And so the hook could be whether it's an elevator pitch at a networking event, whether you're giving a long form presentation, or you are at a meeting that you know people have been there for five hours, they're in a food coma. and you need to bring them in. So in any of those instances, our, our initial reaction might be to ease in to say, Well, thank you guys for being here and I appreciate the time and this won't take too much time, and we've got an agenda. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's incredibly boring. You need as a communicator, in any instance, to immediately establish why someone should pay attention. It goes back to the question of the why. I think a lot of us start our communications by thinking, What do I want to say? And that's a mistake. We need to start them with. What does the. Want and need from me. We're there to mentor them and to educate them and bring them along. So as we talk about [00:27:00] hooking people in a pitch, in a presentation, it's throwing something in that is a little bit out of the ordinary or that's going to break up the lull that they're currently sitting in. And in that post I talk about a variety of techniques, whether it's sharing a quick story off the top. Whether it's sharing a jarring, uh, statistic, something that's true, we don't want click bait, but you wanna feed into that idea of, gosh,, I haven't heard about that. Let me lean in and, and listen more.

Getting the audience involved early on, I love presentations or communications where someone immediately asked me a question or ask me my opinion about something. So it's approaching communications in this way that breaks up the monotony. That's gonna get somebody on your team, because if you don't get somebody interested early on, chances are they're probably tuning out for the rest of your communication. I'm sorry. I'm sorry to say, but it's the truth of it.

[00:27:53] Shannon Russell: Great advice. will you go back to be on air? I know you said you're still doing some on-air work. Is that something that [00:28:00] you want to continue on the side as well?

[00:28:03] Kristy Siefkin: I really enjoy video storytelling and whether it will be in a traditional news casting environment or a non-traditional fashion is. Up in the air. We'll see. I'd never say never to anything. What I have the chance to do now, and what I'm really loving is helping people craft their stories and serving as a moderator or as an interviewer, if you will, to get out those really good answers to help them create good video material. And I've also started to. Some within the social media space. If I have, an organization or a cause that is looking to do a campaign of something that I believe about. For example, I had a local organization approached me, about doing a water conservation campaign and talking about Arizona's drought situation and about the way that we can conserve. Absolutely. That's something that I'm passionate about. And so when I have the chance to serve, , [00:29:00] as a messenger on camera, For organizations or for companies that I believe in. I love to do that as well. And the landscape is changing so much. I think that while there is traditional TV on your screen, so much of what people are doing now is what, just what you're doing, Shannon, They're starting a podcast or they're starting a video podcast. There have created a YouTube channel and I, would not, be surprised that it within the, the growth of my business, I'm not sure where I'm gonna find the hours, but that would be another piece of it. I'd love to have multiple destinations that people can go to, to feel more confident wherever they're communicating.

[00:29:36] Shannon Russell: How can my listeners, if they did wanna work with you, what is the best way to reach you and connect with you?

[00:29:43] Kristy Siefkin: You can find me in multiple places. I'm on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn,, if you just search for my name, Kristy Siefkin. Or go to kristysiefkin.com. That is the website for my company, Kristy Siefkin Communications. You also can look my name up on any of those social media [00:30:00] platforms, and I check all of them. You can message me. And, I love to set up a time to, to, to really create custom programs for people. It's not about having a cookie cutter approach. 



[00:30:12] Shannon: Alright. It's time for our Five Fast Qs of the Week. Here we go! 

[00:30:18] Shannon Russell: Name one thing that these different chapters in your life have taught you.

[00:30:21] Kristy Siefkin: There is no final destination. When I was younger, I thought I would hit X Age in my life. I'd be settled in my career where I lived. Everything would be just orderly, one piece after the next. It's not, and that's a beautiful thing. I've always been somewhat perfectionistic a type like things to be in order, know what's coming next, and if these chapters have taught me anything, it's that some of the most exciting adventures are around the quarter and you can't even start to imagine how great they are.

[00:30:53] Shannon Russell: Would you recommend taking a leap into a big life change to your best friend?

[00:30:58] Kristy Siefkin: Absolutely. And funny enough, my [00:31:00] best friend from college is a one who really encouraged me to do it because she became an entrepreneur after working in New York, working internationally for big firms, but I would absolutely encourage people to do it, there's such incredible pride and fulfillment in creating something that's your own.

[00:31:16] Shannon Russell: It's truly yours. Yep. So what is one piece of advice that you would give to someone who is trying to start their second.

[00:31:23] Kristy Siefkin: Look at the skills that you have already. And Shannon, you mentioned this already, tap into the skills you have. What are your strengths? What do you love to do? Be creative, talk to as many people as you can. I, I did informational interviews with 85 different people when I thought I was gonna be taking a job in house in a company. That's eventually what led me to entrepreneurship. But it helped clarify for me the elements of other people's jobs that looked appealing to me so I could incorporate that into my own job and reach out for help. People are generally very helpful, especially other entrepreneurs. They know what the struggle is like they want to [00:32:00] support you. And there's gonna be a lot of self education, but so much of what you need is completely available for free online, through videos, through e libraries or your public library, or through attending events in your community. So keep learning and don't stop learning. That's gonna be key to your growth.

[00:32:19] Shannon Russell: Right. You do make the change, you're gonna keep learning, you're gonna keep educating yourself and just work towards being a lifelong learner. So, what does the next act look like for you?

[00:32:29] Kristy Siefkin: I think I'm on Act three, so I'm not sure about Act four yet. , I'd say this next act within my new business is really enjoying the, the creative. Process and also finding balance in my life outside of work. A big piece of why I decided to, to make this leap was to call the shots in my own day, I'm really looking forward to, leaning into more hobbies. , I've, recently joined a board for a big organization here. It hasn't been announced yet, [00:33:00] but I'm gonna be doing that and,, um, getting to volunteer with a lot more of the charities that I'm really passionate about. I'm very excited for that.

[00:33:07] Shannon Russell: How wonderful to be able to really choose how you're spending your time and not spending it to fulfill someone else's agenda, like a news network or you know, or a corporation like you're really your own boss.

[00:33:19] Kristy Siefkin: as I say, I, I, the best part of my job is I have the most awesome boss,

[00:33:22] Shannon Russell: really do

[00:33:24] Kristy Siefkin: And before I told people that I was starting a company that, uh, Oh. Who is this? What's, what's this company? Well, the boss is me and it's the best boss you can ask for.

[00:33:32] Shannon Russell: Well, this was such a wonderful conversation. I've learned so much from you and I'm so inspired by

[00:33:36] Kristy Siefkin: you. Thank Likewise. I thank you so much for having me. I'm, I'm inspired by what you've done and I think that, the more the entrepreneurs can hold each other up and, and share. Then we can help maybe where I stumbled I can help you to, to skip that phase and vice versa. And it's really the, just the whole landscape of the world has changed in the past couple of years. So for those considering a [00:34:00] change, I think now is a prime time to do it because culturally we are understanding that this is a journey a lot of people are on and, and people are, are willing to support you. 

[00:34:09] Shannon Russell: I'm going to be following along, to see what your adventure holds and I'm so honored to have met you and thank you again 

[00:34:16] Kristy Siefkin: thank you so much.

[00:34:18] Shannon Russell: How incredible is Kristy and the empire she is building. She has a lot to say about women using their voice to speak confidently. And that is more important now than ever. If you have a shy side, then be sure to follow Kristy online and check out her website for some insightful resources to help you gain more confidence using your voice. Go to kristysiefkin.com. That's K R I S T Y S I E F K I N.Com. Thank you so much for spending part of your day with me. If you gain value from this episode, I hope you will do me a favor and share this podcast with a friend. And as always feel free to send me a [00:35:00] DM on Instagram or a message on LinkedIn to let me know what you would like to hear on a future episode. Until next time I am Shannon Russell, and this is the Second Act Success Podcast. Have a good one. 

[00:35:13] Shannon: Thank you for joining us. I hope you found some gems of inspiration and some takeaways to help you on your path to Second Act Success. To view show notes from this episode, visit secondactsuccess.co. Before you go, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast. So you don't miss a single episode. Reviews only take a few moments and they really do mean so much. Thank you again for listening. I am Shannon Russell, and this is Second Act Success.