At PepTalkHer, we’re on a mission to empower YOU to know your worth and to understand your value in the workplace. And what better way to start than by asking our favourite women in business?
We sat down with Rose Reid of iHeartRadio’s “The Women”. Rose is an NYC based podcast host and executive producer. Let’s dive right in to the interview!
Meggie: Hey Rose, thanks so much for agreeing to chat with us today! Let’s get started. First question - How would you describe yourself in one sentence?
Rose: I am the host and executive producer of a new podcast called "The Women," from iHeartRadio.
Meggie: Love it! Switching gears a bit, what is one of the most rewarding or memorable experiences from your career journey?
Rose: Last year, I was asked to host a series of interviews at the Nairobi Summit in Kenya. It was the 25th anniversary of the women's bill of rights ratified by over 170 countries (Cairo 1994). I had the chance to interview the Executive Director of UN Women, Phmuzile Mlambo-Ngucka. She has been Executive Director of UN Women since 2013. Prior to being one of the highest-ranking women in the UN, she was deputy President of South Africa. One of the most touching moments she shared with me was when I asked her, "Phumzile, how did you became a minister in Nelson Mandela's cabinet?" She told me that he invited her to her office, and when she walked in, he said, "I want you to be a minister," and she immediately said, "Why me? There are so many qualified people, I'm not ready." And he told her, "I've been a prisoner most of my life; no one trained me to be the President. You learn on the job, and I believe in you." She was only supposed to chat with me for half an hour, but we spent an hour talking about her activism ending apartheid, how she and her then-fiance, now husband, would communicate for years via letters while he was imprisoned. She spoke about how supporting women cuts across every major vertical that is pressing for the 21st century. She spoke from the heart, and was full of humor, ending the interview by saying how important it is to laugh at yourself, not take yourself so seriously. She was a-mazing.
“Supporting women cuts across every major vertical that is pressing for the 21st century”
Meggie: She sounds amazing! Speaking of being amazing, what advice would you give to anyone who is looking to build their own brand?
Rose: What is your focus? Stay close to that dream, that goal, and let that guide how you spend, or liberate, your time.
“Let that guide how you spend, or liberate, your time”
Meggie: Some great advice! Next question - How do you prepare for negotiation conversations? We'd love to hear all your hacks & top tips or awesome advice you've received!
Rose: I have many steps! Market research. Ask a man. Get a figure that I can believe. Start a little higher. Walk through the steps and practice with multiple people. Then I get HYPED! And I speak in MY WAY. I like to chat. I like to be excited, I like to talk it through. When I negotiate, I am still myself. I say the number. Then I STAY SILENT. I sit. I tell myself, "Can I have an uncomfortable conversation for 10K? Yes. Sit in it." And I make sure I can wear something I can sweat in. And those are my personal tricks.
“Can I have an uncomfortable conversation for 10K? Yes”