Stephanie Carter - A Verse on Being Diverse: Building a Media Platform Catered to a White Space in the Market

Today’s guest is a well-connected and  empowered woman who walks the talk, boldly entering what she calls her “second half” as an accomplished executive over 50 building a new lifestyle brand from absolute scratch. 

Following a decorated career in private equity and after receiving distinctions for her support of her husband’s former role as Secretary of Defense, Stephanie Carter embarked on a journey of self-discovery that led to her building The Verse Media, a platform that provides a second half playbook for grown-ups by grown-ups.

We discuss:

• Hitting her head on the ceiling in her career and thinking of what’s next for her
• A lightbulb moment where she realized people don’t know what to do with a 50-something year old experienced executive
• How The Verse Media offers those over 50 a playbook on how to navigate their “second half”
• The beginnings of The Verse Media, why she decided on offering a newsletter, and steps she took to get the brand out in the market
• Her advice on naming your brand and the importance of introducing a visual branding element to it
• Having a brand guide that allows anyone you work with to easily capture your brand elements
• The reality that the 50s age group isn’t represented in stock photos
• How she used perceptions rather than statistical data in authenticating her idea for the brand
• What she means by “it’s time to move from pandemic to endemic” and the subsequent shifts the brand has taken in response to COVID
• “Workism” and reflecting on what the meaning of work is and if our lives are too centered on it
• Why LinkedIn is proving to be working best for her brand’s marketing
• Her advice for people looking for their “next verse” that helps give them a push in the right direction
• JFK’s words on making things happen that serves as the mantra she lives by

Mentioned in this episode: 

Anthony Klotz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aklotz/ 

Do Open: How a Simple Email Newsletter Can Transform your Business (Do Books) by David Hieatt: https://www.amazon.com/Do-Open-Newsletter-Transform-Business/dp/190797430X 

The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075DDDYHG/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0 

To connect with Stephanie, head on over to her channels:

Stephanie’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniedcarter/ 

The Verse Media’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theversemedia/ 

Website: www.theversemedia.com 

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this episode of the podcast, head on over to the following links for more of my work and some valuable resources to get you started on your own branding initiatives. Until the next episode!

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The Brand Design Masters Podcast is targeted to entrepreneurs, designers, creative professionals and anyone interested in brand strategy, business planning, graphic design, personal branding, trends and marketing.

Philip VanDusen is the owner of Verhaal Brand Design, a brand strategy and design agency based in New Jersey. Philip is a highly accomplished creative executive and expert in brand strategy, graphic design, marketing and creative management. Philip provides design, branding, marketing, career and business advice to creative professionals, entrepreneurs and companies on how to build successful brands for themselves and for the clients and customers they serve.