Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Reeves. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Emily, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
Saying I ‘found my purpose’ feels funny, because to me, purpose doesn’t have a finish line—it’s always evolving!
Right now, I’m in a season where I am energized by the idea of having purposeful work. I feel energized when my work aligns with my values, and my journey to becoming a documentarian was very much a part of that.
In my pre-Covid life, I was working as an actor and performer in New York. I loved so much about that world: the way each new job led me to new places, new friends, and new challenges. I loved that every day was different and I was driven by the challenge of getting work. But I also felt frustrated by my distance from the issues that mattered most to me.
In shutdown, the theater world ground to a halt and for the first time, I had an opportunity to pause and reflect. I spent a lot of time thinking about my values and what I wanted my life to look like. As a dedicated podcast listener, I started thinking about how podcasts were a place for me to connect with the issues that mattered to me even on my busiest days. I loved how some shows entertained me as I did chores or commuted, and how the hosts started to feel like my friends, but I also loved how podcasts humanized the news and helped me keep up with topics that were important to me.
Out of pandemic boredom, I decided to teach myself to create podcasts and I felt an explosion of creativity—I felt something click. Now, as I’ve gone on to do documentaries about big issues like the opioid crisis and gun violence in schools, I feel more and more aligned with a bigger purpose, and that keeps me excited about what’s next.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Over the past year, I produced and hosted an independent podcast series, Violence Week, which is now available wherever you listen to podcasts!
In the four-part documentary series, I return to my hometown of East Lansing, Michigan, where an outbreak of violence and the discovery a gun at my old high school ignited intense fears of school shootings and a fierce debate over policing in schools. The story touches on a lot of topics like school safety, gun violence, and racial equity, but at its heart, it explores what it’s like to be a teenager in this era of school shootings. It’s definitely a conversation starter.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Transitioning careers is tough. I think the most impactful skills and qualities that helped me were knowing the importance of research, breaking down big goals into small steps, and then knowing when to be flexible versus when to stand firm in your vision.
An underrated part of any pivot is the research phase. If you want to start a podcast, it’d be easy to think the first step is to buy a microphone, but as good producer knows, the key to a successful product is a good plan. Before you can effectively make a plan of action, you need to know where you want to go and what it looks like to get there.
At all the big moments of my career transition, I did a lot of research. I met up with friends of friends to ask about how they got into podcasting. I made spreadsheets and analyzed dozens of audio producers’ LinkedIns to see how they did it. I researched grad schools and read any books I could find. My best piece of advice to is to never leave a networking meeting without asking them about their favorite resources!
For making plans, I break down every big project into pieces and put a timeline on each phase. Then I break those phases down into steps. Starting is the hardest part so I just force myself to start with the simplest item in the first phase. For Violence Week, I didn’t start by just saying ‘research policing in schools’—that’s such a complex topic that that would be a huge task! I started with a single article and checked that off my list. As I go, I make a list of other topics that come up that I should research. Then I research those! Keep lots of notes and constantly adjust your plan based on all the new information you find.
Every creative project I’ve ever done has hit a million speed bumps. I think creating anything forces you to take those roadblocks less personally. When every challenge starts to seem like the universe telling you that you suck, then the whole project feels impossible. Instead, when I’m making a plan I accept that it’s going to change and life will bring a million unexpected challenges. Sometimes those challenges bring unexpected discoveries, so I always try to temper my controlling instincts. I try to be really clear about what’s most important to me and be really firm on those, and try to be somewhat flexible on the rest!
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
This is an interesting question! I definitely view myself as a ‘jack of all trades’ more than a master of any one thing, and I think there’s a lot of value in that. A lot of people know the phrase ‘A jack of all trades is a master of none,’ and I only recently learned that that’s only half of it—the end is ‘but oftentimes better than a master of one.’ My mind was blown!
But no matter where you fall on that spectrum, I’m learning more and more how important it is to know what you’re best at. If you don’t know what those are, ask people you trust what they think. I think when you’re first starting out in a new venture, go all in on your biggest strengths—that’s where you bring the most value. But when you’re feeling really confident in your strengths, that’s the time to turn toward your weaknesses and get curious about where you can improve.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://emilyreevesaudio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reeveseee/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-reeves-710624160/
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