Jennifer Kite Powell

I contribute my success to trusting myself and the voice that I hear that helps me decide, is this a good situation for me? Is this going to be a good business for me? Is this a path that I want to be on? When I was younger, I didn't think that way. I just took a path, because I was always about, I gotta take all this opportunity. I was always, like, grabbing a bunch of stuff and seeing what fell out. But now, I really believe that it is about trust. And when you trust yourself, this is kind of corny, but when you're in the flow of trusting yourself, everything sort of lines up for you, right? Like, it all lines up. The right people come to you, your work is improved, you're creating better content. I just wrote a byline for a doctor who's created this very amazing piece of technology for displays, and I was actually nervous about writing for her, because she's like an amazing woman to me. She's done so many things, and she's pushed and pushed into this man's world. And then all of a sudden, I just sat back and I heard the voice. I was like, no, you're the person to write this. Like, you're gonna bring your voice to life. And just trust in yourself. And that article came out, and I wrote that whole thing in one sitting, just because I trust myself. So I think it really is back to trust and trusting yourself, and that will guide you. That puts you in the flow, and when you're in the flow, you're creating and connecting with people the way you need to connect with people.

The best career advice I ever received came from U.S. Senator Sam Nunn, who I worked for right out of college in his press office in Washington. He told me that no matter what you major in, just always know that writing is a skill that will always be in demand. It's a way to connect with people, it's a way to tell a story. I remember him and the press secretary standing behind me at this big, chunky computer, arguing about words while I was editing his speeches, and I would edit the sentence while they were arguing. Afterwards, that's when he gave me that advice. I've never not thought of him when I write, almost every day, because as a writer, he's always, like, in my ear.

I say this today: take every opportunity that comes your way. Look at it and say, does this path serve me? Will this take me somewhere? And do you want to do it? Do you want this work? Can you change this work? Nobody told me that. I had to learn that on my own. But I think it is really important that a young woman today thinks about what she wants and what she wants to shape, and know that sometimes, if somebody tells you no, sometimes maybe you need, maybe that's not where you need to go, and something, another door will open up.

I think the biggest challenge is to find the right, if you're looking for, I guess in my field, in the commercial field of storytelling and being a narrative content strategist, it would be to convince companies that they need a person to be able to tell a human story. I know people are, you know, there's a lot of AI debate out there, but there's also, the top 5 jobs right now for writers are, you know, what I've been doing for the past 20-plus years. And that tells me that AI is not cutting it for them, because you need a human to tell a human story, right? Maybe you use AI to edit your work, like, I don't know. But to me, the biggest challenge is understanding and believing that these stories still need to be told, because if we stop believing that they need to be told, then the human story, the authenticity, you know, how we connect to each other, how do we connect to each other will be lost, because we'll just be lazy, and everyone will just use AI, and then no one will believe anything. And I think the challenge is the opportunity at the same time. I do think there are lots of opportunities out there, to be honest. I think there are probably more opportunities out there. If you Google the top 5 jobs for writers today, they come up like storyteller, narrative, you know, content strategist, and people are paying big bucks for that, because they've already recognized that you need somebody that goes back to the senator, who can write, who can write a story.

I think my values are always around, like, being happy with what you're doing. And that helps you shape the world around you. So for me, I always look at, like, where can my voice be heard in my work through my clients, or through my poetry, or through, you know, the book I'm writing. And for me, it's always about three things: authenticity, truth, and valuing yourself. I find if I'm in a compromised position, my work disintegrates. If I'm treated poorly by people, or, you know, sort of disenfranchised through whatever hierarchies, or some ego, I always find myself, like, stepping back and saying, like, is this a good place for me? Is this an authentic environment for me to be myself? So I really just try to look for the moments that I can step into, and trusting that that will build something meaningful for me over time. You know, you really have to trust yourself.