Courtney Seymour

For me, my success has come with the sense of not giving up when it gets hard, because anytime you try to grow yourself, both professionally and personally, it comes with rejection. I know it sounds cliche where they say rejection is just redirection, but I do take that to heart - being adaptable to change and understanding that it might not always go the way you want it the first time, and learning that there are ways that you can still better yourself and grow yourself and be self-aware of that. I've had professors say, you know, you won't do well in this career, or I've had bosses say you're not the right fit for this, and I've just taken that as the opportunity to figure out how I could be better, how I could learn and grow from it. I always say, like, give me something I can't do, because I enjoy pushing the boundaries a little bit and pushing myself, because you can't take what people say and have them put you in a box. You gotta just keep coming forward, and I think that's what served me the most, especially in an industry at times that can be very male-dominated. Just saying, you know, hey, no, I deserve to be here, I have a seat at the table, and I want to be here, and I deserve to be here. Even if at first jump you don't get that opportunity, you just keep pushing and be dogged.

The best advice I've received, which my mom instilled in my sister and me, is that the people you see on the way up are the ones you see on the way down. For me, it's always been great career advice because it's taught me to have conversations with everyone in your office or everyone in your organization, because you never know who's gonna teach you something new, who you can help down the line, who can help you down the line, and all the benefits that you get. I think that's served me really well, because especially in any organization you're a part of, it's so important to know that there's always someone else you could have at the table to help provide you advice and guidance, no matter who they are or what their background is. So always just learning and having respect for other people, no matter what stage you are in your career, has definitely been the best advice, and it teaches you humility to be humble no matter where you are in your career.

The advice I would give is to be curious. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to feel that you have a voice. Be curious about it all, and know that you have valuable input, no matter what. I tell this to my interns coming in, I tell this to producer associates, and anyone really who's just learning about the industry - come in with passion and curiosity, and don't be afraid to speak up for yourself and ask questions, and know what you need. The most important advocate is yourself, so feel that sense of empowerment to try to grow yourself, because you are your biggest investment.

Right now, there's a ton of opportunities for the future of what news and communications looks like with streaming and all these different platforms. It can also be a challenge because there's a lot of new things to learn, but I think that, again, this is being adaptable. When I got into the industry just a little over a decade ago, it was not that podcasts were a big thing, or that streaming was even existent, so I think there's a lot of opportunities to understand what the future of journalism looks like. I don't think TV news or good quality journalism is going away. I think it's just pivoting in how you tell the story and what types of platforms you tell it on. It's just kind of gonna see what the future holds, and being able to learn as it adjusts and adjust with your audience is both a great opportunity but also the biggest challenge we have right now facing the industry.

For me, authenticity is so important in values, along with having humility and empathy. Empathy, I think, is the hugest, because sometimes, especially being women in leadership, empathy can be perceived as something that makes you weak, and I think having empathy and understanding for people is where you have the most growth. So I think leading with empathy, emotional intelligence, kindness, and also that authenticity - if you bring your best self to your role in your life, both in work and outside of work, I think that only serves you well. I think everyone in the world can be a little bit kinder to one another. Treat people how you wish to be treated, and be your honest, authentic, kind, emotionally intelligent self, and then I think success will find you.