“Become a good listener,” Jeannine Shao Collins from SEEHER

Meet Jeannine Shao Collins, President of SEEHER, which is part of the Association of National Advertisers (ANA). SEEHER is the leading global movement to eliminate gender bias from media. With its 100+ members (including SXM Media), SEEHER advances the representation and accurate portrayal of women and girls in media, marketing, and entertainment.

Jeannine’s entire career is dedicated to the advancement of women, which makes her the perfect addition to our Pass the Mic series. So, we were very excited when she dropped by our podcast booth at Advertising Week New York last month for an interview. Listen up for this one—she’s got some great advice to share.

Be the one to ask questions.

“When I was young, she said, you know, Janine, if you want to be successful, you have to become a good listener. And, you know, that means on a personal level, anything. You just have to be a really good listener. So, you don't win the prize by being the person who's talking all the time. Be the one to ask the questions.” – Jeannine Shao Collins

Be open to a broad swath of perspectives.

“I feel very optimistic about the future because, you know, people are much more conscious now and intentional about making sure that they have a broad swath of perspectives, which I don't think was necessarily the case ten years ago. And, you know, look, my whole reason for being at SEEHER is to make people understand their bias, and so, they can address them. So, I do feel optimistic about how things can go. And I mean, the fact that you're having me talk to you now and that, you know, we have 100 companies that have signed up for this mission, makes me feel very hopeful that people will invest in women, invest in diverse audiences, and they understand that it's good for business.” – Jeannine Shao Collins

Your path will find you.

“This may sound strange. I would let life happen. I think your, as I said earlier, your journey is your journey and what's supposed to happen will happen to you. And I think people get very tense about did I achieve these goals, or where am I going to be? And they worry about where am I going to be in five years from now? And very rarely do your plans totally turn out the way you think they are. So just let it go and, you know, work hard and be positive, and your path will find you. Look, I think if you are an active learner, and you ask questions, and you find people, and places to challenge you, I think then you're good.” – Jeannine Shao Collins

Enjoy what you do.

“The advice I would give is to have as much fun and enjoy what you do. Because when you have fun and you enjoy what you do, it doesn't feel like work. So whether you're starting a company or working within a company, you have to find the right fit for you so that you can thrive.” – Jeannine Shao Collins

We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Jeannine, and we’re so glad her path crossed ours—we suspect you feel the same. For more inspiration, check out our growing library of Pass the Mic content.