Podcast Summary: "She's So Lucky" - How to Create Your Dream Career with Candace Marie

Episode Information:

• Title: How to Create Your Dream Career with Candace Marie
• Host: Les Alfred
• Guest: Candace Marie
• Release Date: June 17, 2025

Introduction: Embracing Career Luck

Les Alfred opens the episode by highlighting the podcast's focus on women who create their own luck, particularly in their careers. She introduces Candace Marie, a multifaceted professional who has successfully transitioned from finance to luxury fashion and then to entrepreneurship. The discussion promises insights into career transitions, relationship building, navigating corporate environments, entrepreneurship, and personal branding.

Les [00:01]: "Luck often follows bold moves, and my guest today, Candice Marie, knows a thing or two about making bold moves."

A Serendipitous Moment: The 75-Day Social Media Guide

Candace shares a recent "lucky moment" where an unexpected idea led to significant success. Invited by Jordan Brand to conduct a social media session, she spontaneously developed a "75-day social media guide" tailored to address common queries from her audience. This unplanned initiative not only resonated with attendees but also launched successfully on her social platforms, becoming a consistent source of passive income.

Candace Marie [01:57]: "I took a week and pulled together this, like, 75, not so hard social media guide, and that thing, like, blew up."
Les [03:19]: "It's such a testament to ideas coming to us at the right time."

Lessons Learned: Overcoming Perfectionism

From this experience, Candace emphasizes the importance of abandoning perfectionism to achieve consistency. Initially hesitant to produce numerous imperfect videos, she recognized that striving for perfection hindered her progress. By prioritizing consistency over flawlessness, she not only completed the project but also fostered a more authentic and transparent online presence.

Candace Marie [04:21]: "Stop being a perfectionist... My goal here is not perfection. It's just consistency here."

Self-Grace and Celebrating Wins

The conversation delves into the common struggle of not celebrating personal achievements. Candace reflects on societal pressures, especially within the Black community, to maintain a polished image, often neglecting personal accomplishments. She introduces her practice of documenting weekly wins and displaying them as visual reminders to stay grounded and acknowledge progress.

Candace Marie [07:06]: "I almost have to put pen to paper... I've been writing down the good things that have happened."
Les [08:54]: "Having that as a visual reminder, too, is such a good idea."

Career Journey: From Finance to Social Media to Prada

Candace narrates her career trajectory, starting with her passion for fashion journalism in Arkansas, leading to roles at Essence, Lucky Magazine, and Vogue. Her pivot to social media emerged as platforms like Facebook and Twitter began influencing media engagement. At Refinery29, she honed her social media expertise but felt disconnected from the fashion sphere. Her move to Barney's New York as a Social Media Manager bridged this gap, allowing her to integrate fashion and digital strategy.

Candace Marie [13:42]: "I just knew I wanted to be in like fashion journalism... Once I moved to New York, I was like, oh, I'm going to pursue this thing like, really heavily."
Les [19:04]: "It's like, yes, these opportunities were ready for you to step into them."

Transition to Entrepreneurship: Launching During a Pandemic

Candace discusses her bold decision to leave her corporate role at Prada amidst the pandemic to start her own consultancy. Despite the uncertainties, she leveraged her financial background to create a safety net and utilized her community for support. This period was challenging, from managing finances to handling the business aspects of her startup, but it ultimately led to a thriving consultancy fueled by word-of-mouth referrals and exceptional client relations.

Candace Marie [20:49]: "Being an entrepreneur even to now... I don't have it all figured out, but I figure it out as I go."
Les [21:54]: "You had that safety net."

The Power of Community and Delegation

A significant theme is the importance of community support and the willingness to delegate tasks. Candace highlights how seeking assistance from her network facilitated her business operations, from legal matters to administrative tasks. She underscores the necessity of hiring help, such as assistants, to manage mundane tasks, thereby allowing her to focus on her core expertise.

Candace Marie [24:28]: "Using my community to, like, tap. Okay, what do I do here? What do I do here?"
Les [25:55]: "The answer often isn't too far off if we're willing to ask for help."

Building a Personal Brand: Treating Yourself as a Client

Candace shares her strategy of treating herself as a client to strengthen her personal brand. By prioritizing her own projects with the same dedication she gives to her clients, she enhanced her visibility and credibility. This approach not only improved her service quality but also attracted more clients through authentic and consistent self-promotion.

Candace Marie [27:34]: "I treat myself as a client for those things."
Les [27:41]: "I love that. Can you talk more about what that looks like for you?"

Authentic Branding: Breaking Free from Traditional Constraints

The discussion moves to personal branding, where Candace advocates for authenticity over rigid aesthetic standards. She encourages embracing individuality and flexibility, allowing one's brand to evolve naturally without being confined to traditional norms. By focusing on personal satisfaction and creativity, she believes that a personal brand becomes more genuine and appealing.

Candace Marie [30:21]: "Is this something authentic to you? Is it something that makes sense to you?"
Les [32:43]: "That's very freeing. I like the way you described it."

Enhancing Creativity: Rituals and Digital Detox

Candace outlines her practices to nurture creativity, such as daily baths, walks, and curated offline activities. She emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries with digital consumption to prevent burnout and maintain creative flow. Tools like the Opal app help her limit social media usage, allowing her mind to generate ideas organically.

Candace Marie [42:15]: "I'm a bath girl... my world could be crazy."
Les [43:48]: "I have a secret Pinterest account... it's just like my happy place to go, escape to."

Black and Corporate: Empowering Through Mentorship and Sponsorship

Candace delves into her nonprofit, Black and Corporate, which aims to bridge the mentorship and sponsorship gap for Black professionals in corporate environments. She explains the difference between mentorship (advice and guidance) and sponsorship (active advocacy and opportunity creation). Through this initiative, Candace has fostered connections that have significantly advanced the careers of numerous participants, demonstrating the profound impact of strategic relationships.

Candace Marie [45:24]: "When you don't think you're really helping someone... having those people reaffirm that this is helping me."
Les [51:26]: "Can we talk more about that?"
Candace Marie [51:38]: "Having those people who are sponsors and that's life changing."

Conclusion: Creating Your Own Luck

Les wraps up the episode by highlighting the invaluable insights shared by Candace Marie. From embracing bold career moves and leveraging community support to authentic personal branding and empowering others through mentorship and sponsorship, Candace exemplifies the essence of creating one's own luck. Listeners are encouraged to apply these lessons to craft their dream careers.

Les [55:06]: "We'll make sure we have all of that information linked in the Show Notes."
Les [55:16]: "Thank you for tuning in and I'll see you next week."

Key Takeaways:

• Embrace Bold Moves: Taking risks can lead to unexpected and rewarding opportunities.
• Overcome Perfectionism: Striving for consistency over flawlessness fosters progress and authenticity.
• Celebrate Personal Wins: Regularly acknowledging achievements reinforces motivation and self-worth.
• Leverage Community Support: Building and utilizing a strong network is crucial for personal and professional growth.
• Authentic Personal Branding: Stay true to yourself to create a genuine and impactful personal brand.
• Empower Others: Mentorship and sponsorship can significantly alter career trajectories for underrepresented groups.

Notable Quotes:

• "The worst you're going to tell me is no." – Candace Marie [19:14]
• "Are you happy with this? And that's all that matters." – Candace Marie [39:23]
• "It's being posted, whether it gets a lot of likes, views, whatever. That's how I feel about it. That's the way I like it." – Candace Marie [40:25]

Resources Mentioned:

• Black and Corporate: For mentorship and sponsorship opportunities.
  • Contact: blackandcorporate@gmail.com
  • Instagram: Candice Marie

This episode of "She's So Lucky" provides a comprehensive roadmap for women aiming to navigate and excel in their careers by creating their own luck through strategic moves, authentic branding, and empowering community connections.