It's Wednesday! Which means it's time for our latest installment of WCW!
Meet Sara Joseph aka Honey B!
Can you tell me about your background? School?
- I graduated with a BS in Communications-Public Relations from Akron in May 2012.
What do you do for a living?
- I am a graphic designer for a non-profit hospice facility in Greenville, Ohio. I also help with bereavement support services and staff support.
If you’re not doing it, what would your dream job be?
- I always wish I would have pursued my first love of journalism. I would love to be a news anchor or national correspondent.
How important is social media to your business?
- Since most of our patients are from older generations, you would think social media isn’t so important; however, realizing that these people have grandchildren or children who are actively engaged in social media, it actually serves well as a way to keep our census up. We regularly use social media to alert nursing homes or chambers of commerce around Ohio of our services.
What would you say is your personal brand is?
- Having fun. I could make a diaper change fun for myself. I love the saying, “If you’re bored, you’re boring.” I try to never be bored.
What can others learn from you?
- I feel I do a good job of keeping my frustrations and stress to myself. I make sure that I will always bring a happy face and shoulder to lean on to all my relationships—coworkers, friends, my husband, and especially my children. I think that’s a good quality that a lot of people could acquire.
How do you do under pressure? How do you handle stress?
- I thrive on pressure; I love having several different graphic assignments to deal with because it pumps up my creativity. When it comes to stress, I always talk it out with my husband or a good friend and realize that life is too short to worry about small things. Yoga and Yogi Kava Stress Relief Tea work wonders, as does a bottle of wine.
What’s the average day in the life of Sara look like?
- I typically wake up around 5:30 every morning and spend an hour at the gym, then get home around 6:45 and shower, get ready for work, and help Kyle get our boys ready. I’m at work by 8:00am (though my boss would probably pass out if she saw me at work before 8:05, admittedly). I work with all women (52/53 employees working out of my office are women), so between my design work and talking with coworkers who have turned into friends, the work day flies by. I usually work on marketing materials for hospice—brochures for music therapy, save the dates for upcoming events, and other things like that. I leave work at 4:30 to pick up my kids from their babysitters’ houses, and am usually home around 5:00. I typically make dinner and relax with my boys all night. If my husband has a basketball game that night, we will go to support him and usually get home around 9:30pm and head straight to bed.
Do you/Did you have a mentor/mentee?
- I can’t pick just one mentor. I am heavily influenced by all the strong women in my life—especially working mothers. A lot of my friends are working moms, and I am constantly amazed by how well they keep everything together and how great their kids are! I also look up to any woman who has a strong sense of self and is going out into the world to kick some ass.
How did you advance your career?
- For a while, I was admittedly stagnant in my life. My husband was a college basketball coach for 4 years, and we moved to Idaho for a year and North Carolina for a year, so I felt my son Kade needed me more than I needed to work. Finally, we moved back to Ohio and I got settled in a lot quicker than expected, thanks to the fabulous support of the community of Greenville. An acquaintance told me about her job at a nonprofit hospice down the street from my house and I saw there was an opening for an administrative assistant. I went in for the interview, where the interviewer saw I had experience in graphic design. The organization liked my portfolio work and merged the assistant position with graphic design.
Why do you do what you do?
- I have always wanted to work for a non-profit. I like that my organization enhances the lives of the sick and is so passionate about end-of-life care while not accepting any out of pocket costs from our patients. I love all the women I work with, and I love being able to create materials for State of the Heart Care.
How would you describe your personal style?
- I really love to put off an effortless vibe, but cute shoes and good makeup are a must for me. I typically wear stretchy work pants with a nice sweater and dress it up with jewelry.
What makes up your wardrobe?
- I love sweaters- I would wear them in August if I didn’t think I would die of heatstroke. I have a lot of scarves and plain shirts along with stretchy work pants and jeans. My best friend Abigail picks out my shoes for me because I am terrible at shoe style, but I must boast about my shoe collection!
Who is your fashion icon?
- My style is influenced by Jennifer Aniston, Kourtney Kardashian, and Vanessa Hudgens. I love that they can make a plain t-shirt and jeans look so fashionable—completely timeless and effortless.
What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?
- Lately, I’ve been feeling like I’m really kickin’ ass. I have two kids, a husband, a full time job, and lots of friends and feel I’m doing a great job at keeping all those relationships intact. I love what I do, I love watching my children grow, and I love supporting my husband’s basketball team. In short, I’d say my greatest accomplishment is taking the leap from stay at home mom to working mom and enjoying the process.
What is your ‘must have’ accessory?
- I ALWAYS have to have a ponytail holder around my wrist and my wedding rings on my finger. I also have to have a good lip gloss within reach.
What advice can you give others that look towards you to gauge success?
- In my line of business, I’ve realized that life is way too short. Do the thing that scares you. Say the thing you want to say. Upset people, but only if it’s for their own good. Speak up for yourself and above all, love and trust yourself. You cannot be successful in any aspect of life if you do not love yourself and trust your instincts.
What advice can you give on failure?
- Kyle and I have experienced quite a bit of failure within the last few years. College basketball is a revolving door of “no’s.” I used to be heartbroken over every single job rejection he received, but now I’m so thankful for those rejections because they’ve led us to Greenville, Ohio—the place where my children are safe and loved, the place where I can count on dozens of people to help me in a pinch, and the place where the Joseph family is the happiest we’ve ever been. Trust that for every failure, five more successes are waiting to present themselves to you.
What was your big break?
- Falling in love with Kyle Joseph. Without him, I couldn’t be “the goodest mom- gooder than all the other moms,” as Kade Joseph tells me every day.
Are you a member of any organizations? Trade Organizations, etc.
- I am president of Moms Who Drink Alcohol and Do Laundry From Time to Time. I am always recruiting members, even if you’re not a mom.
What’s next for you?
- I’m currently preparing myself for house hunting and maybe Joseph baby #3 in the not-so-distant future. It’s anyone’s guess, but you know whatever I’m doin, I’ll have fun doing it!
Thanks, Sara!
xo,
KJB
No comments:
Post a Comment