Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism holds a very special place in my heart. That’s because it was shortly after graduating from Medill with my master’s degree in journalism, and while expecting my first child, that I decided to create my first business, a pregnancy magazine that evolved into iParenting, a leading parenting website that was eventually acquired by the Walt Disney Company.
And it was while serving as a mentor with Northwestern University’s Council of 100, a mentoring organization made up of NU’s leading alumnae, that I first started to realize the need for my book, Become the Fire. At one of our on-campus mentoring events, I was hosting a table of female students and young alumnae interested in pursuing careers in journalism, media or entrepreneurship. After listening to my story, it was time for Q&A. And the first question was, “How did you do it?”
The others at the table nodded in agreement and leaned in to hear my response. That’s when I realized the question wasn’t unique to the young woman who posed it. It was what they all wanted to know. I paused and took a moment to reflect. How did I do it? There was just so much to say.
I ended up talking about ideation, passion, hard work, perseverance, resilience and more hard work. But I realized that to really answer the question, I would have to spend a lot more time thinking about it and putting together an actionable answer. That’s how the seed for Become the Fire was planted.
The book is my deepest dive of mentorship. Going far beyond whatever I could share at a guest lecture or over a cup of coffee, the book provides mentorship on a more comprehensive scale.
And yet, there’s nothing quite like interacting with students and alumni at in-person events. I was fortunate to be invited by Belinda Clarke, Medill’s director of alumni engagement, to speak to a group of Medill students and alumni at Bian, an award-winning private wellness community that blends Eastern and Western integrative healing philosophies.
Over healthy bites and refreshing drinks, I spoke to the group about leadership and entrepreneurship topics from Become the Fire. As always, the best part was the interactive Q&A, where I fielded questions from bright up-and-coming journalists as well as seasoned media professionals. And, as always, I walked away just as inspired as they were.
That’s because when there’s a give and take of inspiration, everyone benefits. By sharing what I know, I hope that I inspire others to realize that they can do it, too (whatever it means in their own lives), and that they will find the motivation to make it happen.
As more women succeed, it paves the way for even more of us to succeed. As more women from all walks of life manifest the lives they dream of, the world becomes a better place. And there’s nothing more inspiring than that.
Order your copy of Become the Fire: Transform Life’s Chaos into Business and Personal Success.
Visit Elisa’s author website at ElisaSchmitz.com. Inspire and be inspired at 30Seconds.com. Learn more about Elisa’s book on achieving career and life success at BecomeTheFire.com.
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Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism holds a very special place in my heart. That’s because it was shortly after graduating from Medill with my master’s degree in journalism, and while expecting my first child, that I decided to create my first business, a pregnancy magazine that evolved into iParenting, a leading parenting website that was eventually acquired by the Walt Disney Company.
And it was while serving as a mentor with Northwestern University’s Council of 100, a mentoring organization made up of NU’s leading alumnae, that I first started to realize the need for my book, Become the Fire. At one of our on-campus mentoring events, I was hosting a table of female students and young alumnae interested in pursuing careers in journalism, media or entrepreneurship. After listening to my story, it was time for Q&A. And the first question was, “How did you do it?”
The others at the table nodded in agreement and leaned in to hear my response. That’s when I realized the question wasn’t unique to the young woman who posed it. It was what they all wanted to know. I paused and took a moment to reflect. How did I do it? There was just so much to say.
I ended up talking about ideation, passion, hard work, perseverance, resilience and more hard work. But I realized that to really answer the question, I would have to spend a lot more time thinking about it and putting together an actionable answer. That’s how the seed for Become the Fire was planted.
The book is my deepest dive of mentorship. Going far beyond whatever I could share at a guest lecture or over a cup of coffee, the book provides mentorship on a more comprehensive scale.
And yet, there’s nothing quite like interacting with students and alumni at in-person events. I was fortunate to be invited by Belinda Clarke, Medill’s director of alumni engagement, to speak to a group of Medill students and alumni at Bian, an award-winning private wellness community that blends Eastern and Western integrative healing philosophies.
Over healthy bites and refreshing drinks, I spoke to the group about leadership and entrepreneurship topics from Become the Fire. As always, the best part was the interactive Q&A, where I fielded questions from bright up-and-coming journalists as well as seasoned media professionals. And, as always, I walked away just as inspired as they were.
That’s because when there’s a give and take of inspiration, everyone benefits. By sharing what I know, I hope that I inspire others to realize that they can do it, too (whatever it means in their own lives), and that they will find the motivation to make it happen.
As more women succeed, it paves the way for even more of us to succeed. As more women from all walks of life manifest the lives they dream of, the world becomes a better place. And there’s nothing more inspiring than that.
Order your copy of Become the Fire: Transform Life’s Chaos into Business and Personal Success.
Visit Elisa’s author website at ElisaSchmitz.com. Inspire and be inspired at 30Seconds.com. Learn more about Elisa’s book on achieving career and life success at BecomeTheFire.com.