Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lisa Adams. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Lisa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I knew I wanted a career in radio when I was 10 years old. I had this old school cassette recorder that I would record music from my dad’s albums off our record player. I would play DJ in-between songs talking about the music and the artists. My baby brother was the sportscaster, and my dad would play the part of the news guy. We had quite the station! I would play the tapes in our car and for my friends. I’ve loved radio my entire life. I loved entertaining people. I wasn’t a very good singer and I couldn’t play an instrument very well so radio was a blend of all things I love!
I’ll never forget the moment when I told my Mom I wanted a career in radio. She asked me how I was going to support myself and that it really wasn’t a “normal” career path. Here I am 30+ years later still in radio. Radio is still a viable entertainment medium today although we have a lot of competition from dsp’s, podcasts, audiobooks etc…
Lisa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I knew from a young age that I wanted to be involved in a radio station. I have such a deep love for all things music! Although I had this deep love for radio, it really didn’t cross my mind that it could be my career. When I first started college, I was in pre-med. I also have a love of science and an interest in how the human body works. The dream of being a doctor didn’t last long because I never could quite figure out organic chemistry. I’m not the best math student and you do need that skillset in the medical field.
After I failed at my first college experience, I decided to move to California and live on my friend’s couch. I was a manager at Malibu Grand Prix/ Castle Golf and Games in Redwood City. I ran the restaurant. It was fun and I enjoyed it but couldn’t see myself doing that kind of gig for the rest of my life. I hated smelling like onions and garlic. It was hard dating people when you smell like onions and garlic.
A friend had told me about a communications degree program at a local community college and said they had a cool radio station and that I might want to check it out. I did and the very next month I enrolled in the radio/tv broadcasting program at Ohlone Community College in Fremont California. It was love at first class. It was also scary! My very first class was Radio 101. The instructor looked at about 200 of us seated in the lecture hall and told us only 3 would go on to have successful careers in radio. Challenge accepted! What do you know, there was only three of us that went on to have successful careers. Lisa Foxx is an amazing content creator in Los Angeles that spent a lot of her career as Ryan Secrest’s co-host and Rob William works in Sacramento as one of the longest running, successful morning shows in the Sacramento market.
I’ve been blessed to work in some amazing cities over my career. I’m restless by nature so every couple of years I would look for my next challenge as my ultimate goal, was to manage radio stations. I’ve worked in Lake Tahoe, San Jose, San Francisco, Monterey CA, Yakima WA, Portland OR, Seattle WA and Boise Idaho. I’ve truly been blessed.
My radio path has expanded over the years as I’ve also worked in marketing, digital marketing/content creation, mentoring and I’m a certified wellness and life coach. I’m a lifelong learner and I’m always trying to challenge myself to grow beyond my comfort level. I never want to be complacent.
What I love most about my career is not only entertaining our listeners but mentoring and growing the next generation of radio talent. I also like working with social media content creators as they grow their fans. I love people! It’s important to me to share my knowledge and experience with younger generations. Through authenticity and vulnerability, I look to help creators grow their storytelling skills. And when you can add humor and honesty to your storytelling, we can connect on a deeper level to our audiences.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
My number one piece of advice, you don’t have to be perfect!
I grew up believing I needed to be perfect because that’s what would make everyone happy. I was a product of divorced parents and a lot of the times, I felt like I was the glue that held everything together.
From a very young age I have strived for perfection in everything I do…here’s the secret, perfection doesn’t exist. What’s perfect for you isn’t necessarily what’s perfect for me or your audience.
Being perfectly imperfect is what every creative needs to strive for! Give yourself permission to screw up, to fail. That’s where life’s lessons come from, our failures. Be Ok with that and you’ll have less wrinkles when you’re my age.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Enjoying a career in a media field is fulfilling but comes with its own set of problems. Job security isn’t the best. I have found myself in the unemployment line a couple of times over the last 30+ years. You have to be open to the next journey, however it presents itself! Also having a smart financial plan is good for anyone and I don’t care how old you are.
Always keep your resume up to date, network outside of your field and join local networking events/groups. Don’t be blindsided by the unexpected.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @lisaadamsmedia
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/lisaadamsmedia
Image Credits
Lisa Adams Media