119: ODEO Alumni Journey Series: From 30 Years in Chinuch to Digital Marketing with Rachel Kugler

Danny Gavin (Host): 00:05

Hello, I’m Danny Gavin, founder of Optige Marketing Professor and the host of the Digital Marketing Mentor. In 2026, we’re continuing a feature-style series I’m especially excited about spotlighting alumni of Audio Academy and sharing real behind-the-scenes stories of career transitions into digital marketing. These episodes are all about the journey, where someone started, what pushed them to make a change, what it was actually like to learn digital marketing from the ground up, and where they are now after taking that leap. Today’s guest is honestly one of the people I’ve spoken about the most over the past year because her story is the kind of story that gives other people permission to start. After years in education, Rachel Kugler made the leap into digital marketing, not in her twenties, but as a mother with a full life and a full schedule. She wrestled with the job search, leaned hard on patience and trust, and ended up landing a role through a path most people overlook, and she hasn’t stopped learning since. In this conversation, we’ll talk about what life looked like before the pivot, what made her finally take the leap, what the job search actually felt like, how she found her job through an internship program most people underestimate, and what she’s learned about LinkedIn, continuous education, and giving back. So whether you’re considering a career pivot, you’re in the middle of a long job search, or you’re a woman wondering now what, in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, or beyond, this episode is for you. Rachel, welcome to the show.

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 01:42

Thank you for having me. It’s an honor to be here and really an opportunity to give back.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 01:49

Amazing. I’m

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 01:50

 so glad you’re here. Tell us about your career and education. What did that world look like? And what were you really good at?

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 01:56

This is what I tell all my students when I meet meet up with them. I actually met a number of students recently from many, many years ago. I loved what I did. I loved teaching. And the fact that I’m not doing it any longer doesn’t mean that I didn’t love what I did every single day. I really genuinely loved it. I loved explaining concepts, connecting with students, and really giving them lifelong skills. It just wasn’t working anymore. It just wasn’t working for my family. It wasn’t working for my schedule. It just wasn’t working anymore. But I really genuinely loved every day in the classroom for nearly 30 years.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 02:31

So what point did you feel like it was time for like the next chapter? Was it a specific moment? Like, was it like you had a conversation with a parent, or it was like the end of the year, like, oh no, I don’t know if I can do this one more year? Like what actually caused it?

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 02:43

None of that at all, actually. It was like a gradual progress where like it was this progression of it’s just not working. It was something that, you know, as the years went on and life transitions and new seasons come, it just wasn’t working anymore. And I tried to make it work like this, like that. And ultimately I moved on to another school. And I had spent 20 years of my career in the same school. And if any of my students are listening to this, I would love to reconnect from any of those years. And it just wasn’t working. That’s really, you know, when I went in the schedule doesn’t work any longer. And as my children got older, my nights were no longer mine and they’re still not mine. So I just didn’t have the same time to prepare in the headspace to spend with parents and to really give it my all. And if I wasn’t giving it my all, then I really couldn’t be in the classroom anymore. So I get this question all the time. People ask me, like, are you done? I said, no, I’m not finished. But if something comes up that would work, then um, I’m in. So like for a while I was doing like one night class and it was perfect. Like it didn’t entail too much preparation on my part. And it didn’t entail it was adult education. So it didn’t entail dealing with parents. It was doing no report cards, doing no meetings. It was really on our our own schedule. And that worked. So I always say, like, I didn’t put that behind me at all because I genuinely loved what I did. It just doesn’t work for right now.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 04:01

And back in the day when you were, you know, first got a let’s say seminary or college, is that something that you always wanted to do? Is to be an educator?

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 04:09

I don’t want to date myself, but back then that was what really what everybody did. And it was nearly impossible to find a teaching job. It was close to impossible. And my understanding is it’s not like that today. And I really, Hashem put me in every place. He put me where I needed to be. And I there was nothing, no part of it of my own doing, but he really led me down a path that was life-changing, life-changing. The schools I worked in, the people I worked with, the people I met, I really treasure them till today. They are lifelong dear friends and mentors of mine. And I actually, the school that I spent 20 years in, I actually owe the principal everything. And I’m lucky enough to have the opportunity when I go to Israel. I actually go to the Savatari and I go visit her because I really owe her, I owe her everything.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 04:57

I mean, that says a lot that you owe her everything. Can you tell me a story where if like that it shows that?

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 05:01

She just gave me an opportunity to connect with the most amazing students and staff. And students that I’m still in touch with today, staff members that I consider them my dear friends and mentors, that I have who to call if I have a question. Even when I was considering this career change, I had who to call. I had who to bounce it off of until hear me out. And these were people that I worked with.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 05:25

Moving along. So now you’re ready for a change. So how did you find Odeo? And let’s say what made you choose it over other paths that you were looking at, deciding, you know, should I go into digital marketing? Is there another field?

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 05:36

It was really through a career coach. I actually came across Shana Karen in the Mishbachel magazine. And I connected with her. I took a I took her up on her offer of what was like a 15-minute free consult. And then I ended up working with her. And uh this is where it led me. And I’m forever grateful.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 05:52

And how was that? I can imagine, like, you know, most people go career counselor. That’s like usually when you’re like coming out of seminary. Was it awkward for you at all? Or it was like, I’m excited about this.

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 06:02

Oh, I was so excited about it. I thought it was like finally something that could maybe like give me some guidance on which what to do. Should I can, you know, continue in the education world, pivot to something, or change careers completely? And it was, I I actually really enjoyed working with her. And when I took the test, I thought that was the most fascinating experience ever. And it was worth every penny that I invested in it. I so enjoyed it. You know, we think we know ourselves and we sort of know ourselves, but when you see it on a piece of paper and you’re like, this is me, it’s really eye-opening and also very confirming of what our what our strengths are and our weaknesses are and like what we’re good at. I really enjoyed it. And if anyone is in the same position as me, I think it’s a really a great path.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 06:49

If you don’t mind sharing some of the results, so did it actually say, hey, you should go into marketing?

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 06:53

It definitely put me into that direction. Not marketing per se, but definitely led me to be able to use my creativity, to be able to use my analytical skills, to be able to use my explaining skills as a teacher. That’s really we’re always breaking down information. And when we need to put something in words or you need to figure out how to market something, that’s really what it is. You’re trying to explain what that is or what you’re offering to someone. And this just made the most sense.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 07:23

Yeah. I mean, that now you mention it. And I know you wrote a LinkedIn post about this, I feel like it was a year ago, but it was kind of like teachers have so many skills. And like at first glance, it’s like, oh, this only works in the classroom. But really, like, oh my God, it’s like a breeding ground for these amazing skills that can work in business or marketing as well. And I’m sure that that assessment that you took helped like affirm that. Kind of like correct, you have all these things, but not only can it work for teaching, but it can work past that.

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 07:49

Correct. It affirmed skills and it also affirmed personality of what your strengths and your weaknesses and your personality. And I thought it was beyond fascinating. And I finally understood so many things. I said to myself, now that makes more sense. Like I said, as much as we know ourselves, when you see it on paper, it’s just very reassuring and confirm so many of the things that we might have been like questioning in our life.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 08:12

So actually coming to Odeo, was there any hesitation when you initially were thinking about signing up? And what would you say finally pushed you to actually enroll into the course?

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 08:20

So I wasn’t hesitant at all. Actually, once I make a decision, I made a decision. And my biggest issue was that it wasn’t starting for the next few months. So like when I made my decision, I was ready to start. And then all of a sudden I was left like, oh, I have to wait a few months. It really once I had the right guidance and I was along the right path, I no question, it made it was doable. Financially, it was doable. Time-wise, it wasn’t like I was investing four years in school. So it all it just made sense. And I at at this point in my life, I wasn’t looking to, as much as I would have loved to go back to do some in-depth college, you know, education of some sort, it just didn’t make sense for me to start, you know, some of the things I considered would just be too much of an investment in of years and finances where I can do this, and it made just so much

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 09:05

 sense.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 09:06

What were the concepts during Odeo that hit hardest? Like the ones that actually changed how you thought?

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 09:11

Like I said, I think a lot of it was understanding the so many things I should say that we take, we just assume we Google this, we Google that, we read this ad, we read that, and we don’t put so much thought into it. What happened was all of a sudden I’m like, this wait, there’s a theory behind how it all works and how you show up uh in Google and and your ads and how they’re written. And I thought that part was fascinating because I never even gave much thought to it. You know, we’re on the internet all the time, looking up things, searching things, and I just never gave much thought to it. And all of a sudden I was it opened my eyes up that there’s a whole world behind that Google search or behind that ad that might be, you know, we might be encountering on Google.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 09:49

Yeah, and I and like I like to say that you can never go back. So unfortunately, when you open up Google now or social media or anything like that, I’m sure you look at it very differently.

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 09:58

Correct. A graphic designer can never read a, you know, an ad any longer the same way. It’s the same thing. They start to see everything like that. So that is correct.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 10:05

Yeah, it must be hard for a graphic designer to go through like Ami magazine. I mean, it takes me long enough to look at all the ads, but now they’re like really looking through all the ads.

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 10:13

Oh yeah. Oh yeah. And now especially now with the AI ads. I have a young lady in my house who I I hear, I hear the the the yelling and screaming. Another AI ad.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 10:25

That’s hilarious. So, what do you think your years in education gave you that maybe younger students didn’t have walking into Odeo?

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 10:33

You really cannot discount years of experience. It doesn’t matter in what field it is, but experience is experience. You have experience in the workforce, you have experience dealing with people, you have just experience, like in my case, it was experience explaining things. It was also like there’s a certain sense of fearness, I always say it. Like I ran my classroom in a very fear way that if I said something, I kept my word to it. If there was a question on an exam that the student said we didn’t learn, okay, we didn’t learn. I will discount it. Like I’m not, it was a certain sense of fearness and you you transition all that over with you. Like every part of that that comes with you. There’s nothing that can give it to anyone except the years of experience. That’s all, that’s all it could. When it came to the assignments and it meeting deadlines, it doesn’t make a difference what’s happening. The same way, you know, your life, there could be so many things going on in your life and it could be utter chaos. You showed up in the classroom, dressed, presented, and put everything outside that door, that classroom door. I always said you leave everything outside the classroom door, you walk in and your focus is on the students. And if you’re not able to do that, so maybe you shouldn’t be here today. Like there’s because students sense everything. So it was the same thing. Assignments had to get done, there were due dates, you know, we can be busy asking for extensions, but that’s just not the way it works. Is you make it happen, you figure it out, there’s classes to attend, there’s questions you have. Definitely that there’s a work ethic that you have that I don’t know if you know a younger person and someone new in the workforce has that. It’s things that you learn over, you know, through the years. It’s also dealing with people. That’s a huge, huge, huge aspect. It doesn’t matter what field you’re in, you learn how to interact with people, people that might seem unfair, people that might seem rude, people that might have completely unreasonable requests, people that aren’t criticizing your work. And you learn how to deal with that.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 12:25

People going through the course, often there’s certain sections that are really complicated, like there’s like more technical things. So for a lot of people, certain parts are really great, some parts are hard. But then usually by the end, especially when they’re doing the final project, it kind of like clicks and all comes together. Was there a moment for you where it all clicked after maybe, let’s say, some hard stretches?

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 12:44

So definitely the technical part, you know, with the web the how websites are built and all that, that was very hard for me. And I had zero interest in it. But I understood it was part of the coursework. So once we got over that hub and we got to the more creative things and writing the ads and understanding, you know, the the how to calculate the words in a Google ad, once we got to that part, that was definitely more exciting. And I have to say that I loved doing the final project where I pulled it all together, where it made so much sense. Because when I was done, I was like, whoa, this makes so much sense. And I actually recently I pulled it up for some reason. And I was like, if I was doing it today, I would do completely different and I would redo it. Like completely different. Like I would come with so much more experience and do a much better job.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 13:29

I would love to see that if you ever redo it.

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 13:31

If I ever have time.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 13:33

All

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 13:33

 right. So now we’re gonna get into the job search, the part that nobody talks about. So after Odeo, what did the job search actually look like week to week? And what did a lot of trust, a lot of patience, and a lot of inner work look like on the hard days?

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 13:47

The job search was extremely challenging. I thought that I finished, I’ll start applying for some jobs. I I present myself pretty well. I I think I could put together a pretty good resume. And uh lo and behold, it was I couldn’t even figure out where to send it to. Um, and wherever I sent it to, it was like nothing ever, no one ever even got back to me. Um, that part was extremely challenging. And yeah, also there’s an aspect over here is that I had worked for nearly 30 years and I never didn’t work. And suddenly September came. We finished, I was in the we to I did the course in the summer. So I was finished the final project in sometime in September, and then you know, come all the hagim, and I was all of a sudden turned around and it quiets down and everybody’s out of the house. And I’m like, what am I supposed to do with my day? And I literally did not know what to do. I, you know, I’m used to having this really tight schedule and I didn’t know what to do. And I started looking for that job and I couldn’t find it. And I was very disappointed. And I know we had conversations about this. I actually even went back to Shana Shana Karen about this also, and like tried to figure out like where can I go? I I started, you know, meeting with and speaking to anyone that I can speak to in the professional world that like, how should I pivot? What should I do with all this and where should I go with it? So yeah, it did take a lot of inner work and a lot of just knowing that I was doing this for the right reasons. I always say, like, I just stayed focused that I was doing this for the right reasons. I wasn’t doing this, you know, because I wanted to be a millionaire and I wanted to go travel the world. I was if if I could do that, that would be really nice. But that wasn’t my focus. I just kept telling myself I’m doing this for the right reasons. And I sort of tried to figure out some sort of schedule. And when I even then, and especially now when I look back, and unfortunately, this is how oftentimes we look at life, is that I realized it was actually the best few months that I needed to not be out of the rigid schedule and I needed to be be available for other things that were going on in my life during those few months. And had I had I had a full-time job or I had been working, I would not have had that same availability that I needed. So it was all for all for the good. And I recognize it then also. I like I kept saying, like, if I was, you know, had a full-time position or if I was busy or if I was whatever I would, as I wouldn’t be as available, then I wouldn’t be able to do this. And I wouldn’t be able to be there for the people that I needed to be there. So it actually definitely for sure in hindsight, I can tell you that. But even then I said that too. But it was challenging.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 16:10

That’s a beautiful blessing. I always tell people, you know, we always ask for Hashem or God when we’re going through the tough times, like the the blessing is can you please show us, you know, why, why am I going through this? And and I know there there were some tough times back then. I think the good news and the positive was is that like like you said, you were reaching out. You also reached out to me. Like you weren’t just happy with the status quo, but it was like, you know, what else can I do? What else is going on? Like you kept moving, right? The problem is once you stop, then you’re definitely dead in the water. But as you continue moving and and continuing the conversations and moving on, then please God, that takes you somewhere.

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 16:43

Right. So I just want to say that there was, there were like opportunities where I saw things advertised, like different webinars and different things. Like sometimes it was completely unrelated to what I was looking to do, but it was something about employment. It was something about, you know, women in the workforce or anything like that. I joined them. They were general, they were generally free. So I I would join them and make it my business to join. And then a lot of times the presenter would say, like, oh, if anybody has any questions, you can reach out. I reached out to everyone. I met with, I met with people. I, you know, just I always felt like just hear what they have to say, hear what they have to offer. You know, you never know where that idea is gonna come from, or when an opportunity comes up and someone will say, Hey, you know, I just spoke to someone that might be good at that. So you really just have to network. And I didn’t have anyone, I just I do want to say this. I didn’t have any friends, neighbors, cousins, relatives that I can say, hey, look, this is what I’m doing. Could you help me? That wasn’t the direction that was gonna work for me. So I figured like out there in the professional world, let me reach out to anyone that I think that can help me, connect with people on LinkedIn and and really just try to network. I guess it was really all networking.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 17:45

Think about it also, like being in school, you didn’t have to necessarily network. I mean, you naturally were talking to people, right? Parents and everything like this. But this is your first time like going out and networking. And so it takes a certain bravery, right, to go and do that.

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 17:59

Correct. And you have to realize I was 20 years in the same school. And a few years before that, and a few years after that. And and even the job that I did after those 20 years, it actually came to me like I never really needed a resume. Like what was it like in for the last 20 something years, 25 years, I never really needed one. So that was definitely something new to go out there and network and meet with people and and and talk to people, explain to people what I’m doing and help people understand what I was doing also. That was also like they would have to. That’s why I say, that’s why when we started, I said that I genuinely loved what I did. And I don’t want anyone to think that I spent almost 30 years in the classroom not loving what I did. I actually did, but it just wasn’t working. And I had to explain at the people because they sometimes were baffled, like, what do you mean? What are you doing? What you were a teacher, and now it’s not. I that also took some explaining within the networking.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 18:45

Oh, totally, especially with the job, like uh like interviewing for jobs. It’s like you have a resume, and we can talk about that in a little bit, but it’s like, you know, 30 years education and now you want to go into marketing. So there’s a lot that you have to explain there. And, you know, sometimes you kind of have to defend your position in a way, even if you don’t have to. So let’s talk about how you actually found your current job. 

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 19:04

So obviously it was really cool, this cool organization called Acadium, and which provides internship opportunities for people who want to go into the marketing field. Pretty crazy, but you got an internship. And once you got it, your boss was like, Wow, this lady’s pretty awesome. I actually want to hire her. So let’s talk about that story.

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 19:22

I actually every, I shouldn’t say every, because I did turn down one interview, but any opportunity that they came to me with an interview, I actually just figured, like, well, why not? Let me hear what they have to say. You just never know. Like, if it’s not for them, maybe go have a friend. Um, I met had some pretty crazy stories, but I interviewed with them all until this one actually came my way. He hired me. Uh it was it was originally as an internship, but four weeks in he hired me as an employee. And he was extremely accommodating and flexible with what I was looking for. And uh, I’m still with him today.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 19:54

What did he like so much about you that’s like, I want to hire this person full-time?

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 19:57

I asked him this question myself recently. I had to do something for a course I was taking, and I had an interview on one of the interview questions, and he said to me, He said, I have a tremendous amount of respect for teachers. He says his mother was a teacher and he has and he saw the lives that his mother changed, and he just has a tremendous amount of respect for teachers. So I think that was a very much a deciding factor.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 20:19

So it’s just amazing this line of divine providence and God watching us and everything, it’s like it’s all coming together, right?

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 20:24

So 100%. 100%. It’d be even more than that, is once he hired me, it’s interesting how I then continued, like he hired me for to do his ad writing, and that was pretty much the copywriting part of it that he hired me for, which I really found that I actually really enjoy tremendously. And uh then that led me to continue learning. And I, you know, I when I took the next course that I took, it’s so interesting because and I had spoken to someone about this also that that did they did it the other way. They did the copywriting and then audio. And it was amazing how the audio background was so super helpful with writing. The whole background of the digital marketing that I had coming into this was so super helpful. It just made the work so much easier.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 21:13

So you’re saying not just audio gave you certain skills, but it also gave you a foundation to take other courses in the future. And like you said, the person who did the opposite didn’t benefit as much as if they would have taken audio first.

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 21:25

Yeah. Yeah, 100%. It gave me like the foundation in marketing and digital marketing. And then any more courses that I’ve taken in marketing, it was really the foundation. That’s really what

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 21:34

 it gave me.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 21:35

So talking about other courses, you’ve kept going, copy Trive, Propital Freelancer, other webinars. What’s your filter right now for what’s worth your time?

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 21:43

First of all, unless it’s something that’s like gonna really hop me in my career and further my career, I’m not paying for it. So there has to be a like a limit somewhere. Cause like as much as we wanna keep investing, there’s also has to be within limitations and it has to make sense. So yes, I did um Copy tribe, which really I always say I worked a little I almost backwards because I really had the marketing now. I had a digital marketing background and then I land the copywriting part of the marketing, but I really didn’t have the actual skill set, the understanding of it. And then I took the course. So that was a little backwards, but I had enough of foundation that it wasn’t that it it made that it made it, that it definitely made it easier. And now, like things that I attend, webinars that I attend, it has to be free. And there’s so much free content out there of people trying to promote whatever it is. There’s so much free content out there, and you can learn so much, so much. So it’s really like it’s worth, it’s worth everyone’s while. If you have the time, if you have the half hour, if you can squeeze it in, it’s it’s worth it.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 22:46

So talking about webinars, I know that you sat in on a free 30-minute AI webinar and you brought ideas back to your boss. Do you mind sharing that story with us? What did you bring and how did that land when you were talking with him?

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 22:57

So my boss runs a lot of free webinars, actually. And uh I figured, like, oh, this was a free webinar that I can attend and let me see how other people do it. I attended it and I actually brought back some ideas of how he could fit, you know, how he could improve and maybe how we could do things differently that we can get more people on it. That part was interesting. It was interesting to see how other people run it and also to learn new things. You always need to learn new things. There’s always opportunities to learn. And you’re never done. Like I, you know, I just said before, Odeo gave you the foundation, but then there’s so many opportunities to continue learning. So many. And you’re not done. I don’t think we’re ever done.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 23:32

Definitely not. What are you most proud of so far at your current job? Is there something that you’ve accomplished now that would have surprised you, let’s say a year or two ago?

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 23:42

Everything, everything I do. Like I said, even just go back to Odeo, I would redo the project. Once you learn more and you know more, I would do so many things differently. And I actually did. I actually did. We run a lot of these free webinars and I had I had written the the landing page for it. And after a few of them, and after I learned more, I’m like, let me redo this all. And I actually we did a rewrite on it. Any of the assets that came along with it, I actually redid it all. Just felt like it there’s always room for improvement. Just never stop learning. 

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 24:08

Never stop learning.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 24:09

I’m sure you have conversations all the time of, you know, women who have careers. You mentioned too, a woman who hasn’t worked in years and feels she can’t compete with younger candidates or an OT who stepped away when her kids got older. What do you actually say to them?

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 24:23

I say to them that pull yourself together and there are opportunities. That’s really what I tell them. The same way I had a teaching career of close to 30 years, and then I just pivoted careers, so anyone can do that. There are advantages to someone that has life experience, even if you’ve never worked before, you still have life experience. You are at an advantage over the younger people. And you are at an advantage if you can give better hours than the younger people. So there are, there are, and don’t discount it. Don’t ever discount it. You just have to have the drive and the willingness to do it.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 24:54

I was gonna make a joke, but I have a lot of maternity leaves in my company. So there’s definitely definitely an advantage when you know that this amazing amazing lady is not going on maternity leave anytime soon.

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 25:03

So there is, there is, and I think, and and that’s why we we have to realize that that there are and then that you also oftentimes have flexibility. Like sometimes, you know, if I can’t get things done during the day, I had to be out during the day for my kids or whatever was going on, then I know that like I could come back at night and just fill it in. And it’s not like uh, you know, I’m I’m so exhausted from you know it putting all my kids to bed that I wouldn’t be able to do that. Like, no, and my kids also understand that. Like they’ll understand that if I had to be out for the day for one of them or for something that we wanted to do, they’ll understand that, okay, so I need to put in the put, you know, just finish up whatever is something that might have been urgent. It’s not like I have to do it, but maybe it was important that maybe something sometimes there is something important that needs to get done. And I’ll do it, I’ll do it at night and they understand that. So it’s there was there’s a lot of there are a lot of advantages, and you shouldn’t discount that no one should discount that. And like I said, if even if it’s not any work experience, it’s just life experience.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 25:54

One thing I forgot to talk about was social media. So I’d love to get your perspective. So you’re someone who reads social media, but you don’t necessarily post. You do post, you know, here and there, your profile evolved over a year. Can you talk a little bit about that journey of like your relationship with social media, LinkedIn? And what would you say to a woman who hears, hey, you need to build your LinkedIn, and then they immediately tense up, like, oh, I I don’t want to do that.

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 26:17

Do it. LinkedIn has been a huge source of information for me, a huge source of information. I should be better at posting. And I wish I that’s on my bucket list of things that I should get into a cadence of posting and doing that more. I just, you know, when there’s so many bowls in the air, something gets dropped along the way, and that’s the one I drop. But it is on my back of my mind, and I will hopefully get to it. I have connected with many people. I’ve learned so much from so many people. There’s so much out there to learn, and it happens to be a great, easy resource to learn from and to connect with people. There are so many people out there that are willing to connect with you, are willing to help you and and and share their experience that I say do it. And I was hesitant at first also. Like I didn’t know anything about LinkedIn. I had never been on LinkedIn and I didn’t really know much about it. Once I learned more about it and I created my page and my profile and I started, and then I the first time I posted, I was like, you know, took a deep breath. But that was after also learning a little bit about the platform and how it works. And once I did that and I was pretty comfortable with posting, then I definitely encourage everyone to do that. There’s so much knowledge out there, and there are so many people willing to share their knowledge and expertise.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 27:23

So talking about sharing, you’re now volunteering with the Wii Network. What does giving back look like when you’re only a year or two into a new career yourself?

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 27:32

It it really gives people that strength that might be find themselves in a in a difficult position, whether they’re looking for a job, whether they don’t know what they want to do, whether they need to pivot careers. And I I think that if I can help someone, it would be my greatest pleasure in any which way. Like I said, whether even if it’s just for a job search, and if you’re looking for a job, it can get really down and depressing if you can’t find that job. It’s really, it can be really challenging. If I can give back in this area, you know, people, there there’s so many opportunities to do kindness and to there’s so many organizations that you can volunteer for, and so there’s so many beautiful initiatives out there. And uh it just you find the one that you feel you can do and that makes sense for you and what you could cook, you could contribute. Some people love to cook, so they’ll cook for organizations, and some people love to visit the homebound and they can talk to people and they’ll do that. And some people love driving, so they’ll drive to the various hospitals and they’ll take patients. It’s beautiful, but everyone needs to find that thing that works for them. And I don’t love driving and I cook, but I don’t love cooking, and I don’t particularly love talking to people. So those are I those are not necessarily my three strengths that I would look at volunteering for. So if there’s something that I could give that will help someone, then I’ll do that. And this, you know, if I can be a source of inspiration for someone or a source of or guide someone, or, you know, help someone realize that there’s a life after a long career, or there’s a life after no career, or there is a job out there for you, then that would be my my greatest

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 29:04

 pleasure.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 29:05

So with your newfound experience, what would you tell, you know, a young guy or girl coming out of uh college or seminary, what advice would you give them now if they were thinking about getting into the world of marketing?

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 29:17

Do it. There’s so many different directions you can go with it, so many different ones. Um, and never stop learning. So you’re gonna think you’re doing one thing and then you might end up doing something different within the marketing field. There’s really so many opportunities and different ways you can take this. I think you probably told that to me before I even started Odeo also. Like there’s so many different ways that you can go in this. And you don’t really know, unless there’s something that you really love doing, you don’t really know where it’s gonna take you to. Like you really don’t. And I’m very grateful because I happen to have always liked to write. I don’t, you know, not writing for magazines and stories, but like as a teacher, I enjoy putting together like a good sheet worksheet or a good exam and being very exact with the words and you know, not making sure it’s 100% clear. Like I that is one of my strengths. And it’s interesting how like this is a that the right direction of marketing that I ended up going into. So, you know, don’t lock yourself into one thing because there’s so many different opportunities. And I also tell any young person never stop learning. There’s always opportunities. Now, sometimes you might not have time now, but when you do have time, there are so many good opportunities to learn something. It will only help you take those opportunities.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 30:29

So, what’s your next big project? What’s your next big thing that you’re working on?

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 30:33

I would love to become more persistent and consistent in posting on LinkedIn and network with more people. My vision is really to freelance, is that and sort of be even more on my own my own schedule. And I would love to gain experience in different fields. So if I’m freelancing, then I can learn different things about different fields. I shared how much I love learning. So I would love to learn, you know, new things and in different fields. So if I’m writing a a website for different types of companies, I think that’s that’s something that would interest me. Or Facebook ads or, you know, anything like that.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 31:12

Well, you definitely have the tools and the drive and all the wonderful things that you’ve put together. So I think you’re gonna make it happen. And I look forward to continuing watching you in your journey.

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 31:23

Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, well, I’m very grateful to you and to everyone else that was involved in this journey. And honestly, to really, like I said when we started, to really all my students and uh all the colleagues that I worked with throughout my professional career, I’m really like grateful to them too for everything that they, all the opportunities that

 

Rachel (Guest, ODEO Alumna): 31:40

 they gave me.

 

Danny Gavin (Host): 31:41

Well, you’re welcome. And thank you so much for sharing your story so openly, the highs, the lows. And for our listeners, if you’re listening and you’re somewhere in the middle of your own pivot or you’re standing at the edge of one and wondering whether to jump, I hope that Rachel’s story gives you a little more permission and a little more patience. You don’t need a traditional background, you don’t need to be in your 20s, you don’t need to post on Instagram, you need curiosity, the willingness to do the inner work and the discipline to keep learning long after the certificate is in your hand. So if you want to learn more about audio and how it helps people build real-world digital marketing skills from the ground up, you can always head to audioacademy.com or speak with me. But Rachel, thank you so much. And listeners, thank you for tuning into Digital Marketing Mentor. We’ll see you next time. Thank you for listening to the Digital Marketing Mentor Podcast. Be sure to check us out online at thedmmentor.com and at the dmmentor on Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your podcasts for more Marketing Mentor magic. See you next time.