I heard from one mom who told me that her child yelled, “mom, she looks like me,” when reading the story about Melissa Butler. Melissa Butler is one of 100 stories in my book and the woman I chose to represent business owners. She is African American who created a line of makeup specifically for “little brown girls.” This is one of the most amazing things I have heard from any of my readers as I really put a lot of thought into showcasing girls in traditionally male roles, men in traditionally female roles and people of color. I want every child to see themselves in the pages of this book and know that they are capable of anything.
As part of my series about “authors who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Holly A. Sharp.
Holly A. Sharp is the next generation’s career counselor and the author of Dream It & Do It, the only book of it’s kind that helps expose elementary aged kids to career options. Dream It & Do It contains 100 non-fiction stories showcasing 100 different career paths. Dream It & Do It received the prestigious Gold Mom’s Choice Award, 5 out of 5 star reviews from Readers Choice and Midwest Book Review and first place from Royal Dragon Fly in the category of short stories.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I started thinking about what I wanted to be at a very young age. I was in elementary school when I declared that I was going to be an advertising executive. No joke. I would play during my cartoons and watch the commercials. My Mom did everything she could to cultivate this dream, including buying me a board game called Adverteasing Junior. While my 4 sisters were all playing with Barbies, I was studying the taglines of different brands so that I could beat my family when we played. I studied advertising in college, but when I graduated during the 2003 recession, found myself in a more traditional marketing role. This turned out to be a blessing because that is how I found product development and learned how to launch new products — who knew that of all things, one of my product launches would be a children’s book.
When you were younger, was there a book that you read that inspired you to take action or changed your life? Can you share a story about that?
This is what a dork I was, I read the biography of David Ogilvy when I was in high school because I was so obsessed with the idea of dominating the advertising industry. Even though this was not the path I ended up following, his obsession with the consumer is something that I learned young and kept with me. Looking back, this reinforces what I believe to be true about the book I wrote, that kids are more likely to be inspired by a role model doing the job than they are their parents or school guidance councelor.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?
I started a company that failed. It was called Friendships that Fit. I was the e-harmony for friendship. I wanted to help expats meet each other quickly when they arrived in a new country. I was living in China and saw a need for this. I still think it was a cool idea, but I failed to lay out my marketing plan and address how I would find these newbies. It turned out to be harder than I had a budget for, so I bailed. I learned that you have to think about all parts of a product launch, not just the product being ready, before you get started.
Can you describe how you aim to make a significant social impact with your book?
I want the next generation of kids to be happier in their jobs than we are. According to a 2017 Gallop poll, 2/3 of Americans regret their college choice and an equal number are unengaged in their job. We put so much thought into who we marry, but trust our school guidance councelor to point us in the right direction at the young age of 16. I hope to influence the next generation job seekers and help them to be happier in their jobs. There are two ways that I believe I can help kids to do this. First, research done by Junior Achievement shows that kids respond better to role models than they do to adults trying to “coach” them. I want my writing to help give kids relevant role models that can help inspire more informed career choices. Second, further research shows that kids who develop hobbies earlier in life are move likely to become happy adults. Every story in Dream It & Do It ends with a suggested activity that could develop into a hobby. Hobbies are a great way to learn self-esteem, recovery from failure and what makes you happy. All of these are great things to take into adulthood and the process of choosing a career.
Can you share with us the most interesting story that you shared in your book?
I love the story where I teach children about chemistry. Try and describe what a chemist does in a few sentences. It is a complex topic and I like that I can simplify it for kids and, dare I say, make it cool. The chemist that I feature studies snake and snail venom in order to try and come up with a cure for cancer. So, not only does the story simplify the topic, but it does so using something that kids are already drawn to. I also love that this story shows how this chemist is working to make the world a better place. In each story I tried to clarify what the job is, what in their childhood influenced them to become who they are, what they did to be good in their field, how they are making the world a better place and an activity that kids can do to better understand that career path.
What was the “aha moment” or series of events that made you decide to bring your message to the greater world? Can you share a story about that?
I love the Rebel Girl series, in fact I was one of their first supporters on Kickstarter many years ago. When I went looking for a book for my unborn daughter similar to this, but to teach both boys and girls about career choices, it just didn’t exist. I continued my hunt as I really wanted to add it to my registry, but wasn’t happy with what I found. A few months later, I found myself late in my pregnancy, laid-off and facing quarantine. I realized that the world was presenting me the opportunity to create this book that I was determined to find.
Without sharing specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
I heard from one mom who told me that her child yelled, “mom, she looks like me,” when reading the story about Melissa Butler. Melissa Butler is one of 100 stories in my book and the woman I chose to represent business owners. She is African American who created a line of makeup specifically for “little brown girls.” This is one of the most amazing things I have heard from any of my readers as I really put a lot of thought into showcasing girls in traditionally male roles, men in traditionally female roles and people of color. I want every child to see themselves in the pages of this book and know that they are capable of anything.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
Schools should provide funding for more career exploration. There are lots of things that schools could be doing to better prepare kids for one of the most important choices they will make in their lives. Imagine if we married off our kids at age 18 regardless of how ready they were, we would do way more to find them the right match, we should do the same for helping them find careers. What could schools do better?
- Access to more role models. This book is a band aid for kids having access to people in the classroom talking about what they do and inspiring kids to think beyond the “typical 10” careers that kids currently aspire to.
- All schools should have clubs that expand kids minds as to what they are good at. I would love to see more coding, design, science fairs and Junior Achievement in every school.
- Allow kids to explore this question in more depth and at a younger age. I would love to see “Dream It and Do It” and books like it as a regular part of school curriculum. Today it is a topic that is barely covered and we are surprised why this is such as stressful questions for kids after it stops being cute to ask, “what do you want to be when you grown up?”
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
Leadership is how you treat others when no one is looking. In my corporate career I have known many bosses who were adored by the organization as great leaders and were not very good people. I have also known people who flew under the radar, but I would follow off of cliff. I know this is not a very “MBA” definition, but when I think back on who I would listen to and follow, it is most heavily influenced by how they treated me and others.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
When I first started figuring out how to be a career coach for children, I wish someone had told me:
- Kids are programmed by adults to give one answer at a young age. It is fun to ask kids what they want to be when they grown up and kids are programmed by adults to have one answer ready. When I see kids use my book, they often search for the story that reinforces the thing that they already want to be. I hope that kids will see that there are so many other options and that one of the most fun things about being a kid is the exploration of choices. When you become an adult, it is a tough and painful choice to change, “what you want to be.”
- Role models are hard to find. We all have good intentions when it comes to giving back, but finding a well-accomplished person who is willing to give up their time and be a role model for kids is hard. I am not even asking much, just permission to use their story, and still it is hard for people to find the time to engage. If we want the next generation of kids to be happier in their jobs than we are (2/3 regret their job choice!), more adults need to be role models for kids to look to.
- Parents play the biggest role. I could write 100 books showcasing 1,000 jobs, but unless parents read the book with their kids and have discussions with them about their future, the tides will not change. I provided the tools, now the real job starts of convincing parents to use them.
- Schools do not see this as a “subject”. At the end of the day, helping kids develop into self-sufficient adults is what school is all about, however, the education system does almost nothing to really help kids of any age explore this question. We have career councelors responsible for hundreds of kids, many who don’t know anything about them beyond what is on a piece of paper.
- Writing is 10% of the journey. I am proud of “Dream It and Do It” and hope to add others to the collection, however, the real job is helping kids find what they are good at and follow it. This means reaching parents and schools and helping them understand the importance of hobbies and role models.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I heard this quote when watching “This is US” the other day and it rang so true to me. One of the characters was a teenage parent (which is quite the opposite of me having my baby at 38), however, he was told that he should not make his dreams small because of his daughter. He should make them bigger for his daughter.
This really struck me and should be true for any parent at any age. I want to be my own lesson in role models. Be the type of person that I want my daughter to become. I want her to not be afraid to chase her dreams, even if that means a major life change or taking a risk.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I would love to have lunch in the office of Joy Mangango. She is the woman that the movie “Joy” was based on and one of my favorite stories from my book. I spent my career in product development and reading her book felt like I was reading my own personal journal. I would love to learn from her how to help as many people as she has helped. I would love to share war stories about ideas that never made it into the world. I would love to hear how she became the rock star she is while being a single mom. If she is reading this, you are amazing and I am glad you had enough people in your life telling you so.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
I started “Free Story Friday” on Instagram. If you follow me there, you can see the free stories I post and inspiring posts from people in my book. There you will find links to my website and other social media: @Dream_ItAndDoIt
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
About The Interviewer: Growing up in Canada, Edward Sylvan was an unlikely candidate to make a mark on the high-powered film industry based in Hollywood. But as CEO of Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc, (SEGI) Sylvan is among a select group of less than ten Black executives who have founded, own and control a publicly traded company. Now, deeply involved in the movie business, he is providing opportunities for people of color.
In 2020, he was appointed president of the Monaco International Film Festival, and was encouraged to take the festival in a new digital direction.
Raised in Toronto, he attended York University where he studied Economics and Political Science, then went to work in finance on Bay Street, (the city’s equivalent of Wall Street). After years of handling equities trading, film tax credits, options trading and mergers and acquisitions for the film, mining and technology industries, in 2008 he decided to reorient his career fully towards the entertainment business.
With the aim of helping Los Angeles filmmakers of color who were struggling to understand how to raise capital, Sylvan wanted to provide them with ways to finance their creative endeavors.
At Sycamore Entertainment he specializes in print and advertising financing, marketing, acquisition and worldwide distribution of quality feature-length motion pictures, and is concerned with acquiring, producing and promoting films about equality, diversity and other thought provoking subject matter which will also include nonviolent storytelling.
Also in 2020, Sylvan launched SEGI TV, a free OTT streaming network built on the pillars of equality, sustainability and community which is scheduled to reach 100 million U.S household televisions and 200 million mobile devices across Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV and others.
As Executive Producer he currently has several projects in production including The Trials of Eroy Brown, a story about the prison system and how it operated in Texas, based on the best-selling book, as well as a documentary called The Making of Roll Bounce, about the 2005 coming of age film which starred rapper Bow Wow and portrays roller skating culture in 1970’s Chicago.
He sits on the Board of Directors of Uplay Canada, (United Public Leadership Academy for Youth), which prepares youth to be citizen leaders and provides opportunities for Canadian high school basketball players to advance to Division 1 schools as well as the NBA.
A former competitive go kart racer with Checkered Flag Racing Ltd, he also enjoys traveling to exotic locales. Sylvan resides in Vancouver and has two adult daughters.
Sylvan has been featured in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and has been seen on Fox Business News, CBS and NBC. Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc is headquartered in Seattle, with offices in Los Angeles and Vancouver.
Social Impact Authors: How & Why Author Holly Sharp Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.