Katie Clark: Your Children Will Find You (#87)

Our Guest Today: Katie Clark

Katie Clark (aka @InsightsGal on Twitter), is a hybrid market research manager, social media diva, project manager based in Portland, Maine. We first “met” on Twitter, when she shared details on why she enjoyed Feisworld Podcast. I thanked her and we began exchanging tweets, DMs, then emails. Within days we scheduled a phone call and discovered how many common interests we shared.

At the same time, Katie revealed that she was adopted, as well as several other family members. After finding out that Katie wasn’t going to have children of her own, she began pursuing adoption. The journey of adopting a child was no straight line. It is also complicated and incredibly expensive with no guarantee. To embrace all the twists and turns, Katie, the uber connector and project manager, tracked every lesson learned and captured in this very Google Spreadsheet. 

In this episode, Katie explains the trial and error she had experienced even before finding the right agency to work with. Her two identical twin girls are no short of a miracle. Before they became candidates for adoption, the twins made headline in the news in Beijing in 2013 (Here’s one of many articles). Two Chinese celebrities were involved in donating to the twins’ medical needs and making their surgery possible.

Being a mom and an entrepreneur keep Katie’s hands full, yet she finds tremendous joy in building and sustaining a better community for women. She was recently elected president for Junior League of Portland, Maine, one of more than 290 Junior Leagues worldwide. Since 1922 the Junior League of Portland, Maine has identified underserved needs in the community, developed solutions, and created positive change. A number of their past programs continue to operate as self-standing entities, including the Children’s Museum and Theater of Maine, the Kids First Center, and the Center for Grieving Children.

Hope you enjoy this conversation of two women, and share real stories of their families, careers and social services. We’d love to hear from you and feel free to leave a comment on the blog!

Katie Clark – Show Notes:

• [06:30] Can you tell us who you are, where you live and what you’ve been up to?
• [10:00] Why did you move to Portland, Maine (from Boston, MA)?
• [14:30] What types of clients do you usually work with? What are your services and offerings at InsightsGal?
• [18:00] How do people find out about you and your services?
• [19:30] Can you share a few common mistakes people make when they are new in your field?
• [23:00] Can you give the listeners some advice about how to differentiate themselves from their peers in the work environment?
• [29:00] When did you decide to adopt a child and why?
• [33:00] How does the adoption process work? How complicated/easy is it?
• [40:00] Did you discuss with your husband about some of the difficulties, such as adopting a child from a different ethnical background?
• [42:00] Please tell us the story about your twin girls!
• [48:00] What type of surgery did the twin girls need? Who funded their medical needs (way before you came into the picture)?
• [51:30] How was the return flight from China to the US?
• [53:00] Can you tell us about your role at the Junior League of Portland (JLP) Maine?
• [56:00] How can people join JLP and participate as a member or volunteer?

Favorite Quotes:

• [23:30] ‘The piece that employers are gonna pick up on is HOW YOU ARE UNIQUE, how you differentiate yourself from others…’
• [25:30] ‘I really enjoy helping [interns to improve] on how they speak about themselves in interviews.’
• [29:30] ‘When you are an adopted kid, that’s in the fabric of your being. It’s part of your identity and who you are’
• [30:00] ‘And because (adoption) is not often talked about, it is a very lonesome feeling
• [35:00] ‘Me being this organized person that I am, I love to, in my life and in my work, create efficiencies’
• [36:00] ‘[You need to decide] which are the medical conditions we don’t feel comfortable with. And it’s such a personal and hard discussion to have, because there are so many children in the world that need homes…’
• [39:00] ‘When you adopt a child from overseas, you are also committing to bringing their culture into your family.’

Transcript

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Resources and Links:

• Communispace now C Space: https://www.cspace.com/
• Diversified Communications: https://divcom.com/
• CCAI (our adoption agency): http://ccaifamily.org
• Find Katie everywhere on Social Media:

• LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/katieeclark
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/insightsgal
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/insightsgal
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/InsightsGal

Learn more about Katie and Get In Touch!

Katie Clark, aka “InsightsGal”, is a self-described hybrid market researcher/project manager/social media diva. She works with companies large and small to help them tune in to the “Voice of the Customer” through research and social media to create actionable insights and brand stickiness to drive the business forward. Currently the VP of Content Marketing & Strategy at Research Rockstar, Katie has worked with and for a variety of different companies and industries, from software to seafood, from fragrance to finance, and more.

Katie is uber-connected and an intensely curious early adopter, fascinated with how people (and brands) connect and interact digitally. Katie is a social media influencer and has appeared on various ‘people to follow’ lists including 10 Great #MRX Tweeters Every Market Researcher Should Follow, Most Influential Client-Side Tweeters, and the Wearables 1k. She also blogs about market research, conference and tradeshows, social media, wearables and technology at InsightsGal.com. True to her early adopter ethos, Katie was thrilled to be selected as a Google Glass Explorer in 2013.

This year, Katie is serving as the President of the Junior League of Portland, Maine. A community fixture in Portland for 94 years, the League’s mission is to promote voluntarism, develop the potential of women, and improve the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.

Katie also speaks at meetings, conferences and online training sessions about technology, productivity tools, market research, social media, and personal branding.

Quick announcement:

Feisworld recently produced a series of #FreelanceLIVE videos on our Facebook page.  In which, I shared tips and tricks on freelancing from setting yourself up for financial success, to finding new clients, spotting bad ones, FAQs and concerns associated with freelancing.

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