How to Build Authentic Influence While Working Full-Time w/ Guest Host Tiffany Tate

Rhona Pierce (00:00.142)
And I think this is the first time I've said it in a public form. But in high school, my English teacher, they would have us do this research paper at the end of the year. And I always got A's, but a lot of people hated writing and doing these research papers. And she would always say, if someone else writes it for you, I will know, blah, blah, blah. Well, in 12th grade, out of 40, because we were a graduating class of 40, I think I wrote about 20 of the research papers. And she does not know.

What? For professionals that want to be work influencers, how can they also protect themselves?

But what I'll say is to make sure you understand where they stand. Even if that means that you remove your company from your LinkedIn so that you can post in peace. I've done that. And I've worked as a recruiter for a company and not had it on my LinkedIn because they had a problem with my post for whatever reason because I wasn't posting anything related to them, but they just had a problem with it. So I was like, fine, I don't work here anymore publicly.

because I think they wanted me to stop posting, it's like, no, no, no, no, no, I'm not going to stop posting. But what I like about 2025 where we're at right now is that a lot of companies are actually embracing it. It's like, why would you go pay influencers, which companies are doing, when you have legit workfluencers inside your company that you don't have to give them a brief about what it is about? Like they literally know.

to the Workfluencer podcast, where today we will explore the intersection of talent, company culture, and employee experience. I'm Tiffany Tate, CEO and founder of Career Maven Consulting, a leadership development company that's all about helping people find and do good work. And I'm joining Rona Pierce today as a guest host. Rona is the creator of the Workfluencer podcast. Today, we're going to dive into what it means to be a Workfluencer.

Tiffany Tate (01:56.546)
especially for mid-career professionals who are trying to grow their professional impact while juggling full-time roles. We will talk about how to build an authentic personal brand, the risks and rewards for showing up publicly, and how to find your lane without losing your mind or losing your job. So let's jump in. Hey, Rona, I'm excited to talk to you today.

I am so excited to be on the other side of my own podcast.

So let's just jump in first question for folks who are listening. How do you define workfluencer?

love this question because there's a few definitions online. Obviously, I did not come up with the term. I think the the Gen Z folks did. It's really like an influencer, but instead of someone who's selling like skincare, they're talking about hiring burnout, like office politics. So technically, a workfluencer is someone who posts about work on social media. So think about LinkedIn, TikTok, maybe even YouTube.

It's really anyone posting career tips, corporate life memes, day in the life videos, anything that gives people a peek into what working looks like for them. Now, as far as this podcast and how I define it, the way I think about it is really a lot broader than that. A workfluencer is basically anyone who's using content to build influence because of their work and not in spite of it.

Rhona Pierce (03:22.958)
So it's people who are still working a nine to five, maybe they've already turned into full-time content creators. Either way, they're like showing up online, building trust and attracting opportunities by talking about work.

Okay, so you mentioned Gen Z as sort of the originators of the term. And you and I talked about how I spend a lot of time working with folks who are mid-career. So at the time of this conversation, it's 2025. So mid-career folks are likely millennials and above. So why is this concept of creating content around what your work life is like and what your work

experience is like so important for mid-career professionals especially even if they're not planning on becoming content creators and quitting their job.

Yeah, because really mid-career is where things get real. That's how I see it. I'm a millennial. You've got the experience, you have the results, but you might not have the visibility, right? So the workfluencer concept is powerful because it gives people a way to show what they know without waiting for someone to promote them or give them that platform. When you're mid-career, let's be honest.

You're you're already you've seen the politics, right? You probably have been passed over for a role. You've watched someone less qualified. Get the mic or you feel stuck in that like internal talent pool that no one ever really taps into. And content becomes a way to take back control of your narrative and show your value on your own terms and open doors that might not exist for you within your company.

Rhona Pierce (05:11.278)
Plus, I really think we need to understand this is an interesting period in, I don't think we've ever had this many generations at the workplace at the same time. And the way that we build credibility is changing. People really trust people more than they trust brands and mid-career professionals. think especially those with something to say are in the perfect position to lead the conversation.

That's so good.

If you've made it this far into the episode and you're not subscribed yet, now's a good time.

You know, a lot of times people, mean, obviously I'm mid career and it's my jam. I love talking about it. I tell people I became an accidental entrepreneur mostly because I was just doing things, responding to calls and sharing a little bit behind the scenes of some of my work and it snowballed from there. But for listeners who are trying to figure out how to identify what their niche is or what types of things they should share over other things.

How do you define your niche and how you decide what to post?

Rhona Pierce (06:18.574)
I love this question. really could talk about it all day. Look, I've always been one of those people that is good at a bunch of things. And which that really sounds great until you feel like you have to choose just one. Because we all hear it out there, choose a niche, just talk about one thing. And for a while I was overthinking it. I was trying to like reverse engineer the perfect niche.

But once I really started creating content, especially video, it gave me a way to test in real time. And I'm someone who's like very like experimental driven. I'm an engineer by trade. I'm, there's always a scientific process, not always or most of the time, but behind what I'm doing. So I'd put something out there and the stuff that got people talking, sharing, like reaching out.

that's really what showed me where I could really make an impact. So instead of like forcing a niche, I followed the traction. Obviously I did have like, I didn't talk about skincare one day and about work the other day. I had like a broad idea. I really focused on what I wanted to be known for. And I always tell people that can and will change. So don't think that you have to like spend all of these like people, think,

really focus on, my gosh, what do I want to be known for? This can't change. It absolutely can change. It will change. It's fine. But just think about what you want to be known for and start putting content out about that.

That is so good. Like long before I was, you know, had a little content pillars and all the, you know, sort of formality around my work. I had a blog and I would share things that I was cooking and I would also share outfits because I was, you know, very into work style, work fashion. I used to style people here and there, which is feels like eons ago. I would not do that now, but it was very fun.

Tiffany Tate (08:21.102)
And over the years, like what I have enjoyed talking about, what I like talking about has certainly changed. And you're so right that so much of this online existence is testing and experimenting and seeing what resonates with people. So I appreciate your comments on that. What are some of the questions that people should ask themselves if they're trying to figure out what their zone of influence is or what they care about or what they might have something to say about?

Definitely what you want to be known for, like I just said, and again, in this period of time, what do you want to talk about? Because like, if you don't want to talk about it, it's going to come through in the content. if you're bored, if it's like, look, it has to be something that you can talk about until you're blue in the face without getting bored. And I think the most important question you can ask yourself is what do people come to you for?

What do they always ask you about? Because especially if you're made a career, you're in a period where now people at work, whether you want to or not, they know you for something. Your friends know you for something. So looking back at me, I there was always people asking me to help them with their resumes. There was always people asking me this started from high school. I would I think this is the first time I've said it in a public form. I've said it in like private workshops.

But in high school, my English teacher, they would have us do this research paper at the end of the year. And I always got A's, but a lot of people hated writing and doing these research papers. And she would always say, if someone else writes it for you, I will know, blah, blah, blah. Well, in 12th grade, out of 40, because we were a graduating class of 40, I think I wrote about 20 of the research papers. And she does not know.

Well now she knows,

Rhona Pierce (10:17.966)
Mrs. McCrawley, if you're listening to this, I hope you are. Yes, I wrote 20 of them for people because it was always my thing. I always could write on behalf of other people. could always like, understand how someone spoke and who they were and like imagine what they would say. So this has really shaped a lot of what I've done throughout my career. So

That's what people always came to me for. So lean on those things. Like you're always known for the person's like, write this for me or do this for me. So think about that.

Absolutely. Okay, Rona, I have to know, did your classmates pay you to write those essays?

Oh, 100%. I do not work for free. No, no, no, no, no. Yes. I made money that year. I remember I had so much money. My parents were like, where did all this money come from? Cause I didn't work. But yeah, I charged everyone. I think it was like $20 each. And I told people, you're not going to get an A. You're going to get slightly better grade than you got the last time.

I'm

Rhona Pierce (11:30.356)
because I'm going to write like you. So you can't all of a sudden be like this amazing writer when last time you got a D. Like you're going to get a C this time.

Now I'm going to now refer to you in the future as Rona GPT because you were writing papers back in the day for your classmates. I love that. And it's also so entrepreneurial. love everything about that. So, okay, Rona, this question is something that I have been so excited to ask you about because you are a content aficionado. Like, obviously we've talked before about just how professionalized your content is.

I met you on threads, I think. And so your content definitely spoke to me and I was so curious to learn more about you and your platform. But for folks who are listening that don't know where to start with creating content, feel overwhelmed with all the platforms that are out there and just aren't sure where to start, what advice would you give them? Day one.

First of all, release yourself from the pressure of thinking that you have to choose the perfect niche because you're tied to it forever. Think about the last thing that you learned or the last thing that someone asked you about and create content about that. And as far as like choosing what platform, just choose the one where you naturally hang out the most. So if you hate LinkedIn, don't start on LinkedIn. I did not start on LinkedIn. I absolutely remember when I was like deciding to like,

Okay, 2020, I'm going to be a content creator. I hired a content strategist and she's like, what platforms? And she asked me about LinkedIn. I'm like, no, no, no, don't even worry about LinkedIn. Like I just use that to test content. And really that's all I did. I just used it to test content. And I was like, no, let's focus on Twitter. Let's focus on YouTube and all of these things. Ironically, LinkedIn is where I did the best.

Rhona Pierce (13:33.176)
know, I know. Like, I think it was 2022 2021. I got a note from one of the editors, Andrew Seaman, the lead editor for careers at LinkedIn. And he's like, Hey, do you want to be on my live show back then? I forget what it was called the LinkedIn news, their live show. And I thought it was spam. So I ignored it. And then he like messaged me.

on LinkedIn, because first he sent me an email and I was like, yeah, right. And then he like messaged me on LinkedIn. I was like, okay, this is legit. And it's like, they were seeing my content somehow. I didn't even have a strategy for LinkedIn. like, focus on the platforms that you really enjoy being on. And then once you're in the once you're in the mode, once you like know, then you can move to other platforms.

but don't try to be everywhere all at once and don't try to be it's like, I have to do it this way for this platform, this way for the other. Be realistic when you're starting. You don't have the bandwidth, the knowledge or anything to be all in. So start with one and do one correctly and talk about, again, the things that you want to be known for, the things that people already ask you about, and you'll start seeing how it resonates with people.

Don't think you need 100 people to tell you that they like it. If one person tells you that they like it, most likely someone else is going to like it as well.

I love that. Another thing I like to try to like remind people and when I say people, mean myself, is that sometimes people are consumed. Actually, a lot of times people are consuming your content, they're getting value out of it and they don't know how to be active digital citizens, right? Like we make an assumption that because people have phones and computers and apps and logins that they know what it means to show up in these digital spaces. So you might not.

Tiffany Tate (15:30.338)
get responses or comments or likes, but people might tell you in real life or they might slide in your DMs and send you opportunities like Andrew did your way, but you had no idea they were watching you or that they even cared about the content. That happens to me all the time and I've been online for years, right? Like I've gotten business from people that I had no idea even had an Instagram or had a LinkedIn. And they're like, yeah, I watch all of your videos. I read all of your emails. And I am always forward by that because

you know, obviously as a person who looks at the back end data analytics, I'm like, well, it would be nice if you could just give me a little thumbs up once in a while so I can know. And so that's a really good reminder to just start one place and just be consistent because that will get you a return in the long run and it helps you sort of solidify what your personal brand is. So I love that advice.

Yeah. And I really love that you're calling this out and telling people. It's like a lot. Most people don't like your content or like don't physically like hit like, but they love like I've had people schedule sales calls where I'm like, who is this person? Never heard of them. They're like, I've been following you for years.

Oh, really? I go and you know, LinkedIn tells you when someone started following and really like years, but they've never interacted with my content. What I tell people is if you post something that outrageous people or that they don't like, they will 100 % let you know. But the good content they don't let you know.

yeah, you have to really be committed. You have to be committed to what you're doing. Because if you just base it on likes and even follows sometimes, it will have you twirling around in circles. So okay, next question. Can you share a time for our listeners or a story of someone who started small but built real momentum in the online space?

Rhona Pierce (17:32.148)
I so, so many stories, but I've always been a huge fan of Kat Kibben. They started writing a blog many, many years ago. And Kat is really one of the OG bloggers in our space and the recruiting space. And they've consistently written a weekly letter to their audience for years. And they've built a solid business and influence in this way. Like Kat is now a sought out after speaker.

their business does amazing. like, but I remember back in the early days when Kat was writing the letter and it was always amazing. I always loved it. same thing with Amy Miller, for example, I remember back when she was writing her blog, recruiting in yoga pants and back in the Twitter days, the early Twitter days, and then that morphed into a weekly YouTube video. And the rest is history really, cause I mean, she's

very respected in our space by people on both sides of the hiring equation. And that's really not easy. But it's I think it's been her consistency throughout the years. And that's the same thing with Kat, with Amy and really anyone who's been in this game for a long time. It's been the consistency.

Yeah, really miss, you you're reminding me, I miss OG Twitter. Like Twitter was my original platform. I love it. You know, I make little videos now, but I'm a writer first and I liked it just felt like my place for so many years and I collided with so many cool people there and it's changed so much. But I love hearing those stories. So that's awesome. Okay, so I'm going to switch gears a little bit. I'm going to pivot because we've talked about the positives. We've talked about the how, you know, if someone wants to start.

building their online presence as a workfluencer, talked about some strategies. I also think that it's important to talk about some of the risks and the realities of doing so because workfluencers are people who are talking about their work, but we presumably also have a job, right? And so as a person who has experienced some challenges earlier in my career, having a full-time job,

Tiffany Tate (19:38.758)
and creating content and people not always understanding things like automations, schedule posts, owning your sort of personal story and career brand and representing a company but like not really and there being some friction there. I think it's really important to just kind of step into sort of this next segment of conversation to talk about what are some of the potential risks of a work

influencer who works full time, especially if they work in a traditional corporate setting. So Rona, what you got?

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Rhona Pierce (20:59.444)
Yeah, I mean, it's it's a thing. Unfortunately, some companies really aren't huge fans of their employees putting themselves out there. And they like to think that they can control the narrative. I mean, the truth is, a company doesn't own you. So it shouldn't be a thing. But it is. So I always tell people like to understand that there might be they might get pushback. Right. Also, honestly, there's jealousy out there. I remember a point.

when my content started gaining traction and I started getting recognition. And I was working for a company where some of the executive leaders, they wanted to be work influencers and they weren't too happy about my content being more popular than theirs. And this creates issues for you because then that's when they start saying like, did you was this about me? Was this was like, no, this post wasn't about you.

Like I tagged the person who the post was about. What are you talking about? So yeah, there's some risk there. It's definitely out there. And it's really what stops a lot of people from doing it. But what I like about 2025 where we're at right now is that a lot of companies are actually embracing it. I saw a creator this week who works at Geico. She's a recruiter at Geico and I

I'm

Rhona Pierce (22:23.362)
don't know how to pronounce her name, so I won't even say it, but she's got a huge following. And Geico actually created a post. Now they started a series with her and she was just so grateful in another post that she wrote because she has worked at places where it was a problem, her professional presence. But now she's at a company that like, you've got 400,000 followers. Let's leverage that and let's

Let's like give you time to create content. Let's actually make a series where you're featured in it from our page. It's like, why would you go pay influencers, which companies are doing, when you have legit workfluencers inside your company that you don't have to give them a brief about what it is about. Like they literally know. So lots of companies are really jumping on this and understanding the value of empowering their internal workfluencers.

So things are changing. But again, there's still lots of traditional companies out there with, they want you to say this, they want you to like, I call it the hostage situation. Because you've seen, everyone has seen those posts where there's like employee advocacy, quote unquote. And marketing wrote the post and gave it to the employees and has like five little different graphics. And if you've worked at the company,

and you have lots of former coworkers or former coworkers there, you see them all post the same exact copy with a different thing. it's like, you don't even speak this way. I worked with you for three years, girl. You've never used this word. Come on.

It's clearly not original content. They gave them a frame, like a branded frame and put your little photo inside. I may or may not have worked at a company that did this. They will remain nameless. And I'm like, okay, so it's cool for us to be workfluencers for this brand, but it's not cool for us to have our own brand, which is wild. So, you know, I love the scenario that you shared to you about a workfluencer at Geico.

Tiffany Tate (24:38.508)
which I'm not surprised because Geico has the best commercials, but they leverage their internal talent to say, hey, we could do a mashup. We can do some integrated marketing. Let us help you while you help us. And there's some reciprocal value there. But it also begs the question, like for professionals that want to be workfluencers, how can they also protect themselves? Like what types of

things should they be doing or looking for to understand their employer's boundaries or social media policies.

So I'm an ask for forgiveness instead of permission type of gal. So maybe not the best person to give this type of advice about this. But what I'll say is to make sure you understand where they stand. Even if that means that you remove your company from your LinkedIn so that you can post in peace. I've done that. And I've worked as a recruiter for a company and not had it on my LinkedIn because they had a problem with my

post for whatever reason, because I wasn't posting anything related to them, but they just had a problem with it. So I was like, fine, I don't work here anymore publicly. And that solves it. And they were like, because I think they wanted me to stop posting. But it's like, no, no, no, no, no, I'm not going to stop posting. I'm just not now associated to you. Did it make my life harder for recruiting? Not so much because my brand is strong enough that people didn't people weren't going to check that.

does she really work there? They were like, yeah, I'll jump on a call with you. But yeah, no job is really worth shrinking yourself for. Because my thing is always they will drop you like a hot potato the second they feel it's time to do so for whatever reason. We've seen this. Yes, we've all experienced or most of us have and we've seen it in the past couple of years. So my brand is way more important to me than what a company says. So

Tiffany Tate (26:26.004)
I've experienced it.

Rhona Pierce (26:38.722)
but know their boundaries. Because some of them have clear policies for social media. Then just follow those policies, right? If they have clear policies, follow them. If they don't have and they're making it up as they go, you can take the approach that I did and just don't associate yourself with them on LinkedIn and we're good.

Yeah, I think like the I want to what I want to double click on is it's important as an employee to know the state of things like if there's like check out your employee handbook See if the company has a policy make a copy of it so that you have it in your back pocket if you ever have to pull it You know because things start disappearing from the internet sometimes When it's fit when we like have to start getting advocacy and support So make sure you just know because technically when you sign an employment contract

you have signed on to whatever guiding policies that company espouses. And I've had clients who didn't know, like, you know, I've asked questions like, well, do you know what the policy is on X, Y and Z? Or do you know if you have to, you know, this is a sidebar, but do you know if you have to pay back that tuition concession if you leave within a certain period of time? If you do not know the rules of the benefits or the place where you're working, then you cannot skirt around.

So if you plan on being a rule breaker, it's just important to know what the rules are. I'm not saying that you're necessarily breaking rules as a work influencer, but sometimes you are depending on the company.

Yeah, there are companies that clearly state you can't post online. You just can't. I wouldn't work there. if you agree to work there while you're there, you agree to that. So follow that rule.

Tiffany Tate (28:15.374)
There's a big creator I follow, her name escapes me right now. She's in the beauty influencer space, beauty and fashion, but she was an attorney, like a big time corporate attorney by trade and excellent at her work. And there became a point of tension where I think the story, I believe she shared this online publicly, is that she exited the legal field because there was so much friction. And now she is a big time content creator and doing exceptionally well.

But I always thought that, you know, a story like that is to me very wild because she was creating content that didn't have anything to do with her job.

It's wild. It really is. But someone in corporate decides and that's the it's their right to decide whatever they want to do in their company as long as it follows the law. And it's not against the law to say you can't post online. But when you agree to work there and you sign that employment agreement or contract or even accepted the offer, you agreed to what's in the employee handbook.

And most of the time you haven't seen that employee handbook before accepting. once you do see it, you have a choice.

Yeah, yeah, I love the ask for forgiveness because that you know, I definitely have done that in the past as well. But I also want to say I've also worked in some environments where my team was incredibly supportive and encouraged me and were very affirming. So now all workplaces are created equal. It's just important to know like sort of your rights and what you can and can't do.

Rhona Pierce (29:49.77)
Yeah, and I've worked at places that actually encouraged you to be out there online. Like really one of the reasons why I started is I was working at a company that really encouraged and they sought out people who were content creators and they saw the value of it. And it was a startup. They didn't have this huge marketing budget. Their CEO is very public out there. They hired people who were and I was like, there are companies who

accept and approve this who like encourage it. And it was really a great place to work at for that aspect of like, I could freely talk about what I wanted to talk about online.

I love that. Okay, so I'm curious about, know, when you're online, you're creating content, Rona, and I perceive you to be a very authentic, transparent person, right? Who's willing to share the real deal like you have in this conversation. How do you balance transparency and professionalism when it comes to your content? Like, what's the line? How do you decide? How do you determine that?

I always like to make sure that I'm posting from a place of service to others and providing value or teaching others, right? If I can't tie it back. So I have a list of all of the, know who I'm talking to, right? I know who my ideal person is. And I have a list of all of the problems that they have. My BFF, Chad GPT and I sat down one day and we brainstormed what are the problems that my ideal people have. I have that list.

If what I'm going to post, if I can't tie it back to one of the problems that my ideal person has, it stays in the drafts. It really does. And if my post is trash talking someone, then it moves to the group chat because the internet is not a place for that. So as long as I keep those things in mind, I know that I'm good. Lots of people have frameworks and stuff like that that they follow. I'm a simple.

Rhona Pierce (31:57.922)
Like I like simplified things. So for me, it's that. Is this helping someone? And is this helping the people that I want to help? Is this talking directly to their problems? And if not, I don't post it.

I love this. So I'm curious about for workfluenters who are sharing lifestyle content as well, how much would you say is too much? you know, part of the reason why I wanted to ask you this question, I have a friend who works in internal comms at a large company and we were just chatting one day and I mentioned, I really want to do more of the get ready with me videos because work wear is part of my, you know, I'm into that. And I was like, but I,

like how when people make these these videos, they're showing their underwear, I'm not doing that. And she was like, what are you talking about? And I was like, have you never noticed that many people who do the get the get ready with me start to finish are showing a little bit much that I would feel comfortable than I would feel comfortable showing. And she's like, I never noticed it. And ever since that conversation, periodically, she'll say, you know, now that you mentioned that I noticed that a whole lot more now. And so it got me to thinking like,

when it comes to being authentic and relatable online, like, is there a line for you where you say that's too much for me? I respect it if you do it, but that's too much for me.

Yeah, there's definitely a line. I like you, I don't I you're never going to see a video of me or a photo like getting out of the shower. Because if I'm going to do a get ready with me, I assume that people assume that I took a Right. And and if I did, it's also my problem. You're not smelling me. So like, doesn't matter. It's not relevant to the thing. But if I were doing a get ready with me and I do it, I've done I don't

Rhona Pierce (33:48.962)
necessarily do get ready with me, but I do like before going to a conference, I do like pack with me and stuff like that. So that, cause when I go to conferences and I'm creating content there, I'm doing street interviews. So I need people to like, I need to hype them to know that I'm going to be there with a mic asking questions. So that's my reason for creating that type of content. Like it's not just because I want to show people what I'm packing in my bag. It's a reason.

going to be here. Come find me. Come talk to me. But yeah, I don't start with like, I, you can watch the videos, you don't see my underwear getting thrown into the bag. But definitely I took underwear to the conferences. Like, do you get what I mean? Like, I took deodorant, I took underwear, but that's not what the video was about. The video was for people to know that I was going to be there. So like,

Again, go back to your goals and like, what is the goal of this video? Do people really need to see your underwear in the Get Ready With Me? If you're like you, you're showing like professional attire or things like that. We understand that you took a shower. We understand that you wore underwear. Let's start from the first part of the outfit that was the goal of showing you how to dress professionally, for example.

Exactly. love that. So what I'm hearing is like a big thing for you is everything has to be intentional. Be really clear on who you're talking to, what it is you want them to learn, what it is you want them to take away and your why before you type or record anything. And I think so many of our listeners could benefit from that instead of like over indexing on what is the content calendar? How many things I'm going to post and where am I going to post? It's like step one.

Why do I want to create content? Who is it going to serve? And what do I have to say that is aligned with those things as your sort of day one, day 7,000? It's like, doesn't matter how long you've been doing it. It's always about your why and who before you get to the how and what. I love that.

Rhona Pierce (35:58.572)
Yes, 100%. That's a great summary. And yes, it's really, everyone is focused on all the other things that really are not the most important.

Okay, noted. And I will still continue because you affirmed me. I will not be sharing my undergarments on Beyonce's internet anytime soon. So I love that. my gosh. Okay. I do want to ask a couple logistical questions like tactical for folks who want to get started as work influencers or maybe up level their content if they're already started before we wrap up. What are some of your favorite tech tools or habits for maintaining consistency online without burning out?

So AI has been a game changer. It's my brainstorming buddy, Chad GPT and Claude, like shout out to my buddies. It helps me edit video faster as well. So many AI tools out there for video and even come up with concepts for video. So AI really, and I'm just saying AI is like a umbrella term because I could list out a ton of tools, but all of the tools that I use on a daily basis have AI.

Right. And then when it comes to habits, I think this is really the most important part is everyone's focused on the tools, but really remove any barriers that you have for yourself that are going to cause you to not be able to be consistent or that are going to cause stress. So for example, I don't like having to set up my lights and all of that. That was always an issue. And I have the I'm blessed to be able to have this.

bedroom, is my office. So my husband set up lights all over and I literally just press two things and I turn on the lights. So don't have to worry about lighting. But even if you don't have a studio or whatever, the most important thing for me that has really changed and allowed me to be able to do video. If you've noticed, I'm always wearing a black top because it was I was taking hours figuring out like.

Tiffany Tate (37:41.507)
Night.

Rhona Pierce (37:59.06)
what should I wear and what colors because then I know too much I think about video and what colors work on camera and what colors don't work. And I have a closet back here that door if you can see it. Where ever it's my video tops. So in that closet, because I have a closet in my bedroom, so this is the closet in my office. All it has is swag from brands that I have to wear on videos from time to time, or and my tops for videos. So it's a

closet full of black tops because I've decided that that's what I want to do. There are some other colors from time to time to switch it up, but mostly black tops. So when I'm like, I have to film a video. The last thing I have to worry about is setting up lighting or setting up my cameras or what to wear. Cause I literally go in the closet, put on one of the black tops and turn on the lights, sit in this chair. have two different setups and hit record.

everything about this and I am deeply inspired, right? Like it's taking me back during the pandemic, I tried to eliminate unnecessary decisions because I was just trying to have a sense of normalcy. And I had like a little bit of a work uniform. And I love this idea of like just making it easy for the things that you're doing over and over and over again. So you can spend more of your thought capital on what you're gonna talk about and who you're trying to serve.

not like what shirt am I gonna put on and how the heck do I get the lighting right? So love everything about that, Rona. What about, and you also shared about AI, right? So that removes the need to have a bunch of people or a bunch of startup costs to potentially create content online. So I guess my last sort of formal question for you and the set is if someone is listening and they've taken away a lot of gems today and you've shared so many.

And they're thinking, okay, workfluencer sounds like something I could do. It sounds like me and I am ready to step into my work fluency era. What is the very first move they should make this week to get started?

Rhona Pierce (40:11.32)
Figure out what you want to be known for. Look, one thing. And post something that supports that goal. So just post it. I love a quote that one of my early business coaches said many years ago. Shout out to Ari Hale. Yes, she said, you can be type A or you can be type paid. Post it.

yes. I have a post it after she said that on Twitter, maybe or in a sales or in a coaching call. I don't remember. But I have a post it that says you can be type A or you can be type paid. Post it. Ari Hale. And I literally that just go ahead and post because even if you're not trying to get paid or whatever, at the end of the day, there's some goal behind what you're posting. So if you want to start posting, just think what do I want to post about?

Does it support that goal? And go ahead and post it. If it flops, it flopped. You'll try again next week, because trust me, no one remembers your post. You're the only one who remembers it.

If you

Tiffany Tate (41:17.486)
True that. Yes. And also every single person that follows you doesn't see every single post that you post. Yes.

And I did a test, I was talking to someone earlier this week and I said, at the beginning of this year, I was really burnt out creatively and like literally nothing new was coming out of my brain. So what I started doing was reposting things that I had posted years ago, like literally not even repurposing, literally reposting. And when I look back at the post, some of the same people who liked it the first time,

and said how great it was and how they hadn't thought about it that way, literally posted the same thing. They don't remember.

That's what we do not remember the shelf life of this content is so fast LinkedIn I think has the longest shelf life and of course YouTube but all these other platforms. It's it's just upstarting or recycling every moment and so people don't even have time to consume everything that's on the platform let alone your stuff so yeah so good also I didn't know that Ari had been your coach she was my coach back in the day.

I love Ari, she is amazing.

Tiffany Tate (42:22.466)
pay or type paid. I'm going to take that with me into the weekend Rona. Thank you so much for the opportunity to sit down and have this conversation with you. I hope that this conversation is impactful and helpful for listeners who are trying to figure out this workfluencer thing, trying to get into content creation or up level their content creation. I am a big fan not just because I

I guess I am a work fluencer, but also because I believe deeply in the power of owning your personal and professional brand because it just gives you agency on your career journey. Whether you work full time, you want to be an entrepreneur or some combination in your portfolio career, it's critical, I think, in this day and age to have a digital presence that's deeply intentional and well informed. So thank you for sharing your gems. I have loved having this conversation with you and getting to know.

little bit more about you Rona, Rona GPT who wrote those essays for your classmates and was an early startup genius well before the age of AI. Thank you.

Thank you so much. I've really enjoyed this conversation. I've enjoyed being on the other side of the Workfluencer podcast and you are absolutely welcome to take over the pod anytime. This was amazing. Thank you. Thanks so much for listening. If you're enjoying the Workfluencer pod, share it with someone who's changing how we talk about work or who should be. And hey, if this episode gave you ideas or inspiration,

Leave us a five-star review. Reviews help other listeners find us. And honestly, it makes my day. Workfluencer is produced by Perceptible Studios. Learn more about how we can help you use video to attract, engage, and retain qualified talent at perceptiblestudios.com. Thanks for listening, and I'll chat with you next week.