Today I’m sitting down with Amanda Rosenberg, the Brand Director for Allergan Aesthetics, a leading pharmaceutical company that creates cutting-edge products in the area of medical aesthetics, such as Botox and cool sculpting. Amanda’s career has had elements of glamour that skyrocketed her from London to New York working at many different companies all grounded in beauty and fashion, and it’s also been dotted with multiple leaps, jumps, pivots, and risks, too.

Amanda has truly done it all, from PR, to communications, marketing, and brand and in this conversation you’ll learn how she navigated burnout, what the work culture is really like in New York, and how relationships and having many advocates in her corner helped build her career.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Follow the career path that makes you the happiest.

Amanda likes to say she fell into PR by accident. Growing up, she was surrounded by numerous friends who were passionate about fashion, like her friend’s sister who was a handbag designer. When she was in the company of her friend’s sister, she would love wearing her handbags and promoting them. 

It wasn’t long before her friend’s PR firm offered her a job and she found herself working at a small boutique agency. Three years into that role, she asked herself, “where do I go from here?” which was the catalyst for a move across the pond to New York.

One of my favorite takeaways from Amanda when she spoke about this chapter in her life is that she followed what makes her happy. While we all value different things in life, she keeps her career close to her and values the opportunities it gives her to leverage her brain and creativity.

The work culture differences between London and New York are enormous.

Amanda is grateful for the opportunities she had working in agencies in both London and New York. There were so many foundational lessons she needed to learn and it set her up for success when she looks back at where she is today as a Brand Director. However, the long hours and stress wasn’t sustainable.

London’s work culture has a slower, more relaxed pace whereas your day was never over in New York. There was always something you could be doing and new relationships that needed to get made. Barely finding a minute to scarf down an apple with some peanut butter at her desk wasn’t an over exaggeration some days.

The caliber of clients was higher, the energy was cutthroat, and there was this never-ending, insatiable need to perform in a way you don’t experience in other cities. Amanda stretched herself thin and over time, she faced burnout and saw other colleagues go through it too. She knew it was a place she didn’t want to be in for a long period of time.

The difference between a mentor and an advocate (and why you want more advocates!)

I loved Amanda’s powerful differentiation between the role of a mentor and an advocate. The word mentor comes off as a trendy buzzword and while it’s true – having a mentor or two in your life can be powerful, the more vital relationship is the advocate. 

Advocates genuinely care about you, want to see you succeed, and will do whatever they can to make that happen. Advocates can come in the form of a colleague you love collaborating with on projects, or a close friend you feel comfortable confiding in. They may work inside of your organization or be special family-like relationships you hold space for in your life. 

Mentors are a great source of inspiration, but advocates (and a lot of them!) will really help propel your career, as they have for Amanda.

NOTABLE QUOTE

“Work your resume like a pitch.”

Listen to the episode now on The Career Memos Podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.