Episode 037: From Fashion to Farmers Markets with Sarah Dylan Jensen

Women Who Went for It! Podcast

In this episode, Sara McArdle talks with Sarah Dylan Jensen about her journey from the fashion industry to social media, marketing, and managing farmers markets. Sarah Dylan Jensen shares how she established personal connections to break into her new industries, how she built up her confidence along the way, how she determines which projects to say "yes" or "no" to, and she gives practical tips to anyone who might be intimidated putting themselves out there in a new way. Today, Sarah manages the Snohomish, Mill Creek, and Stanwood Farmers Markets in Washington state, and she owns her own social media and marketing business, Mockingjay Press, supporting small, local shops and businesses. Want to make your own career change? Download Sara's Seven Cs of Successful Career Change Chart. Sara and Sarah Discuss:

• Sara McArdle's upcoming workshop, Self-Care for the Overworked & Overwhelmed
• Sara's workshop collaborator, Kristen Jawad of Women Who Went for It episode 003
• Sara & Sarah meeting through their mutual friend, Angie Louthan of Women Who Went for It episode 005
• Sarah Dylan Jensen growing up and going to school in Alaska
• Studying at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Southern California
• Finding herself out of her element
• Moving to Seattle
• Working at Eddie Bauer
• Finding fashion to be different than the image presented in school
• Working at Tommy Bahama
• Doing some admin work to get out
• Working at Brooks Sports in factory operations
• Applying for three design positions there and not getting them
• Working for Zumiez
• Deciding to call it quits in fashion
• Attending meetups in downtown Snohomish, Washington
• Feeling empowered
• Seeing that she was living out of alignment with her values in the fashion industry
• A trip to Iceland that changed her outlook on life and her career
• Coming back and feeling like she was "in the wrong skin"
• Asking her networking community, "What services do you need?" and hearing "social media!"
• Faking it until she made it
• Taking the leap into full-time work in social media
• Setting goals for herself and blowing past them
• Becoming known as the person who could get anything done
• Saying "yes" to everything
• A friend suggesting she apply to manage the Snohomish Farmers Market
• Getting hired on the spot
• How she first picked fashion design
• Informational interviews
• Taking on the Mill Creek Farmers Market
• Her decision to move to downtown Snohomish
• What the day-to-day of managing farmers markets looks like
• What inspires Sarah to go above-and-beyond in her new work
• How she determines what to say "no" to
• Her process for changing industries
• How she built up her confidence
• Surrounding herself with supportive community
• The networking group that she's on the board of: Snohomish Networking Women
• Networking tips
• A cool meetup she went to in Seattle: Geek Girl Brunch
• Current fears that pop up in her career
• Presenting at Washington State Farmers Market Association in 2019
• Sara McArdle's recommendation - TED Talk coach, Erin Loman Jeck
• Sarah Dylan Jensen's advice for women who want to go for it
• ...and more!

Sarah Dylan Jensen's Full Bio: Farmers Market Manager and Social Media Maven, Sarah Dylan Jensen, studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute for Design & Merchandising in Southern California. She immediately jumped into the design industry at Eddie Bauer, followed by Tommy Bahama, Zumiez, Kische, and Brooks Sports. After 10+ years in the industry, she decided it was time to move toward a smaller, more localized focus, and away from the politics that office jobs - even in fashion design - can bring. Sarah created Mockingjay Press with the dream of bringing desire back to small-town shopping. In her social media business, she helps bring awareness and insight to supporting small, local shops & businesses. Through curated connections in the community, she became the Snohomish Farmers Market Manager in 2015. As market manager, Sarah curates an engaging vendor mix, working with local artisans, creators, and farmers. Sarah handles the social media & graphic advertising for her (now 3) farmers markets, along with her growing client list in & around the greater Snohomish area. Sarah was a featured speaker at the 2019 Washington State Farmers Market Association conference, as well as the 2018 Women in Business Conference. Connect with Sarah Dylan Jensen, Mockingjay Press, and Her Farmers Markets: Mockingjay Instagram: www.instagram.com/mockingjaypress Mockingjay website: www.mockingjaypress.com Mockingjay Facebook: www.facebook.com/mockingjaypress Snohomish Farmers Market: www.snohomishfarmersmarket.org Mill Creek Farmers Market: www.millcreekfarmersmarket.org Stanwood Farmers Market: www.stanwoodfarmersmarket.org Connect with Sara McArdle and Women Who Went for It: Facebook: www.facebook.com/womenwhowentforit Website: www.womenwhowentforit.com Nominate a Podcast Guest: www.saramcardle.com/podcast-guest Email: [e-mail] Phone: [phone] Want to make your own career change? Download Sara's Seven Cs of Successful Career Change Chart.