We were lucky to catch up with Brittnee Brooks recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brittnee, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

I have always been eager to talk about a lot of important lessons that I have learned in my life but always felt nervous or embarrassed to tell them but there is something about this space with Canvas that makes me feel so comfortable to just be myself and to use this platform to be vulnerable and talk about those lessons. If I had one lesson that I could put my finger on, a big lesson that at the time felt like it derailed my whole life would have to be when I got let go| fired from a position at a radio station that completely blind sided me. It sounds so cliché to talk about “getting let go | fired from a job” but it truly was something that I have never ever wanted to face. Radio had been my whole life at that time ever since I graduated high school. I have also always believed that I am an incredibly hardworking person, I wear my heart on my sleeve, I always work hard to do what’s right, and I would hate for anyone to think that I was someone who deserved to be let go or fired, but here I am- with that story. What I can say though, is it probably taught me one of the bigger lessons of my whole entire life, the universe is always gonna be in charge. It’s always going to take you out of situations that don’t serve you even when it doesn’t make the most sense. This scenario was exactly that and now that it has taken me a good amount of time to heal from, I can truly say that if it didn’t happen, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

When I think back to the environment of the workplace, the people I was surrounded by, there were nothing BUT lessons I had to learn in this workplace and I am so proud of myself for as long as I did make it to be truthfully honest. Now seeing the workplace from a bigger picture and outside of the situation, that place wasn’t made for anyone who had long term plans and goals for themselves. That place wasn’t a safe place for you to be yourself, that place definitely wasn’t a place for women to excel in the workplace. I distinctly remember to this day the words my boss told me when I was packing up all of my things out of my office. He said the words to me “I won’t tell anyone what happened so that you at least have a chance to pursue a career in broadcasting”. “You have a lot to learn as a person.” When I think about those words to this day, I chuckle. I chuckle because the control or power someone will try and convince you that they have over you is incredibly manipulating and well, kind of insane. He tried to convince me that HE was in control of the outcome and of my future. But really, I am the only person that is truly in control of both of those things in MY life and that is the lesson that I had to take time to learn.

Coming back to yourself, coming back to the real you, coming back to the purest heart of yourself is so important especially when your environment and company tries to convince you otherwise. I truly thought being “fired” was going to become my identity. But writing this today a few years later, I know exactly who I am and my identity and it isn’t any of those things that he told me. I am going to my dream job every single week now because I didn’t let his power control MY narrative. I have my own story to tell and I am going to tell it exactly how I want it told. The lesson now is don’t let other people write and or tell your story regardless of what they say or how they make you feel. ᵕ̈

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

We will start from the top ᵕ̈ –
My name is Brittnee Brooks and I am what they call a “Colorado Native.” I have never truly appreciated that glory that is Colorado until my later years of becoming an adult and now I have truly immersed myself in everything truly Colorado including the outdoor industry. I am at this time a morning show host for a television station in Denver, CO named MTN TV, I travel with the Warren Miller Film Tour every year, and I love ANYTHING and EVERYTHING winter sports (even though I am trash at snowboarding and had to learn as an adult but fake it until I make it). I wish you had all the time in the world so I could tell you about all the weird, and crazy things I’ve done in my life like decide randomly one day I wanted to become apart of the USA Bobsledding team even though I knew nothing about and started training and actually attended the combine in Park City, Utah. I was too short.. or the one time I decided to do my very FIRST EVER 14er with literally one of the all time USA Trail Running athletes in the world- that also didn’t go well ..but you’d be reading this for hours.

I would say that I popped into the broadcasting industry right out of high school and have always been very lucky that I was eager to pursue my passion since graduation. I figured out that I loved public speaking in high school and from that very first day of being on the news in school, I never looked back. I started out my career as an intern at iHeartMedia in Colorado Springs and worked very hard to move my way up. I worked in the radio space for about 7 years before my life changing career move and am so happy to say that I am living my tv dream at this very moment.

I would have to say that I am incredibly proud of how strong i’ve been through the days and nights where I felt like throwing it all away. I think I will always choose being proud of my strength because behind closed doors, there were days I couldn’t move. Days I didn’t feel like doing. When you are in those scary and isolating moments, you feel like you can’t get away from your own brain and that’s what I am most proud of and will always be proud of. I didn’t let go when I wanted to so badly. I will always always always fight for what I love and fight for myself and that is what I am most proud of.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I honestly love this question because this means that I get to brag about an organization I’ve been with for the last 7 years that I don’t get to brag about enough. If you are a women who is interested in anything sports, entertainment, broadcasting, inspiration, connection, etc. put on your seatbelt because I have something for you!

One resource that I am lucky I found but want to share so that other people CAN find is an organization named GALvanize that I have been with for 7 years. Now to brag about this organization – this organization is ran by the wonderful and inspirational FOX Sports Reporter, Laura Okmin. Laura started this organization because she wanted to create a space of LOVE, SUPPORT, and MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS for women who are interested or are in the industry- a space she felt like she never had.

One big thing about the broadcasting industry especially in a male dominated industry such as sports, it is so so so so necessary to have people especially other women, on your team. I have seen so many Tiktoks (because Tiktok is truly a dangerous place that I go) and one thing I will never forget from one Tiktok by the POWERFUL Drew Afualo is that groups…armies.. of women lift the world. We are so powerful and are unstoppable when we are in groups and that is exactly what GALvanize is. It plops you in a space with other women that know what it’s like, celebrate, and work hard towards things that need a bit of wall crushing and this truly is the biggest resource I encourage any and all women to have. A group of sisters. Like I said, we are powerful in numbers and GALvanize shows you that. Please please please check out GALvanize online if you are itching to find your group- it’ll change your life ᵕ̈

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Such an another amazing question and one that I am truly stoked to answer- the most rewarding part of being an artist and creative in the broadcasting space is truly the many different stories that you get to tell and create. You are not held within a boundary and you have the space to create and network with so many people and their different walks of life. What truly lights me up is connecting with others and I told myself that I will always pursue a job or career that aligned with that and freelance broadcasting has itched that itch for me. I get to challenge myself with new directions, new stories, new moments, and new relationships and that is so rewarding to me at the end of the day. I personally believe that you can be an artist or creative in any job or career or hobby you choose. I think it’s so important to step out of the box, try different work styles, and challenge yourself to not stay in in your comfort zone. There is a creative part in all of us that needs to run wild and free and I think the fun part is finding out where that itch gets scratched. I will always choose the seasonal, freelance, contract life, it’s the perfect fit for my goals and ambitions. Find yours ᵕ̈

Contact Info:

• Website: https://campsite.bio/brittneebrooks
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebrittbrooks/