Women Who Went for It! Podcast: Episode 037: From Fashion to Farmers Markets with Sarah Dylan Jensen

Episode 037: From Fashion to Farmers Markets with Sarah Dylan Jensen

Apr 28, 2019

Women Who Went for It Podcast Guest: Sarah Dylan Jensen

In this episode, Sara McArdle talks with Sarah Dylan Jensen about her journey from the fashion industry to social media, marketing, and managing farmers markets. Sarah Dylan Jensen shares how she established personal connections to break into her new industries, how she built up her confidence along the way, how she determines which projects to say "yes" or "no" to, and she gives practical tips to anyone who might be intimidated putting themselves out there in a new way. Today, Sarah manages the Snohomish, Mill Creek, and Stanwood Farmers Markets in Washington state, and she owns her own social media and marketing business, Mockingjay Press, supporting small, local shops and businesses.

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Sara and Sarah Discuss:

Sara McArdle's upcoming workshop, Self-Care for the Overworked & Overwhelmed
Sara's workshop collaborator, Kristen Jawad of Women Who Went for It episode 003
Sara & Sarah meeting through their mutual friend, Angie Louthan of Women Who Went for It episode 005
Sarah Dylan Jensen growing up and going to school in Alaska
Studying at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Southern California
Finding herself out of her element
Moving to Seattle
Working at Eddie Bauer
Finding fashion to be different than the image presented in school
Working at Tommy Bahama
Doing some admin work to get out
Working at Brooks Sports in factory operations
Applying for three design positions there and not getting them
Working for Zumiez
Deciding to call it quits in fashion
Attending meetups in downtown Snohomish, Washington
Feeling empowered
Seeing that she was living out of alignment with her values in the fashion industry
A trip to Iceland that changed her outlook on life and her career
Coming back and feeling like she was "in the wrong skin"
Asking her networking community, "What services do you need?" and hearing "social media!"
Faking it until she made it
Taking the leap into full-time work in social media
Setting goals for herself and blowing past them
Becoming known as the person who could get anything done
Saying "yes" to everything
A friend suggesting she apply to manage the Snohomish Farmers Market
Getting hired on the spot
How she first picked fashion design
Informational interviews
Taking on the Mill Creek Farmers Market
Her decision to move to downtown Snohomish
What the day-to-day of managing farmers markets looks like
What inspires Sarah to go above-and-beyond in her new work
How she determines what to say "no" to
Her process for changing industries
How she built up her confidence
Surrounding herself with supportive community
The networking group that she's on the board of: Snohomish Networking Women
Networking tips
A cool meetup she went to in Seattle: Geek Girl Brunch
Current fears that pop up in her career
Presenting at Washington State Farmers Market Association in 2019
Sara McArdle's recommendation - TED Talk coach, Erin Loman Jeck
Sarah Dylan Jensen's advice for women who want to go for it
...and more!

Sarah Dylan Jensen's Full Bio:

Farmers Market Manager and Social Media Maven, Sarah Dylan Jensen, studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute for Design & Merchandising in Southern California. She immediately jumped into the design industry at Eddie Bauer, followed by Tommy Bahama, Zumiez, Kische, and Brooks Sports. After 10+ years in the industry, she decided it was time to move toward a smaller, more localized focus, and away from the politics that office jobs - even in fashion design - can bring.

Sarah created Mockingjay Press with the dream of bringing desire back to small-town shopping. In her social media business, she helps bring awareness and insight to supporting small, local shops & businesses. Through curated connections in the community, she became the Snohomish Farmers Market Manager in 2015. As market manager, Sarah curates an engaging vendor mix, working with local artisans, creators, and farmers. Sarah handles the social media & graphic advertising for her (now 3) farmers markets, along with her growing client list in & around the greater Snohomish area.

Sarah was a featured speaker at the 2019 Washington State Farmers Market Association conference, as well as the 2018 Women in Business Conference.

Connect with Sarah Dylan Jensen, Mockingjay Press, and Her Farmers Markets:

Mockingjay Instagram: www.instagram.com/mockingjaypress

Mockingjay website: www.mockingjaypress.com

Mockingjay Facebook: www.facebook.com/mockingjaypress

Snohomish Farmers Market: www.snohomishfarmersmarket.org

Mill Creek Farmers Market: www.millcreekfarmersmarket.org

Stanwood Farmers Market: www.stanwoodfarmersmarket.org

Connect with Sara McArdle and Women Who Went for It:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/womenwhowentforit

Website: www.womenwhowentforit.com

Nominate a Podcast Guest: www.saramcardle.com/podcast-guest