Welcome toSecond Life, a podcast spotlighting successful women who’ve made major career changes—and fearlessly mastered the pivot. Hosted by Hillary Kerr, co-founder and chief content officer at Who What Wear, each episode gives you a direct line to women who are game changers in their fields. Subscribe to Second Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you get your podcasts to stay tuned.
Madison Utendahl, the founder of Utendahl Creative, is making waves with her all-female, Black-owned, anti-trend branding, and design agency. Her mission is to uplift brand voices through emotionally-engaging narratives, and she’s succeeding by creating her own rules. At her core, Utendahl is a storyteller, and through her agency, she helps others tell their stories with the power of authenticity and self-worth. Utendahl’s perspective is fresh and unapologetic in an industry that is constantly evolving. She has been invited to speak at several events, including Inbound, Vidcon, and Yelp’s Women in Business Summit, and her vision has gained attention from many who share her mission.
Utendahl Creative collaborates with a dynamic range of esteemed brands such as Simon Huck’s Judy, Halsey’s About-Face, and Chris Paul’s Good Eatn, among others. But before she started redefining narratives in the creative industry, she helped create viral sensations like The Museum of Ice Cream and Refinery29’s 29 Rooms. She also worked as a creative associate and video producer for Refinery29, where she created multiple series for the renowned publisher. Prior to her media career, she worked as a production assistant for HBO’s critically acclaimed series Last Week Tonight With John Oliver. Along the way, she was recognized in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, received two Webby Awards, and eventually experienced a serious case of work burnout.
Listen to the latest episode of Second Life to hear how Utendahl was able to fully walk away from her former—and highly successful—career and found the inspiration to found a company of her own.
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