Writing with Agency

Yesterday I learned that sometimes agency looks like changing a phone number.

As most of you know, over the last few months, I have been working to really take control of my career, including reaching out to complete strangers in my field to ask if they would be willing to sit down and chat about their careers. I wanted to know what it was like in and outside the organization we work for. It started with a single email.

To provide context, I work for a financial institution and have been on the customer service side for around nine years. However, along the way, I realized that I wanted more than ranking up in a contact center. I am proud of the work I have done.

Please don’t misunderstand where I am coming from. I just found that my passion lay elsewhere. I always thought that I just loved helping others. Shocker, I do, but it isn’t all I love. I like talking to people and taking the time to explain things, painting a picture that makes information easy to understand. That information can range from discussing a banking statement to a pep talk for a friend in need to an original piece of work that helps you look at things differently.

Writing is my way of communicating my intention, how I convey what I really mean. Sometimes getting that into words verbally in the moment is like being stuck in the snow with your wheels just turning, not gaining traction. Ironically, I have sat down and spoken with bank CEOs, business owners, and other executive-level associates, discussing why they want to give more money to their local non-profit and helping raise close to a million dollars for organizations like United Way.

However, when it comes to speaking to those whom I respect and hope to learn from, I become a puddle of muddled words. Even with notes in front of me with what I want to discuss, I still have a moment of awe.

Back near the end of November, as I was nearing the end of my degree program and actively working on my professional portfolio (linked up top in the menu), I took a chance.  Scrolling through my LinkedIn looking for writers to potentially connect with and eventually chicken out. I saw the title Head Copywriter, and she worked for the same organization. I clicked on her profile and reviewed it, and found what I had been struggling to find for so long.

An opportunity.

Speaking to a colleague is easier than speaking to a random stranger on the internet in the same field you are looking to enter as a professional and not a student. Or that’s how I viewed it at the time. Excited, I sent the connection request, wrote her name and title down in my phone’s note pad, and waited. The following day, I went to work and reached out to my manager, letting her know what I had found out and that I wanted to reach out. I already drafted an email using my internal work email because this was my chance to engage with a profession in my field.

So, I did.

Wouldn’t you know it. She responded, and not only that, but she was also willing to meet with me. I was so excited, and from there, my networking journey began. The fun thing about networking is that when you make one connection, they lead to more connections. Which is what led me to the networking meeting I had been looking forward to most. My first connection led me to a meeting with the head of content and digital platforms. During my meeting with him, I discussed my enjoyment of the content his team produces.

Don’t worry, I wasn’t shmoozing for the sake of it. I was serious. I really enjoyed the content they produced; however, one piece was written recently and was different from the others. It had more feeling and sounded like the writer really cared for those they were aiming to help. It was still informative and filled with knowledge, but the tone was more human than the rest. When I told him the piece, he smiled.

During our discussion, he mentioned a colleague he works closely with, with whom he has been working practically since both joined the organization. At the end of our meeting, he told me he wanted to get me in contact with that individual. He described her as a seasoned writer with years of experience, ranging from writing for AP News to the Wall Street Journal. To say that I was ecstatic is an understatement; I was so happy to meet someone with a vast career in writing. He told me that he would meet with her the following day during their meeting and that I should reach out to set up a meeting. I did as I was advised, got a response, and had a meeting scheduled, bringing us to yesterday, January 15^th, 2026.

Sweaty because I had just finished up with a 1x1 with one of my agents, and ran to the restroom prior to joining my next meeting. I joined the team’s meeting, checked my hair, and made sure I wasn’t disheveled. Waiting for her to connect, I took a sip of my coffee, and before I could even see her face, I heard a voice saying hello. I responded with a hello back. The camera finally kicked on, and I was officially face-to-face with a seasoned writer with a successful career in a field I want to thrive in. She asked me to tell her about myself, a standard introduction. Only the elevator pitch I had memorized went out the window, turning into a jumbled mess about me being a published author, how many books I had written, how many had been published, and one I am in the process of querying.

I will be completely honest: there were a few times when I felt like I could just see it written on her face. “Why are we talking? Who are you, and why is this meeting relevant?” Meanwhile, I was eating everything she said up, like a half-starved coyote. I’m serious, it was awful. Because I felt so awkward, I mentioned that I really enjoyed an article from her team and that its voice sounded different. She asked me which article it was, and she smiled. She said, “Oh, I wrote that article.” The head of content and digital platforms knew she wrote the article, and that was why he smiled. He had already spoken of her previously in our meeting before we had even discussed it.

It was at that moment that I got a boost of confidence and asked her if she would be willing to look at my website and my portfolio and provide feedback if possible. She did a quick scan on her phone and was like, "Huh, did you know that the phone number at the bottom of your site shows 0’s?" 

To which I responded, " Oh yes, I wasn’t sure what to put there. I had seen a few other sites with that, and it had even been recommended.” She paused. I could see she wanted to say something. Her lips were pursed, and she kept fidgeting. She kind of reminded me of a cartoon character. I realized she was worried about what she should say or how to say it. In that moment, I took initiative. Speaking up, I told her that I am a very straightforward person and love feedback of all kinds. I could almost feel the ice of the situation slowly melt, which made me word vomit. I ended up stating that I love feedback so much that I didn’t think there was such a thing as bad feedback. Then out loud said, well no, that’s not true, you and I both know that someone can give bad feedback. She just looked at me and then kind of swiped her hand through the air.

That was when the bomb dropped, and she said, “You know what I am just going to say, I am sorry. If I see this kind of thing while looking at potential hires, this would be an instant turn-off. It looks lazy and sloppy.”

I don’t know how to explain how hyped I was for that feedback. Because it was honest, and it was real feedback from someone who knows what she’s talking about. She went on to advise other pieces to keep in mind on a site. The homepage should be pristine. If you have a landing page for a potential employer and it has even one typo, it will most likely be rejected, and you won't be taken seriously. If you are, it will be under the assumption that they will need to do extensive editing, which is less than desirable.

The way I took that feedback was that one little error would be my kiss of death. By the end of the meeting, I honestly thought that when I sent my thank-you email back, I wouldn’t hear from her again, other than the obligatory "it was nice meeting you, too."

It wasn’t, in fact, she emailed me before I emailed her. Which, for me, was a big deal. I was embarrassed that I hadn’t emailed her first, but I wanted to wait a few hours to avoid seeming desperate and email her back right away. I wanted to ruminate on what I had just experienced and write a thoughtful email.

Instead, I found myself staring at an email from her with more resources on where I should reach out to gain different kinds of experience through internal channels rather than external ones. Her channel is technically external because it is a separate part of our organization's comms. I took this as a flop for our meeting—like she was politely passing me along.

I responded with my thanks, and made sure to let her know I had already updated that number space and just removed it altogether because that is what she had suggested. To my surprise, another email from her hit my inbox last night.

She was reaching out to let me know she was reviewing my site and portfolio and thought I “had a lot of good content.” And that if I wanted her to, and had the time, she would give me feedback. I thought I had bombed that network meeting, but I was so happy for the experience, for the little feedback on the phone number, and for the straightforward advice that was truly appreciated. I responded this morning, letting her know that I would love her feedback if she had the time.

Guess what I did? I misread her email in my excitement and missed that she had mentioned if I had the time. Meaning, she wanted to meet again, not just send me an email with the feedback. I went ahead and emailed her back, apologizing for misreading, and asked her for a good time to meet. She told me the end of next week would be best for her. We now have our second meeting scheduled for Thursday at noon.

Throughout this experience, I learned that agency isn’t exactly the same as I thought it was compared to putting it into practice.

Agency is asking for feedback instead of hiding.

Agency is fixing the “000 phone number” instead of panicking.

Agency is deciding that my site isn’t “sloppy,” it’s in progress.

Agency is saying, “I’m learning out loud.”

Agency is taking control of your career and taking the steps to improve yourself and your craft.

Yesterday, agency looked like changing a phone number. Today it looks like showing up again.

-Destany