Ep. 69 How to move forward in life despite the obstacles you may face with Donald Adler
Have you ever wondered how to move forward in life despite the obstacles you may face?
This week I speak Donald Adler who is a pop culture expert and the Social Media Coordinator at Bravo TV.
Although known as the “most interesting person” you will ever meet and the queen of Instagram Stories by many.
Donald was not always so self-assured and it took an unconventional gap year to finally get the courage to be his true self.
This gap year allowed him to embrace himself fully and follow his passions despite all the incredible obstacles he has faced.
Today, Donald works for Bravo TV and lives out his dream as a pop culture expert and diva!
Listen on to find out how to live out your dreams and move forward in life despite the obstacles you may face.
Listen Below:
In this Episode:
What was the most important thing you learned by doing a gap year?
- Donald was able to visit different countries while learning about their history.
- Being abroad allowed Donald to be surrounded by different types of people which helped him become his true self.
- The gap year gave Donald the courage to come out to his friends and family.
Has someone been inspired by your story and has gotten the courage to come out as well?
- What it was like being an openly gay person in a fraternity.
- A few people from Donald’s fraternity came out after he did.
- During the gap year, although it was a group of people who were religious they accepted and supported him.
- One person from the group during his gap year came out to Donald and was inspired by the acceptance from others which helped him get the courage to come out.
What work do you do for BRAVO network?
- Donald is the social media manager for BRAVO.
- He finds different and fun ways to promote the shows through social media.
What has been the most difficult time in your life and how did you overcome them?
- Not seeing yourself as a victim and moving forward with your life no matter what obstacles you face.
- Being in a high school where being gay was not accepted was a tough environment to be in, but Donald knew that he was destined for bigger and better things.
- Donald learned two major things after coming out:
- you have to be open-minded to people as you want them to be to you
- Nobody cares about you, as much as you care about yourself
What is the worst advice you have ever received?
- Doing things that are more stable, predictable, and make the most money.
- Pursuing hobbies on the side is not where Donald wanted to go.
What legacy would you like to leave and what do you want to be remembered for?
- Leaving a legacy in media and pop culture.
What has been the most life-changing meeting you have encountered?
- Meeting the producer of David Letterman and being inspired to work in the entertainment industry.
- The meeting opened doors for him which allowed him to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.
- In life, all you can do is ask and the worst-case scenario is someone will say no.
- It is better to be in competition with yourself than with other people.
- It is not about leaving your 9-5, it is about doing what you love.
What is the one thing you wished people asked you more of?
- Donald wished people would not underestimate him and be afraid to discuss deeper topics.
- Having an emotional understanding of situations and being able to read a room is crucial to business and personal relationships.
How do you create income working in a creative industry?
- Aside from working hard, it is also a connection-based industry.
- Make sure you make the effort to get to know people in the industry and reach out for informational meetings.
- Work really hard and be someone everyone wants to work with. Do not be difficult to work with.
Listen to Donald’s extended interview where he shares how to improve your Instagram Stories game.
Listen Below:
In this episode:
How can we improve our Instagram Stories to make them more viewable and entertaining?
- Adding graphics in a fun and unique way on stories.
- Learning the paint and erase function.
- Using screen record from your iPhone for your stories.
- Using a peeker GIF to make your stories more entertaining.
- Get creative with your fonts.
- Using props for your boomerang to make it more fun.
- Using the rewind button.
- Pinning function on stories.
- Know what will go on your feed and what goes on in your stories.
