Read an Excerpt
#QUALIFIED: You Are More Impressive Than You Realize
By Amanda Nachman
CEO of CollegeMagazine.com
“Amanda wants us to love what we do and make a greater impact in the world. I can already sense the ripple effect of her book.”
—Hal Elrod, Bestselling author of The Miracle Morning and The Miracle Equation
“Step-by-step, Amanda leads you on a journey to your passion career. She empowers you through personal stories and practical, clear advice to make courageous connections that will change your life!”
—Dr. Sarah B. Steinberg, Former Executive Vice Provost, Johns Hopkins University
#QUALIFIED is a guide to your career journey with tangible steps to unlock your passion and take action today.
You were meant to do something meaningful. And there’s a ripple effect. When you love what you do, you are happier, you produce higher quality work, and you make a greater impact in the world. Amanda has worked with over one thousand students—all of them felt stuck on their career journeys. They doubted their strengths, felt discouraged by rejections, and settled for a job they didn’t like. And it wasn’t just students and recent graduates—she’s heard the same questions from people in their 30s and 40s.
“How do I pursue my passion?” We all want to do what we love. The answer is #QUALIFIED, and Amanda breaks down, step-by-step, how to unlock, seek, and achieve your dream career.
This book features interviews with career experts and professionals in their passion careers, including Ben Simon, CEO of Imperfect Produce; Christine DiDonato, founder of Career Revolution and AwesomeBoss.com; Patricia Moreno, Founder of Spiritual Fitness; Melissa Eisler, ICF Certified Leadership Coach; Kristin Hayden, Chief Partnership Officer at IGNITE National; Debra Rockey, Regional Director of Organizational Development and Talent Management for Mercy Health; Chris Lochhead, former Silicon Valley Chief Marketing Officer; and Eva Gardner, bassist for P!NK.
This book will not magically get you a job. It will empower you to start an intentional career journey and take action today. The author and publisher disclaim any liability arising directly or indirectly from the use of this book.
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are labeled as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and College Magazine was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.
Excerpt from #QUALIFIED...
I’ll never forget the time I met Chelsea Handler and asked for an interview. She was in Washington, D.C. for a signing of her new book, Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang. My best friend Kari and I arrived early to get a good spot…but we underestimated the rest of her fans. By the time we got there, an hour before the signing, the line was already out the door and around the block. We were stuck behind hundreds of fans waiting for our turn to meet Chelsea.
At this point I had been running College Magazine for two years and we were getting celebrity interviews left and right, with actors from shows like Glee, Gossip Girl, and Modern Family. (Keep in mind this was 2010. When it came to attracting college students to a print magazine, celebrities were absolutely necessary.)
As a personal Chelsea fan, I had tried and tried to get in touch—but to no avail. She was a big deal and extremely hard to reach…until I read online about her book signing. I saw this as my one shot. Prepared with a couple magazines and a hand-written note, I stood in line and waited.
I felt nervous. I was about to meet the Chelsea Handler and ask her for an exclusive interview in College Magazine. After an agonizing wait, Kari and I advanced far enough in line to the point where I could see Chelsea sitting at her signing table with her team shuffling along her hordes of fans. As I inched closer to the moment of truth, I noticed that Chelsea barely had any time to even look up at the person in front of her as she was signing. She was just scribbling her name as quickly as she could and moving on to the next person. This made sense, seeing as there were over four hundred people there, but my heart sank, nonetheless.
Still, I knew I needed to say something. I needed to make an impression.
Channeling my inner Chelsea (having read her first two books and seen every episode her show, I had a sense of her mindset), I thought about what would catch her attention. And suddenly it hit me—I knew exactly what to say. The thought of it alone made me so nervous I began to break into a sweat. I knew it was a crazy idea, but it was the only thing I could think of to catch Chelsea’s attention.
When my turn came to stumble up to the table, I mustered up all my confidence. I took a deep breath. And finally, with nothing to lose, I blurted out: “Chelsea, you look f*cking hot.”
Chelsea paused with her pen hovering in midair over an open book. After a beat, she looked up at me, smiled the biggest smile, and said, “Thank you!”
And, of course, it was true; she looked awesome. It was no lie. But the signing line was moving so quickly that I knew your average compliment would go unnoticed. My bold statement, coupled with that touch of vulgarity that Chelsea appreciates, definitely caught her attention.
I couldn’t believe it. I was having a conversation with Chelsea Handler. But I didn’t have time to bask in it—with adrenaline rushing through my veins and without a second to waste, I quickly handed her the stack of magazines I’d brought and replied, “I’m Amanda Nachman, I run College Magazine, and I would love to interview you for our next issue.”
I was even more shocked when she said yes.
We were ushered away from the line, and Chelsea’s assistant Eva gave me her business card to schedule the interview. I took her card and left the bookstore in a daze. I had made a courageous connection, with Chelsea Handler of all people, and it had actually worked.
It wasn’t so easy afterwards. There were countless email threads and missed calls as I chased down an interview appointment. This was Chelsea Handler, after all; she was a busy and successful woman, and I represented a regional print magazine with only 120,000 readers at the time.
But after following up for weeks, we heard back from Eva with a date and time and finally confirmed our interview with Chelsea. It was well worth the struggle. The interview ended up being hilarious and very Chelsea, and was, of course, our cover story. One of my favorite moments from the interview still makes me laugh to this day:
College Magazine: Any advice for college girls aspiring to lead your renaissance-like life? Chelsea Handler: Know when to leave a party before you embarrass yourself.
Chelsea is one of my most courageous connections, and even now I’m still reaching out to people who make me nervous. It doesn’t get much less scary with experience. But you will get better at it—and remember that connecting is necessary to achieving your passion career. Let your passion fuel you to step outside of your comfort zone and connect. Remember, what is the worst that could happen? How can you start making courageous connections?
