Astrid Moulin moved to Toronto from France and was able to parlay her side project as a blogger into a full time gig for Real Sports Apparrel - the team store for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors and Toronto FC.
We talk to her about making the move with a backpack and a bicycle, why you should just start and the many lessons she learned from being thrown into a job and asked to figure it out. Here's our conversation with Astrid.
Astrid's LinkedIn profile is here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/astridmoulin/ and her blog that started it all is here: https://fringinto.com/en
Full show notes and transcripts can be found here: https://www.mtcpod.com
Like the show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps. Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!
Astrid Moulin moved to Toronto from France and was able to parlay her side project as a blogger into a full time gig for Real Sports Apparrel - the team store for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors and Toronto FC.
We talk to her about making the move with a backpack and a bicycle, why you should just start and the many lessons she learned from being thrown into a job and asked to figure it out. Here's our conversation with Astrid.
Astrid's LinkedIn profile is here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/astridmoulin/ and her blog that started it all is here: https://fringinto.com/en
Full show notes and transcripts can be found here: https://www.mtcpod.com
Like the show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps. Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!
Ep 5 - Astrid Moulin RSA
[00:00:00] Christian Parsons: Coming up on Make The Cut.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: Start your own thing. Do it for fun for you. I started my blog as just a journal to share my experience in Canada. I wouldn't have never imagined that it will bring me to have a job in the professional sports industry in Toronto. And it's all because I started one day to write for myself and start.
Christian Parsons: Welcome to the show. I'm Christian Parsons. Thanks for tuning in. Starting to get into the groove with these and, and feeling good about the feedback we've gotten so far. On Make The Cut we deconstruct the career paths, work lessons and practical advice of the people who have built successful careers on the business side of pro sports.
From the NHL to the NBA. From football to soccer. These are the stories of people who make it happen off the field, off the ice and off the court. Our goal is for you to leave with a better knowledge of what it's like to work in the world of pro sports. [00:01:00] Different jobs that you didn't know existed and actionable steps to help you get your next job in sports.
Today, we're talking with Astrid Moulin. Astrid moved to Toronto from France and was able to parlay her side project as a blogger into a full-time gig for Real Sports Apparel, the team store for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors and Toronto FC. We talked to her about making the move with just a backpack and a bicycle. Why you should just start. And the many lessons she learned from being thrown into a job and asked to figure it out. Here's our conversation with Astrid.
so Astrid, you came from way, way, way, way outside of sports. I think you were doing project management for construction and doing content creation and on your personal side, blogging and that kind of stuff. Um, what drew you to the opportunity at Real Sports Apparel and with some of the restaurants within Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: so you're right. I actually come from a construction background in France, so way, [00:02:00] way far from Toronto. Um, and I think that was just, I never came to work in sports. That's something really important to know. It was like I was in sales and I love marketing, but I was more doing that on the side was my blog.
I starting doing social media, blogging in getting to that more and more that at some point, people were asking me to work as a freelancer. Um, and I was known more and more about that in, in one day. It was more an opportunity than me looking to get into sports. Eh, yeah, it happened.
Christian Parsons: Yeah, it sounds like it was more... you had something passionate that you were doing on the side you know, blogging and creating content, all of that freelance stuff. And that led to an opportunity that was within, within sports.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: Exactly. It's and it's, what's something I've said many times. And when I talk about my experience it's I know how to do my job and. Always adapted to different industries. So I worked in construction, but in Canada, I [00:03:00] worked in IT. The main thing is my job is I know how to do social media. I know how to do content creation.
Christian Parsons: And you can apply it to different areas, whether it's IT, whether it's construction, whether it's sports, whether it's fashion, whether whatever you have a core skillset, that's really easily transferable.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: Exactly because I always, uh, always said, you can learn anything, uh, any different, like you can learn sports. I am the proof that you can learn sports. Um, you can learn fashion and you can learn. You can learn all that , but you need to have something to start with.
Christian Parsons: Okay. Yeah, you need a core skill set to start with.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: exactly. So social media / content creation. That was what I was doing. I did it for different industries, but like doing it for sport was definitely something very different.
Christian Parsons: Yeah. So actually let's, let's, let's transition into that, right? Because focusing on creating content for retail at, at Real Sports Apparel, that job seems like a blend of fashion, production, photography, getting a [00:04:00] model or models. Content and sports. What does it actually entail to somebody who is 19, 20 years old you know, in college?
Not really sure. Um, what does that job actually entail?
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: The good thing about his job is I was able to work in so many different areas with so many different people. So something to know first in my case is I to work internally and externally. So I had to work with people inside the company and outside the company. Like, as you say, like photographers, models, they are not employed, employed with the company in my case.
So I had to first look for them to build a team outside of my team. So it's like sometime I felt like had two teams. I had my team at the, in the office. And I have the T I had the team I hade and was working in the onset. So you have so many different aspects. From um, building a mood board to know where you're going, because you need to present it to your manager and say, Hey, that's what we are launching next [00:05:00] week.
That's what I want to do. And you have to get the approval and then you have to reserve your photographer. You have to find the location. You have to make sure the clothes are you on time. That's a really big challenge. Um, you have to make sure, um, you, they sign in, um, the sign, the model release too.
Work with a social media manager to make sure the content is going to feed her and her calendar, um, at so many different people. So it's like first it's different type of jobs, but it's also a different type of people. So you have to learn how to work. And that's something I learned from my experience on sales. I worked with so many different customers. So you learn how to interact with people. Some people are more organized. Some people are not organized at all. Uh, so that was very, very challenging to learn how to like work with different people.
Christian Parsons: Yeah, it sounds like with what you were trying to do and focus on the content creation. You had a couple of different groups, internal and external [00:06:00] stakeholders that you had to rally and then a lot of different personalities. So it sounds like, just being able to adapt to all those personalities was one of the key skill sets that you were able to bring.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: Yes for me, flexibility is one of the best skill you can have. When you were, you want to work in like social media, content creation, because not only you have different people that can change their mind, for example, or maybe what's, you're telling them they're going to understand something. But then once the photos Frank Paul had done and they have it in front of them to say, Oh no, it's not what I had in mind.
So you also have to make sure they understand and you manage expectations. And that's something I really learned there. Managing expectations. I don't think have never had to do that that much before in any other job I had. Um, but that's, that's a really, really big part and working with a lot of freelancers too, being a freelancer myself before, um, I learned so much about working with freelancers because there are not [00:07:00] nine to five, they are not available. Like, you know, you can jump at their desk like next to yours and they have different clients too. So it's, it's very, you need to be very flexible and really understand how everybody's working to be able to adjust.
Christian Parsons: Understand that if this person has a nine to five job that you have to actually have to shoot either before or after that. And that they have a real job and they might be a photographer or they might be a model, they might be a stylist, whatever it might be, but you need to be able to be flexible to that schedule.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: Yeah, exactly. Flexible to that, to the people and flexible to you. For if you plan on shooting outside for the new launch and it's snowing because you're in Toronto and it can snow anytime during the year, honestly. And you have to make it work. So it's like, and I learned a lot.
Uh, but you will learn a lot and you will learn a lot about anticipation too.
Christian Parsons: just so I'm really clear about what, [00:08:00] what the job entailed, Anything that was on a Real Sports Apparels, or the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC's social channels from a merchandise perspective. Jerseys, women's merchandise, kids, merchandise, any of that kind of stuff you should like you were in charge of creating that photography and video content.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: So not everything. The bigger, um, bigger launches will be managed by the team. Like the, we had a studio in house that will like take care of all the bigger launches. So I will do the daily content. For example, everything you will see on social, everything you will see in store, um, ever seen you see in the restaurant, because I was also in charge of that. Like these big screen, outside that promoting the store, that will be me, which was actually really cool to see something, you work on your laptop and you walk by the arena and you see it like.
Like cause um, amazing, uh, uh, creation on the screen. [00:09:00] But, um, yes. So we also had a bigger launch sometimes. And that's also something very different because you also have to manage the budget, which is another part that we need to mention because before I never had to manage a budget and it's.
To understand everything .To make sure you put every line and you don't forget anything because that can be a big problem. And to make sure you, yeah, you don't do miss anything. It's just a lot of things that, again, uh, behind a photo you don't imagine there is so much work.
Christian Parsons: Yeah, it sounds like the way that you're saying it, it sounds like there was definitely some hiccups in the learning process to get there. The first time you're like, okay, we're just going to like, get a bunch of people in this new collection and take a bunch of pictures. And then you're like, Oh shit.
Now I've got a permit and now I've got to get them there. And now I've got us do the schedule. And now the photographer says, it's raining. So now we got to do XYZ. What do you think was your, your biggest learning [00:10:00] going into that? It sounds like there was a pretty steep learning curve to go from.
Like it's not just clicking on a camera. It is actually doing all this other stuff. Yeah.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: Preparation for sure. Preparation organization. I still thought was a really organized person before. But his job, like get me to another level, uh, because it's also a different thing when you're working by yourself and when you're with a team, because you need to make sure the team knows before.
So everyone can say, Hey, that's actually not working for us. Or that's not realistic. Because an example for to shoot windows for a restaurant where you have six dishes. Six dishes. You ask any person who's going to say, yeah, it's going to take you like two hours. No, it's like actually an hour per dishes because you're gonna move the food and the food is not going to be the right angle, so you need to recook it.
And then you're going to put like olive oil in it and you're going to, and I remember seeing stuff like that for on TV saying, Oh, tomorrow I can take photo of a burger. It takes hours. And I was like, yeah, sure. [00:11:00] Uh, but after you sit for hours, um, with a photographer and it's also a learning process because at the beginning, you don't really know what you can say as a photographer.
You don't know what, where where's the limit between, Hey, I can say that. I don't like that. I want to change that. Um, it's really, um, yeah, that's a learning and learning curve for sure. Um, with preparation, organization, communication. That's the thing I learned the most.
Christian Parsons: Yeah, it sounds like you were, you know, there were definitely transferable skills from your previous, from your previous element, but that you were kind of dropped in and you had to figure out a lot of this stuff yourself through, through trial and error, which is a tough place to be in. What helped you tackle those challenges and kind of come out the other end being like not despondent, not like oh fuck why am I doing this? Right.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: One thing to know is like first I was only doing social media and I was doing social media and content creation. [00:12:00] And that's also something like, if you want to get into this, uh, into this business is it's. You can do both. A lot of companies do it. And a lot of, um, job offer included and includes both, but it's really challenging because if you want to be on social media, you need to be really reactive to be able to respond to your followers and interact with them.
And if you are doing content creation, you are on set with a photographer. That's not going to be really happy if you spend too much time on your phone, which you totally understand. So it was really hard. And after a few months, we decided to, um, have someone else joining the team was, uh, doing all social media and it was way better because we could actually work together and also have like, enter like just extended ideas.
Um, so that was really interesting. And yes, I was, I have never done that before, but I was also, the exciting part is like, I have been part of photo shoots before for my blog as a model, not as [00:13:00] the person who manages everything.
I was just really excited to learn. Yes. And you, you have, you get more empathy when you are on the other side. And, um, what I, what I was able to bring from my previous jobs is I was, and also for my personality is I can talk to anyone. I will, um, Easily making connection. So I think that's also helped a lot because I was able to ask question and also be because I came from another country. So there is a lot of things that I was doing back home.
Or for example, I was like shy to ask question that here. I was like, Um, I don't, I don't, I'm the guy I'm going to ask a question. I have nothing to lose. I came here. I closed like the ocean by myself, like, I mean, with a plane, but yeah, you see that I have nothing to lose. Um, and I will last question. So has a photographer say, Hey, what can I change?
How can we make it better? Um, so we had a lot of conversation and working with different [00:14:00] freelancer, uh, also helped lot. And all the teams. Uh, they had also their, their social media team, so we can talk and also exchange like good practices. Um, I talk a lot to my friend too, because I have a lot of friends who work in the same industry.
So I have like, not in the sports industry, but like social media industry. I say, how are you managing that? So it was a lot of. Learning reading, asking and something. I will always recommend to anyone. And it's ask question, uh, ask question, because people will always be happy to be asked something about their experience.
It's really, you feel good when people want to have your opinion about something you feel. Um, so don't be afraid. Ask question, make sure you have you're prepared when you ask question and, and it's how you're going to learn because you, you can't figure out everything by yourself.
Christian Parsons: Absolutely. It sounds like questions where you're, where you're kind of your superpower. Sorry. The willingness to ask questions seem to be a little bit of your superpower . because [00:15:00] that, and through that, you were able to like unlock a lot of knowledge that you wouldn't necessarily have access to.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: Yeah, exactly, exactly. That's how you, you learn because I'm always keeping in mind, like people can't, I can guess what you're thinking. They can't guess your problem they can get. So if you ask a question, maybe it's going to be like a really simple answer. You'd be, Oh, wow. I could have found it by myself, but I'm still, you re like, it's, it's the same way.
Like you've got to be really critical about yourself and you're going to be easy on those other people. And at the same thing, you got to be really critical of the question you ask and everything, but at the end of the day, we all have the same questions.
Christian Parsons: That's great insight. I love that. I love that. , so you dropped into the largest sports organization in Canada from the outside, and, you know, things are different. Not only. Crossing the Atlantic ocean from, , from France to Canada, but also, uh, you know, jumping from [00:16:00] construction into, into sports, jumping into fashion, you know, what was one of the biggest surprises or what do you wish you knew before getting in and day one in the role.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: .
Um, I was told that it was going to be really intense, but, um, it was another level. Um, it's and I come from, I have a different, very different background because back home I worked for a really big organization too, but I wasn't my own because I was on the road meeting my clients, my background and the family.
We run a small business. So it's. Like getting into this huge company where you have so many people, but also so many this decision maker. So that decision is not actually made by one person, but you have different layers. I think that's something I didn't know. And so the way you manage expectation and you, and you stop conversation with people is different when you have different layers, because the person you [00:17:00] have in front of you also have to comments all the people on top.
Um, so that's something I didn't know. I never had to deal with before. Um, and it was really intense too, in the sense where we had different brands, we had the different teams, we had the store, we had restaurants. So you also have to jump from like food to fashion. So, and also I come from a French background where food is really different, the way we do food, the gear and in Europe, So I had to learn and to accept that, the way I was thinking is not always the way that people think and that criticism critics can calm and they are okay is not against you.
and so that was a really tough thing to learn that what I have seen my whole life for an example how you present, a burger from example, you present fashion. When my, when my mind is one [00:18:00] way, but for the people in North America has another way and it's okay.
Every thing is valid, it's just different.
Christian Parsons: Yeah,
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: That's intense. It's like, it's just a learning process.
Christian Parsons: To a North American context and North American consumer, and then in North American management style is always a little bit of a, uh, uh, you know, it's, it's just a cultural challenge and there's a learning curve with that. I also think that what you said about dipping in from like essentially a single decision maker and no bureaucracy too complex.
Multi multi, multi dependent variables, people's opinion, all of that kind of stuff. Navigating that bureaucracy. That's a steep learning curve as well. let's say somebody else is coming in and that is in the same situation, right? They were used to, to kind of rolling solo.
Or not rolling solely, but having their own realm of expertise and having the final say on something, then they move into a [00:19:00] little bit more of a , bureaucratic environment. What advice would you give them? Somebody who's stepping in with that, you know, knowing your experience
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: Ask Ask questions about who is the decision maker, who is going to be in charge? What is everyone's job? So I know I did it after a few weeks. Uh, we had a conversation with my manager, which she told me, like, go with this person. And just ask any question you have ask what is his job? And that was really helpful because I was able to understand the how he was working a, what I could expect from him, what question I could ask and the whole, he was involved in any project we'll do.
And that's something I wish I've done with more people, but also people are busy. So it's really hard to get everyone's time. But just to understand where they're responsible for, that's really helpful in your, in your, in your workflow.
Christian Parsons: Just making sure that you hear it from them in their own words and you're not just making an assumption.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: Exactly. That's something [00:20:00] again, you can guess what people are thinking you can guess for you really to communicate, to have words and just not assumption. Yes. That's a really good point. Yeah.
Christian Parsons: That's awesome. All right. what characteristics and qualities do you think were required to be successful in retail for sports, you know, um, either in digital or content creation or just in general?
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: Retail, the main skill you need, like an any, any job flexibility, because you are going to have to, has I said before, maybe like the, the photo-shoots you are scheduling. And I'm going to work because the call's not there. Uh, but that, but if you were, if you're on my side, but if you are on the buying side, maybe it's going to be a problem with the delivery because it's stuck at the border and can sell in store and they can also be something got on fire or something like, you know, you have so many, any, um, [00:21:00] reason, uh, for, and that's, that's the reason that that's the reason that are manageable.
so it's really to be flexible and to be able to adjust and rebound. Um, and I have seen that a lot where they will say, okay, we can do A, we're going to do B. Um, and that's something really inspiring too, because there is always a solution. It's not going to work as you plan the first place, but you have resources. So everyone knows everybody's going to come with an idea and going to make it work. So I think flexibility is definitely one of those, especially because you have to keep in mind when you work in the sports industry that you are also working with, people are having fun.
'cause it's it's it's when they're not working. So are you also going to have to be able to work at night? I had photo-shoots at night when like during games, because it's when people are it's worn, you can capture like videos of people cheering the in the bar or in the arena. you have to [00:22:00] be really, really flexible and adjust to what is, uh, um, what he's asked for you from you. Um, and that's also something to really keep in mind because you feel looking for a nine to five job. It's probably not going to work. And so, uh, but it's so crazy and so interesting. And so, um, you learn so much that most of the time, you don't really see because you were having fun and you are learning.
The merger life with work and something also really North American or work in life. And like personally, I don't really have like a like clear limit.
Um, so it's, it's very, very, very interesting to, to see and to experience as not newcomer, because I've been in Canada for years now, but. I didn't grow up here, and it was really interesting to see it in France. People are more separated between work and their personal life
Christian Parsons: Yep. I've watched Emily In Paris. I know what it's like. I'm just kidding.
[00:23:00] Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: yeah. Assay yeah. It's, it's very different.
Christian Parsons: two things that I wanted to click in on. Cause I, you said something really interesting one, but one is a story tell me the story of something catching fire, because you were at, you were saying like just, it was a passing example. You're like, or something could catch fire.
Tell me that story.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: Yeah. Um, I don't, yeah, let's just, you were supposed to get a lit delivery and you waiting for it and you find out that. The, where it was like the, the it's on fire
Christian Parsons: Yeah, the shipping
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: is on . Yeah.
Like there was stuff you can tell people on social media, you don't, you can tell people hey, uh, sorry. You have shipping got on fire. you need to get the approval to share this kind of information.
So for you, you know, what's happening, you know, no one is going to get their Jersey like, okay. So how do I manage people expectation? Because now that fans are getting upset at us on social media and. How do I tell them? [00:24:00] Yeah, it's coming, but we don't really know when
that was the, I think the biggest example of, um, stuff that had kind of happened that you don't expect.
Christian Parsons: Absolutely. Absolutely. These Toronto FC jerseys, aren't gonna make it. Why? Oh, they're on fire on a boat somewhere.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: Yeah. And after it's the only you can, like, it's the whole process. So, and, and yeah. Something to keep in mind too. They order we're seeing in advance, but like a year in advance. So everything is made a year in advance. So I guess so you can't just say, Oh, okay, cool. We need more.
Oh yeah. But you're gonna have them, like in six months we won't be able to make them.
Christian Parsons: Yeah. Jerseys. Aren't the same thing as a t-shirt where you can just like print off another, like 3000 of them or what have you, right. You actually, it's complicated.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: but that's something also, you don't know before getting into this industry of retail, you have exhibition when you were. You, you know, you show up to Zara where they change hall each and every eight weeks. So you think, Oh, it's very easy [00:25:00] to if new clothes done, you know, eight weeks and they have new collections, uh, no, it doesn't work like that in the sports industry.
Christian Parsons: Yeah, Nike and Adidas don't move that quickly, right?
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: Nope. Nope.
Christian Parsons: Yeah. So one of the other things that, that, that you said that I wanted to zoom in on was, you know, one of the best skills that you can have for somebody coming into this role is flexibility. How does somebody build that muscle of flexibility ?Or what's something that they could do to kind of like practice flexibility or practice agility?
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: Think you can practice in your personal life. First is when you get something that's not, that's not going, has you plan or that's not going the way you want. Sees the bright side and think about who it's okay. I was going that way. Someone threw that at me. How do I make it work? And keeping in mind that every problem as a solution that's has my dad always told me growing up, [00:26:00] uh, it was right.
And that's actually, you don't realize who is telling that to a kid is going to impact their entire life. Um, you always have a solution you're always going to make it work and you just have to do it to start doing it in your personal life. Once you get it, like it's going to get, it's going to be an habit habit.
You're going to be able to always rebound and say not going to work. That's fine. And tell them to even get better. That's the thing you have to keep in mind too, is like, it's not because it's not working the way you wanted that it's ruined it can, that could be better. And keep also in mind that people in front of you don't know everything that's happening behind the scenes.
So they might know that you plan A and work and they're going to like you plan B, cause they didn't even know existed in the first place. it's just the perspective you have to shift, shift your perspective from the w the first thing you were [00:27:00] thinking and shift to other options. Keeping in mind that the, on the other side, they don't know.
Christian Parsons: Yeah. People don't know what they don't know. Right.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: Exactly.
Christian Parsons: So being, being, being confident in learning, being confident and, you know, making mistakes, make reflecting on them and making sure you're learning from them is a great way to, to improve flexibility that makes, that makes sense on work life or personal life.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: exactly. And always come with another plan. When, from when you go see your manager and tell your manager, Oh, you know, we plan that is not going to work. Don't just let this information like that and leave because. For sure. It's not going to look good if you come see. Yeah. It's not working that way, but maybe you have two different options to replace that.
What do you prefer? Usually works way better because by the time they realize, Oh, there was a problem. Yes, but there were, you have solutions.
Christian Parsons: Totally. And even, [00:28:00] even one of the things that, that I know that we, we we've talked about before, but even having a range of solutions with range of cost, Hey, if this thing doesn't work out, here's what we can do for free. And here's what we can do. That's going to cost three grand, five grand, whatever it is to go make this happen.
because that way you're not just locked in with, Hey, you know, regardless of what happens, we're going to have to do X, Y, Z, and we're gonna have to spend this, but allowing for a range of those solution makes a lot of sense.
let's say that somebody wants to break in to content creation for a pro team. What's an actionable step that they can take that brings them closer to their goal.
You know, maybe right now, there's not that many jobs with, you know, pro-sports not having fans in North America, sir, most parts of North America that are in Texas. Um, Yeah. Um, you know, what's something that they can do right now. That's going to pay off as these jobs start to open up and the, the industry [00:29:00] starts to rebound?
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: Um, start your own thing, do it for fun for you. I started my blog as just a journal to share my experience in Canada. I wouldn't have never imagined that it will. Bring me to have a job in the professional sports industry in Toronto. And it's all because I started one day to write for myself and start.
So like starting social media, eh, starting for you, you don't have pressure. Because you are the only one, no one is going to read really that first you could have two visits on your website or like two lights and it's going to be your mom and your sister, but that's fine. That's fine because you create it and you can adjust and you can try.
I know I tried a lot of stuff on my own social media to see, Oh, is it working that way? Um, you have no, um, there is no risk. Because you only bring yourself, but once you have tried everything and you have built a portfolio, you [00:30:00] have something to show people and that's social media, or you can learn it as like you can go to school to learn it.
Yes. But you need to try it yourself. And trying to feel yourself getting familiar, or where was the tools like learning the analytics, um, take like learning and content creation. What's working with trending. You have to do with yourself because it's not something like you're going to be able to learn in a class, but it's also something that's always changing you for one month to another, for one week or one day.
Like, for example, TikTok this year, it was not big. Like I know have heard from TikTok for three years or four years, I work on some company for them as a freelancer. And she's here. They're big and they're everywhere. And you have people like, like being super famous from that. But if you miss this train, that's a professional.
That can be like you you're already late. So you always need to keep up and to learn. And that's a big, but most people [00:31:00] in this industry, you are passionate about it. So you all got to do it naturally, but you really need to keep up and to learn and to try by yourself too, to show you value. That's something really important to show the value that a few knowledge.
Christian Parsons: Yeah, I think that there's, there's three awesome lessons in, in what you just said. I think first, like start something right. Go out and do it. The risk of doing something is so low to your point. If it's only your mom and your sister that ended up clicking, like on these things or emailing you about it.
Um, that's cool. Right? That's totally fine.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: it's still two person. And at the beginning, at the beginning, when I start, sorry, I didn't have many people. And now I know I go to me, like all the job I had since. Got me the freelance side for have it got me like a community on social and all the help I was able to give to people. That's if you don't start anything that will never happen, It's.
It's what you start the may, [00:32:00] you might do something super cool. Super crazy, super interesting. While you don't start, you know, as an, you know, from the start, it's not going to happen. So it's, I think it's better to try that.
Christian Parsons: abs absolutely a hundred percent. And then part of the trying is it gets you, the reps, it gets you the experience to your point. One of the things that you said that I love is that the only way to learn social media. Is to do it. Right? To turn on the camera on your phone, pointed at yourself, pointed at somebody else.
And just try and try and try. And if you have over the next six months, you have 2000 posts or you're posting like a couple of times a day, then you'll just know the reps of, of intuitively you'll build an intuition of how things work. So when you need to apply to a brand, instead of yourself, you actually know all the tricks.
You've done. You've done the, you've done the work in a really low risk environment like you were saying. Cool. Um, [00:33:00] and then the last, uh, the last thing that I think was, was really cool that you actually didn't highlight, but I want to highlight for our listeners right now is the value of patience. when did you start your blog
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: Uh, July, 2014
Christian Parsons: . So just the value of patience, because you started that you started that in July, 2014 and you got your job. I think it
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: The end of 2017. December 2017, the seven 20.
Christian Parsons: that's like three, three and a half years of doing something that you're personally passionate about.
You're excited about, but you have a proof of concept. Right. And it's not like if somebody's listening right up right now is out there right now. If you start something tomorrow, And it doesn't work in a week and a half. You're not like F this I'm out.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: Consistency is very important that because you keep doing it and doing it because you like it and you enjoy it is going to bring you so much more. Because you are doing it for yourself and you're building a career for yourself. And we have to keep in mind too is like six years ago. [00:34:00] I never, I didn't even imagine that could be my job one day. I was doing it just because it was fun and I was enjoying it.
It was like a hobby. And I never imagined that one day we'll be paid to do that, which is different from someone now, uh, being 19 to 20, they know this career exists. That, which I didn't know. Um, which was probably why I struggled to know why, you know, when you're 18 and they're ask you, what do you want to do with your life?
Yeah. Did my job an exist by then? So it was hard to respond, uh, but it's yeah, consistent consistency is very important. Patience. Building. I always see my, my, my career. I'm only sorry, two, but still like 10 years has, um, You know, step-by-step. This step, I learned that. Okay, I'm going to be able to bring it for my next step.
And my next step, I'm going to bring something else I'm going to learn. And like you walk [00:35:00] up, there you go. You go through the direction. You want to go. It's going to take you like different directions sometimes because you know, opportunities going to come in, you're going to think, do I want to do it?
What is going to. Like, where do I'm gonna learn? I'm gonna learn, this is gonna bring me closer to my goal. Yeah. Okay. I'm going to do it. And like you have all these experiences, like if you are on your backpacks, but every single new bag, in fact I can, you're like, okay, I'm moving and keep moving. As long as you keep moving.
It's okay.
Christian Parsons: Yeah. As long as you're moving and you're learning and you're, you're. Engaged you're you're in a good spot.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: I had so many different jobs I had, so I worked for, um, yellow pages here for just before I go to my job at MLSE. I work in the bank for three weeks before the bank, I was like, okay, I just lost my job. I had to seek my own contract. Might it's not working anymore. I applied everywhere. It was like the first one, one of me, like I have a rent to pay, I will take it.
And I go to [00:36:00] the bank, eh, and first I'm not, I'm not a financial person. I don't really enjoy numbers. Um, um, and I got into the job and I sold that. I had three weeks training where I was gonna be able to understand. A lot more about finance in Canada, about what? Okay. That's so cool. In the end, when I left, I knew I was not going to stay, uh, because I had a job offer and I remember one of my coworker told me, like, you seem so interested.
You ask questions during the training. You wouldn't get so much. I was like, yeah, because that was really interesting. And I was learning stuff. I was paid to learn stuff. And like, we thought that you were really into finance. I was like, no, no, no, not at all. And his whole, I saw all these experiences as I'm going to learn something.
If it's not teaching me anything for my work, it's going to teach me something for my personal life. And knowing about finance and helped me like build a better life in Canada, obviously. Build their life in [00:37:00] Canada is part of like having a good job saving money, like it's everything. So it's all like different pieces of a puzzle that you put together.
That's how I S like I see it. And something else that I remember from different jobs that had, um, it's, if it was another job I want, I will look for the person. That was closer to the job that I wanted and to see how they were interacting with their teams, how they were managing people, how they were organizing their time, how they were doing.
So I could learn, even if I didn't have their position, I could learn from them. Yeah.
Christian Parsons: That's really smart. Just taking the exposure, the. Work that you're able to build from a company from a role from whatever and seeing where you want to go next or seeing the skill that you want to apply. And then just trying to dig in and ask for it. Right. I think that's the, one of the things that I admire the most about, about the way that you're approaching your career is this, you seem really unafraid of asking [00:38:00] questions.
You seem really unafraid of asking for guidance or advice or any of that kind of stuff, which I think. To your point earlier to you? It must, it must seem so silly because you're like, this is just the way the life is, right. You're like, why doesn't everyone just ask this, but to a lot of people, that's not the case.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: But when you do it, you do it. Like, let's see if you have told me that like six years ago, when I moved here will have be like, no way I'm not doing that.
It's too long. It's going to be like, it's going to take forever, but because you're doing it like step by step, um, you don't realize what you're building.
Christian Parsons: That makes a lot of sense. That makes a lot of sense. A question that I think that you can answer that maybe other, other people might not. If somebody has an opportunity in a different country, let's say, let's say somebody has an opportunity. And they're from, uh, Boston, Massachusetts, but they have an opportunity to work in the United Kingdom or France [00:39:00] or Ireland or Brazil.
cause there's only so many limited professional sports organizations a lot of them are very international. Like you look at, uh, Bayern Munich or something like that. If somebody has the opportunity to move to Germany and work for them and they're from.
Boston, Massachusetts. What advice would you give them? That parallels the kind of like flip side of France to Toronto.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: just go, go like pack your stuff, say bye and go. And, um, don't be afraid. Don't let, I think it's more the personal side than the professional side, but like, don't let other people fears get into your head. Because a lot of people, when you Mo move abroad, um, I came here without a job without a house.
I had nothing. I only had my back, like my, my bike. But if you move like for a job, you're going to be okay because you know, financially, you're going to be fine. You know, you have a network there and they're going to help you find a place they're going [00:40:00] to help you. They're going to invite you for drinks after work.
So when you gonna find this network is going to be easier because you're going to be with people. You already have common interest with. When I moved here, I had no one. And that's the hardest part because you don't have social life.
Um, but if you, when you want to move, just do it, it's better to do it. Maybe it's not going to work. Maybe you going to adjust for any reasons, but it's just so crazy because you learn so much from yourself. From your, the new country, but also from your country. And that's that's that there is no better experience than that for at least for me.
I think it's so amazing to be able to just pack your stuff, say bye, get to your board, get to the plane and be like, okay, now I'm here. So I need to figure it out. It's like it has to work out.
Christian Parsons: I mean, there is no gray to earlier point. There's no greater exercise on [00:41:00] building resilience and flexibility and adaptability than pack up your shit, moved to a new country and just figure it out.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: Exactly. working for a company like MLSE, I got to learn so much from the culture because my team was like assembly world, like going for drinks after we'll, we'll share a lot. And I will. I remember just two weeks before I, we, I left, um, I just got resisted. It was just after we won the championship and we were we're packing t-shirts and stuff to help the store.
And I told my, some of my teammates say like, you don't want to hear, I feel so confident that they can ask you any questions. And I knew he will answer. And I learned so much from you. They were touched because for them, they were like, they didn't see it that way. They're like, yeah, she's coming from like France, but like, yeah.
Okay. We talked a lot about my culture and the difference never seen, but they didn't realize the whole, most, they were bringing for me how much I was learning from them, because that was like, just them explaining like cultural, [00:42:00] like Canadian cultural was like, yeah. Okay. That's what we know from, since we're kids, like that's normal for me was the value was amazing.
Christian Parsons: I love, I love the fact that you took the time. To express, appreciation to express gratitude, because to your point earlier, if you don't say that people don't know, right. If you don't say thank you, I really appreciate you explaining what a Tim Horton's double double is to me. I really explore.
I appreciate you explaining how cold it gets here in the winter. I really appreciate you explaining this or that or something else. Without you saying that people don't know that it's appreciated. people are grateful when you are able to express that when they are able to help.
So I think that's a really intelligent thing that you did.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: Right. It's something I really don't want to be in Canada is really talking. Because when you leave and you leave your family behind you, leave your friends. If you don't talk, you don't teach other I really, so they won't know who you [00:43:00] feel. So that's, you can like what you are learning from this experience is you can apply it for everything if you don't talk. People don't guess.
And if you don't tell them, thank you. That's simple. And Canada is really also people are so kind, it's also really, really different from Europe where you can, I don't know. Maybe, I don't know. I feel like I can have this conversation. It's easier for me, but I'm doing the same now, but at home, it's just, just saying, thank you.
I appreciate you. That's something really important you can apply to like all your entire life professional and personal
Christian Parsons: Absolutely. Absolutely. That's great lesson. So thinking about that, one of the things that you talked about was just this memory that you have of like packing t-shirts after the Raptor is championship win. Right. You know, what other memories do you want to share or are you able to share from being in the office, you know, on the field, on the court?
Yeah. What did you learn from them? [00:44:00]
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: the first time I walk in the courts and the basketball courts were at UW. I have photos obviously. Um, and, uh, that's big. That's, that's huge. And you see all the seats around you and. You have no idea how they feel when they are there, but just being there that's crazy because it was also something, again, growing up in Europe, it's something you see on TV.
You don't see that like in real life and we don't even have that in Europe. Um, and another one is one. I, I wanted to have a photo shoot on the ice. And we went, who was my photographer and I brought my intern was me and my intern was so happy that at the end of, for the internship, she told me was her best memory.
And for, for me, I was always trying to get my interns was me when I was doing cool stuff, because I think like sharing all it and like bringing them in, showing them what you can do when you work hard. And when you it's just. It's [00:45:00] opportunities like you might never have again. So I was always trying to get them with me when I like when I had the opportunity and even me being there.
Yeah. I remember I was like, wow, I'm on the ice where, you know the ice, no one. Really gold there because it's really, yeah but, um, it's, it's just crazy because you're in the middle and you imagine how it is when you come from games and like the music it's all loud.
And, um, that was like, um, one of the best memories and also working on some campaign that one of the company we had. Um, one of the photo in complex magazine slow is also something you say, well, we worked on it and now it's like, everyone can see it on a magazine. It's not only on our social, on like the screens here.
It's everywhere. That was really cool. And obviously it's a champion champions best part that I will, I think never imagined it. Like it was crazy because working with working there was the first time that I felt like I was part of [00:46:00] something. In Canada, because my pro my previous job in France, where I stayed three years and I worked in construcion, we had a really strong culture as the company.
So I really fell far to something, but when I left and I came here, here, I didn't have anyone in to have your family. You don't have childhood friends, you don't have anyone to share memories with and being part of a team like the retail team, where we will do. A lot of stuff together and working, we packed like t-shirts at the end of like during the championship on the, on the, on the corporates and you talk about everything and you know, everyone to, you know, um, you know, their girlfriend, their boyfriend, their husband, their kids.
So it gets really, you feel like you're part of something and you know, like if you're not showing them, for example, for work one morning, they're going to meet you or they're going to realize you're not here first. And that's something I, um, as a new cover, It's hard to build that it's really hard to build this part because all the jobs I had [00:47:00] before I knew they were just.
Okay. That's a job getting me closer to what I want to do, but it's not the job where I see myself staying, but you don't also, you don't have this too much of your personal feelings or your personal time on it. I remember my first few jobs here. They will go for drinks after and I was like, yeah, I'm sorry.
I have an hour bus to go my place. I'm just going to go. No, thank you. Because they knew I was not staying, so I didn't really want to invest time with them. Versus when I started in a middle seat, uh, I stayed a year and a half and. Or I have friends still working there. I still like it. I think I was a really turning point for me as a new cover in Toronto.
Does that make sense?
Christian Parsons: Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. You found, you found a group of people that, you know, you wanted to be, that you were comfortable blending, um, your boundaries from like work to personal life. Right. And you. And you had these moments and memories that you're like, this is so cool. Of course, having [00:48:00] those personal relationships anchors those memories with you.
That's awesome.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: Yes.
Christian Parsons: So last, last question. Uh, as we, as we wrap this up, you know, is there anything that I haven't asked you that you like to say to the, to our audience, you know? Yeah.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: you work is you work in this industry. It's not, it's never going to be regular hours. It's not, it's never going to be a regular life. So you also have to consider that as you grow like in your life, because your personal life has to adapt to that too.
That's very, that's very intense, but you will learn so much. You worked with so many different people. I think for me, that was really, I, you learn more that I know. I heard people comprehend, like working there too, working for an agency where you work with different clients and.
You get to touch different sub topic. That's I think that's really something you can confer. Um, and something actually interesting when I had interviews after and they were asking me, uh, if I already worked for an [00:49:00] agency, if I said I worked for him and he like, yeah, sure. Okay. That's for the stimuli.
Christian Parsons: Yeah. A lot of last minute changes, a lot of different clients, a lot of different mandates. That's awesome.
Astrid Moulin - Real Sports: yes. Last minute, last minute. But, uh, but it's all fun. And, um, I will definitely. Yeah, that's something that's one of my best memory in Canada, too, in our professional life, if not the best. So pretty encouraging.
Christian Parsons: Merci Astrid for joining us. See what I did there? A little Franglais. I really loved what she had to say about just starting something on your own. Get those reps in. And asking all the questions that you can. Seeking out every opportunity to learn and build your skillset.
As you can see I'm new at this. So any feedback that you have that could help us make the show better is greatly appreciated. A shout out to Dan Chandler for some of the most polite feedback that I've ever received. It's probably the British accent.
Once again, I'm Christian Parsons and you can reach me @ThisIsParsons [00:50:00] on Twitter and Instagram. You can see our show notes and transcripts mtcpod.com. That's M-T-C-P-O-D.com. I hope you're able to learn something valuable from every single episode of the show. If you found it helpful, I ask that you share it with friends. Now, get out there and get hired in sports.