Not Goodbye – Just Bye for Now
Today is my last day at Caster Communications. (Typing that just hurt my soul!)
I’m not going anywhere else. I mean ideally, I would be heading to a beach, but alas 2020 is what it is. Like most people, my husband Karl and I have had our fair share of challenges this year. We decided to give the whole ‘starting a family’ thing a go and we’ve had some bumps along the way (two to be exact). I share this extremely personal detail on this extremely public forum because we’ve realized we are far from alone.
Creating and growing a human is an actual miracle of science; the journey, no matter how bumpy, is nothing to be ashamed of. The more we opened up about our struggles, the more friends from both inside and outside the industry have shared their stories in return (plenty of which resulted in beautiful miracle babies!) We are grateful for all the support we’ve received.
I am a firm believer that women can have it all. In fact, I am surrounded by living proof. At Caster, our fearless leaders Kimberly Lancaster, Alex Crabb, and Rachel Bradshaw are prime examples. Beyond that, there are hundreds more women (and men too!) throughout the industry who rock their careers and parenthood simultaneously. This year has taught me more than ever that each and every one of them is a damn super hero. What they are pulling off day-to-day – amplified by the pandemic – is far from easy.
I hope to join the super hero club one day. But until then, I’ve decided to do what feels right for me today. For starters, I’m taking a little breather from the everyday hustle of Public Relations. I have given my career my ALL and have loved just about every second of it. But now it’s time to channel that same energy into my physical and mental well-being. And, as much as it scares me to take a step back from my career, I am super grateful that I can. (Tip: if you don’t already have one, I highly recommend finding a supportive partner that helps to make big and scary decisions easier).
I will miss all of my clients, media friendlies, and #AVTweeps dearly, but most of all I will miss the Caster team. My love for and friendship with Kim spans over a dozen years starting out as a client while at Paradigm, Anthem, and MartinLogan, and then joining Caster nearly five years ago. Working and learning alongside Kim and the rest of the team has easily been the most rewarding chapter of my career. I feel as though I have taken a master class in PR, social, marketing strategy, and arguably psychology too. The Caster team consists of the smartest, funniest, most talented, hardworking, and empathetic humans I have EVER met. I know deep in my gut that I will never work with a more gifted team. It’s simply not possible. (Tip #2: If you aren’t already working with Caster and you’re in need of some serious brain power, find Kimberly D. Lancaster or Alexandra Crabb and connect. I promise it’ll make you look good.)
I also love this industry to my core. Having grown up in a speaker factory, AV is my home (and almost literally built into my genetic fabric), so I’m confident I will be back here in some way shape or form. In the meantime, you better believe I will be keeping a pulse on the industry and cheering you all on from the sidelines.
So, my friends, this is not goodbye. This is just bye for now. I hope to see you sooner than later (ideally in full super hero status).
Lot of love,
Erin xo
P.S. To anyone that may be silently struggling with fertility, please reach out to me and I would be happy to be an ear or shoulder for you, and help however I can. I promise, you are not alone. And to the rest of you #AVTweeps, please keep in touch. Most of you know where to find me including on Twitter @erinmktgpr.
