We recently connected with Heather Meads and have shared our conversation below.

Heather, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share a story with us from back when you were an intern or apprentice? Maybe it’s a story that illustrates an important lesson you learned or maybe it’s a just a story that makes you laugh (or cry)?

My first internship was at Charming Shoppes, Inc. Charming Shoppes owns popular plus size clothing brands like Lane Bryant and Catherines. I worked on a small team of four and we managed a new brand named Sonsi. It was an online shop where customers could shop multiple brands all in one place.

My manager, Jill Hutchison, was kind, innovative and a talented marketer. I enjoyed watching her lead. The confidence that she exuded when sharing her ideas or presenting to the larger team was inspiring. She led with grace but was firm when working with her team. When the summer ended and my internship was over, I felt empowered to grow as a leader and to stand confident in my capabilities.

Three years after my internship concluded, Jill passed away. She was only 32 years old. I know when we think back on our internships, we are supposed to remember the skills we learned and talk deeply about the projects we managed. But, for me, every time I reflect on my first internship, I’m reminded of a more important lesson – time is precious and we only receive a limited amount of it to follow our dreams and leave an impact on others.

Heather, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a marketing strategist who provides marketing and brand management services to small businesses and nonprofit organizations. I help organizations with website design, digital marketing and social media strategy, search engine optimization, and customer relationship management.

I received my bachelor’s degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and then spent nine years working in the media and entertainment industry. After almost a decade in corporate, I went back to the Wharton School to get my MBA. I learned so much from those experiences and then felt compelled to try something different in my career after graduation. I enjoy using the knowledge I have gained to help smaller entities achieve their marketing goals and share their mission with others.

I am also a content creator who enjoys sharing my travel, lifestyle and food experiences with my audience of over 10k travel and food lovers across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. My content is all about encouraging others to live their best lives whether that’s by providing travel and exploration tips, sharing new experiences or building confidence through motivational posts.

When I worked in corporate, I actually worked on a content marketing team. So, my love for content was already there. It is exciting to now use my creative juices to build my own personal brand and connect with my own community. I create content with the hope of inspiring others to embrace new experiences and live life to the fullest. I’m passionate about being a valuable resource and helping someone else along their journey.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I spent my whole life thinking that failure was bad. When I was younger, it felt like we were trained to avoid failure. Don’t fail the test or there are consequences. Don’t fail the grade or you’ll repeat it. As I’ve gotten older, I have been confronted with the realization that failure can be a gift, if you approach it with the right mindset.

Near the beginning of my creative journey, I read a book called Think and Grow Rich: A Black Choice by Dennis Kimbro and Napoleon Hill. It opened my eyes to the idea that failure is not my enemy but instead it is a helpful step on my journey. Failing can simply be a temporary setback, leaving the opportunity to redirect ourselves, tap into our creativity, or learn a valuable lesson. Former CEO of IBM, Thomas Watson once said, “the fastest way to succeed is to double your failure rate”. So, instead of working to avoid failure, I have slowly learned to embrace it and figure out what I can do differently when things don’t go the way I would like. Being able to release that fear of failing has been life changing and I’m still learning how to do it better every day.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I just want to help someone. As a Christian, I’ve always been taught about the importance of serving others. I have been a youth director, a mentor, a tutor. Among my family and friends, I am a listening ear. I have always looked for ways to help someone else. My creative journey is no different. With every piece of content, I start by asking myself one question: what value will this bring to my audience? If the content feels like it has no value, I scrap it or rework it. I want people to be able to take something away from my content. It could be as simple as a laugh to get them through the rest of their day or a nice restaurant that they will save for their birthday dinner or a kind word to keep them motivated. When I’m working with a small business or nonprofit, I think about it the same way. What can I bring to the table that will help this organization think differently or reach their audience in the most effective way? The mission is to be a helping hand to someone else every time I create something.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astoldby.heather/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@astoldby.heather
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@astoldby.heather