You live the life you create
I recently wrote a post about how I get through challenging times. (The last few months have been a bitch, to say the least.) Anyway, I left out an important coping mechanism for me: hearing people tell their improbable journey story. These people inspire me to keep on keepin’ on. Their stories offer hope and keep me motivated during setbacks. This is what Damn the Odds is all about! What I hope to accomplish here is inspire people to take risks, make changes in their life, create their own path…TO FIND HAPPINESS. DESPITE the odds. DESPITE fear. DESPITE having to start from the bottom. I want Damn the Odds to be a place where people can visit to find the encouragement and support needed to embark on the improbable journey…..from those who are similarly inspired and driven.
Meet my friend, Pamela Sorensen, a former sales executive in the IT and Government Contracting industry turned blogger extraordinaire and entrepreneur. She’s head honcho of a fast-growing media company. As founder and president of Pamela’s Punch, a must-read blog that’s become the go-to source of information about the “who, what, when, and where” of Washington, DC, Pamela has her finger on the pulse of our nation’s capital.
In her 30’s, Pamela said goodbye to a successful career, financial stability, a promising future…to do something new…..take a different direction in life….create a new path to follow. Sound familiar? I KNOW, right. That’s why she’s incredibly inspiring to me. It wasn’t easy in the beginning (is it ever for anyone though?) but success came her way. There are many articles about Pamela and the success of her blog, but none look at her journey, the transition between different life chapters. I want to tell this side of her story.
The Early Days
I first met Pamela at a Washington DC business networking event. I had seen her around town at various social events but we never chatted. It was years later when we worked together at Potomac Officers Club/ExecutiveBiz that I had the opportunity to get to know her on a personal level. She possesses a powerful combination of assets and traits that make her likeable to all who cross her path.
In November 2006, Pamela’s Punch (then called The Daily Adventures of Pamela Sorensen) was born. It started out as a personal blog. Think online diary. Here’s her first post. Pamela wanted a quick and efficient way to keep her friends and family updated on her daily adventures. For those who don’t know her, she’s quite the social butterfly, always attending fabulous events and hobnobbing with the town’s elite. She found herself responding to growing number of emails daily about what she did the night before. There had to be a better way…and creating a blog was the answer.
Writing comes easy to Pamela so she had no problem with dishing out delicious content about the happenings in DC. She fell in love with reading and writing as a young child, and learned to “really write” while majoring in Speech Communications at Penn State. At first, the blog had only a handful of loyal followers, which she acknowledged were friends. But over time, Pamela’s ability to put out well written, interesting content paid off. Readership grew exponentially.
In just a few months, Pamela’s personal blog was becoming widely popular among many different communities in town. She knew something was here. Pamela made a decision to quit her job and focus on this venture full time. She was not satisfied in her current career and had a hunger to do more.
Reaction amongst friends and family was divided. Not everyone was supportive in the beginning. If you look at it on paper, one can understand why that’s the case. I mean, she’s leaving behind a 14+ career, a reputation, money, future stability. For what? A dream…an idea… a what-if? Well, what is was WAS uncertainty. Pamela was about to venture into the land of the unknown – a new territory (the social media and blogosphere world) in where she had limited-to-no knowledge and experience. Despite this, Pamela did it anyway. This takes guts and an inner strength many do not possess. It’s a special trait, I think. She believed in herself, believed she could do great things. And, based on her success today, she was right. But, the journey was neither quick nor easy.
Challenging Times
The first two years were tremendously challenging. Money was a constant source of concern. There were sleepless nights worrying about paying bills. On another level, she dealt with fear. “It wasn’t so much fear of failure but the fear of success,” Pamela said. I asked her to explain. “There were people that expected me to fail. Hearing from people ‘at least you tried’ and ‘there’s a position at my company that you would be perfect at’ got exasperating. Fear of success was much scarier for me. What will I do if this becomes a reality? Can I run a business? Can I make Pamela’s Punch what it should be?”
When going through change like this, it’s natural to deal with internal struggles; questions start to arise organically like “Am I doing the right thing?” or “What am I doing?” Boy, do I know this. Yes, I do! Pamela is open and candid when talking about the struggles she faced during the early years, which makes me relate to and respect her even more.
I asked if she ever thought about going back to her old life….to money. In the beginning, Pamela did. She received job offers regularly so the thought of having an income and financial stability again was a constant tease. She stayed focused though. Pamela said, “If I felt myself leaning in that direction, I went through a line of questioning: What was my life like before? Sitting in a cube, caught up in the rat race, not totally happy and satisfied. No, thank you! What was life like now? I am doing something that I’m passionate about…something I love. And although these are difficult times, they will pass. And what could life be? The possibilities are endless. Going back was not worth it.”
As Pamela is telling her story, I can’t help but notice the synergies and parallels of our journeys. I am dealing with this right now. So of course, I was particularly interested to hear how she got through the tough times.
Remember each milestone and use it as a stepping stone. Pamela acknowledged the milestones that validated she was on the right path. What was her first milestone? Getting advertisers. People were paying to be on the site, which meant Pamela’s Punch had strong readership and meaningful content. Pamela says “content is key” and worked hard to ensure she always had something meaningful to say. Also, Pamela was regularly being asked to be a media sponsor for key events. Given Washington, DC’s established and competitive media market (made up of long standing political and society magazines), this was an impressive accomplishment for a new blogger.
I asked if there was a profound event that validated everything for her. Pamela highlighted two things. In 2008, she was asked to be a FOX News Correspondent covering the 2009 Inauguration. She was also a guest on the Discovery Channel’s Planet Green, “Emeril Green” (with Emeril Lagasse). Subsequent to these events, Pamela finally received approval from someone close to her, who was having difficulty supporting her new career. She says, “this meant the world to me. I knew everything else would be ok.”
Other things that kept her going? Feedback from readership. She began receiving compliments and positive comments not only from local celebrity types like NBC News Anchor Jim Vance but also strangers. “When someone comes up to you and says that post spoke to me, it’s an amazing feeling,” Pamela says. A strong support system is a must. Pamela acknowledged the friends who helped her along the way. Pamela went into detail about this during the interview. She evoked a genuine gratitude and appreciation for these people declaring she will never forget them. When you see this side of Pamela, you can’t help but just like her more. This causes me to reflect on the people who continuously support me.
Today
Fast forward a few years. Pamela’s Punch just celebrated its fifth year in operation. Happy birthday, Pamela’s Punch! Since its launch, the website has grown tremendously, and now includes online, social and live media assets, as well as a team of 18 correspondents. Pamela’s Punch is experiencing year-over-year growth. “Our reach is far and wide,” she says. Using social media to develop followers, she touts over 5400 Twitter followers, 5000 Facebook friends and 20,000+ hits a month. Covering the social, professional and philanthropic scenes of DC, Pamela places high importance on the latter. Through Pamela’s Punch, she aims to make Washington a better place by driving her followers to volunteer, fundraise, and support local businesses.
What’s next for Pamela? She’s focused on growing and strengthening the Punch brand. Expansion plans are also on the horizon. In early 2012, Pamela is expanding to the west coast and has plans to conquer the LA market with Pacific Punch. She says there is a love affair between Tinseltown the entertainment capital of the World, and our nation’s capital. Congrats and best of luck, Pamela and Lindsay Taub, her Pacific Punch partner.
I asked if she had any advice for readers. Pamela’s words of wisdom, “you live the life you create. Take control of your life. You and ONLY YOU have the power to do so. Experimenting and taking risks will open you up to new opportunities. And, remember…even though you may go through tough period, a state of instability and financial stress, whatever it is, stick with it. In the end, it is worth it.”
Pamela took the ultimate leap of faith. The girl’s got moxie, that’s for sure. She had the determination to find her passion…..to forge her own path. I admire her a great deal for having the courage to take risks, for believing in herself, despite naysayers…despite the fear of uncertainty.
So many times we put our faith in other people, but why can’t we put it in for ourselves? I say believe in yourself! Defy convention! Take risks! Just because you’re following the expected course of life does not mean that’s how yours has to play out. To use Pamela’s credo: you live the life you create for yourself! So, I pose the question to you: why not make it the one you’ve always dreamed of?
Tags: inspiring people, Lindsay Taub, Los Angeles, Pacific Punch, Pamela Sorensen, Pamela's Punch, Washington