Tamara Littleton 00:12
This is the Genuine Humans podcast brought to you by Social Element. I’m Tamara Littleton
Wendy Christie 00:18
and I’m Wendy Christie
Tamara Littleton 00:22
in our podcast, we’ll discover the stories of the leaders behind the brands and the trailblazers who are making a real difference in our industry. We’ll delve into how they got to where they are today,
Wendy Christie 00:33
and we’ll hear about the genuine humans who supported and influenced them along the way.
Tamara Littleton 00:44
Welcome back to Genuine Humans, and I’m joined here by my co-host, Wendy Christie. Wendy, how are you doing?
Wendy Christie 00:50
Hello. Well, I’m feeling relieved now my poor dog’s been in for surgery, but we’ve heard from the vet that he’s all good. He’s awake and ready to be picked up, so looking forward to seeing him later in the day. How are you?
Tamara Littleton 01:04
Oh, that’s very good news. Well, I’m good. I’m getting ready for a trip to New York, which is very exciting. Spending a bit of time over there. Got a packed itinerary, but I haven’t actually packed yet. So, yeah, I will be doing an
Wendy Christie 01:18
unpacked itinerary
Tamara Littleton 01:19
exactly. But today I’m very, very excited because we have Shea Carter with us today. And Shea was brand side at Wrangler, where she built the denim brand’s in-house social media team from the ground up. And then she crossed over from client-side to agency-side and is now the Vice President of Social and Influence here at Social Element. Shea has over 15 years of experience in social media and influencer marketing, and she has a wealth of knowledge that she’s going to share with us. I’m so delighted she’s here on the podcast. Welcome Shea!
Shea Carter 01:19
Thank you so much. I am truly, truly honoured to be here.
Tamara Littleton 01:27
So, Shea, we’re going to jump straight in and ask you. I want to know perhaps, if you can describe what it is you’re doing. I mean, obviously, I know what you’re doing, but if you can describe for our listeners what it is that you do in your role, and then also just give us a flavour of how did you get to where you are now? What was your early career? Was there a strategy? Was there a plan? So just kind of walk us through that.
Shea Carter 02:31
Absolutely. So my role at Social Element is truly the perfect fit based on the experience of where I’ve been and where things are headed.
I’m really, really lucky. I lead the North American social media team, which is about 20 really talented folks who really are the voice and the heart of our clients’ communities each and every day. And I’m also working across the agency to help grow our influencer marketing services. We’ve had some awesome early campaigns for a couple of our clients, and really looking to grow that just knowing how much our clients are investing in that space, and how much opportunity we see, and I think more importantly, the advantage that we have as an agency, because we know these communities so well, we know who the perfect fits are for influencers, for our clients, brands. So it’s a lot of fun. I love that.
Tamara Littleton 03:25
And did you fall into this career? Was it something that you always wanted to get to —
Shea Carter 03:29
Yeah.
Tamara Littleton 03:30
So many people do! Walk us through what happened.
Shea Carter 03:35
It was what I would call a very non-traditional career path. I was wildly aimless in my 20s, truly had no vision of what I was going to do, and I dropped out of college around my junior year, just not really sure what I wanted to do or wanted to be, and moved to LA.
I was working as an office manager for a company that chartered and sold yachts on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, making, I kid you not, like $27,000 a year, and yet, people were spending half a million dollars on charting a yacht, and I was answering the phones and bringing my boss lunch. And while I was there, it was just such a kind of an almost out-of-body experience at times, because our office was located, where celebrities would just sort of be walking in and out, and I would be there in my little office manager chair, just kind of feeling like, “what a fish out of water I am. Just this sort of regular girl from the suburbs in Northern California, living in this crazy place, doing this crazy thing”.
So, I started writing a blog about it, and that was in the very, very early days of blogging when it was just such a brand new thing, and it was a really good creative outlet for me because I always knew I loved to write and I like to express myself. And I ended up moving to the Midwest. I then was living in Kansas, which was yet another very fish-out-of-water experience, and my blog started to pick up a little bit of traction and get a little bit of popularity, it was truly just the most inane observations I would make about life and the sort of adventures one has in their early 20s.
But then I started to write about reality TV and recap shows, and at the time, MTV had a bunch of very popular reality shows. There was the Real World, Road Rules, and also a show that got really big really fast called The Hills. And I would just write little observations about the shows. And at one point, someone reached out to me and said, “Hey, there’s this new blog network that is starting up, and they’re looking for bloggers to go write,” and at the time, I would say I had just a pretty average slew of day jobs, nothing exciting. I really was working more of as an administrative assistant for quite a while. At one point, I was working for a chemical company writing material safety data sheets and basically determining whether or not chemical substances were corrosive or non-corrosive or toxic, and if someone in a factory needed to wash their hands, and by the way, I have zero chemistry or science training, so I often hope that everyone is still safe who read those data sheets, but this outlet of blogging and even the kind of crazy, silly world of reality TV was my creative space, and really what I enjoyed.
So I applied and pitched the idea of it being focused on MTV reality, and they hired me. It was a freelance opportunity, but the blog started to gain a bit of traction, and at one point, as The Hills was becoming much more popular, there were these two villains on the show named Heidi and Spencer. And I wrote a whole blog post about how terrible they both were. And I think the post was called Spencer Pratt is The Worst. And at that time, if you Googled Spencer Pratt, the number one result was my blog post about him, and I had gotten a couple of opportunities to interview some of the stars from the other MTV shows through MTV and some of their publicists. And I thought I’m going to just take a stab at this. And I sent a letter to his publicist and said, “Hey, if you Google Spencer Pratt, the number one result is my blog, and I’d love to give him the opportunity to speak out and maybe change that perception”. I thought there’s no way that they’ll say yes, but I definitely live by the ‘you never know if you try’ philosophy. So, I just went for it. What’s the worst thing that could happen?
And within pretty short order, they responded and said, “Yes, he’d love to.” So, I was able to interview him and his girlfriend, Heidi, who were both very controversial characters. I mean, they’re real people, but they were reality show controversial, and it was the first ever like public interview that they had given. And after I interviewed them, ran it, had to run it by MTV, did sort of a second interview with them, and published it. And I sent it around to a bunch of other big entertainment blogs at the time, because this is in the day where everyone was sharing links back and forth to try to kind of drive traffic. And it went crazy. It crashed eight servers at the blog network that I was working for —
Tamara Littleton 08:25
You broke the internet
Shea Carter 08:26
because of all the traffic. And it was really successful, and a very good paycheck for me that month, which was also nice, but it really, in this very strange way, sort of started my career in social because from there, we started to use Twitter once Twitter had launched as a way to continue to publicise what we were doing.
And from there, it just sort of snowballed. And I think it was a bit of a mix of being at the right place at the right time, but then also I tend to be quite tenacious, and I like experimenting. I like to be entrepreneurial, and it was really kind of the perfect mix of circumstances, because from there, I started to integrate what I was doing from a social standpoint into my day job, moved into more of a marketing role, and then moved into a true social media role, leading social at a corporation in Kansas City healthcare IT, not the most exciting industry for me personally, although I did meet my husband, so it was worth it from that perspective.
But an ad agency in Kansas City that I had known some friends were working at, opened up a new role for a more senior social role, and the hiring manager there, and I hit it off, and that really moved me into the agency side. And I would say, truly changed my life. The agency was purely focused on travel and hospitality and tourism, which was a dream job. I travelled to places I had only dreamt of visiting, and also many places that I would be perfectly fine never visiting again. As you know, often a lot of business travel is really spent inside a conference room, which could be anywhere, but got to do some really amazing things, and started the influencer practice there, which was really exciting. This is back in the day of Klout, which you may recall, where your score connected to your account —
Wendy Christie 10:24
not at all obsessed.
Tamara Littleton 10:26
I used to be someone!
Shea Carter 10:28
Yeah, right! And we did the first ever travel or hotel-focused, hospitality-focused Klout perk. And so that was a big campaign. And then from there, really the influencer side, and travel, the influencer world and travel just go hand in hand and social, especially with the rise of video created just such a really amazing way to inspire travel. I think now we all just kind of innately are inspired by what we see in our own personal feeds. So it was really an exciting way to showcase our clients. And I mean, I can’t think of anything that was more fun. I would tell people all the time, I have my dream job. I get to travel, and I get to inspire other people to travel. There’s truly nothing bad about that. It benefits local economies. People find these enriching experiences. And so that was really, really rewarding.
And from there, my husband had a job opportunity in North Carolina. And so as much as I loved my job at MMGY, we headed where we are now, here in North Carolina, and I took a position at a local agency near where we were living at the time, and their biggest client was Wrangler, and so I worked on the Wrangler brand on the agency-side, and they opened up an in-house social position, their first ever, and it was a little more junior than where I was at this point. I was at the VP level, agency-side, but I thought, “you know what? I’ve never worked client-side, and this is a gamble, but I think it will pay off in the end”, and I’d love to have that in-house experience. I would say I’m a little fearless, like, if I don’t go for it, you know, why not? When will this come my way again? And probably a little woo, woo. Because I’m like, the stars are aligning. Now is my chance. Let’s do it.
So I reached out to the hiring manager, who was also my client, which was probably a risky move, but I said, “Hey, would you ever consider hiring me?” And she said, “Absolutely”. And moved pretty quickly through the interview process and got the opportunity, and it was definitely a bit of, sort of starting from scratch, and also, once again, a fish out of water. I was the agency kid. I didn’t know what it was like to navigate the brand world. And what you think being on the brand side is like, when you’re at an agency, is like, “Oh, it’s so cush. You know, they’re just giving us orders and asking us to do stuff. What are they doing?” And I learned quite quickly, it’s a very different ballgame, but it’s also quite intensive, and the internal stakeholders that you’re managing and just even building your knowledge about the business and then arming your agency partners to do their best work, it’s it is not for the faint of heart, and it was truly just also, I would say, another once in a lifetime experience. I had the time of my life in so many different ways and learned so much about retail and the business side, things that I don’t think I ever would have had such a deep dive into.
And then I think, the area that I’m most proud of is really building the connection between ecommerce and social and the power that social, paid social and influencer can have when they’re working in an integrated way with other marketing channels. And that’s probably where I’m most passionate, is on the integrated side and just really kind of telling that cohesive story. I got to work on some really amazing campaigns. I led two big collaborations for the brand last year, which was my last year at the brand, one with STAUD, which is a more premium denim brand, and one with Mattel for a Barbie and Wrangler collaboration. And when I say like the experience of my career, it really was incredible working with the Mattel team.
But both of those collaborations and launches were so social heavy, and for me, it was, in a way, like a really nice kind of cherry on the top of my time with the brand, because I got to see the brand really grow on social from the, you know, beginning the team to building a whole team, and then ending it by these two really, really successful campaigns that drove a lot of, frankly, revenue, but also a lot of conversation and a lot of interest in changing the brand’s perception and, kind of, ending my time there with that work was really, really special, and something I hold dear.
Tamara Littleton 15:03
Fantastic to leave on a high and of course, we still work with Wrangler, so you’ve kind of come full circle back to agency-side. And I always think that it’s so good for people to get the experience of brand and agency because you do get to understand what the motivations are, and how once you sort of being brand-side and then go back to agency-side, I think it makes us better agency partners, actually.
Shea Carter 15:30
Yes, yeah, absolutely. And I would say that going brand-side and then working with a number of agency partners throughout my time there, it allowed me to brief them better because I understood what they really need to be successful. And it’s a two-way street. The work that they’re going to deliver is only going to be as strong as the way they’ve been briefed and kept informed, and I really like to be transparent. I don’t think we’re doing anyone a favour by kind of expecting them to wow us without really making sure that they feel like they’ve been brought in as part of the process.
So, I would always be like, “Just gut-check this with me. Please. Gut-check it with me. I don’t need a big reveal. I want to make sure that like what you’re working on is going to be successful, and that we’re going to greenlight it. So don’t spin your wheels.” So, it’s nice now to kind of now be on the other side and think, “Okay, well, I know what it’s like to be in your shoes as the social media leader at this brand, and what you’re being asked of by your leaders and what kind of metrics really matter to your business”. So, I’m excited to be back here, because I think, I just think there’s so much opportunity, and also, it’s, frankly, more fun on agency-side.
Wendy Christie 16:47
That’s good to hear. I love hearing about your really early jobs, and I think it maybe speaks to the youth of our industry that the people who’ve been in it for the longest come from such crazily different backgrounds because I guess there wasn’t a pool of experienced people to call on.
Going back a little further, if you don’t mind, I mean, you talked about in your 20s how you felt aimless and you didn’t really know what you wanted to do. Was that the same as a child? Or, you know, when you were small, did you have ideas about what you wanted to be when you grew up?
Shea Carter 17:21
Oh, gosh, I think I wanted to be everything under the sun. I was diagnosed with ADHD later in life and have since learned a lot about what that really means in terms of how my brain works. And so, I’m a woman of a million ideas at any given time of some cool things that I could do. And I thought that as a kid, for sure, as well. I loved being creative really. I think that is the, maybe the one sort of singular word to describe how I was as a child and how I think that’s extended to where I am professionally.
But I wanted to be an actress, or I wanted to be a writer, and have always loved writing and reading and expressing myself that way, but also enjoyed performing, and that has, then in my professional life, extended to presenting and having opportunities to be in front of clients and tell a story. So, the storytelling kind of thread is something that I was always very interested in.
Wendy Christie 18:20
That’s really cool. And what was your environment like as a kid, and how important was it? Do you think in taking you where you’ve got to today?
Shea Carter 18:29
Yeah, I grew up in a bit of a blended family, and my mom and my stepdad had two younger children. I’m six and nine years older than my two younger sisters, and so there was a point where I was quite independent, probably earlier than a lot of kids today are, made my own breakfast, got myself off to school, and that independent has also been a big, I think, motivator for me, because I’ve had to figure it out, and I don’t give up very easily. If I need to find a way through, I’m going to find a way through.
But I also grew up in a very fun house, a very playful house, and I think that is also very much of who I am now like we were definitely a dance party in the kitchen, kind of family, and even to this day as adults and were very, very close, and I think that so much of the trust that my parents put in me at a young age kind of allowed me to be independent and that kind of creative, fearless person that brought me to where I am.
Wendy Christie 19:37
Were there people who you specifically looked up to when you whether it was people in your family or outside of the family who have shaped where you are today?
Shea Carter 19:48
That’s such a good question.
I was very obsessed with the idea of being a businesswoman, and by that I mean my mom was a stay-at-home mom and I didn’t know very many professional women, women with careers. It was the, you know, mid-80s, mid to late 80s. But my mom used to get this catalogue called Chadwick’s of Boston. I remember this very specifically, and they had a lot of, like, double-breasted pantsuits. And I was like, someday, I am going to be a career woman who wears a double-breasted pantsuit and goes to important meetings. And of course, I had no idea what I knew that really is, or like, what is a career woman actually, but I just gravitated toward the idea of being someone who is professional and someone who is successful.
And I don’t know that early on, I had a lot of clear mentors in that regard, but then, certainly over the course of my career, that has changed a lot. So, I wouldn’t say there was somebody in particular that I looked up to when I was younger, but there have been a lot of women in particular who’ve definitely influenced me and inspired me as I’ve moved through my career, and definitely some strong mentors and past managers. And this is maybe unconventional, but also my husband, he’s really amazing at what he does. He’s COO of a healthcare IT startup, and the way that he treats people with empathy and respect, but also is so smart and focused on always doing the right thing for the business and for the people who are involved. I’ve just learned a lot by being around him, and I’m thankful for that, just having that person to bounce things off of, because they say, but is it? Steel sharpens steel, and I think I’ve made him maybe a little softer and more creative, and he’s made me maybe a little tougher and a little more a little more focused.
Wendy Christie 21:49
I love that. That’s really wonderful to have, you know, apart from anything else, just to have that kind of model so close to home. And do you want to name-check any of the women that you were talking about?
Shea Carter 22:01
Yeah, absolutely.
At MMGY, Julie Freeman, who still leads the PR arm. She was my boss for quite a few years, and I would say that I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve very rarely been told no a lot professionally. And she is someone who really supported me and my ideas and my vision for how I felt like my team could grow and our services could expand and what we could do, I was able to create a new experiential marketing division within the agency, because at one point it was felt like a very natural extension of social which seems kind of crazy, but so much of what you’re doing when you’re executing events and experiences for people as you want them to then share that on social. So, there was a bit of a dotted line there. And she was always extremely encouraging and helpful. And I learned a lot from her, just in how, in her travel experience and also her leadership experience, and how to, I would say, better position myself internally, because a lot of times we don’t talk about the PR you almost have to do for yourself as you’re growing in your career and building that visibility and respect from other leaders. And so, she was really influential for me in that way.
And then also have to acknowledge Jenni Broyles, who is now, I’m probably going to get this wrong, but she’s VP GM over all of, I think, the whole denim business now, over at Wrangler. So, both brands, she was promoted after I left, but she is an example of a leader who is so incredibly intelligent and knows her business, but also just is so warm and lovely to be around and genuinely cares about the people that she works with. We would be in a room and she would have seen that I posted something on Instagram and made a comment in front of all of these leaders who often aren’t making small talk when you get in a room and they’re like, “Let’s get to business”.
But she wanted you to know that you were seen and that you’re a person, and she also just very authentically is herself every day. And that was that’s something that’s really, really important to me, is that I’m not trying to be this idea of what a professional, successful person is, but that I’m truly myself, and that means being maybe a little silly sometimes, and not shy to crack a joke and connect with someone in a personal way, or even be emotional, because I’ve also seen her be emotional, and I think that kind of emotional openness and ability to and desire to connect with people beyond just let’s get the job done, is so refreshing, especially in a very corporate culture.
Wendy Christie 24:40
Thank you. Now, obviously, Tamara and I already know about this, because we work together, but I wondered if you wanted to share your story with everyone listening about the huge change that’s recently you’ve undergone in your life. You’ve adopted two children. How’s that going? And how are you adapting to being back at work?
Shea Carter 24:59
Oh, gonna try to get through this without getting emotional.
Wendy Christie 25:05
No, you’ll be in good company.
Shea Carter 25:06
Um, it’s changed my life. I mean, a full 180 degrees.
There is what I thought being a mother would be, and then there’s what really being a mother is, and those are two different things. I am very passionate about mentorship, especially with younger women who are earlier in their careers. And for a really long time, I thought, okay, like this is my way to be a mother. Is through that and but I also really kind of had this desire to truly be a mother and to adopt.
My husband is adopted. I’ve always been very open to that, and I’m very passionate about advocating for children who are in the US foster care system. It is a very broken system. It will break your heart the more that you dig into it. There are so many kids in America who are truly just sort of forgotten, and yet have so much potential. And I’m very blessed. I have a lot of privilege.
I also have a lot of love to give. And for me, becoming a mother by adopting through the foster care system was something that was really important, just as a way to do something that really felt right, but also to give kids an opportunity who wouldn’t have an opportunity otherwise. And it was a long seven-year process of becoming foster parents in Kansas City and then moving right when we got our license, and then the pandemic hits, and then we’re waiting, and then we’re trying to find an agency that will work with us, and after a pretty long journey and so much paperwork, I can’t even tell you, getting fingerprinted by the FBI, and then having to send my fingerprints into another government office, this whole thing, lot of bureaucracy along the way.
So, the tenacity comes in handy.
We were matched with two kids in Georgia, a seven-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl, and so we went from being what they call DINKS, dual income, no kids, living the life, travelling when we want, doing what we want, to a very, very different lifestyle.
But it’s just been incredible to see the transformation of both of them over the last six weeks. I can’t imagine a world in which I didn’t have the time off to bond with them, or that my husband didn’t also didn’t have the time off because we there were six weeks of it’s just the four of us, and it was really, really important, and a time that I think I will look back on for the rest of my life as just being like such a transformative, important time. It’s also the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my whole life, the most tired I’ve ever been, and there’s just so many emotions and the, you know, they’re both going through a lot, it’s a huge change for them, but their resilience and also just the way that they’re blossoming. They’re loving school. They’ve made friends in the neighbourhood. My son had dinner over at a friend’s house last night, and I don’t know that he’s ever done that in his life, like just been invited to stay over for dinner after playing with a neighbourhood kid. Just based on their background and what they’ve gone through. My daughter was invited to a birthday party with a classmate next weekend, and so I’m excited to do that.
So, it’s like jumping in headfirst. But there’s also just all of these really kind of amazing everyday moments that I didn’t know how special would be. And there’s also a lot of stuff that I didn’t realise would be so hard, like bedtime, like dealing with picky eaters. So going back to work has been really needed. I mean, I think to have some adult time. I have so much respect for anyone who stays at home with their kids and is a caregiver all day long because it is a thankless and exhausting job. But I’m happy to be back, kind of flexing some other creative muscles and thinking about client work and projects and opportunities again, and also just connecting with other grown-ups is also really nice, but I’ve never been more tired in my life. So, if I’m rambling, I apologise.
Tamara Littleton 29:23
You’re not rambling at all. And thank you so much for sharing that it’s incredible, absolutely incredible. And it feels a bit weird, but I’m going to just now ask you about influences and content creators. But here we are, because I do transition very smoothly, I’m such a professional. Shea, what I would love to go back, it was something that you were saying earlier. So obviously you’re working with content creators and building up the influence team. And I’d just love to know, how has the way that brands work with influencers and content creators evolved over the years, and where do you see it going in the future?
Shea Carter 30:07
Yeah, it’s interesting.
I mean, at one point, was just so much about being able to show that someone else was talking about your brand. But influencer marketing is such a business now, and it also connects so much to other marketing channels. I mean, it is a marketing channel. It’s not just a tactic of affiliate marketing. When we’re talking about ecommerce, where there are influencers who have signed up to be affiliates through different networks and are getting a commission when you click on a link that they share.
I mean, there’s such a business side to it that didn’t exist back in the day of the hotel klout perk, where we were like, look at how many photos they captured. But now we’re able to connect, like, real, meaningful business metrics to it.
And I think that is so much of the future of where this is headed is about being really smart about it from a business standpoint and making sure that what we’re doing, one is working with folks who really do, authentically have a connection to a brand, that it’s not just I’ve been paid to do this because that is so very easy to sniff out, and it feels like a real endorsement, but then it’s connecting it to things like affiliate programs, but also amplifying through paid social some of the strongest performing campaigns that we had at wrangler leveraged influencer content, so we were essentially amplifying what they were doing, but using our ad dollars, and so it would show up as a, you know, Instagram story, or in your feed, or through TikTok, and it was a paid ad from us, but it was showcasing our product from the influencers’ point of view in such a more relatable way than a brand can do.
And I think the more that marketers are thinking about how to really integrate this influencer work and connect it to these other channels, the more, the more growth they’ll see as a result, as they’re working to sort of expand who their audience is and also reach new consumers and drive more results. So that’s you know, when working with like a restaurant client, their goal is to get butts in seats. How do we show, from an influencer’s perspective, some of the latest items on their menu, let’s say, but in a way where it’s really coming from the influencer and not just coming from the brand.
Tamara Littleton 32:32
Yeah, not authenticity. So, you also talked about brand-side, agency-side, just thinking about, if there are any of our listeners, sort of maybe thinking of making the switch either way. So, what’s the key difference from your point of view, what is the key difference between agency versus brand?
Shea Carter 32:52
I think it’s who your boss is. And I know that sounds really silly, but when you’re on the agency side, you have a lot of bosses. You have your actual manager, their boss, whatever that chain is, but then you also have this network of clients, and your direct client, their boss, their boss’s boss. There’s a lot of accountability from that perspective that I think is very different. And when you’re on the brand side, it’s pretty clean-cut.
The other big difference, I would say, is the level of creativity that exists agency side. On the brand side, there are lots of opportunities, and, you know, you have access to sometimes bigger budgets, and you’re controlling some of that. And, you know, let’s be honest like the cooler stuff usually costs more. But when you’re on the agency side, it’s so much more about your creativity and your creative collaboration that doesn’t really exist on the agency side or on the brand side, because you’re briefing someone else to do that work. And that is a lot of the work I really missed, is coming up with the cool stuff. It was always exciting when someone would bring cool stuff to us, but I wasn’t part of that process. So being able to be part of the team that’s creating it is, is definitely the other big difference.
Wendy Christie 34:10
So now we’re going to move on to the final part of the podcast, where we get a bit more personal. I think we’ve been quite personal already, but with some more fun, quick-fire questions, starting with, if we could take a peek inside your refrigerator, what would we find, and would it look very different than how it looked three months ago?
Shea Carter 34:30
That’s a really accurate description, because yes, it looks wildly different. I’m a huge foodie. My husband is a big foodie. We love good food, and drinks. I love to cook. I’m a passionate home cook. However, I have not been able to do a lot of that great home cooking because I’m now mother to two very picky eaters, so it’s a lot of apple sauce and yoghurt and juice and milk and whatever fruit I can convince them to eat. Yes, and a lot less of the really fun stuff, and also way less wine, sadly, at the moment, this one is replaced by juice.
Wendy Christie 35:13
I promise it’ll come back. If you were walking on stage and there’s an intro track playing for you, what would it be?
Shea Carter 35:22
This is also my karaoke song, but I feel like it has to be the answer for this. It is wildly inappropriate, so I’m sorry in advance, but Shoop by salt and pepper, I have shooped all across America. There are a few bars where I haven’t grabbed the microphone if that song is playing I did it live, and performed it live at my wedding. Anytime it’s like on the radio, my friends will send me a photo of it playing. So I would have to say, shoop, even though it’s probably not the best answer.
Tamara Littleton 35:57
I love that. And do you know what? If it’s the track for your life while you’re playing, and also your karaoke song, then, you know that’s that’s all good. So actually, in a similar vein, what would the tagline on a poster for a movie about your life be?
Shea Carter 36:13
It’s cheesy, but I actually have it tattooed on myself, it’s “she persisted”, has a lot of meaning. But recently, when the adoption, we found out that we were definitely going to become parents, I’d shared the news on social and a friend said, you persisted. And I mean, it’s so true in so many different ways. It is. I think I work really hard to be an advocate for those who maybe don’t feel comfortable speaking up and fighting for what I believe to be right, and that often requires a lot of persistence and a lot of tenacity, and whether it’s professionally or something going on personally in my life, but certainly with the addition of our kids, I think she persisted.
Tamara Littleton 36:59
That’s brilliant. And you also mentioned you’re a big foodie. I am. What is your favourite restaurant or food experience?
Shea Carter 37:08
I love sushi so much. I would love to eat sushi in Japan someday. On the list, there’s a great restaurant in Durham, North Carolina, which is where we used to live, and they have it’s, it’s called M Sushi, and it’s fantastic. It’s very fresh. It feels like we are in a much bigger city than we are, and just great Southern hospitality at the same time.
Tamara Littleton 37:30
Fantastic. Yeah, one day, yes. I think if you can get to bucket list, Tokyo, eating the sushi that is so freshly made, oh my god, yes. In the fish market, yes, definitely bucket list.
Wendy Christie 37:47
How would your friends describe you?
Shea Carter 37:50
I think they would say that I’m really fun. I kind of live by the mantra of every friend was once a stranger. So look out, because I’m probably going to start up a conversation with you. I also love to host so I love hosting parties, brunches, just a girls’ night, whatever it might be, and really making sure everyone feels taken care of. So I think they would also comment on that. But also, I try really hard to be a good listener, and I think I’m someone that my friends know they can come to when they’re going through something tough, and I’ll keep it in confidence and give them the space to talk through what they need to talk through without judgment.
Wendy Christie 38:31
Wonderful. If Tamara and I could gift you an extra hour every day just for you, what would you do with it?
Shea Carter 38:38
I would sleep again. That may have been a different answer three months ago. I was very well-rested three months ago, and I’m quite the opposite now. I’ve never wanted to sleep more in my life.
Tamara Littleton 38:58
Very honest and very needed. Shea, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. This has been just wonderful to talk to you. And is there anything else that we should have asked you that we didn’t or I’m going to sort of hand the platform over to you. And do you have any closing thoughts?
Shea Carter 39:18
I do. I was so I was listening to the episode with Katie Martin, and I loved it so very much. And there was something that she got into around emotion at work and the idea of crying at work. I, too, am someone who has cried more times than I probably have not. I’ve cried when giving performance reviews because I’m so proud of someone on my team for what they’ve accomplished, but I think, especially as a woman, for so long, it has felt like the way that you can be successful professionally is by emulating the character, the sort of stereotypical characteristics of a man, and not. Not being emotional, not showing emotion. And I read what her words resonated with me so much because I really think that it should be okay to be a woman and everything that comes along with that at work and that you shouldn’t have to try to be a different way.
And by showing vulnerability and emotion and showing that you care, that you’re passionate about something opens up and creates a space for others to feel like they can really express how they’re feeling. And I have found that it also builds so much connection in a way where your team becomes tight-knit, you feel like you can accomplish anything together, and you like and trust who you go to work with every day.
So, I’m also on team ‘be emotional at work’. I just wanted to make sure to give that a shout-out, because I really think that when we’re able to be our truest selves, that’s when we do the best work and we build the best connections and partnerships. So big fan, big fan of crying.
Tamara Littleton 41:04
And I think actually getting to the stage where all genders can be emotional and vulnerable is kind of that that’s the Nirvana, right?
Shea Carter 41:13
Absolutely,
Wendy Christie 41:20
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