Today we’d like to introduce you to Brenna Stillwell.
So, before we jump into specific questions about what you do, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up in a small town in New Jersey, on a farm… yes, NJ has farms. Both of my parents were teachers and we made hay and grew corn in the summers, and sold Christmas trees during the season. Like many little girls, I wanted to be a ballerina when I grew up, so I worked very hard to perfect my dancing, but by the age of 11 or 12, I was reasonably aware that my dream wouldn’t come true. I spent the next several years, all the way into the early years of college asking myself what I wanted to be when I grew up (which I still ask every so often).
I was lucky enough to attend Northeastern University in Boston, which offered a 5-year program whereby you attended school half of the year and engaged in co-ops, or paid internships, the other six months of the year. Through this program, I worked at an advertising agency and quickly discovered that I was fascinated by the creative process, as well as the strategy that went into developing a brand and bringing campaigns to market. While I was in the media department, I spent a great deal of time in the studio with the graphic designers and got to know one of the copywriters very well, which provided me great a peek behind the creative curtain. I had found something that truly captured me and decided this is it!
At my next agency, I became an account executive and found I also really enjoyed the people aspect of the work. While it’s challenging to deal with angry clients, it’s rewarding to work with driven team members toward the same goal and produce campaigns that, in turn, produce happy clients.
Although Boston was a great city, I’d always wanted to move to California. Never having been west of the Mississippi, although I’d been to other continents, I thought it was time. I quit my job, bought my Dad’s Buick for $1 and my Mom and I set off to San Diego. I had no job, no friends and no place to live, but quickly settled in, and 15 years later, here I still am.
San Diego offers so many wonderful things, but I also found that growing my career was especially important to me. I started working at Jenny Craig and also found that not only is marketing fascinating, working on brands that do great things for people is priceless. I made many great friends there, learned a lot (got my MBA at SDSU while working full time), and grew up the ranks until I was Director of Brand. After almost ten years there, I finally knew it was time for me to think about something new. Since that time, I’ve worked for a CPG brand, been a consultant and I currently find myself in medical device, a space I never saw coming. However, for each of these brands, I’ve also been able to see the direct benefit our products bring to our customers and this gets me out of bed every morning.
On a personal side, I’ve made so many great friends and acquaintances in San Diego, that it truly feels like home. I enjoy the fact that you can be outdoors any day of the year and the sunshine always brings a smile to my face. I recently purchased a condo in Carlsbad and couldn’t be happier. I am grateful every day for the values the farm in New Jersey, and my parents, instilled in me, the education I’ve had and inspiring people I’ve met along the way, and that overall, life is a wonderful journey that keeps me excited about what is next.
Has it been a smooth road?
I think a ‘smooth road’ is relative to all people, but for me, I would say yes, I have had a mostly smooth road. I’ve always understood the value of hard work and knew that if I just kept going, I would keep growing. Sometimes you don’t always move up, sometimes you grow laterally or move down before you grow up. But everything in life is a lesson. As I get older I really try to learn from all of my mistakes– that the mistake was worth it because it taught me something important about myself.
The biggest struggle for me has been building and maintaining confidence in myself. I think this is something that many young women grapple with. Making the right decision isn’t always the most difficult part of solving a problem, it’s actually making a decision at all. I believe that one of my biggest assets, and something that has helped grow my confidence, is my ability to make a decision. I use all of the information that is available and also listen to my gut but will never waiver on making that decision. When I set my mind to something I do it and if it’s the wrong decision I own it.
My advice for young women just starting out is that your intuition is powerful. Don’t be afraid to follow it (weighing some analytical inputs, as well) and don’t be afraid to be wrong. We are only human and we will all be wrong many times in this life. It’s ok. Don’t be afraid to make the mistake because what you’ll learn from it is highly valuable.
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
As I briefly mentioned before, I currently work in medical device marketing on a brand called Oska Wellness. We manufacture a pain relief device that has helped so many and will help many more, live better lives. I am the Director of Marketing for our start-up.
Working at a start-up, you wear many hats, but I would say that I specialize in solving the problem, no matter what. I consider myself a life-long learner, so I thrive when the answer is not easily attainable. If I need to find a new resource, learn a new software, gain a new skill…whatever it takes, I’ll do it until that problem is solved. I think a word that others would use to describe me is tenacity. Keep going… the answer is out there and it’s ok if you don’t have it. I often lean on others’ expertise to help guide me to the right answer.
I LOVE working on brands that do amazing things for people and at Oska Wellness, I get to do just that. I am striving every day so that more people can learn about our device, because we’ve helped so many already, but our awareness is still very low. I’m proud to come to work every day because we are delivering pain relief through a technology that is completely drug-free and non-invasive. It’s challenging to market because we are one of the only devices of its kind and the general population does not understand how it works, so it requires a high level of education. This is what also keeps my work fun… finding the right message for the right people at the right time. It’s a continuous, iterative process.
Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
I think the word ‘mentor’ means different things to different people. You can have friends that are mentors, colleagues who are mentors, or even just acquaintances that you admire and mimic that help mentor you through different scenarios.
Above all, to me, a mentor is someone who you can rely on to have your back and help guide you when you’re lost. I’ve been lucky to have a couple of mentors along the way who always believed in me. They may not have always agreed with me, but they gave me the freedom to express my opinion and allowed me to make mistakes. However, they were also the ones to stand up for me and promote my professional growth because they wanted to see me succeed in whatever form that meant for me.
Networking is very important in business, but not always the most fun thing to do. I am a very social person, but at networking events, I’d rather stand in a corner and hide. For me, the best networking is building relationships in all avenues of your life; at work, at home, at the gym…wherever it may be. The funny thing is, we all have jobs, right? So, having a strong network around you is key to helping you develop and/or seek out new opportunities when needed or desired.
Image Credit:
Brenna Stillwell
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