Classroom to Copy by Tania Yeo Tania Yeo

[00:25] Introducing former daycare teacher and bartender, Carolynn Ananian, who pivoted to a successful career in financial copywriting.[01:12] Carolynn reveals why she explored numerous jobs before landing on a copywriting career.[04:26] Learn how her unique daycare teaching experience taught her some incredible skills she still uses in copywriting today – including the surprising truth about what toddlers and adults have in common![10:29] Find out why working with lawyers on Wall Street steered Carolynn away from law school and saved her a quarter million dollars![13:13] Discover how a chance interaction with a French customer while working retail at Williams Sonoma inspired Carolynn’s approach to understanding customer needs.[18:04] Carolynn shares how keeping a finger on the pulse of public sentiment helps her write better financial copy that connects deeply with her readers.[21:47] Learn how bartending (and talking to inebriated people!) gave her unique insights into human behavior that are essential for copywriting.[22:54] How she stumbled into copywriting – and the common misconception we all have about this career: “Why would I want to work with trademarks?”[28:27] How pulling an all-nighter at a bar during the Copy Chief Live conference landed Carolynn her first in-house copywriting job with Agora [32:07] Why she picked the challenging financial copywriting niche – and why becoming a financial copywriter is like getting a job on an oil rig[40:33] Get a behind-the-scenes look at Carolynn’s experience of joining Stansberry Research, one of the leading financial publishers.[50:15] Carolynn's advice for aspiring financial copywriters, including: the importance of knowing the right people – and surprising alternative roles to consider applying to.
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In this episode, you will discover:

[0:00:42] Zahidah’s background as a former Junior College teacher who taught General Paper in Singapore for 8 years[0:01:39] Her current job as a Public Relations assistant manager for a tech startup in Singapore[0:01:51] How Zahidah overcame her imposter syndrome and feeling unqualified when she was hired for her current PR role[0:02:30] A trip down memory lane – what she enjoyed about teaching, and the challenges she faced along the way[0:05:57] Her honest, highly practical reason for becoming a teacher in the first place – something we both share in common![0:10:56] Zahidah’s fascinating past as a musician and songwriter[0:12:30] Our frank discussion on what it’s REALLY like to be a creative in Singapore[0:15:33] Zahidah’s turning point – the moment she decided to leave the teaching profession for good[0:17:09] Her thorough job search process – how many jobs she applied to on LinkedIn, and how long it took her to land her next role  [0:19:53] How Zahidah leveraged BOTH her teaching and music experience to transition smoothly into public relations, marketing, and communications[0:22:35] More about her current PR role and how she works on crafting compelling stories to humanize tech products in a more relatable way[0:31:35] How Zahidah balanced her career transition with her family responsibilities and raising two children[0:37:58] Her best advice for teachers who are thinking about leaving – what to try before making the final decision, how to manage expectations, and how to prepare for the lifestyle change
You can connect with Zahidah on LinkedIn.

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[00:00] Introducing one of my biggest mentors, Joshua Lee Henry, and how he’s been instrumental to my copywriting journey…
[02:37] Joshua shares how he always wanted to be a teacher, including how he became a mega-church pastor and his original plans to become a professor…
[12:28] The powerful story of Joshua promoting his services as a copywriter, door-to-door, after falling on hard times (this is one of the stories that kept me going when I thought I was gonna give up on copywriting)...
[17:47] His first few copywriting jobs, how he got started prospecting clients, PLUS what gave him the conviction to choose freelance copywriting over another full-time job…
[22:35] Joshua’s SECRET to accelerating his copywriting career faster than anything – and replacing his income from his full-time job…
[25:16] Why you can’t get good – or far – in copywriting just by reading books or watching YouTube videos…
[31:02] The surprising skill overlaps between being a pastor, teaching, and copywriting… and why a planning sermon is like writing a 45-minute VSL…
[39:02] “The biggest HOAX of my life”: Joshua’s honest (and controversial?) opinion on going to college, and the more VALUABLE skill he thinks we should be mastering instead…
[43:52] A day in Joshua’s life: his experience as a financial copywriter and copy chief at Banyan Hill, other projects he's working on, and the difference between being a copy chief and a copywriter…
[51:04] Joshua’s words of encouragement for those sitting on the fence and considering a career in copywriting.
You can connect with Joshua here:
LinkedIn
Website


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In this episode, you will discover:
[00:48] Kristy Chadwick’s journey from working in a bank… a law office… a theme park… to stumbling into teaching - PLUS why she thanked her boss for making the surprising decision to fire her from her teaching job last Thanksgiving…
[08:57] How she discovered copywriting after teaching, and why her entire life began to change after joining the Copy Chief community and Kevin Rogers’ Escape Velocity program…
[13:01] “These people believed in me, so how dare I doubt myself?”
[13:27] How the Copy Chief community helped both of us create better personal and professional boundaries as former teachers who struggled with setting boundaries…
[16:42] The top 5 teaching skills that Kristy says will translate seamlessly into copywriting (PLUS: she shares a great document that shows you how your teacher skills translate to real-world skills!)…
[23:55] The #1 thing Kristy wants you to know - and a powerful message for teachers who currently get the “Sunday Scaries”, take work home every night and weekend, and can’t see themselves still doing this in 10 years…
[26:39] "It's never too late to become what you might have been" - Kristy reveals the No. 1 secret ingredient we both used to make the leap to a completely different career…
[28:40] Kristy’s advice for former teachers who’re considering copywriting - and her GREAT strategy for building your copywriting skills regardless of your budget…
[33:19] How to approach imposter syndrome (hint: it’s not about making it go away completely!) 
Kristy Chadwick was a teacher for over a dozen years and is now building her new dream in writing, coaching, consulting, and community building. She is known as a “powerhouse” and a “conduit of community” in the Copy Chief universe. Kristy loves sharing stories, building people up, true crime documentaries, live theater, foreign films, satire, dark comedy, and her 7-year-old daughter’s pretend YouTube videos. Any of the above are even better by the ocean. 
You can find her online here on LinkedIn, Medium, and her website. 
Recommended Resource: Teacher Skills Translated

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In this episode, you’ll discover:
1:03: Melanie’s background as a former 9th-grade algebra teacher with a huge caseload of IEP students… and all the cool strategies she used to get their attention
4:51: “My whole life has been about children… but [now] they're a little bigger, and I can get out of the house. What am I going to do?”
7:46: How teaching forces you to fight imposter syndrome - and why you should do the same with copywriting
9:12: “When you're on a steep learning curve like that, everything feels like the biggest deal ever. [But] it's mostly not. It's just that you're becoming a person who was always living on their edges.”
10:19: Why being a former teacher helped Melanie snag a place on Kevin Rogers’s Copy Chief team… as well as her first paying retainer client
12:32: How she became one of Kevin’s first copy coaches for his Real Free Life program… and how the attendees inspire her as a coach
14:46: Melanie’s #1 secret for going from a sudden layoff to an interview with Tony Robbin’s team… just a few days later!
17:21: How she survived the emotional hiring process by brilliantly using the top 2 strategies every great copywriter uses in their copy
19:40: The surprising number of skills Melanie transferred over from teaching to copywriting - including the ones we take for granted
21:30: How Melanie juggled five kids with copywriting and freelancing… and how she’s using the same skills she used as a super-Mom as a copy chief today
24:22: Her advice for anyone who’s on the fence about leaving teaching for copywriting… and why she can’t think of a teacher who wouldn’t excel at copywriting
You can connect with Melanie here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanielwarren/
https://9buyersystem.com/

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When my friends Ben Henken and Charlotte Ellis posted about their latest copywriting wins in the Copy Chief forum, I knew I had to get them back on Classroom to Copy to celebrate and share HOW they did it. It took a long time to schedule this across 3 different timezones -- so this episode is an accomplishment in itself. Here's what we discussed when we finally recorded the episode in Nashville, with Charlotte calling in from New Zealand:
01:26: Learn about Charlotte's past life as a preschool teacher in New Zealand, her freelancing journey, and the amazing copywriting role she just landed in Auckland...
02:07: Discover how Ben went from 12 years as a high school math teacher and assistant principal to becoming a freelance copywriter and email marketer -- PLUS the life of freedom he's pursuing with his family...
05:32: Follow Charlotte's journey from freelancing to landing her agency job (which she applied to on a whim!), including how she aced the application process, crushed group interviews, and overcame imposter syndrome along the way...
16:48: Discover how Ben landed his biggest retainer client yet and impressed them with THIS fantastic strategy for turning an Upwork assignment into a long-term project...
25:37: Do you get lonely as a freelancer? Or do you prefer having control over your schedule and who you work with? Hear our varied perspectives on the pros and cons of freelancing vs. full-time copywriting work...
29:23: Learn about Ben's month-long adventure traveling across Northeast U.S. in an RV with his wife, two kids, AND two dogs -- while ALSO freelancing and scheduling meetings around spotty WiFi!
37:25: Get Charlotte and Ben's BIGGEST tips for getting steady work as a copywriter -- whether you're freelancing or looking for full-time work -- and the #1 most overlooked way to find the best opportunities (hint: it's all about mindset).
You can connect with Ben and Charlotte here:
Charlotte's LinkedInCharlotte's websiteBen's LinkedInBen's website
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