55. Vanessa Giolitto: A Decade in Sports Media, Motherhood, and the One Metric That Matters

25:38Victoria:this industry right yeah it sounds like my my follow-up question was going to be how has it changed since you started and you kind of answered that that more women at the top is there anything else that you've noticed in like either level of opportunities or like workplace morale or acceptance of women's work in sports? Yeah, I think, you know, there's been like, in terms of like, just women in kind of positions where like, you know, when I was maybe at like Bleacher Report, I can use an example, like there was at a given time, there was like four managers, I was one of the managers and like there was two others who were also women and like we I went on maternity leave and then I came back and my other uh colleague who was a manager she went out on maternity leave and I think like it was such a very like kind of like normal um process that like we kind of like we were able to set up what we wanted that to look like how we prepped our leave handover like everything like that and like it was pretty fluid like I left when I left uh She helped take on some of my direct reports and same thing flip flop.

26:56When she left, I took on hers. And like, I think something like that is like, was like really encouraging to see. And I don't think it's probably like the same, like everywhere, honestly. And like, again, thinking about this being an industry that was more predominantly male for a long time, like the fact that women are here and in these positions of power and like, we're kind of just really like understanding all of this and having each other's backs and making everyone feel supported. I think that was really great to see.

27:24Victoria:We're kind of seeing women in sports, especially in the solely creator space. There are so many women that have popped up talking about sports and athletics. And then that's on the other side of women's sports are having a massive moment right now. And I'm hoping that this doesn't feel like a moment, that this is like a movement instead of a moment. But I think that the more, yeah, the more that people like you are in leadership positions and, you know, growing companies and asking the right questions and being empathetic and being open-minded and giving even younger employees a voice, like the better the whole industry will become.

28:06Victoria:I think one thing that we, that people really get wrong is like if people, if women especially feel safe at work, they are so good at their jobs. If they feel excited about the work they're doing and they feel safe at work, there's like literally nothing a woman can't do. Yeah, 100%. So you have two kids. Yes. How has becoming a mom and obviously having your second kid, how has that shaped your lifestyle and your relationship to kind of a high intensity job that's very, can be very reactionary in the sports world? Yeah. Yeah. So, um, I think, you know, a, a good, um, example of sort of like how, why I've had to like rethink sort of my career since becoming a mom.

29:08I think this is something that I always think of when questions like this come up, um, was when I was pregnant with my second, um, Henry, um, he was, uh, you know, he was due, I believe in May. Uh, but I went in for just like a routine check and, um, my water broke. Um, so this was like three and a half weeks early and, um, yeah. And so that also happened to be, the weekend of the NFL draft, which when I worked at Bleacher Report, that is the NFL draft is obviously sports temples across the board are super important. But the NFL draft is one that, you know, collectively Bleacher Report as a company, we're aware that that is one that the audience like really, really takes seriously and shows up for and depends kind of on, you know, the company to deliver a certain level of coverage for them, you know, and so it's always been one that's been very like, yeah, high energy stress for sure.

30:14And so I was actually when I was like waiting to see if I was going to go back to the doctor to the hospital, I did have my laptop open and I was putting together a video package of like the top remaining prospects heading into day two of the draft. So because it was it was literally like the Friday or yeah, the Friday. And so like, I remember doing that. And then like, as my husband was kind of on his way home, and like, I ended up sending that in and then ended up going into the app. So it wasn't like I did, but it went into the app. And, you know, this was again, like, this was when I was a manager, right?

30:56So I was a manager doing the task essentially of something that like my direct reports most likely would be handling and putting together. But like we're a small team. We all just always had each other's backs. And sometimes, you know, I kind of saw things like that as like it would take me maybe, you know, 15 to 20 minutes to put that together. And then but then if you think about me kind of delegating that out, I would have to explain it to somebody. I would have to potentially kind of like talk about where they'd find the clips. Like there was just ended up obviously maybe it would get closer to like an hour or so potentially for them to do it.

31:35And so I think that was the mindset that I had in that moment. Right. And then after having Henry, after being off on mat leave for four months, coming back, when I came back, we were in like full mode of getting ready to launch the 2.0 version of the app, which was like, really, like all hands on deck, cross functional kind of project. And I think it just hit me, right? I was like, I delegation needs to be a priority. And honestly, you know, I think my mindset on it just completely shifted to like, I want to like, I want to empower the people on my team to kind of feel like I have their back and I'm supporting them, right?

32:22And asking them to do these things. And then if they have questions, if they are struggling, like they can ask me and I'll help them, right? It's not like I'm just assigning it and then I'm gone, right? But I want them to like kind of be the ones to pave the way. And then I'm just sort of like there as like, you know, supporting cast, right? Like lower down in those instances. And so, yeah, I think that's like a good example. But like, ultimately, like, Being a mom, it's really shifted how I think about my career in that where I'm working, I want to be making an impact. I want, you know, ideas that I have or points of view that I have to be something that I'm presenting.

33:00And if it's something that helps the company, great. Right. But if it's something that, you know, ultimately was a little bit of a swing and a miss, like I want to be the person to like actively take that on my shoulders and be like, OK, let's make sure it never happens again. Right. And so, you know, making impact, like I mentioned, is important to me. And you were talking a little bit before about like women's sports. And so actually, I've really been, you know, kind of zero focused recently on, you know, whether it's a women's sports league or it's a company that understands how important it is like to take advantage of or take into account more so.

33:42the women's perspective as a sports fan I think that's really been sort of like my my sole focus and where I truly feel like I see myself in my next kind of like full-time role capacity would be kind of in some way supporting you know one of those two things that I just mentioned so super long answer but great question yeah great answer sometimes you have to answer

34:11Victoria:at length. Sometimes you have to add all of the details and that's why I started a podcast so we could talk at length. I can't always be confined to a 60-second reel with a perfect script. You know? Yeah. Yes. Okay. So you recently started No Notes Consulting. Yeah. So you are consulting, you are writing on Substack, and you kind of mentioned in your next full-time role kind of looking to go into the empowerment of women's sports fans and potentially women's sports as well. Tell me a little bit about starting the consulting business. So you're at kind of a pivot in your career. How have you felt?

34:52Victoria:You mentioned a little bit of imposter syndrome hitting posts. So maybe we can start by, you've hit posts probably a million times at this point, whether that be on a campaign, on the app relaunch, on, you know, so many times. So how did that feel hitting post and kind of, yeah, just tell me a little bit more. A hundred percent. Yeah. So, you know, like I kind of alluded to it earlier. Um, I, um, you know, I, about at the start of 2026, um, I was working at TikTok on that was my most recent full-time role. I was working there. Um, and, um, the team that I was on the content operations team there, and, um, we kind of shifted onto the product org.

35:45And at that moment, as a lot of large corporations right now are going through, um, they kind of had a large like restructuring and with that kind of my team was a part of you know a broad mass layoff and so my role was impacted in that moment um and you know it was actually the first time in my career something like that has happened to me um but you know and of course initially at first i was a little bit like you know upset taking it back questioning what am i doing next right? All those things, very real things. You know, now though, truthfully, I look at it and I'm like, I really think it was a blessing in disguise because I went on to have lots of conversations.

36:28We can call it networking conversation with a lot of different individuals. And, you know, one of those individuals was someone who I had been talking to for a while, probably like over a year now. And again, you know, she kind of expressed like, hey, I have no full-time openings like on my team or really in the imminent future but like I would love to like have you like audit my content and even if it was on like a monthly or a bi-monthly basis and like what are your thoughts on that and I mean immediately I was like yes that sounds great I would love that um and again not to mention like the focus of her content is very in line with what I was saying earlier, right, of the like, taking in the woman's perspective, right around like, covering sports.

37:15So, you know, I think from there, it just sort of planted a seed in me of like, I'm going to obviously continue to pursue full time opportunities and, you know, apply and an interview and, you know, but at the same time, while I'm doing that, I feel like I do have, you know, background and expertise that I could be offering to individuals to kind of help them as they're sort of just like navigating, building up their businesses. And, you know, a lot of times I've noticed that a lot of these individuals are like super creative and like the content is like really good that they have and they're good at telling stories.

37:52But then when you just think about the larger kind of, you know, strategical approach in terms of how they're showing up across all platforms, like, that's something that, you know, sometimes gets kind of like lost a bit. And so being able to like show up for those individuals, I was like, I feel like that's something that other brands could potentially use. So, you know, I just sort of saw it as an opportunity to like, launch something and I, I did it. And then also, like you mentioned, launched the sub stack, because I kind of wanted to have a home base where just my own point of view and my perspective on sports, on the industry could all just live.

38:34And I mean, I think, you know, if you go on my subsec, you'll see a lot of my posts. Like I do allude to like being a mom and like I've even shared like some pictures of my kids. Like I just I think sometimes like having LinkedIn be the only place where people can kind of find out about you from a career perspective almost like is limiting. Right. Because it's kind of like I think you show up on LinkedIn and you have all these places that you've worked, but like, it doesn't sometimes always get into like the deeper, like tissue of like who you are and how you think and operate. So yeah, that's sort of like me and like where I'm at right now and kind of what led to no notes consulting.

39:14And like, to your point, like why I had imposter syndrome, because obviously I've never launched my own thing. I've always been launching things on behalf of a company, having kind of the backing of that company and knowing the KPIs and the direction of the company. So yeah, that's kind of like why it felt different for me.

39:34Victoria:Yeah. Okay. I didn't prep you for this question. So let me know. It's fine. Oh yeah. Yeah. What in your career across any platform, any major launch, whether it be the app or a whole campaign or a single piece of content, what has been the one thing that has been scary, like the scariest or most nerve wracking to either launch or hit send on? That's a really good question. I feel like the scariest thing I like, I think I could have so many different answers for this but I will probably I think I'm gonna give the one that felt scary because I think I I felt like there was so much riding on it because it was closely tied to this relaunch of the app that you mentioned um and so we um I was responsible for when I was at Bleacher Report putting together the curation planning which essentially just means when users are in the app, like what the experience they're going to have is.

40:51So it's, it's essentially everything besides push notifications, like the strategy for everything besides push notifications. And so for the NFL draft, of course, NFL draft, like I mentioned, buzzword there, we, you know, this was our first one in the 2.0 version of the app. And like, we had all these shiny new things, shiny new tools, new ways to engage with our audience. And one of those things was these carousels. And essentially, like, they can be anything you want. They can be video carousels, articles, they can be vertical, they can be horizontal, like all the things, right? So many bells and whistles.

41:30And so I think, you know, it was kind of an exercise and really, and I like I think a question that you sent me or that you brought up to me in the past was always just like for somebody who is launching their own thing like what's one of the things you would recommend them to do just like that they need to do right like from the jump and like being a fan of the the the thing the Instagram the newsletter the whatever it is the content the platform that you're putting together, I think is pivotal and being as close to that fan as you possibly can, I think is really important. And so that was an exercise where I really put myself in the position of an NFL fan of all the teams and what would they want to experience if they're going into the Bleacher Report app that would make it elevated for them, would make it so that they feel like, like this is for me like I'm finding this like beneficial to how I function as a fan and how I operate and so we ended up kind of putting together these carousels that were you know highlight packages of all their every single draft pick you know there was also video clip outs from our live show that you know had analysts giving their instant grades of the picks and then we had our scouting reports as well.

42:56And those were all kind of in their own carousels. And it was like, every possible thing you could possibly want, essentially about your draft picks was all there. So like, you almost become like, an expert, right, in a way, if you just are in our app, right, and engaging with that content. And so I thought, you know, that was something that, you know, really could, it was stressful, because there was a lot riding on it, right? I think it It was like there was obviously internally a lot of the individuals going to be surveying how we handled covering the draft. But then also like with the relaunch, of course, with like any app relaunch, it's very normal.

43:35Like you obviously are going to lose some of your user base. And so the we obviously know that the NFL draft is this tentpole moment where people are going to be using our app more than ever. And it was a real opportunity to one, keep the fans that we already retained to continue to really like be dedicated to using the app. And then two, right, for anyone engaging with our content on social, they were going to be linking out to the app, making sure that when they do land in the app, it was an experience that made them be like, great, like, love this. I want to stick around for more. So I think and it led to actually me doing one of those things I mentioned I wasn't doing too much of, but I was like actually helping the team with doing some of that programming because there was a lot of manual, you know, manual navigating within our new CMS that needed to happen to make these carousels all happen.

44:25So it was kind of one of those moments where you kind of like throw everything out the window and you kind of do just jump in and roll up your sleeves. So I think probably that feels pretty top of mind. But like ultimately working in sports, like, I mean, there's obviously like countless like answers that I could have given you. Like maybe even like when I sent my first app notification and when I worked at Bleacher Report, because I, I came on as a manager directly and normally they only had people promoted into being a manager. So when I came on, they wanted me to essentially do all the jobs of everybody that I would be, you know, managing, which makes a ton of sense.

45:06And so sending push notifications is one of those things. And I had never done that before. So I was also nervous about that. And it was like, oh my gosh, I'm blanking on what it is. I have to, after this, like send you and like, maybe we can even like record it or something if we want. But like, I have to look up what it was. It was something like very unserious. But just sending the alert, like that was going to hit so many people's lock screens. I was like very nervous about too. But I think the other one was more, I was more nervous for sure.

45:36Victoria:Because one of, I mean, one of them is like, did I make a typo? Even though I've read this a billion times and like, this is going out to however many hundreds of thousands or millions of people honestly my mind can't even wrap around that so I would be super nervous but then the other one is like something that you basically kind of made from scratch you know like you wrote the roadmap and then you taught everyone how to use it and then build the thing and then it's also live action so it's not yeah Yeah, I can see both of them and I like that you gave both answers. Okay, so you have worked at companies on kind of these larger scale projects, apps, launches, campaigns, etc., as well as in kind of straight what we think of originally as like content, posts, etc.

46:34Victoria:Now you're working kind of with some more one-to-one clients on growing and kind of multi-platform experiences. How does a creator go from being just a creator, and I don't say that in like a, I hope that doesn't come off wrong, but like a sole creator, how do they make that into a full business that is sustainable over time. Yeah. Honestly, I think, you know, it might seem like a naive answer, but I think we've kind of scratched the surface on, you know, the real, like when you boil it down the real way. And I think it comes to kind of like what you were saying before of like, when you send a message and it's like, you know, to somebody that you've never met before.

47:30And it's like, you're just kind of like, shooting your shot, like, you know, like they, they could not they could ignore you, they could say no, like, I think, honestly, you know, sure, like, there are instances of like, creators who just sort of like, kind of one in a million, like their content so great, and they are recognized by, you know, a media company or a league, and then they bring them on. And then And that's kind of like how they get their kind of like big break, right? Like those things for sure do happen. But I think, you know, kind of the larger chunk, let's call it like 70 to 80 % of people, right?

48:10Like, I think are hungry individuals who are willing to do whatever it takes and take Chris, like criticism of their content and, and like adjust and shift. Um, and like, you know, reach out to whether it's the different platforms, whether it's brands, right. Who feel aligned with the kind of like audience that you're trying to target with your content. Um, it just takes like one or two, right. Like conversations really for like those things to kind of develop. And then I think obviously too, like the last piece of it, I would say is like kind of just already thinking a few steps ahead, right.

48:57With like, if you are a creator who like potentially has your own podcast, but you know, you haven't yet ventured into doing any kind of like live like events or any kind of like in-person events. Like if you have an audience that's engaging with your content, right? You know, I think kind of exploring like what some kind of like in real life event could look like makes a ton of sense because then it's like a proof of concept, right? You can then take to a potential brand that would want to work with you. So I think, honestly, it's all about like what we just talked about, like being hungry and just being willing to like push past like the imposter syndrome of it all, you know?

49:39Victoria:Yeah, I love that you mentioned like that's like exactly what we're doing here like going from the game to her game days going from like just the podcast just yeah fantasy league into like bringing that into real life and it is like opening the door and even like just the people that I've spoken to in opening up the doors regardless of what it materializes to be yeah it just makes you think about things in a different way as well so I kind of love that ultimately the advice that I heard from that is take yourself out of just being the creator and put yourself into new rooms to use what you can create to grow and excel in a new way.

50:24Recognize the value like that you have and that you bring. And I think sometimes it's easy to like, just like get stuck in like, you know, cause when I was a more of a content creator, Right. Like you get stuck in like, Hey, like I'm really good at editing or like, Hey, that was a great thumbnail that I made. Like, and it's like, you're, you, you recognize that like you're creative and you have these skills and assets, but you don't like, you know, recognize the bigger picture of like, Oh, but like I could like, I actually, especially like if I have an Instagram, like we're talking about, obviously that you have, like, it's like, I have an audience that is like dedicated to the platform like that actually is something that's like tangible and that like other brands and other companies also like are looking to gain access to that like it would take them like years and campaigns and things to like get in touch with where it's like you just have like like the easiest of access to and so like sometimes it's like just really trying to think of how you fit into yeah like the larger ecosystem for sure yeah

51:27Victoria:How did you go from being in the like creator kind of solely content side? How did you make the jump into strategy and now constantly having tent poles in the back of your mind and planning for large events? What was that change? Yeah, it was scary. And it was, I was rolling the dice. I remember it was, this was, I was working at Sports Illustrated on something called the trending vertical, which was essentially like, we were a small team that we were given a lot of like, creative freedom to kind of like follow what was being discussed on Twitter, Reddit, taking into consideration tentpoles, and like, grabbing a camera, going out doing man on the street style interviews, like making sure that if it was trending, like sports illustrated had a video or a piece of content that was like organically being posted, like, you know, on across platforms.

52:36And so I was there, it was a temporary role. Um, and you know, there was a lot of stuff going on organizational wise that became made it clear that, you know, there would be some changes happening. And so, you know, I took it upon myself to start reaching out, networking, interviewing, and an opportunity came up at NBC Universal, where I previously worked at NBC Sports Philadelphia. So wouldn't be the first time I worked there. But this role actually was, I'd be sitting at headquarters, which NBC Sports headquarters in Stanford, and I would be essentially putting together playbooks that would support all of the local regional sports networks.

53:18So NBC Sports Philadelphia would be one of them. So like I was going to like be the one instead of creating content, I was going to be talking to everybody who was creating content and saying, Hey guys, we tried this. It was awesome. Let's run it back. Or Hey guys, we tried this. Didn't work. Um, so let's make sure we change direction, change format, change whatever it is so that it is a success, whether that's on social on web and you know I I just remember like this is when we still did like in-person interviews so that was like really cool of an experience and so did the interviews in person like loved like my boss I had then and then also like his boss he's somebody who also like I still stay in touch with um and he's he's so great um but like had really good feelings about all of it except except the main thing of like, I wasn't creating content anymore.

54:12And like, I was gonna be looking at data like what, like, I was just, I remember just being like, this doesn't feel like it fits in like the puzzle of like my brain. And so, but I was like, you know what, let's just give it a shot. Like I've always something that's always been true about myself in my career is like, if it's a challenge, I think it's a good thing. Like, if it's not challenging me, like, I feel like it's not the right thing. Right. I feel like I always want to feel like I'm running towards challenges and not away from them. So, um, yeah, that's kind of how I got my start. And I told my, he was my fiance at the time.

54:49I was like, I think I might like actually fully hate this. Um, but I ended up loving it like so much so that obviously now it's like what I built my career around and where I see it progressing. But yeah, that's how it happened.

55:02Victoria:Yeah. That's a great, that's a great answer it's just it was just a jump you just went for it and yeah and look at you now me now yeah we went for it and it's like I don't know it's like sometimes like that's like what life is right like it's like I think so many I talked to like when I made the jump from Bleacher Report to TikTok I remember having a lot of conversations with a lot of my colleagues or even my direct reports and like a lot of them kind of just like asked me like you know questions about why am I leaving? Or how did I decide this pivot was right for me going from, you know, working at sports media companies to working inside a social media platform.

55:40And I was like, you know, I, it's gonna be a challenge, like, and I just saw it as that and as like a very unique opportunity that I would not get, like elsewhere. And so and I do recall a lot of their faces being like, I, okay, like, great for you. But like, I can't imagine doing that myself. And like, it's probably not for everybody right like I think sometimes there's just like you never know what people are going through or just like what their whatever their upbringing was or their people that they had as mentors that taught them something about how their career should go or what it should look like so like maybe it's not for everyone but I think you know for somebody really working in sports media that, you know, wants to kind of really always try to, you know, get to the point where they are really like, you know, as challenged as possible, and they are just willing to like do whatever it takes and see what happens.

56:48I think it definitely is something worthwhile to at least consider, you know, so that's, yeah, that's where I've been.

56:56Victoria:Nice. Okay, I want to ask you a couple of expertise questions and then we'll kind of close it out so at sports illustrated you produce for the trending vertical things that are kind of going on things that are trendy things that everyone is seeing and then at preacher report you did the temples as we said draft March Madness, etc. How do you build for planned moments versus these kind of breaking news moments or trending moments? Yes, it's a great question. So I think on the surface, you probably would think like, those are two completely different things, right? So like, you would have to like, completely shift your brain and there's no way to like plan really for like the breaking news moments.

57:51Right. So actually, um, you know, I, I think I used to think that way, like up until, uh, you know, about like when I made that pivot more into strategy and when I was at Bleacher Report specifically, one of the tasks that I had was actually thinking through what a template could look like to how we cover breaking news. So, you know, what does the Bleacher Report app look like when news breaks? What does it look like in the two to three hours after? What does it look like in the four to six hours after? What does it look like the next day? Like, Like, and like, obviously, you know, there are things that happen, like a player coming out and giving their take on a trade or on a coach getting fired that like you couldn't necessarily plan for.

58:44Right. That like ends up being so important that you put everything aside and you use your editorial judgment and you decide that that needs to go higher than like the the grades piece that we like put together the article that like we always would use. so those things will happen but I would say like as best you can being planned for like every kind of scenario is only going to always be like to your benefit and that's at like any team you're on that's even if you're like a a small like creator-led brand too like the more that like you try to kind of like think out scenarios and how you might like right like in an ideal world react to them, I think makes you better equipped to make the right calls or the make pivot make the right pivots like in the moment.

59:34So yeah, those that like breaking news, playbook that I put together, like, I remember like that I pinned that and every like Slack channel, I was constantly sometimes like dropping it in again, like if like it was pinned, but people just forgot it was pinned of like a reminder because like yeah again like in those moments it's so hard when you're the creator right like you're a a person writing articles or sending alerts or you're you know the person in the seat right in the driver's seat of like what does our coverage look like it can be hard to like oh let me just stop and like look at a playbook like that's the last thing you want to do but I think having it at the top of your mind or it's like there's a lull right after that first hour you're in the four to six hours and you're kind of like all right like okay I feel like I can breathe like the NFL news is out but like what's going on in the NBA like you're at that moment but like let's make sure that that coverage of this like top news moment is actually like to the point where you know the the narrative is being pushed forward we're getting as deep as we can with the story so that we don't miss out on that opportunity to like further engage with our audience because I always say like when it comes to like social and app like social is where like the story breaks or like the initial moment happens but I think when you think about like an app like that's where people are going to like go deeper you know what I mean to like really feel every different layer every different scenario or possibility of like something that's happened like they're actively seeking that out and like they're like okay it's like I'm on the train and like I already saw that like the news about like LeBron like being open to leaving the Lakers like I saw it's like now like let me like pop open like the ESPN or like the Bleacher Report app and like let me like check out like where people are saying like he's gonna go like why he did this like what's the reaction from like other players around the league like that's kind of the conversations or the the thoughts happening in fans brains when it comes to like an app versus social and so that's always how I've thought about those two things yeah yeah Yeah, that was an excellent answer.

1:01:41Victoria:I had no expectations for that answer. I'm not going to lie. But that was an excellent answer. And I think one of humans flaws sometimes is that like we hear something and we go into our own like our own brain goes into our situation. But I'm like, I totally need to do this. Like I need to plan for the unplanned. Yeah. So that when good things do happen, I'm prepared and I don't feel like I need to churn out creativity at the drop of a hat if I'm tired and I can't, I, you know, like. It's hard to be creative sometimes when you're like in really high stress moments and you don't have, yeah, anything planned.

1:02:22Then you're like, how do I, like, how do I, how do I make sure I'm doing the thing I need to do, but then also like doing the thing that's like cool and cheeky and like going to make people stay. So no, yeah, completely.

1:02:35Victoria:Okay. I love it. Great answer. Okay. So you've been working closely with talent throughout your career. What, this is like on the kind of like creator community or even company community standpoint, but what separates talent that compounds a brand from talent that essentially rents its audience? Yeah, yeah. And like, honestly, I think this kind of goes back to some of the things that I've mentioned before but like truthfully I mean I'm gonna use her as an example I already brought her up before but like Sinead Gumake love her so much and like you know she's the relationship that I had like I was closest to probably like you know when it comes to like a talent and like producer like type of relationship and so why I think she's so good and why her career just like continues to ascend like in the sports media industry is because she's somebody who I mean obviously she played the game So that's not always going to be something that every single creator can have and pull out of their back pocket.

1:03:42But honestly, like first and foremost, I think she just shows up authentically as someone who like, like wholeheartedly believes in the take she's giving, believes in like the fans she's talking to. like there's so much level of care put into like every single I mean like I'm saying this from like when I worked with her obviously but like no doubt in my mind that this is still how she operates like a thousand percent um and like it was just so clear like for me from day one like walking in like let's like go over like my like shot sheets or like let's go over like the feature that you guys are gonna air like I want to make sure that I'm like setting it up the right way Like, I just think like, if you care and you know the fans who you're talking to, and you've taken time, like I said before, to like, actually like just like take a day and like, like be as close to how that fan operates as you possibly can.

1:04:46I think it's going to show right and I think like, you know, there's there's just other talent and like you can tell it's like with any job almost like people that like are in jobs and it's like it's a job, right. And like, you're just showing up and you're just, you're reading and maybe you're reading everything right. And you didn't actually say anything factually wrong, but like, it's a different, there's just a different feeling, a different vibe to it. I think it's like, you don't, I mean, my favorite podcast, um, like right now is not gonna lie with Kylie Kelsey. And I think one of the things I really love and love so much from that show, but one of the things that I love is when she goes and reads the comments on her posts on her like clip outs on social like that her audience give on her own content or just like on other like videos on TikTok and you can just tell like she like she cares what like how her fans are reacting whether it's positive or negative and like sometimes she's like putting them in their place but other times she's like I'm so glad you saw it that way because that's how like I saw it and that's what I was really trying to get at.

1:05:52So I think like small things like that go a really long way in terms of like connecting with the community, making sure that they feel seen and that you're almost like in it with them, you know? Yeah.

1:06:04Victoria:Yeah. I love that. Like being in it with them. And if you feel like you're not in it with them, like take a day to figure out how are they looking at or how, how do you be more in it with them? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So you said that creative production is essentially your foundation. What makes a piece of sports content actually land versus something that people scroll past? Yeah, I think this is this is really good. Because honestly, it's so hard now with like all the different platforms that there are and like how, like where they're scrolling and like there's just so much to it like I think before there used to be when there was like less platforms it was like it just has to be something that's like gonna grab someone's attention in a short span of time and like that was kind of the answer but I mean now I think it really circles back to like some of the things we've touched on regarding you know if you are a brand let's like take your brand right you're a brand focused on football for from the female's perspective and like how they experience it um I think the way that you're gonna stop people to scroll versus like it just being another piece of content is like again like they're feeling seen in in the content that you're putting together I mean like I think I obviously like I'm a fan of the podcast and I'm a fan of you know all the content that you produce.

1:07:37But like the reason I think, and this is before we even met, right, that I really resonated with whether it was the show or, or the, or your Instagram was because a lot of that content, like I saw myself in, or I just was like, I feel like so many girls could easily see themselves in. And like, you know, like you almost like, don't take yourself too seriously always when you're talking about sports because I think like sports, like, I mean, on the surface, like, isn't that serious as a fan, right? Like how we're not playing, right? Like we're, we're rooting for our teams. We are obsessed with rivalries.

1:08:17Like that's how, that's like what being a fan is. And so I think like the way you're going to stop somebody in the scroll is if ultimately there's a strong story or a strong theme that you're telling that is in line with what your audience actually is looking for and searching for and if it's not it's not right and then they're gonna scroll past and be like this this like is so disjointed from anything I would care about or anything that I actually would stop my time you know stop myself to watch um I think it's honestly it's kind of easier in a way sometimes like get people like as long as it's like in line with the topic like Like, let's use an example.

1:08:55Like, I'm, we've been talking a lot about sports, but, like, I also, like, love, like, trash reality television. Like, I'm just like a lot of other people. And, like, so, like, summer house drama. Like, I was, like, at a certain point in time, my TikTok and my Instagram algorithm were literally, like, sport, like, World Cup and summer house drama. Yeah, that's all my algorithm is. Yeah. Yeah. And like, honestly, like it didn't take a whole lot to get me to stop to watch something regarding Summer House. Because, again, like that was just I want I'm the audience. Like I care about this stupid thing for some reason.

1:09:35I don't know what I do. And like I'm going to stop and watch. So I think, you know, it's it's like it's sometimes maybe a little easier sometimes to get people to stop scrolling. But I think what's more important and what actually will like add value to your brand and make it so that you grow and you get those opportunities for like monetization, like we were talking about, is like it's not just the catching them. It's the like consistency of like, OK, I'm showing up at every single time I'm showing up. It's exactly what they want to see. And they know they can come to me because I'm a source for X, Y, Z, you know?

1:10:09Right.

1:10:10Victoria:Right. Yeah. I think the consistency thing is huge. Like what do people associate what you're posting with and can you continue to stay, whether it be in that like style or around that general topic? Like I don't even think it has to be like that specific. Like one of my favorite videos I ever posted was like about my boyfriend saying that like maybe we could go to a Europe game and then he dumped me and then I went by myself. and and like you know people loved that even though I wasn't you know it wasn't the exact same as like the fantasy content I was posting or the community building stuff with outfits or whatever um yeah okay last kind of question on this you translate data into decisions for a living you know you talked about when you got into that how it started for someone with no analytics team or looking for a kind of single daily metric to start with what is one number they should watch?

1:11:08Yeah. So I think for social, it's engagement per post. That is the number or that is the one metric that I think is most important and is like a really good litmus test of a lot of the stuff we've been talking about. Like the content that you're producing, like if engagement per post is, you know, not consistently going up, right? Like you're just like, you had Like one post had really high engagement, but then the next couple few like have low engagement. Like there's something off there. And again, that's going to just compound into like so many other metrics probably starting to dip. And that's kind of almost like the root of the problem.

1:11:49Like you got to first figure that out before you can kind of figure other things out, I feel like. And then for the app, for an app, I think honestly, to me, like time spent is really important, right? Like it's, we were just talking about it a little earlier, like it's a habitual act to use a mobile app. And, you know, when I was at Bleacher Report, you know, one of the things that we always focused on was like, we knew users were actually, the higher percentage of users were actually actively opening the app, not from a push notification. Like they were going out of their way to just be like, well, I just want to use the app.

1:12:26Right. So, so if that's an indicator, so obviously that means focus on what is that experience? then, right? Outside of just, hey, we really are great and fast and we're always accurate with our push notifications, which is, of course, also important. But like, in terms of like, what's going to be the heartbeat or the thing that's kind of like keeping an app like living or sustainable or something that's important, I think is time spent for sure. So those are the two that come to mind. Yeah, that's awesome.

1:12:54Victoria:Okay. So you had mentioned to me when we were chatting yesterday, a little bit today about kind of mentoring and really wanting to be someone who amplifies young women who are maybe coming into the sports world. What is the, or what is a piece of advice that you would give to a young woman either about to break into the sports world or who maybe has recently started in the sports world and kind of wants to grow in her career there? Yeah, I give this, I've given this advice and I think this is advice that goes like women, men, everyone like is good for everyone earlier in their career, honestly.

1:13:37And that is to always like document publicly the accomplishments and things that you're doing on LinkedIn, definitely on LinkedIn. and then on honestly other platforms as well if you want to but I think LinkedIn first and foremost because what I was saying before around where I felt like I got caught in this conundrum where like my LinkedIn kind of is like you know it's it shows obviously the jobs that I've had and it shows like some posts of like whether it's promotions or right some projects that I've worked on but like by and large like it's not like a full breadth of the like portfolio accomplishments that I've had like I I definitely was not like ever like hey just worked on like even like let's use the sports center Africa like I never would like did like post it about that or anything when I was doing it but like again it's like I'm whatever it is like uh gosh that was like 2016 so a long time ago I'm so many years removed from now but like I'm still talking about it and how important it was and what an impact it made on my career but there's no like post like documenting it and I think that that's just like a missed opportunity right like I think it just obviously like the more and more that you can kind of like really tell your story based on things you've done I think will only be be beneficial and then specifically to like women honestly I think you know trying to like connect with other women who are you know more established or have been in this industry a little bit longer and taking all the things we've talked about of like just sending the message like they don't even have to work at your company right they can work at another company and just like having a genuine conversation like I think you'd be surprised in like how many women are willing to like just chat and like whether if they're not willing to like be your specific mentor they might mention to you that there's like uh organizations like women in sports and events which is one that i'm in that i've recently joined and i've like really really loved um and that i recommend for like all women to check out um so and you never know and like they have specific like mentor mentorship programs that they offer so i think that's what i would say and like that like you know it's obviously way better in terms of like just seeing more women in the field but sometimes they probably still can feel a little bit intimidating or like you feel like you might not fit in.

1:16:06And so seek out those spaces where, or those individuals doing the things that you see yourself doing down the road to make it so that you can see that you do fit in, like, and you, you, like you do belong here, you know?

1:16:19Victoria:Yeah. That's a great answer. I think the documenting everything, I mean, I feel like even if you're like, I'm not going to, some people like won't post on LinkedIn, they'll only do like the job updates, but even like at a minimum, a notes app of like, I did this super great thing. Like then if you're prepping for a job interview or you're looking for a way to connect with someone and you're like, oh my gosh, I did do X, Y, and Z. Like I can hit this in my LinkedIn message. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. LinkedIn's cool. Honestly, like I feel like I am on LinkedIn at the time where I'm the least kind of, like I have a corporate job at the moment but I use LinkedIn more now for stuff with what I'm doing and I love it like I I such a great it's such a great it's like kind of the wild west because you see a little bit of everything yeah um but I think it's great yeah it's a great place to show like I do all these cool career things and I think especially now or like in the position that I'm in people like the dynamic career is probably more popular now than ever.

1:17:30Victoria:And it's cool to kind of showcase that in a way. So usage is like be the space where it was like, people are literally only posting about like their achievements, like that's it. But like now it's like, people are having genuine conversations about the industry about just like, being like, whatever, whatever it is a working mom or, you know, all sorts of things. Like I think it's become actually more of like a platform genuinely, as opposed to just like something that we just all kind of know we should have thing. Yeah. Yeah. Like a, like a watered down version of your resume, but it's like a place you can put cool stuff.

1:18:08Yes. Yes.

1:18:10Victoria:All right. We're going to close this out with our rapid fire ish. I should not call this rapid fire. Cause we always, I always end up talking about it for a while, but, but who is your favorite sports team at the moment? Yeah. So hard because like to just pick one, because I have so many favorite teams and I'm, uh, I mean, it's shocking. This hasn't come up yet, but, um, I'm a huge Philadelphia sports fan. Um, and I usually get that like out of the way early. Cause not everybody loves that about me, but, that's that's you know it is it's me it's who I am I won't hide it so I'd say given that the the Philadelphia Phillies are have been like really really fun to watch recently yeah obviously after kind of the coaching change that happened kind of like at the midpoint more like before the midpoint of the season and now just like with Bryce and with Schwerbs kind of just doing their thing like being the vets that we need them to be I mean it's just like I don't know I love I love them they just seem like they have so much fun we obviously have the best mascot like in all of sports also which is like you can't even argue it um so for that love the Phillies um but I mean secondly I wrote a sub stack on this as well um well the Knicks I did write a sub stack about that and they deserve all their flowers and I like ended up drinking the kool-aid for sure but no actually the Dallas wings um I which like seems crazy that I would ever say a Dallas team I know weird said I was a Philadelphia fan but I'm mentioning a Dallas team but um I am a UConn women's basketball fan through marriage um and so them having Paige and AZ um it's like just makes sense it just fits but also I don't know I mean I truthfully like Paige is just like she is the definition of like the athlete like that I love to follow like I just feel like she's like tough she like um she's funny like she's just so herself and she's also I mean of course very talented as well so fun to watch but um yeah so that would kind of be my answer to that one perfect I love it that was a very well-rounded answer good um so you just mentioned Paige would you say that your favorite athlete right now or is there another one that you want to mention I mean I'd say Paige because the only other person that comes like athlete it's like I'd want to pick one of the players on the U.S.

1:20:49men's national team but ultimately also like I think every American right now should just be like we just love the U.S. men's national team as a whole so

1:20:59Victoria:I don't even want to pick out longs I don't want to mess up the Juju but I love I love Paige I love everything about her like you know all the kind of like the videos of like her reacting to plays whether it's like when she had her matchup against Olivia Miles like I just I think she's like I don't know she has this kind of like toughness to her that like it gives me like Philly vibes honestly um and so I just like I love her and I she was actually on um Kylie's podcast like not that long ago like more like when the unraveled season was happening and like I don't know she seems like so down to earth and like she was just like talking about how much fun they were having whether when they were like in Miami and um just like I don't know she seems like someone I would like genuinely like to like hang out with you know too I love it when I see someone online and I'm like I'm pretty confident that you're exactly who you are online as you are in real life like I love it when people are like that um you mentioned like reality tv but do you know Caitlin Bristow from The Bachelor yes yeah okay I feel like she's one of those people so when I listen to her show I'm like I'm like I feel 99 confident that if I were to ever like be in a bar and she's sitting at the bar next to me, you like know what you're getting and that she would be kind of the same version of herself.

1:22:20Victoria:So I feel like Paige is probably also in that category of like, there's no – this is just like who they are, which is also what you were saying earlier of like, that's what gets people invested is like just be yourself and people are going to think you're cool because you probably are. Yes. Okay. Last question. Who is one woman either in the sports world or not that more of the world needs to know about? Yeah. So speaking of like women who I feel like just show up like who they are and who are super authentic, you know, one that comes to mind is Ashton Batuso. Batuso? I could be saying it wrong.

1:22:56So like we've never met in person. And I just honestly, I discovered her through I follow the offball like I follow offball on social media, but the newsletter specifically and have loved it for the longest time. and I would say maybe I don't know what it was now maybe like three or four months ago like they did one of their newsletters she kind of like came out and like announced that she was the voice behind the newsletter and honestly it's like so the way that they the way that she covers sports to me is like so positive and is so like I don't know she's just able to like tell such a great story and it's never like uh diving too deep into the negative side of things was just so easy to do I feel like in sports and also like culturally like I just feel like I like have always felt like I'm more of a cultural sports fan but ever since her like her being somebody who's guiding me through like sports culture I feel like my level has gone like exponentially higher because she just like gets it and you can tell again that's how she is like as a sports fan so honestly like her she's great follow her I highly recommend it but then also like the off ball they have like their standard newsletter but they've also recently been doing a newsletter for the world cup it's called off ball fc and it's so good um yeah really really good so yeah that's what comes to mind and like I also obviously I mean I know it could be obvious but like I think people should be following you if they're just listening to your podcast like they should definitely be following you and I'm so excited like about this rebrand about everything that's coming along with it like Like, I mean, I promise like knock on wood or like hand up, like I'm not just saying that like I'm a huge fan of yours.

1:24:46Like I genuinely am. I think we talked about it enough where how I discovered you listening to one of your podcasts. Like, I just think that you're somebody again who just shows up as like, this is just who you are with a microphone in front of you. And so it's why I highly recommend you as well.

1:25:01Victoria:Thank you. That's really, really kind. Yeah, I'm so grateful that we've gotten to know each other. And I feel like, you know, we have like a friendship and we've been able to like, you know, work together a little bit. And it's just it's been so fun. And it's so cool to work with someone who is also like very authentic and you show up just as like and and your ability to see things from a different perspective is so great. But you're such a pleasure to work with regardless. And the way that you give feedback, I think, is something that has probably set you apart at every job. but the way that you give feedback is like empowering, which I think is a special skill that you have.

1:25:41Victoria:Even if you're saying, I wouldn't do this, it never feels like a stiff arm. It always feels like you have another option or that you like explain why you would maybe consider something else. And I really appreciate that. And I hope that I can like learn some of that from you over time. But I'm super grateful that you are here. and yeah this is so fun um yeah hopefully we'll do a philly event they will be repping in and thanks for coming on the show oh where can people find you people can find me um no notes consulting.com is my website but then on substack um believe it's no notes playbook is my actual like handle there.

1:26:34And yeah, you can find me there. Again, also our favorite platform that we said has become a platform, LinkedIn. You can obviously find me on there as well. If you ever want to chat, if you're a woman working in sports, you could be anybody. But if you are a woman like we've talked about before, who's just getting your start and like you just want to have a conversation, I'm always, always down for that. So yeah, that would be great.

1:26:57Victoria:Yay. Well, thanks for coming on and I'll talk to you soon. Of course. Thanks, Victoria.