Create Your Life Series

CYLS 160: The Path to Becoming an Award Winning Journalist with Natasha Alford

Listen Later

Episode Summary

Natasha talks about her rise as an emerging journalist and the joy she gets from storytelling. She shares her path to her current career and sheds light on journalism as a career, why she thinks she is meant to do the work and how anyone can adopt attitudes of a journalist to enhance his or her life.

 

Kevin Y. Brown

Kevin Y. Brown is a National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) Center For Public Trust (CPT) “Being A Difference” award recipient, international speaker, entrepreneur, and author.  The former MTV Networks host and NYC fashion marketer has created an international following as a speaker on personal excellence, effective communication, and leadership. Kevin has been featured by Black Enterprise magazine as a “Modern Man of Distinction” and highlighted in various publications for his self-help speaking work and helping students graduate college debt-free.  Recognized for his commitment to empowering foster care youth and as a foster care system alumnus, he has also delivered the keynote address at the International Foster Care Organizations Conference in Sydney, Australia and Osaka, Japan.  Kevin is currently the creator/host of Sirius XM’s “Create Your Life” series, a fellow in the New York Chapter of the Startup Leadership Program, and an active member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. 

 

Natasha Alford

Natasha Alford is the deputy editor of theGrio, a video centric news community devoted to sharing stories about African American communities that are underrepresented elsewhere in the media. At theGrio, she created and hosts the video series “True Story with Natasha Alford,” where she goes into the field and reports on stories impacting black America. She was awarded the 2018 Emerging Journalist of the Year Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. Before her career in journalism she worked in finance, as a middle school teacher and in education policy. Her passion for storytelling and a restless desire to see the whole world propelled her into journalism.

 

Insights From the Episode

  • Strategies for aspiring journalists
  • How to think like a journalist to inspire your own curiosity
  • The secret to converting critics to fans
  • Strategies for navigating the evolving nature of the journalism industry
  • Strategies to handle social media trolls

    •  

    Quotes From the Show

    • “It’s not just about writing, it’s about being able to connect with people so they feel comfortable to share their story.” - Natasha Alford, Create Your Life Series, #160
    • “Don’t try to be likable, don’t try to do what you think people will like, because you just don’t know all the time how they’re going to react. The best thing you can do is be you.” - Natasha Alford, Create Your Life Series, #160
    • “I feel uniquely gifted to do this work.” - Natasha Alford, Create Your Life Series, #160
    • “I have a license to be curious.” - Natasha Alford, Create Your Life Series, #160
    • “You’d be surprised how many people aren’t curious. They just exist in the world and don’t ask questions.” - Natasha Alford, Create Your Life Series, #160
    • “Things can be good, as good as you imagine.” - Natasha Alford, Create Your Life Series, #160
    • “You can convert critics into fans if you remove ego out of the way and you listen before you react.” - Natasha Alford, Create Your Life Series, #160
    • “I think that we should be more present. You can put down the phones and converse and it’s cool. Being able to be in the moment with somebody else. That matters a lot to me.” - Kevin Y Brown, Create Your Life Series, #160
    • “A lot of times when you’re growing up in lower economic communities, it’s not cool to be smart. Things like that are a significant part of the culture that needs to be changed.”  - Kevin Y Brown, Create Your Life Series, #160
    • “Being exposed to things that are greater than what you can even imagine just puts you on a different trajectory.” - Kevin Y Brown, Create Your Life Series, #160

      •  

      Resources Mentioned

      • LandIt
      • Canon T7i DSLR camera

        •  

        Favorite Book

        • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

          •  

          Favorite Quote

          • Natasha’s motto: “The greatest commandment is love.”

            •  

            Keys to Create Your Best Life

            • The fear is in your head
            • You have something that the world needs
            • You only get one life

              •  

              Stay Connected

              Show Social Media

              https://www.facebook.com/cylseries/

              https://www.instagram.com/cylseries/

               

              Kevin Y Brown

              www.kevinybrown.com

              www.instagram.com/kevinybrown

              www.twitter.com/kevinybrown

              www.facebook.com/kevbrown001

               

              Natasha Alford

              www.instagram.com/natashasalford

              https://twitter.com/NatashaSAlford

              https://www.facebook.com/natashasalfordnews


              Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes, Google Podcast, Stitcher and Spotify.

               

              This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)

              ...more
              View all episodesView all episodes
              Download on the App Store
              Create Your Life SeriesBy Kevin Y. Brown
              • 5
              • 5
              • 5
              • 5
              • 5

              5

              71 ratings