There's Just a Lot Happening, Y'all
Welcome to (Net)Work B*tch, the monthly newsletter for busy, boss ladies who want to network and meet other cool women but don't want to leave their comfy beds (or launching a friggin' digital firm) to do it.
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Hello there! This is a nice lil announcement to say that I publicly launched my digital strategy and marketing firm this past Monday called Rogue Sunday! We specialize in:
- Editorial strategy and content creation
- Social media strategy and execution
- Media outreach and PR
Anyway, if you're interested in utilizing our services, feel free to send us an email here. And you should all subscribe to Rogue Sunday's weekly newsletter Rogue AF, which features five fun links every (you guessed it) Sunday.
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A couple of people have emailed me in the past saying they didn't see their submission in a newsletter, so quick reminder: Depending on your email provider and the device you're using to view the newsletter, you may have to open the newsletter to a new browser or something similar to see the whole email.
And if you still aren't seeing your submission and I told you I received it and that it would be in this newsletter, email me!
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Literally the Only Requirement for the Newsletter
The only thing you need to do if you're on this newsletter: Find ONE boss, ambitious, awesome lady to join it, too!
Steps for how to do this:
1. Think of a boss lady.
2. Fill out THIS FORM (takes no more than 30 seconds, PROMISE) OR tell said boss lady to subscribe here.
4. I'll do the rest.
Get Me Out of Spam
Make sure you add my email address to your contacts list so that it doesn't go straight to spam! Also check your other tabs in general (like Promotions) to make sure it's not going there either.
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#Facts: (Net)Work B*tch's thousands of subscribers have a unique mix of skill sets, knowledge, and talents. So why not share that expertise with others?
This section is dedicated to interviewing women about a career topic of interest that you can take to the bank regardless of field. And as always, if you're interested in being interviewed, you know where to find me.
Today's Get Learnt, Get Turnt features Wandy Felicita Ortiz, who's here to talk about the field of science communication and why—whether you're a scientist looking to do other work or a PR/comms person looking for a niche—it could be the career path for you.
Can you give 3-4 sentences about your background? How did you get into the world of science communication?
Wandy Felicita Ortiz: Throughout my undergrad I spent my time freelancing as a journalist for a number of outlets while working towards a B.A. in French and English.
While writing and working towards my degree, I also interned in the fields of communications and publicity for non-profits and publishing houses. Realizing that I had gained some skills in a couple of areas related to my main focus of writing, I used connections I had from a previous internship to get in contact with a science public relations firm, where I freelanced in journalism and publicity as a senior until I began working there full time after college.
Working in publicity at the science PR firm introduced me to the field of science communication—which I would consider to be a broad field that essentially combined all of the skills and techniques I had learned through school and internships, but plus science.
What exactly is science communication or "scicomm"?
WFO: Many people consider science communication, or "scicomm" for short, the ways by which people with a science background or degree in science, can communicate their research and knowledge to people who aren't necessarily scientists or interested in science, in betters ways. We usually think of our science classes, research we read in academic journals, or lectures by professional scientists as the typical ways that everyday people can "learn," "receive," or "understand" science.
But in reality, scientists or people who work in politics regarding science use a lot of jargon that someone who wants to care about the environment, be an activist for science, or even just understand the way the world works, won't understand. Most times, scientists only talk to other scientists during their day-to-day. They are used to a lot of big words and technical terms that if we want to do things like get society to understand the growing risks of global warming to the ecosystem, won't be useful to everyone else.
The goal of scicomm is to find different ways to get scientists and those working in science to explain their work to others, not necessarily to have scientists water down or dumb down their work so that non-scientists can understand. Scicomm wants to be inclusive of people and their backgrounds—whether that means art, writing, music—so that everyone can develop their own personal relationship to science and know why what happens in science (like new research, new government policies, and new tech) is relevant to themselves or others.
What kinds of backgrounds are needed to be good at sciomm? Is it people from more of a PR/communications background, or more of a science background?
WFO: In my opinion, to be good at scicomm, PR, communications, and even scientific experience aren't necessary. Three of the most important things a person needs to be able to do are:
- See a need in the science community that isn't being fulfilled
- Understand where their unique talents can help fill that gap where science might not be well understood or cared about
- Take the time to unravel the science for yourself, so that you can do so for others.
To do scicomm, it literally does not matter at all whether or not you are a scientist or a "science person." I personally am not a scientist. For the work I did in science PR, it took me a really long time to wrap my head enough around new developments in science research, science terminology, and the scientists, activists, and politicians who are considered rockstars in the world of scicomm.
I worked as a publicist, pitching scientists as experts in their field, professors who released a new book or study, and even museum exhibits to journalists, TV shows, and scientific journals. Most of science I worked with was super dense, and I had to do a lot of independent study to know enough about what I was reading to place my pitches well.
Someone who is interested in scicomm should be willing to do that grunt work for themselves and others. I have met artists that are really inspired by science and communicate their interests through paintings, and I have met scientists who realize they do too much "science speak" and now are shifting into journalism so that they can better explain science to others. I know rappers who love music and make beats about science, and even YouTubers and comedians who use their acting chops to break down things like photosynthesis in the ocean.
You can use any platform to do scicomm—especially on the internet! It doesn't have to be all data, numbers, and graphs. Science can be fun, artistic, and easy to understand--but only if you take the time to assess where an understanding of science is lacking!
What kinds of careers are available to people with a science communication background that most people wouldn't think of?
WFO: You can be a science journalist, a publicist like me, a science comedian, a TV host, a science YouTuber, a podcaster, an activist...You can practically be a science ANYTHING. And, you really truly can get paid for doing all of these things! It all goes back to being willing to learn up about the science yourself, and think about how other people might be able to best understand it, too.
Most people think that writing is the only way to do scicomm, but if you're thinking that way, then there will surely be someone else who thinks of a better way. Writing was an easy route—the only route‚ before the Internet. Now, you have so many options!
Every single day there are people online thinking "how the hell am I supposed to understand or visualize this topic?" You might be the one to give them the answers.
What advice do you have for anyone looking to get into the field?
WFO: I would tell them to look up today's science news. Go through whatever articles have been printed, and see which ones you can understand versus pieces where you have no idea what's going on. If there's a piece that makes you go "WTF did I just read, was that even in English?" you've got a good place to start.
Check out the #SciComm hashtag on Twitter, see who is getting the most re-tweets and mentions for their work. The Alan Alda (yes, from MASH) Center has great resources to help people get into scicomm, and all the people/organizations I've linked to are also great resources! If you're already in science, ask your department or supervisor if they have things like an outreach or career development center, some of which have tips and events on what else those with science PhDs can do if they don't want to go into academia.
Look on YouTube and see which channels on science are the most popular. How are they presenting the topics in an episode, what techniques are they using? Use these people as models or for idea springboards. Ask a friend who is in the sciences or is a science fan where they think science outreach is lacking. Chances are the contacts and inspiration you need are already in your inner circle!
You can reach out to Wandy on LinkedIn.
Want to use this section to give our ladies some impressive knowledge? Email me!
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Inspiring Badass Lady Quote of the Month
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From Michelle Obama:
“There are still many causes worth sacrificing for, so much history yet to be made.”
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Meet Some (Net)Working B*tches
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It's time to recognize some of the badass ladies in the group. Say hey, drop a tweet, you know the drill.
Also, all of their advice is super on point, so read!
 Name: Katie Tamola
Your hustle: Freelance Writer and Sales Operations Specialist at NBC
The secret to being a boss lady is:
Believing that you're worth it—believing and knowing your heart every day that what you want is attainable. I think it's also imperative to have female heroes. You know, finding out what you love to do, like writing, and then learning from and being inspired by the women who love what you love. My life has been changed through the work of so many female writers—Maris Kreizman, Scaachi Koul, Claire Carusillo, Olivia Muenter, Jessica Knoll, Robin Benway, Jenny Lawson, Cheryl Strayed, Cristina Arreola, Thea Glassman, Jenny Han, Dana Schwartz, and many others. These are the women whose work has inspired me, made me think differently, and pushed me to keep trying to find my way.
Why you subscribe to (Net)Work B*tch: I think this is just such a positive newsletter and I love the idea of continuing to be exposed to more people who have worked hard and attained success. I'm always looking to learn from these strong women and I love the opportunity to make more connections.
Social media links: Tinyletter, Twitter, LinkedIn
 Name: Sarah Doyel
Your hustle: Freelance writer
The secret to being a boss lady is: Listening to your gut. I have followed my instincts in every major life decision I have ever made, and they've never steered me wrong. Women in particular are socialized to seek external approval and second-guess ourselves, but the truth is that we have all the answers we need within us already. If I hadn't listened to my gut, I never would have pursued my dreams of freelance writing and moving to Spain.
Why you subscribe to (Net)Work B*tch: Nothing inspires me more than learning about badass women and the amazing work that they're doing. The stories I read about in the newsletter serve as daily motivation for me, and I aspire to be more like the strong, successful women I read about!
Social media links: Website, Blog, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube
 Name: Jessica Ochoa Hendrix
Your hustle: I'm the CEO and Co-Founder of Killer Snails, an educational game studio producing tabletop, digital and virtual reality science games. Our company has won grants from the National Science Foundation, run two successful Kickstarter campaigns and won awards for each of our games, Assassins of the Sea and Biome Builder!
The secret to being a boss lady is: Building your community. Find other people with a similar role to yours at other companies and have breakfast once a month to talk about work challenges to see how you each solve them. Learning from your peers will make you a better boss lady, as you won't be constantly reinventing the wheel. Working with the smartest people around, like my co-founders Dr. Mandë Holford and Dr. Lindsay Portnoy who are each phenomenal rock stars, will improve your own performance!
Why you subscribe to (Net)Work B*tch: It's an inspiring and positive newsletter that I look forward to reading! Lily is absolutely building community like a true boss lady and I've reached out to a couple of the women who posted asks!
Social media links: LinkedIn, Twitter, Website, Instagram
Email me if you're interested in being interviewed for a future newsletter! |
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Reads That Are Worth Your Time
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Each month, I want to feature a couple of things I (or any of you) read on the internet that are totally perspective-changing for one reason or another (and usually career-oriented) because #knowledgeispower and stuff.
1. "Am I Guilty of Age Discrimination at Work?" by Alison Green
Age discrimination isn't talked about NEARLY ENOUGH when discussing workplace culture. I love Alison Green's advice column for The Cut, and she did a great job breaking down the fine line between using harmful stereotypes and assumptions based on someone's age and deciding that something is a work performance issue.
2. What Most People Get Wrong About Men and Women by by Catherine H. Tinsley and Robin J. Ely
Think of how often we hear stereotypes of women in the workplace, like that they "negotiate poorly, lack confidence, are too risk-averse, or don’t put in the requisite hours at work because they value family more than their careers." Whew. Professors Tinsley and Ely ask a different question: What would an office look like without those assumptions?
3. I Joined a Procrastination Support Group and It Changed By Life By Gina Ryder
I'm coming out of what was essentially a 45-day work slump where I procrastinated endlessly, and this article shined light on not only why people procrastinate, but also why something like joining a support group filled with procrastinators can help you procrastinate less.
Email me if you have a cool read you want to submit!
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Hey hey, here's what our ladies need help with this month!
1. College Seniors, Help R29 Out
From R29 bae Torey Van Oot (Note: This opp is PAID!!!): "I'm overseeing a graduation-themed essay series for Refinery29 this spring where seniors reflect on how they see the world, their hopes, fears, etc. I'll be taking some general pitches, but I also made a Google Form to collect information from interested students who I can then work with to create an angle and outline."
2. All About the Double Shelix
"You do belong in science — even if it doesn't always feel that way." This month, Double Shelix is hosting a special series of podcast episodes on this theme! Experts in science, education, and inclusion join hosts Sally Winkler (a (Net)Work B*tch subscriber!) and Kayla Wolf for conversations about how we can create STEM communities where all can feel belonging. Check out the awesome lineup of guests, and listen to new episodes every Tuesday on iTunes, Google Play Music, and DoubleShelix.com.
3. Work in Entertainment PR?
From subscriber Erica Bahrenburg: "I’m an NYC based assistant publicist looking to stay here. I’m currently working at HarperCollins Publishers, but looking to switch over to entertainment PR because, while books are wonderful, my passion is movies and TV. I’m not sure what the future holds, but I’m excited to find out!" Have advice or leads? Email her here!
4. Creatives, Unite!
The wildly excellent Sue Jenkins (whom you'll see featured in a Get Learnt, Get Turnt segment in the coming months!) sent over three very awesome conferences geared towards creatives (particularly design) to check out:
5. Learn About Stocks So We All Make $$$
Amber Jamieson launched an incredible newsletter called Better Have My Money, which makes learning about stocks and shares and ~*~economics~*~ fun and accessible. I already subscribed and you all should too so we can become rich AF.
6. All 50 States
L'Oreal Thompson Payton sent over this news that's about (Net)Work B*tch subscriber Amelia Hruby: Donate to Amelia's Kickstarter campaign Fifty Feminist States, which is a multimedia storytelling project featuring feminist activists from all 50 states. I also talked about Amelia's book Fifty Feminist Mantras a while back, so basically you should just give her some of your money.
7. Hang Out in DC With Me and #WinWithWomen
What are you doing May 14-16? Hanging with me at the American Women's Party's Win With Women conference, of course! Tarana Burke and Shannon Watts are just two of the incredible speakers at this event. Buy tickets here! (And shout out to Mia Brett and Maya Contreras for the invite!)
8. Making NYC Living a Lil More Affordable
From Liz Roberts and the folks at United Women in Business: "Do you dream of living debt-free while living in NYC? Not sure where to start when it comes to saving, investing or creating a budget? Join United Women in Business on Wednesday, May 16 to find out how - early bird tickets are only $5! We'll be joined by two financial experts from Morgan Stanley at OfMercer. Regardless of where you are on your financial journey, you’ll be sure to take away some valuable tips to guide you in the right direction. Additionally, OfMercer will be providing a discount to those attending! Tickets and more information can be found here."
9. HCXO
My former boss and editor Stephanie Kaplan Lewis wrote in with exciting news: Registration for Her Campus' Her Conference 2018 is now open! Having gone to Her Conference as both an attendee and a speaker, I can confirm that it's an excellent event. Oh, and the swag bags are next-level ridiculousness.
10. Yo Ladies, Let's Get Into Blockchain
From Madeline Mann: "I work in the blockchain technology industry and am so. freakin. pumped. about the technology — it's revolutionary! The downside? Pretty much everyone I interact with in this industry is a dude. I want to get more women involved in the conversation so I created this video called "Where are my blockchain ladies at??" to encourage women to take the leap to learn more about blockchain and cryptocurrencies." Um, brb becoming a blockchain expert so I can beat the bros to the punch.
11. Marketing and Mentorship
Fernanda Brasileiro has two different very cool requests:
- "Feeling unsatisfied with my corporate job, I started a side hustle called Naomi two years ago, and I'm still working hard at it. I need help with marketing, word of mouth, generating traffic to my website, etc. I'm only able to devote a few hours a week to this business, but I refuse to give up, because it keeps hope alive for me that I might one day be able to quit the corporate world and become a plus-size retail mogul. If anyone out there is interested in collaborating, I have a lot to offer in exchange: mad Excel skills, a ton of business/financial acumen, and lots and lots of ideas."
- "I'm super passionate about women in leadership, and raising women to higher positions. I love mentoring and get a lot out of seeing other women succeed. So I'm offering myself up as a potential mentor to people who might be interested. I currently run a Lean In circle, and I send out inspirational content to the participants whenever I come across something good."
Feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn and mention the newsletter!
12. Um, Get These Mother's Day Cards STAT
Yooooo Lyla Wilton organized a group of seventeen awesome femme and women artists to create Mother’s Day cards inspired by the strength, beauty, and general bad-assery of the women that they love. Even better, all proceeds and donations go to Planned Parenthood.
13. Even More Planned Parenthood Greatness
Also from Lyla, calling all of the DC-based subscribers: "Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington DC is putting on an event called Cherry Blossoms for Choice on May 10th. This is a benefit hosted by the PPMW Developing Leaders Program with all proceeds going to meeting the need for reproductive health care and sexual education in the greater DC area. Cherry Blossoms for Choice will bring 225 local activists, leaders, community partners, and reproductive health champions together for a night of fun, food, and advocacy. There will be speakers, amazing food provided by local DC vendors, an open bar, and an incredible auction. Check out the event website or Facebook event!"
14. Know a Thing or Two About Comms and PR?
Brenna Parker is on the job hunt for a position in digital, communications, or public relations when she finishes up her current role after the Maryland primary. A little more about her and a recent initiative she took on: "I am currently two weeks into my new role as Deputy Director of Outreach for David Blair for Montgomery County Executive in Maryland. I worked with the MoCo Students For Gun Control for their National Walkout to the Capitol march. I managed to get 500 low-income students to the National Walkout rally at the Capitol. I worked with their student activists on media coverage, messaging and logistics, and got them coverage on all local news stations in DC and MD along with this piece on BuzzFeed." Have advice or leads? Email her here!
15. Hey, NYC Editorial Folks
Petrana Radulovic would like your help: "I'm currently serving as a Web Culture Editorial Fellow at Mashable. My fellowship is set to end on May 25th, so I'm currently on the hunt for the next great opportunity. With my current fellowship and my time as Opinions Editor for my university's newspaper and Senior Editor of my school's chapter of Her Campus, I have a fair amount of editorial experience, but I also have a computer science background (my second major; I've done some freelance programming and was also interviewed by Google for a technical writing position). I'm based in NYC and ideally, I'm looking for something in online media, but I am open to publishing, copywriting, and technical writing." Check out her portfolio here and email her if you have advice or leads!
16. Download the Aloe app RIGHT NOW
As a loyal Kickstarter backer, I'm incredibly excited for this one: HUGE congrats to Amber Discko for launching the Aloe Bud app! Aloe Bud is an all-in-one self-care companion. It gives you simple (and cute) tools for building a self-care routine to match your lifestyle. Download it on iTunes here, and congrats, Amber!
Need a lil' help with anything? Email me and I'll spread the word to the squad!
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These ladies are slaying right now. Give 'em a shout out on social media, follow 'em on Twitter, send 'em an email, become #squadgoals, etc.
Snaps for Aida Guhlin
Aida received a fellowship from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Hella impressive: This is a huge fellowship to get as a graduate student in STEM and is extremely competitive, where thousands apply and only 2,000 people throughout the country are awarded it. The grant is funding three years of Aida's research to study Latinx healthcare accessibility. WHAAAATTTT!!!
GIF for Aida:
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Snaps for Anna Gedstad
Anna was accepted to Trinity College Dublin for their Masters in Development Practice program. She's excited to put her experience in politics and policy to use to help women around the world. GO ANNA!
GIF for Anna:
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Snaps for Gina Zammit
Gina was accepted into writers workshops at Yale and Colgate! Woohooooo! Write the next great American novel, Gina!
GIF for Gina:
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Snaps for Brijana Prooker
Brijana published an article for Rooted in Rights called "Why Won't Doctors Believe Women in Pain?" It's about the gender bias in medicine, particularly when it comes to women's pain. Awesome work, Brijana!
GIF for Brijana:
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Snaps for Heron Greenesmith
Heron is BADASS: "Last week, USA Today published a horrific op-ed from a conservative columnist tearing up new reserach from the Wisconsin HOPE Lab revealing the epidemic of hunger and homelessness on college and university campuses. I wrote a SCATHING academic response for Huffington Post of which I'm incredibly proud, taking particular issue with the author's violent and unnecessary jabs at bisexual students. I'm out here defending my community against harassment and bullying, trying to pave a better path for our youth." WAY TO TAKE 'EM DOWN, HERON!
GIF for Heron:
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Snaps for Raquel Dominguez
Raquel was just promoted to Research Associate at the political consulting firm Winning Connections, which she's been interning for since January. Take over the political world, Raquel!
GIF for Raquel:
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Snaps for Janna Zagari
Janna just joined the Mount Sinai Health System to lead the social media team under the new title of Director, Digital & Social Media. DAMN.
GIF for Janna:
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Snaps for Hannah Fritze
Hannah submitted her astronomy thesis at Wesleyan! She found four really cool/weird neutron stars and a black hole that's doing one of two really cool/interesting things, and she's really excited about it. Hope you drank all the champagne on the steps of Olin, Hannah!
GIF for Hannah:
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Snaps for Natasha Martinez
Natasha just landed an events coordinator position with the JW Marriott's San Antonio, Texas location. From Natasha: "The beauty of this position is that it allows be to let my A Type personality flourish, and provides me with the work-life balance so I can find an organization I would like to contribute my time to — this is where saving the world comes in ;)"
GIF for Natasha:
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Survivor GIF Life
When you're about to pull one over on the haters
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All right, newsletter done. LHerms signing off. Love y'all.
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