Angela Matusik: Reinvent Your Career, Creative Contentment & A Thread of Perspective

Angela Matusik, Head of Corporate Brand Content & Creative at Hewlett-Packard, breaks down the impact of brand storytelling on society’s capacity for mental wellness. She details her impressive trajectory from an unstable childhood to becoming an editor in the fascinating era of 90’s print media, and eventually reinventing her creative journalism to pivot into the world of corporate storytelling. Mayim and Angela discuss the ways in which brands shape societal values, behavior, and conversation and the responsibilities these corporations have to maintain integrity and address mental health. They examine the importance of young women having access to mentorship from successful women in corporate positions, the effects of isolation on adolescents created by the digital age, and how their hyper awareness as mothers shapes their views of the media.
Mayim and Jonathan explain the values in recognizing how your past impacts your present and finding creative trajectories for one’s unique skillset in another round of "You Might Need Help If..."
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Theme Song Written, Produced, and Performed by Ed Robertson. Mixed by Kenny Luong.
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[@moustachemike1221]

Congrats Mayim on becoming the Jeopardy host for specials and spinoffs.

[@StrongOaker]

I wish Mayim had announced it on a separate video on her channel so the other videos comments were not getting all the congrats. Dont get me wrong Mike I am right in the boat next to you on wanting to congratulate her. Which is why I am replying to your post to also applaud the fact she is hosting, gives me a good reason to watch.

[@troods8110]

I was sooo hoping she would be chosen!! Just love this beautiful woman!

[@kurtisfifty]

Shes cringe and means nothing to entertainment. Noone would notice nor care if she fell out of hollywood.

[@louisbonilla6780]

❤😮

[@chocolamtiinal4048]

I work at HP, and I'm thankful to be treated as a human being, and yes Mayim, our mental health matters!! Thank you all for this episode! 🖤

[@SL313]

Congrats on Jeopardy and also thank you for keeping the podcast despite how insanely busy you are and even giving us a bonus episode!

[@1secretlesbian]

Yay Mayim for JEOPARDY!! I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU! I've loved you since "Beaches"!!! Congratulations!!!

[@m_brokenleg]

Congrats Mayim on becoming one of the two Jeopardy hosts (though my 🔮had always told me that you’ll be chosen..😉) Seriously now, I see that this episode is mostly a “Jonathan’s episode”! Because context and more. And how I like Mayim’s ring and the CMK banner sticked at the rear of her ipad… Btw, Jonathan, cheers again: 🥂Mayim said again “LATE BLOOMER”!!! Thank you, guys, for another great episode! 💜And counting!

[@Reina.Nijinsky]

Yaas! So happy for u for being picked the Jeopardy host for specials!❣️👏👏👏 HugsFromNYC 🍎

[@arayahmariah]

angela matusik. that name was so familiar. then it hit me. the episode of 'taxi' where alex asks out the woman who works at his answering service never having met her in person. googled it to see if i was correct. turns out the character's name was angela matusa.......close enough! for me, that was the most interesting part of this episode. i've got to stop forcing myself to sit through these episodes early on, as soon as i get an inkling of how it's going to go. it's like sitting all the way through a really bad movie, because you keep thinking that it's just GOT TO get better.......🤷‍♀️

[@FreelyReadingwithDawn]

Omgoodness! I have hundreds of “Dear Future Me” letters from my high school English students. Since 1994 they’ve submitted it for a grade and they LOVE this assignment.

[@melissapasiecnik7529]

These guests are awesome! Informative and calming and funny. You Rock Mayim!

[@taniawebster5867]

This was so interesting and I enjoyed listening to this episode. It is amazing to see all the things that can affect your mental health and how your childhood can shape who you are. This podcast is my favourite and every episode I listen to reminds me why. Love this so much and thank you for another incredible episode.

[@marisamartinezolivera]

How this episode resonates in me and my life journey & career as a creative one! It’s the demonstration that creative people can jump from/to different jobs enriching them and being enriched by them. How well Angela explains her own “growing” as a creative soul at 19:03, explaining how she pushed boundaries to places no one has been before. It’s exactly that!!! And is as exciting as it sounds!!! Specially when you, as myself, use to mentor people. Even when your storytelling is done with something so bulky, as in my case and the people at my office is, as a building. Thank you, Mayim, Jonathan and Angela, for this Thursday “tip episode”! 💜🙏🏽

[@bsalapek5]

Such an amazing, intelligent, hard working woman! I learned so much!

[@Historian212]

Well, hmm. I'm about 40 minutes through the episode, and I'm very ambivalent about what Angela's saying. I worked in the NYC advertising world from the mid-80s through the mid-90s. I did print production work, including photo retouching and typography, and also sat in on strategy sessions and creative team meetings at ad agencies. I was starting to do website design when I decided to leave the industry. And here's the thing: all companies utilize market research and datasets to discover what the "hot" topics and attitudes are, and there are tons of marketing forecasts that companies use to plan their strategies going forward. One *big* strategy has been, for decades, how to attract and retain customers by talking about your company's "values." "Aligning" the company's "message" with its targeted customer segment's values is designed to get the customer to identify with the brand. It's all deliberately crafted. I'm not saying there aren't companies run by people whose values-based marketing is genuine; there are. But way more often than not, marketers are just finding ways to appeal to their target markets, using sophisticated techniques to sell more stuff. The phrase "appeal to people's pain points" is a popular marketing phrase (and some aren't above increasing the pain just to claim they can ease it -- for a price). Yes, storytelling is a powerful thing that appeals to human brains. But utilizing storytelling to sell stuff is, let's face it, manipulative. Maybe Angela actually believes what she says; but to me, she comes across as someone who's very good at convincing herself -- and maybe others -- that she's doing anything other than plain ol' selling. For example: Angela says that a company like REI is okay for selling its products in certain ways because people *need* its stuff so they can enjoy the outdoors. That's just bogus. People may *want* what REI sells; that said, humans managed to enjoy the outdoors long before REI came along. A "want" is different from a "need." But Angela slipped a "need" statement in there so smoothly, it was amazing. REI does happen to be a very good company. But that "need" statement is creepy, and typical of the marketing mindset.

[@brookecorry4827]

I appreciate this response. I mostly enjoyed the interview and felt that Angela came across as a kind and thoughtful person, but I did feel a bit conflicted about what her role is and how it was being presented. It's painted as this altruistic undertaking by HP, but you're right, it is manipulative. These types of videos/shorts/media are often made to elicit a strong emotional response in the consumer, and this emotional response coupled with (maybe even subconsciously) the image of the company's logo in the corner or flashing before the end credits, can create a kind of neural link between the company and the emotions they elicited. I believe that overtime, after countless exposure to these covert ads over the years, an individual could be pretty affected. I don't know, it weirds me out, haha. So yeah, I feel conflicted because I liked Angela and I felt like she was genuine and fully believes in what she's saying, but the idea of a "brand journalist" and all that goes along with that roll kind of irks me. I can't say I'm bothered I watched this though, it at least gave me an opportunity to consider why I disagree and better form my thoughts on the matter.

[@djme5215]

Woohoo! This is my evening sorted. Thank you Mayim and Jonathan!

[@Indigobasil]

As a quirky, awkward female corporate professional….this episode made me feel seen. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was inspired.

[@EilysMom]

Mayim.... Congratulations Girl!!!! Over the moon happy for you, on the JEOPARDY gig. What a beautiful thing for us all out here!

[@elissa3188]

I generally love these- 36 minutes in - and still waiting for a stronger focus on the mental health side of this one.

[@elissa3188]

Ah, here at the end, Mayim states it's not like her normal mental health ep.

[@mbsl923]

Will there be another “Bevisode”? Those were so fun.

[@orland0110]

Congratulations Mayim on , first of all, approximately one million subscribers on this channel and then, second of all, becoming the Jeopardy host for specials. You are excellent!

[@maryanntownsend265]

I know Angela personally and she is an amazing woman and mother💜❤️💕

[@catloverKD]

This is the first one I've started that I won't finish. I love every other episode I've watched, but this one, not so much. It's going over my head, and it feels completely irrelevant.

[@yuridialeyva3417]

really enjoyed this episode thank you mayim and Jonathan

[@MissFanCulture]

You’re doing great work mayim ❤️

[@jenniferhouser6985]

Congratulations on become THE host!! So excited for you. I know you wanted it. ♥️

[@troods8110]

I just LOVE the little introductory tune!! 😆 🤣 do you sing along???

[@craigpennington1251]

Reinvent your career. Not a chance. I'm too old for that nonsense but the younger folk may have to. It's a completely different world now and it sucks so much. Mayim, you always have such a variety of subjects that really need to be addressed. Thanks for all your hard work. Stuff like this didn't exist when I was younger. It's very helpful and beneficial in many ways.

[@m_brokenleg]

It’s never too old nor too late! I changed my career at my 59

[@oliviamaisa4407]

That woman AMAZING guys!

[@docbrown6550]

That would be an interesting subject, Adults now writing a letter to their younger self on what they did wrong and what to do to make corrections or change about their lives.

[@briena8881]

Oh absolutely, thanks for that writing prompt!

[@katiearpino1142]

It is about selling ultimately but with a more congruent personal approach

[@lindabmusiclessons1]

I went to look at the HP content and it was very moving and well done. It reminded me of Dove’s films about body image, and Sephora’s current series of interviews with their employees.

[@Angela1Elaine]

Congratulations Mayim!! 🥰

[@docbrown6550]

Congratulations on your hosting for Jeopardy job 👍👍💖💖

[@chloepreparatory7799]

The trajectory comment is quite compelling

[@indigothecat]

Without having listened to this whole episode yet (just 5 minutes in), this sounds like a lot of what Social Psychology studies (that is the combination study of Sociology and Psychology together).

[@kristilisakleiner9384]

I look forward to your channel Mayim, btw I like your hair this way

[@fatcatfrankie8321]

Congratulations on co-hosting Jeopardy!

[@alphonsosmith591]

OMG I CANT WAIT FOR YOU TO BE THE NEW HOST OF JEOPARDY

[@jeannettesarpola3056]

I'm so thrilled that you're going to be on Jeopardy. You were the best...shame that you're not full time host, there I said it.

[@clairedouglas1726]

Congratulations Mayim on becoming the host of jeopardy well deserved, I’m so proud of you you are amazing , love you 😘 ❤️xx

[@catherinemakohn6141]

Another great episode!

[@pittsburgh-gal]

Congrats on the Jeopardy gig!!!🤗🌺

[@pattykeough]

I have to say this is like a big ad for hp. And for buying further into the duplicitous nature of advertising. They're making the point that it's not duplicitous. It is. REI is not creating a lovely movie about the outdoors just so we can enjoy a lovely movie about the outdoors. The creating the content in order to sell the product. There is no separation there.

[@briena8881]

Have you ever worked in a company doing bad marketing? Selling then is way harder, which means it's essential for survival that a company has to make good marketing. And with this, I mean they have to make themselves visible and share knowledge about their product. The undergoing issue is that the products themselves are for many company rather a way to make money than to improve life or even society or the world. A lot of companies are not based on values like worldwide peace, no slavery, no torture. So you have for example an international producer of famous snacks, who use non-fairtrade chocolate because they can and because that fact is neither damaging their reputation nor do they get penetration for this money-making based on slavery. It's not the marketing that's the issue, it's how visionary or not governments and cooperations are. But I agree, marketing is most of the time duplicitous, it's their nature. That sad, I am marketing manager and have been working for about sixteen years now in media and in all kinds of companies (small, middle, multi-international) in the communication department, I think about nothing but their impact and how it's the invisible power forming society and media these days.

[@pigs18]

'Grats on getting some new job, I heard? And congrats on the continued success on the podcast.

[@paultaylor3517]

love the show xo

[@scottallen3932]

Congrats on the new job

[@tobyleonard5410]

I love Blossom

[@shannonrolfes5171]

I propose that one of the defining factors between 12 and 18 is puberty. Hormones can change how you view the world!

[@medicinaemdia4895]

This was, forgive me if I’m wrong, in my eye of the beholder a real life story Devil Wears Prada (Andrea Sacks)

[@phillipmillman3290]

Anyone know which microphone arm Mayim is using? I need a new one.

[@Triumphantmama]

I think curious contemplative beings should be told as young as possible that *there will always be help to figure out patterns*, as well as *MOST IMPORTANTLY* that *a being is only responsible for a tiny corner of the pattern* *at a time ever* and that their contribution might be a part of the pattern that everyone already knows well -a famous choreography that will be the only thing they get right publicly but might not be the thing that they value; or a new unseen and probably underappreciated corner part of the pattern like watering a garden or nurturing their painting or a complicated job like child raising that * SHALL BE NEVERTHELESS INTEGRAL AND INHERENTLY VALUABLE FULL STOP . I think this is the basis of all the disconnect In mental anguish or the creation of unhelpful patterns just thinking the limited amount you know will always be limited, everyone knows more than you, and that eventually you if you were “to become better” you will have all the knowledge and be perfect. It’s insidious.

[@moishimeirchassidus95]

Hi Eshes chayil, 👋 you are so amazing Mayim נשמה 😉

[@Samtasticlife37]

Mayim, was your first kiss on S1 Ep2 of Blossom? I am just now watching it.... first time through...

[@Historian212]

Elsewhere, she has said that it was. She found it very embarrassing.

[@themcgeefamily7514]

💙💚

[@jeanne553]

When have parents ever explained what is happening to their kids. Most of the time parents haven't got a clue. Humans are resilient, we need to stop acting like covid is crippling a whole generation of kids.

[@kurtisfifty]

Who forfeited their salary for you to become jeopardy host? Galecki or cuoco?

[@killersentra]

My future wife right here. 20 babies.

[@rturney6376]

5 families own 86% of our companies.

[@Indu.......17]

First 🥰🥰

[@nohjuan3048]

Says Mayim Bialik near the beginning of this video, "When I was a teenager...I was a teenager that was allowed to look like a teenager...I didn't have false lashes, no one was wearing hair extensions, if you didn't have breasts, you wore clothes that looked good on you if you didn't have breasts...we didn't really think that much." During the first commercial break, Mayim Bialik says, "Thousands of women reported that the supplement didn't just restore their hair, but their confidence..." So hypocritical! First you say women should be accepted without fake beauty, then you say women need this product that will help them conform to social media beauty standards. What gives Mayim? Please tell me you aren't telling us that you will compromise your reality to earn a few bucks from beauty sponsors!

[@dicedrice7216]

Not a fair comparison. Hair loss is very upsetting to men and women of any age.

[@MagathasDarkCorner]

nope, can't take it anymore with the ads, they make me feel like after 20 years i'm back watching public TV. I'm a bit sad to lose the visual part of it, but it's for the best. I'll continue the journey on Spotify.

[@Historian212]

I just move the slider through them, just takes a second.

[@kendallstark4302]

Aren't we all overgrown children at age 18? 😆

[@rachelgrig9985]

What?????

[@rturney6376]

She secretly has a crush on Jonathan.

[@m_brokenleg]

Secretely? They’re in a relationship!

[@rturney6376]

@@m_brokenleg lolololol😂😂😂😂😂

[@audreyadams7099]

@@m_brokenleg are they though? Mayim posted a video on her Instagram and Jonathan addressed the question of if they are in a relationship with "I don't know" and in a previous video he said in an outro "it's not the reason we broke up but...". It's a weird dynamic. I'm not sure what's going on.

[@TribeWilloughby]

Will You Marry Me Mayim Bialik?

[@medicinaemdia4895]

If there is a person that deserved to have a third term if Barack Obama!!!

[@charmedprince]

Yuck no

[@TheLisab56]

"Like" Is rapidly becoming, like, you know, like, my most, like, unfavorite word. It is driving me mad. A fascinating interview is ruined by the speech pattern. I love your interviews, you are highly educated. For the love of great conversation, I beg of you, dial down the "Like".

[@Jam_Blaster]

If you don’t “like” the way they speak, then listen to a different podcast. Nobody needs to change for you.

[@TeddieBuddhaBear]

Not a fan of this episode.