Karen Owen
Holy Redeemer Health System
Philadelphia, PA USA
"What causes a lot of unnecessary tension or anguish is when you start questioning if you are doing the right thing. It’s like a broken record...you have to stop spinning, settle in, and know that where you are right now is where you are supposed to be."
Career Roadmap
Karen's work combines: Business, Non-Profit Organizations, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
I thought long and hard about that statement and came to the conclusion it was correct, I wasn't cut out for the work, not because I wasn't good at it, but because it was impossible to work for the people in the organization. I was never going to succeed there and got out as quickly as I could. What you do is just as important as where you do it.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Speech Communication and Rhetoric
Old Dominion University
Certification
Life Coach
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a VP of Marketing and Brand Storytelling:
High School
Bachelor's Degree: Marketing/Marketing Management, General
Graduate Degree: Business Administration and Management, General
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
Attended Old Dominion University where she earned her degree in speech, communications, and rhetoric.
2.
While in college, she worked as a student assistant in the Sports Information Office, the marketing and advertising office for the school’s athletics department.
3.
After graduating, she bounced around a couple of jobs that she hated and was even unemployed for a time—through her network, she was able to get a job in marketing at Sentara Healthcare.
4.
After working at Sentara for over 10 years, she decided to accept a Director of Marketing role at Chesapeake General Hospital, but says it stopped being fun after a few years.
5.
Through a friend, she landed a job at The Mariners’ Museum as their first Vice President of Marketing.
6.
After her divorce and subsequent remarriage, she moved to New York where she began working as the Executive Director for the nonprofit Natasha’s Justice Project.
7.
She was eventually recruited back into the healthcare industry and is currently the Vice President of Marketing and Brand Storytelling at Holy Redeemer Health System.
8.
She is also a Martha Beck trained Life Coach—says she is passionate about helping people make transformational changes in their lives.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Friends:
You aren't cut out for this work.
How I responded:
I thought long and hard about that statement and came to the conclusion it was correct, I wasn't cut out for the work, not because I wasn't good at it, but because it was impossible to work for the people in the organization. I was never going to succeed there and got out as quickly as I could. What you do is just as important as where you do it.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
Being the first in your family to go to college can be a bit daunting when the family support you need isn't there. But what I knew deep down was that if I were to get anywhere in life, getting an education was the key.
I put myself through school and took out a lot of loans. Going through school, I was definitely in a bad financial place bordering on poverty.