1 00:00:10,410 --> 00:00:14,234 Hello, and welcome to another episode of the traveling introvert 2 00:00:14,282 --> 00:00:17,530 career conversations. I am very excited 3 00:00:17,610 --> 00:00:21,006 to talk to this guest. They have 4 00:00:21,028 --> 00:00:24,474 done amazing things and I'm very excited. 5 00:00:24,602 --> 00:00:27,720 So go. I would like to introduce you to 6 00:00:28,170 --> 00:00:31,366 and please say hello. Hi 7 00:00:31,548 --> 00:00:34,822 everybody. Hi, Janice. All right, 8 00:00:34,956 --> 00:00:38,626 so oh, see, I've 9 00:00:38,658 --> 00:00:42,426 lost my train of thought. I'm that excited. First question as always, is do 10 00:00:42,448 --> 00:00:46,042 you consider yourself to be an introvert? I 11 00:00:46,096 --> 00:00:49,674 go both ways. I actually grew up as an introvert for 12 00:00:49,712 --> 00:00:53,210 most of my life and at this point in stage 13 00:00:53,290 --> 00:00:56,720 where I'm in my forty s, I feel like I can do both. 14 00:00:57,410 --> 00:01:00,720 So that makes me ask, what does introversion mean to you? 15 00:01:01,490 --> 00:01:05,266 So to me it means where I draw my energy 16 00:01:05,368 --> 00:01:09,154 from being around people or being on my 17 00:01:09,192 --> 00:01:12,786 own. Think about like when you go to a meeting, a 18 00:01:12,808 --> 00:01:16,402 networking session and do you come back feeling like oh, 19 00:01:16,456 --> 00:01:20,262 I'm so beat now, I do not have energy to talk to people? 20 00:01:20,396 --> 00:01:24,166 Or do you get very excited and you just come back with full 21 00:01:24,188 --> 00:01:27,926 of ideas and you just want to talk more and more? And I 22 00:01:27,948 --> 00:01:31,702 feel like depending on the crowd, I can go both ways. I'm very comfortable 23 00:01:31,766 --> 00:01:35,500 being on my own, but I also draw energy being around people. 24 00:01:36,190 --> 00:01:39,866 And you mentioned that you think that you started off earlier in your life being 25 00:01:39,888 --> 00:01:43,120 an introvert and moved into being more of an ambivert. Now, 26 00:01:44,690 --> 00:01:48,366 what made you think that things have changed? Or has anything happened in your 27 00:01:48,388 --> 00:01:51,838 life that makes you think that you've changed? Absolutely. 28 00:01:52,004 --> 00:01:55,666 So when I was growing up in India, I was a 29 00:01:55,688 --> 00:01:59,234 very quiet kid. I was one of those people who my 30 00:01:59,272 --> 00:02:02,926 friends thought there was something wrong with you because I hardly 31 00:02:02,958 --> 00:02:06,286 ever spoke. And at home, yes, with my 32 00:02:06,328 --> 00:02:09,814 family I was pretty talkative, but the moment I went 33 00:02:09,852 --> 00:02:13,634 outside I was just a good listener. But I never felt 34 00:02:13,682 --> 00:02:17,526 like I always needed to be heard. But when I 35 00:02:17,548 --> 00:02:20,860 came to the United States and I went to college, 36 00:02:21,230 --> 00:02:25,066 I started feeling that if you are not heard, if 37 00:02:25,088 --> 00:02:28,618 you don't speak up, then you are construed a certain way 38 00:02:28,704 --> 00:02:32,510 that you're not smart enough or you don't have enough to contribute. 39 00:02:33,090 --> 00:02:36,494 But even the I think the turning point in my 40 00:02:36,532 --> 00:02:40,382 life was travel. I am a 41 00:02:40,436 --> 00:02:44,146 travel writer, but starting off in college, I was just going to 42 00:02:44,168 --> 00:02:46,914 school for business. One of the 43 00:02:46,952 --> 00:02:50,802 organizations that was for students was 44 00:02:50,856 --> 00:02:54,626 doing travel for as part of their student body to go 45 00:02:54,648 --> 00:02:58,374 on conferences. And my friend came to me and said, 46 00:02:58,492 --> 00:03:01,750 if you want free travel, you should join this 47 00:03:01,820 --> 00:03:05,654 leadership honor society. And I said, Well, I do want 48 00:03:05,692 --> 00:03:09,354 free travel, so what do I need to get there? And she said, well, 49 00:03:09,392 --> 00:03:13,226 your GPA is high enough so you'll qualify, but if 50 00:03:13,248 --> 00:03:16,614 you join the board as a student body leader, 51 00:03:16,742 --> 00:03:20,438 you're assured that you will get to travel for free. 52 00:03:20,624 --> 00:03:23,902 So I went next day and I signed up for the 53 00:03:23,956 --> 00:03:27,774 presidential election to be the president of the 54 00:03:27,812 --> 00:03:31,198 student body organization. And 55 00:03:31,364 --> 00:03:34,974 I did not know that that if I did get elected, 56 00:03:35,022 --> 00:03:38,754 which I did, my first job would be to speak in front 57 00:03:38,792 --> 00:03:42,386 of 500 people. And I think that was the 58 00:03:42,408 --> 00:03:46,146 turning point of my life when I was put in a 59 00:03:46,168 --> 00:03:49,926 position where I had to speak in front of people. And 60 00:03:49,948 --> 00:03:53,302 that's not going to say that I had to become an extrovert at that point, 61 00:03:53,356 --> 00:03:57,062 but I really had to break out of my shell and get 62 00:03:57,116 --> 00:04:00,874 comfortable being in front of people and being around them 63 00:04:00,912 --> 00:04:04,678 and speaking to them, addressing board meetings 64 00:04:04,774 --> 00:04:06,330 and conferences. 65 00:04:08,510 --> 00:04:12,238 Okay. And so you said that it didn't mean 66 00:04:12,244 --> 00:04:15,982 that you became an extrovert. You just had to address people. 67 00:04:16,116 --> 00:04:19,882 Do you feel that that is harder for introverts 68 00:04:19,946 --> 00:04:23,522 to address a crowd of 500 people? I do 69 00:04:23,576 --> 00:04:27,198 feel that introvert have a little bit of an easier 70 00:04:27,294 --> 00:04:30,562 handle on that just because they're more 71 00:04:30,616 --> 00:04:33,726 comfortable speaking in front of people, addressing bigger 72 00:04:33,758 --> 00:04:37,186 crowds. But as I said, being an introvert 73 00:04:37,298 --> 00:04:40,998 and not being comfortable talking in front of people 74 00:04:41,084 --> 00:04:44,534 and not feeling like I needed to, constantly being 75 00:04:44,572 --> 00:04:47,720 heard, that was a bold move for me. 76 00:04:51,870 --> 00:04:55,578 You said that you became president and you got free travel 77 00:04:55,664 --> 00:04:59,482 is the assumption after that. Yeah. So I got to go 78 00:04:59,536 --> 00:05:02,378 on our regional and national 79 00:05:02,474 --> 00:05:06,062 conferences as the president, and I also 80 00:05:06,116 --> 00:05:09,774 picked who all went with me. And when I went to 81 00:05:09,812 --> 00:05:13,646 these conferences, I had to meet people from all parts 82 00:05:13,678 --> 00:05:17,470 of the world who had also come as student leaders. 83 00:05:17,630 --> 00:05:21,042 And that was where I really felt like my 84 00:05:21,096 --> 00:05:24,830 introvert was coming out, because we would interact 85 00:05:24,910 --> 00:05:28,562 in workshops, we would have dinners together, we would share 86 00:05:28,616 --> 00:05:32,214 ideas, we would even janice and learn 87 00:05:32,252 --> 00:05:36,086 about each other's culture. And it was a turning point in my 88 00:05:36,108 --> 00:05:39,834 life because I always felt like I want 89 00:05:39,872 --> 00:05:43,706 to learn about other people through travel, but at that moment, I 90 00:05:43,728 --> 00:05:45,900 had the opportunity to do it. 91 00:05:47,230 --> 00:05:51,022 And so with that travel and all the people you 92 00:05:51,076 --> 00:05:54,542 met, was there anyone specific that sort of 93 00:05:54,676 --> 00:05:57,920 maybe changed your life or changed the trajectory of your life? 94 00:05:59,570 --> 00:06:03,362 There were several people along the way, starting with my 95 00:06:03,416 --> 00:06:06,802 advisor in grad school who 96 00:06:06,936 --> 00:06:10,446 really pushed me to take on those leadership roles. 97 00:06:10,638 --> 00:06:14,322 But even from there, going into my first job 98 00:06:14,456 --> 00:06:18,182 where I was working in consulting, and they sent 99 00:06:18,236 --> 00:06:22,054 me for leadership training, for public speaking training, 100 00:06:22,252 --> 00:06:25,942 and then all the clients I made, I 101 00:06:25,996 --> 00:06:29,402 worked with through those different 102 00:06:29,456 --> 00:06:33,114 positions I've held. I feel like those are the people who 103 00:06:33,152 --> 00:06:36,858 impacted me the most because they have seen me grow in 104 00:06:36,944 --> 00:06:40,294 different career paths but being the same 105 00:06:40,352 --> 00:06:44,094 person and having a different outlook of life. And 106 00:06:44,132 --> 00:06:47,422 they've seen me drawing my energy from being an 107 00:06:47,476 --> 00:06:50,878 introvert to now being a super introvert at times 108 00:06:50,964 --> 00:06:54,770 where I'm the one who's connecting people and speaking 109 00:06:54,840 --> 00:06:58,674 in front of crowds and having these very 110 00:06:58,792 --> 00:07:02,450 unique experiences. And so you mentioned 111 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:06,294 attending all these conferences as a leader. Did 112 00:07:06,332 --> 00:07:10,054 you have any tips or things that you did to 113 00:07:10,092 --> 00:07:13,080 help deal with going to conferences all the time? 114 00:07:14,650 --> 00:07:18,374 Some of the tips at that point, it was very 115 00:07:18,572 --> 00:07:22,154 different than now because I was a student at that time, 116 00:07:22,272 --> 00:07:25,706 but I still go to a lot of conferences now as a 117 00:07:25,728 --> 00:07:29,434 speaker and as a leader. So I would say I would 118 00:07:29,472 --> 00:07:32,640 speak more on where I'm in my life right now. 119 00:07:33,170 --> 00:07:36,826 Some of the tips for attending and networking 120 00:07:36,858 --> 00:07:40,320 with conferences. I always try to get stage time, 121 00:07:41,010 --> 00:07:44,542 whether it is doing a workshop, a panel 122 00:07:44,686 --> 00:07:48,302 or just speaking up in some of the other sessions 123 00:07:48,446 --> 00:07:52,242 where I introduce myself and if I have a question or 124 00:07:52,296 --> 00:07:56,034 comment to add, I would make 125 00:07:56,072 --> 00:07:59,846 sure that people know my name, who I work for, what do 126 00:07:59,868 --> 00:08:03,494 I do, and then ask my question. And I feel that 127 00:08:03,612 --> 00:08:07,014 makes it easier for people to come and speak to 128 00:08:07,052 --> 00:08:10,442 me afterwards and it opens up new 129 00:08:10,496 --> 00:08:14,346 conversations as well. And you 130 00:08:14,368 --> 00:08:18,070 mentioned that you go into leadership positions and you'll be sent on leadership 131 00:08:18,150 --> 00:08:21,994 training. I know. Public speaking you mentioned 132 00:08:22,032 --> 00:08:25,166 was one thing that was covered with leadership training. Was there anything else that you 133 00:08:25,188 --> 00:08:28,382 felt that was covered in leadership training that was 134 00:08:28,436 --> 00:08:31,998 useful? Yes, a lot of it 135 00:08:32,084 --> 00:08:35,650 was useful. And the public speaking actually was a completely different training 136 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:39,374 program that I went for aside from the leadership 137 00:08:39,422 --> 00:08:42,818 training. And a lot of it was around how to present 138 00:08:42,904 --> 00:08:46,502 yourself to your clients, how to 139 00:08:46,556 --> 00:08:49,926 network, and never take a no for an 140 00:08:49,948 --> 00:08:53,686 answer. When you reach out to people and 141 00:08:53,788 --> 00:08:57,414 people don't know who you're not familiar with and maybe 142 00:08:57,452 --> 00:09:01,226 you're just sending them a message on LinkedIn and how you 143 00:09:01,248 --> 00:09:05,066 can add value to their lives, rather than just say, oh, 144 00:09:05,088 --> 00:09:08,906 I want to connect. We are in the same group 145 00:09:09,008 --> 00:09:12,574 or we are in the same city or the same company, rather 146 00:09:12,612 --> 00:09:16,462 than just opening with that, maybe saying, here, 147 00:09:16,516 --> 00:09:20,206 I can help you be more successful in 148 00:09:20,228 --> 00:09:24,046 your role or your career path and what is it that you're 149 00:09:24,078 --> 00:09:27,570 offering to them rather than just making that 150 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:31,362 friendly connection? Okay, so 151 00:09:31,496 --> 00:09:35,114 as follow on from that, is this something that you do regularly 152 00:09:35,182 --> 00:09:39,000 that has improved your career? Absolutely. 153 00:09:39,770 --> 00:09:42,710 This is something I do on a daily basis 154 00:09:43,290 --> 00:09:47,110 for all aspects of my job, from speaking, traveling, 155 00:09:47,550 --> 00:09:50,780 to writing, everything that I do. 156 00:09:52,190 --> 00:09:55,866 What is it? It is connecting with 157 00:09:55,888 --> 00:09:59,466 people and offering value to them. Okay, 158 00:09:59,648 --> 00:10:03,486 and is there anything else that you would recommend that people do sort of 159 00:10:03,508 --> 00:10:07,120 weekly or monthly as a ritual to improve their career or business? 160 00:10:08,050 --> 00:10:11,870 I think the importance of networking 161 00:10:12,690 --> 00:10:16,386 is often misconstrued because networking is 162 00:10:16,408 --> 00:10:20,242 not just always going into a room full of people and 163 00:10:20,296 --> 00:10:23,906 having a drink, but it is also keeping in touch 164 00:10:24,008 --> 00:10:27,846 on a regular basis, whether you pick up the phone and call them or 165 00:10:27,868 --> 00:10:31,010 send them an email. But I feel like that constant 166 00:10:31,090 --> 00:10:34,120 communication with people I've come to know 167 00:10:34,570 --> 00:10:38,034 over my lifetime, whether they are in the same 168 00:10:38,092 --> 00:10:41,898 industry or not. But that value of 169 00:10:41,984 --> 00:10:45,690 holding on to that network and telling them 170 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:49,514 what you're doing at this point in your career and how they 171 00:10:49,552 --> 00:10:53,054 can help you or how you can help them or just having a 172 00:10:53,092 --> 00:10:56,762 friendly chat and know, well, I just had a wonderful 173 00:10:56,826 --> 00:11:00,414 trip to New Mexico, and if you are ever 174 00:11:00,612 --> 00:11:04,434 thinking about going, you going there. Let me give you some 175 00:11:04,472 --> 00:11:07,938 advice on how you can have a more meaningful experience 176 00:11:08,104 --> 00:11:11,906 when you travel there. And so that 177 00:11:11,928 --> 00:11:15,614 leads me to a question for you with your travel, what constitutes 178 00:11:15,662 --> 00:11:19,380 a meaningful experience? Great question. 179 00:11:19,910 --> 00:11:23,622 So I've traveled to over 100 countries and 180 00:11:23,756 --> 00:11:27,382 I feel like a lot of people tend to repeat the same 181 00:11:27,436 --> 00:11:31,270 experience over and over again when they go to a destination. 182 00:11:31,350 --> 00:11:35,146 They are staying in a hotel, eating at a restaurant they may 183 00:11:35,168 --> 00:11:38,902 have read about in a tour, in a magazine 184 00:11:39,046 --> 00:11:42,750 and then they bring the same photographs as all of their friends 185 00:11:42,820 --> 00:11:46,414 do of the destination. To me that 186 00:11:46,452 --> 00:11:50,158 becomes repetitive and does not add any value 187 00:11:50,244 --> 00:11:53,986 to you as a traveler. A 188 00:11:54,008 --> 00:11:57,202 meaningful travel on the other hand, would be something that 189 00:11:57,256 --> 00:12:00,978 enriches your life as well as the life of 190 00:12:00,984 --> 00:12:04,642 the others at the destination you visit. And that 191 00:12:04,696 --> 00:12:08,486 could be having a learning lesson that you may 192 00:12:08,508 --> 00:12:11,814 have not known about that culture or the place or the 193 00:12:11,852 --> 00:12:15,474 food that you come back and have a personal connection 194 00:12:15,522 --> 00:12:18,922 with someone you met there or something you 195 00:12:18,976 --> 00:12:22,410 learned about their customs, their religions 196 00:12:22,990 --> 00:12:26,470 and then the choices you make as a destination. 197 00:12:26,630 --> 00:12:28,650 So I'm a big proponent 198 00:12:30,370 --> 00:12:34,110 of sustainable travel and I feel that every 199 00:12:34,180 --> 00:12:37,822 opportunity you have as a traveler you are able to make 200 00:12:37,876 --> 00:12:41,646 those decisions on which hotel that you will 201 00:12:41,668 --> 00:12:45,378 stay with, which restaurant you would dine with, who you're going to take a 202 00:12:45,384 --> 00:12:48,962 tour with and making sure that those dollars that you 203 00:12:49,016 --> 00:12:52,180 spend are invested in the local community. 204 00:12:53,430 --> 00:12:56,200 And so how would you go about doing that research? 205 00:12:58,330 --> 00:13:02,086 Well, that's a great question because a lot of 206 00:13:02,108 --> 00:13:05,640 the online platforms, if you book on 207 00:13:06,010 --> 00:13:09,718 a tour or a packaged tour, 208 00:13:09,894 --> 00:13:13,514 does not really allow you to do that. So I 209 00:13:13,552 --> 00:13:17,386 connect with local tour operators who are often 210 00:13:17,488 --> 00:13:21,210 women led and women owned small businesses 211 00:13:21,370 --> 00:13:25,166 in those countries and they have a deeper connection to 212 00:13:25,188 --> 00:13:28,814 the community. I tell them that this is what 213 00:13:28,852 --> 00:13:32,206 I'm interested in, whether it's art or food or 214 00:13:32,228 --> 00:13:35,858 nature and have them make a tailor made 215 00:13:35,944 --> 00:13:39,406 itinerary for me. And while I'm 216 00:13:39,438 --> 00:13:43,106 there, I have these people guide me 217 00:13:43,208 --> 00:13:46,680 through my tours. So it's not just about send me off 218 00:13:47,610 --> 00:13:51,414 to check out all these attractions, but have someone with 219 00:13:51,452 --> 00:13:54,630 me to talk to me about your culture 220 00:13:54,970 --> 00:13:58,602 and those are the people that I connect with and ask them 221 00:13:58,656 --> 00:14:01,958 questions, and I ask them to connect me further. 222 00:14:02,134 --> 00:14:05,642 To what restaurants do you go to with your 223 00:14:05,696 --> 00:14:09,178 family on the weekend? Or if you're going on a 224 00:14:09,184 --> 00:14:12,990 vacation to a different part of your country, where 225 00:14:13,060 --> 00:14:16,814 would you go? And just asking those questions to 226 00:14:16,852 --> 00:14:20,602 people and making those personal connections, 227 00:14:20,746 --> 00:14:24,542 I think that is the best way to do it. And 228 00:14:24,596 --> 00:14:28,306 so can you let us know where you currently are, sort of in your 229 00:14:28,328 --> 00:14:31,714 career, your current job and industry, and the 230 00:14:31,912 --> 00:14:35,522 can you let me know about some misconceptions people have about 231 00:14:35,576 --> 00:14:39,374 your job and industry? Yes. So I'm 232 00:14:39,422 --> 00:14:43,094 a full time food and travel writer, and I 233 00:14:43,132 --> 00:14:46,262 work as a freelancer for a few 234 00:14:46,316 --> 00:14:49,586 publications, including Time Magazine, 235 00:14:49,778 --> 00:14:53,514 CNN, Travel and Leisure Photos. And I have 236 00:14:53,552 --> 00:14:57,286 two columns I write I also write a series of children's books 237 00:14:57,318 --> 00:15:00,878 about travel, and I speak about travel. So 238 00:15:00,964 --> 00:15:04,702 the most common misconception I get from people 239 00:15:04,756 --> 00:15:08,590 who look at my social media posts is that I am 240 00:15:08,660 --> 00:15:11,360 eating and drinking all the time 241 00:15:11,810 --> 00:15:15,522 and just on vacation, taking these 242 00:15:15,576 --> 00:15:18,900 glamorous shots, and I don't work. 243 00:15:20,230 --> 00:15:23,954 So eating and drinking is a big part of my job, 244 00:15:24,152 --> 00:15:27,318 where I have to taste sometimes 245 00:15:27,484 --> 00:15:31,142 hundreds of dishes a week, and I 246 00:15:31,196 --> 00:15:34,998 have to talk to the chefs, learn about the food, 247 00:15:35,084 --> 00:15:38,686 the ingredients, where they're sourced from. So there's 248 00:15:38,738 --> 00:15:42,362 a lot of backstory that happens behind 249 00:15:42,496 --> 00:15:46,282 each dish that I taste. And people are just looking 250 00:15:46,336 --> 00:15:49,958 at, oh, having a great time, you're out for dinner again, 251 00:15:50,064 --> 00:15:53,680 or you're off to another destination. But 252 00:15:55,010 --> 00:15:58,830 it is work. It is a fun work, and I would not 253 00:15:58,900 --> 00:16:02,714 do anything else. But there are 254 00:16:02,852 --> 00:16:06,018 very long hours, and my whole 255 00:16:06,104 --> 00:16:09,842 itinerary each day is defined by 256 00:16:09,896 --> 00:16:12,530 the destinations or my sponsors. 257 00:16:13,270 --> 00:16:16,614 And every waking hour I have is 258 00:16:16,732 --> 00:16:20,274 filled with activities, meetings, 259 00:16:20,402 --> 00:16:23,954 interviews, photograph 260 00:16:24,002 --> 00:16:27,686 sessions, social media posts. And 261 00:16:27,708 --> 00:16:31,430 so I really never have time to sit by the pool and have a drink, 262 00:16:31,510 --> 00:16:35,242 which most people would imagine to at least 263 00:16:35,296 --> 00:16:39,146 do once during their vacation. So I think that's a 264 00:16:39,168 --> 00:16:42,398 very different viewpoint of what the life of a travel 265 00:16:42,484 --> 00:16:45,994 writer could be and funny. 266 00:16:46,042 --> 00:16:49,774 Janice I have invited some of my friends to come with me 267 00:16:49,892 --> 00:16:53,566 occasionally on my trips, and I said, well, you can observe 268 00:16:53,598 --> 00:16:57,314 me in action. And after the first day, 269 00:16:57,432 --> 00:17:00,910 they say, I quit. I cannot 270 00:17:00,990 --> 00:17:04,494 eat another ten course meal. I am jet 271 00:17:04,542 --> 00:17:07,926 lagged. I just want to go to my room and go to 272 00:17:07,948 --> 00:17:11,590 sleep, and I don't want to be a part of this anymore. 273 00:17:14,250 --> 00:17:16,920 Can't keep up with the pace. Exactly. 274 00:17:18,410 --> 00:17:22,106 And so you mentioned that on your Instagram and your social media. That's what 275 00:17:22,128 --> 00:17:25,898 it looks like. Do you ever do something that goes behind the 276 00:17:25,904 --> 00:17:29,226 scenes, gives more in depth information on what an 277 00:17:29,248 --> 00:17:33,050 average I don't know if there is an average day that's probably misconception 278 00:17:33,210 --> 00:17:36,766 a day might look like to give people more depth about 279 00:17:36,868 --> 00:17:40,174 what your industry does and what you do as a 280 00:17:40,212 --> 00:17:43,922 creator? Yes. I've actually done 281 00:17:43,976 --> 00:17:47,186 several YouTube videos on my own channel 282 00:17:47,368 --> 00:17:51,074 where I talked about how people could get into this 283 00:17:51,112 --> 00:17:54,786 business and what to expect if they wanted to become a 284 00:17:54,808 --> 00:17:58,566 food and travel writer. I've talked about what the 285 00:17:58,588 --> 00:18:01,846 typical day life is and what are some of the 286 00:18:01,868 --> 00:18:05,478 pitfalls. Why is it not for everybody? Because 287 00:18:05,564 --> 00:18:09,306 you definitely need to have a lot of stamina and 288 00:18:09,408 --> 00:18:12,842 be persistent with your work. It is not just 289 00:18:12,896 --> 00:18:16,474 about traveling and eating, but you have to 290 00:18:16,512 --> 00:18:20,286 sell those stories. You got to write them on paper and then 291 00:18:20,308 --> 00:18:23,966 you got to pitch yourself. Why are you the right person to be 292 00:18:23,988 --> 00:18:27,246 telling these stories? And then you have to make the 293 00:18:27,348 --> 00:18:30,794 connections with editors and constantly 294 00:18:30,842 --> 00:18:34,670 be updating your portfolio 295 00:18:34,750 --> 00:18:38,354 with what you're doing. So it is not just 296 00:18:38,472 --> 00:18:41,780 a one day when you go to work 297 00:18:42,390 --> 00:18:45,826 eight to five and then you're done. Your work basically 298 00:18:45,928 --> 00:18:49,542 goes 24 hours a day. And so 299 00:18:49,596 --> 00:18:53,378 now you are where you are. Can you tell me the last three jobs 300 00:18:53,394 --> 00:18:56,886 you did before you got to where you are 301 00:18:56,908 --> 00:19:00,614 today? I've been a food and travel writer 302 00:19:00,662 --> 00:19:04,298 full time for about twelve years. Before 303 00:19:04,384 --> 00:19:07,590 that I used to work in Human Capital 304 00:19:07,670 --> 00:19:11,162 Consulting for Gallup 305 00:19:11,306 --> 00:19:14,910 Organization, and before that I was 306 00:19:14,980 --> 00:19:18,414 in investment banking for a Dutch company. 307 00:19:18,612 --> 00:19:22,438 So completely different jobs, different paths. 308 00:19:22,634 --> 00:19:26,174 But I feel like every job I've 309 00:19:26,222 --> 00:19:29,986 had has prepared me to be where I 310 00:19:30,008 --> 00:19:32,930 am today. Adding some skills 311 00:19:33,590 --> 00:19:37,270 in different ways, like I told you, with leadership, with speaking, 312 00:19:37,340 --> 00:19:40,614 with networking, but helping me build 313 00:19:40,732 --> 00:19:44,230 to who I am as a travel writer. 314 00:19:45,130 --> 00:19:48,810 Awesome. Thank you for letting us know about that path. And 315 00:19:48,880 --> 00:19:52,060 final question for you that I ask everybody, 316 00:19:53,070 --> 00:19:54,970 is a hot dog a sandwich? 317 00:19:56,910 --> 00:20:00,510 I'm sorry, what's your question? Is a hot dog a 318 00:20:00,580 --> 00:20:04,400 sandwich? That's a funny question. 319 00:20:07,010 --> 00:20:10,634 I guess it is because a piece of meat 320 00:20:10,682 --> 00:20:14,254 between two pieces of bread is what they define sandwich 321 00:20:14,302 --> 00:20:17,586 as when it first came out. So it probably 322 00:20:17,688 --> 00:20:21,298 is, but it's not something 323 00:20:21,464 --> 00:20:25,186 actually it's not my favorite food. And 324 00:20:25,208 --> 00:20:27,814 I'm sure you get asked this all the time. So what is your favorite food 325 00:20:27,852 --> 00:20:31,414 as you brought it up? I 326 00:20:31,452 --> 00:20:34,934 gravitate more towards Asian because that is my 327 00:20:34,972 --> 00:20:38,530 heritage. So anything spicy, 328 00:20:38,610 --> 00:20:42,042 like Indian, Thai, Malaysian is what my 329 00:20:42,096 --> 00:20:45,866 favorite is. Not that I can eat it every day, but if 330 00:20:45,888 --> 00:20:49,658 you want to treat me to a great meal, that's what I would 331 00:20:49,744 --> 00:20:53,262 expect people to make for me. Okay, you've been told 332 00:20:53,316 --> 00:20:56,990 people, if you want to invite around for dinner, that's what 333 00:20:57,060 --> 00:21:00,366 the menu should look like. Thank you so much. Can you 334 00:21:00,388 --> 00:21:03,682 tell the wonderful listeners where they can find 335 00:21:03,736 --> 00:21:07,330 you? Yeah. So I am on all social 336 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:10,434 media platforms as my full name, which is 337 00:21:10,472 --> 00:21:14,146 sucheta ravel, and I also have a 338 00:21:14,168 --> 00:21:17,970 blog which is called Go Eat Give. And 339 00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:21,750 my series of books are called Beato goes 340 00:21:21,820 --> 00:21:25,414 to awesome. Thank you so much for joining us 341 00:21:25,452 --> 00:21:28,886 today. It was a real pleasure. Thank you very much. This is 342 00:21:28,908 --> 00:21:32,454 Janice@thecareintrovert.com helping you build your brand and get 343 00:21:32,492 --> 00:21:34,420 hired. Have a great rest of your week.