Dr. Sharon H. Porter - Editor-in-Chief of Vision & Purpose LifeStyle Magazine
Apr 10, 2024
Alimond Studio
Have you ever considered the profound impact of narrating the unsung stories of our time? Dr. Sharon H. Porter does just that, as she takes us on a journey from her beginnings as an educator and author to her current role as the visionary editor-in-chief of Vision and Purpose LifeStyle Magazine. In a heartfelt discussion, Dr. Porter opens up about her quest to amplify diverse voices across the media landscape, from industrious entrepreneurs to influential political figures. Her educational odyssey, crowned with a doctorate in educational leadership from Howard University, has uniquely positioned her to elevate others' stories with authenticity and purpose. As we explore the dynamic interplay of print and digital media, we uncover tales of hidden gems like rising talent Triana Aquila and NBA's Aaron Wiggins.
Through the pages of her "Women who Lead" book series and the waves of her podcast, Dr. Porter is reshaping the narrative of women's leadership in media. She regales us with the plans for growth of the SHP Media brand, from launching a new studio to full-time dedication to media endeavors post-retirement from education. With the support of her adept team, every project becomes a testament to the power of chasing one's dreams. Our chat brims with anticipation for what's to come, including an exclusive scoop on an interview with reality TV's Mariah Huq. Every listener is bound to find inspiration as Dr. Porter exemplifies the embodiment of passion, leadership, and the courage to follow your heart to success.
Have you ever considered the profound impact of narrating the unsung stories of our time? Dr. Sharon H. Porter does just that, as she takes us on a journey from her beginnings as an educator and author to her current role as the visionary editor-in-chief of Vision and Purpose LifeStyle Magazine. In a heartfelt discussion, Dr. Porter opens up about her quest to amplify diverse voices across the media landscape, from industrious entrepreneurs to influential political figures. Her educational odyssey, crowned with a doctorate in educational leadership from Howard University, has uniquely positioned her to elevate others' stories with authenticity and purpose. As we explore the dynamic interplay of print and digital media, we uncover tales of hidden gems like rising talent Triana Aquila and NBA's Aaron Wiggins.
Through the pages of her "Women who Lead" book series and the waves of her podcast, Dr. Porter is reshaping the narrative of women's leadership in media. She regales us with the plans for growth of the SHP Media brand, from launching a new studio to full-time dedication to media endeavors post-retirement from education. With the support of her adept team, every project becomes a testament to the power of chasing one's dreams. Our chat brims with anticipation for what's to come, including an exclusive scoop on an interview with reality TV's Mariah Huq. Every listener is bound to find inspiration as Dr. Porter exemplifies the embodiment of passion, leadership, and the courage to follow your heart to success.
Speaker 1:
I am Dr Sharon H Porter, editor-in-chief of Vision and Purpose Lifestyle Magazine, and I serve my clients by sharing their stories in print. I love it. I consider myself a storyteller and I love doing it in all means of media, but through Vision and Purpose, it's through print.
Speaker 2:
Amazing, and how did you get into this industry?
Speaker 1:
Actually, I started out as a book publisher and a podcaster and I just wanted to do more like take it to the next level, and so I started the magazine. I actually started with a partner early on, but we've since parted ways and I just have the magazine myself. But yeah, I just wanted to extend the opportunities for telling stories and sharing journeys.
Speaker 2:
That's amazing. So tell me about some of your clients. They come to you and this is for print, for social media. Tell me a little bit more.
Speaker 1:
Absolutely. We are a print bi-monthly print publication as well as online. Of course, a print bi-monthly print publication as well as online. Of course you can't get away from online yeah, you sure can't. But there are individuals out there who still love getting their magazines in the mail, still love turning the pages and seeing their faces and others.
Speaker 2:
I'm one of those people.
Speaker 1:
Yes, absolutely. So we do still do the print bi-monthly, and I mostly serve business owners, those who are doing great things in the community, as well as community advocates. We do politicians even Just you name it. If you want your name out there, we're able to share your story.
Speaker 2:
And how do they share their story? Do you have a journalist that goes and meets with them?
Speaker 1:
So I have a team of writers and we do one or two ways either in person or we also interview virtual, depending on schedules and calendars and things of that nature. But we do like to go out as much as possible and interview in their space and we also cover events and write up you know things, things about that. So it's a variety of ways that we do, but either way, we make sure that we are listening and hearing what their stories are so that we can represent that appropriately it's wonderful, um.
Speaker 2:
You said you have your doctorate. Tell me a little bit about that. So I am an educator by profession.
Speaker 1:
Okay, I'm currently, in addition to being an editor-in-chief, I'm an elementary school principal.
Speaker 1:
Oh you're an editor. Yes, yes, so, yes. So my doctorate is in education, educational leadership. I've been in education over 30 years in education leadership almost 20. So it's really a passion, and I think that comes with just helping individuals go to the next level, because I feel like it's hand in hand with education. But yeah, I got my doctorate from Howard University in 2017. Is really built on that dissertation, because that was my affirmation to myself those last few days when it was grueling, trying to finish that dissertation, I would say I am Dr Sharon, I am Dr Sharon, and so that was what I would say to myself every day, and so when it was time to name my show, that's what I named it.
Speaker 2:
Oh, that's awesome. So you're doing podcast and doing print.
Speaker 1:
Podcast. We also have an in-studio show, which is the I Am Dr Sharon show, the podcast again. I host like five different ones with co-hosts as well as my own, and also we have a podcast network, so I produce and engineer other podcasts as well.
Speaker 2:
Amazing. And what are you guys doing for marketing and how are you bringing in your clients?
Speaker 1:
So we mainly for marketing is through the magazine a lot. We do have a lot of advertising in magazine and, of course, social media. We have our TikTok and our Instagram and so we do promote heavily the individuals that are in the magazine. That's really our marketing our clients. We market through them and their wonderful stories online as well as in print.
Speaker 2:
That's great. What do you find most rewarding about what you're doing?
Speaker 1:
You know, it's really, I like to say about the unsung heroes, even though I love, love, love interviewing celebrities. I've interviewed several, but it's the individuals that not everyone know about. Those are the ones that I truly, truly love, and if you've ever watched the Showtime at the Apollo, that old show that used to come on, I consider myself the Showtime Apollo of media, because if you watch that show, you will see today all of those amateurs who are now doing great and amazing things now, and they would sprinkle in professionals in between those things. And so that's how I see what I do. I love the ones who are doing amazing things and everybody know their name, but I so love the ones that no one knows their name yet.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, Is there anybody that stands out to you?
Speaker 1:
Well you know I'm going to say Triana Aquila. She is. I just interviewed her recently. She's a singer-songwriter just coming out and I want to say that because I believe she's going to do great things. We're going to watch this five years from now. We're like, oh, that's who she was talking about. What was that name?
Speaker 2:
Triana.
Speaker 1:
Aquila. I tell you I was able to go to her EP launch and I was mesmerized. I'm a local singer, local songwriter, and so she's one of the ones that I know that would do amazing things coming out of the DMV area. So I'm excited about getting her story at the start Right. I've also interviewed Aaron Wiggins. He is actually an NBA player now. I interviewed him coming out of high school.
Speaker 2:
Oh.
Speaker 1:
And so he is now playing for Oklahoma Thunder. A great player on that team. But yeah, his first day at University of Maryland I interviewed him. Oh, that's awesome, no one knew him then, yeah, but now he has a whole fan base, so that's awesome.
Speaker 2:
Tell me a little bit more about what you guys do to just tell me more about your business and the print and your podcast.
Speaker 1:
So what we do is so specifically for the magazine. We have 12 solid columns, meaning those columns are in the magazine each and every issue, and then we have some that we throw in, like the let's Talk Politics. That's not in everyone, but we do acknowledge different politicians, their journey, not necessarily their message or their, but just their journey. And so what's near and dear to my heart is the North Carolina column. I'm from North Carolina originally. You may can hear this accent.
Speaker 1:
I know I've been in Maryland for almost 30 years, but I can't hide it.
Speaker 1:
But I have a North Carolina column, and so in every issue I acknowledge two individuals from North Carolina that either were born, live and reside or are currently doing great things in that state, because I do love my home state, and so I've been doing that since the beginning of the magazine. We also have a business column, of course, where we highlight businesses across the nation that are doing amazing things. And of course, as I mentioned, I'm an educator. So Education First. We have an education column, and it's not always featuring individuals, but it may be. My writer is writing a topic that speaks to education, whether it's for educators or for parents or the community at large. And then, of course, my nonprofit. I always want to acknowledge one nonprofit in each issue, and so those are just some standards there. My podcast is all about leadership. I am, leadership is who I am, and so everything that I do it comes from the stance of leadership.
Speaker 1:
I have two series Women who Lead book series where I have actually featured women in various industries, have actually featured women in various industries. I started out 2018 with this book and it featured 20 women from various industries. Year after that, every year forward, I released a Women who Lead in March, for Women's History Month, of course, and it really focuses on one industry. This year it was Women who Lead in Sports, and so I've had women who lead in media. I've had women who lead in education, women who lead in medicine, in law, in aviation, so it's just an amazing opportunity to highlight women doing great things.
Speaker 2:
Yes, I always love to hear that. Where do you see the future of your business?
Speaker 1:
going. You know, I see the whole media because I want you know, with the podcast, with the show, with the magazine, I see a wonderful studio, major studio, and I didn't say this before, but I opened my own studio last year Congratulations, and that was a wonderful. It was something I wanted to do for years.
Speaker 1:
So you're doing this, in addition to being a full-time principal, exactly In addition to being a full-time principal, and so that is my because I'm only a few years from retirement in the education industry where I can do full-time in my media, which is what I aspire to do, and I do see myself really expanding to different markets in different areas. I already have a satellite office in North Carolina, but popping up these studios in different locations to expand the SHP Media brand.
Speaker 2:
Okay, this sounds like some major goals. Yes, yes, that I've got to reach, I've got to reach. How do you feel about retiring from education? I'm ready.
Speaker 1:
I'm ready. I am ready. I love education and still in some forms, I will still be doing it. But this newfound passion, because this only came since 2017. So it hasn't been long. But when I say that it's eating at me to really go forth and do greater things in the industry, it really is. That's your passion, it is, it is. But I do want to work out my you know my years in education. I've come this far and then, once that's done, really just focus 100 percent on my media.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I'm sure your students love you.
Speaker 1:
And you know I love them back and it's been so wonderful Even as a teacher many years ago. My students my first students now are grown married with kids. Some of them are teachers now, so it's amazing to see.
Speaker 2:
Have any of them come back? Oh, absolutely, oh, absolutely.
Speaker 1:
It's just an amazing journey to see how that has transpired.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, my son's a senior, he's getting ready to graduate and it's just, it's all gone by so fast, it's so quickly right. Yeah, yeah, definitely. Is there anything else you would like, any upcoming events for your company or anything that?
Speaker 1:
you'd like to talk about. Well, we don't have anything major coming up, but we are always featuring exciting businesses, exciting individuals doing great things, and so I invite your audience to definitely check us out, and maybe they would like to be featured.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, what's coming up on the next issue?
Speaker 1:
Yes, so the next issue. I'm so excited about this. I don't know if anyone watched reality TV, but Mariah Hook, she was one of the cast members on Merits of Medicine. She's the executive producer. I think it's a Bravo show, or maybe her own show, I'm not sure.
Speaker 2:
I think it's on Bravo, bravo.
Speaker 1:
Okay, I get a little confused, but yes, we are actually going down in about a week or so to interview her, and so she's going to grace our cover for the next issue, so I'm really excited about that.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, and will you be interviewing her yourself?
Speaker 1:
Yes, I will be interviewing her myself.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, and do you have a team of people? I have a small team.
Speaker 1:
We are a small team, tell me about your team, oh my God.
Speaker 1:
So first of all I partnered with Fast Era Media to do the show, the in-studio show, and so together we do all of our interviews. We do on location as well as in studio. But then I have a wonderful team of writers in every industry, and what I love about it is they're writing up in the industry that they are currently serving, and so I love that and this. We get things done, we get this, we get this magazine done through their writing and their. Sometimes I send them one location to do events, depending on what the event is. But I cannot do that without the team, without a doubt.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, good team is important, absolutely. Is there anything else you would like to talk about? Anything from your heart, any message you would like to leave our listeners with?
Speaker 1:
You know, I guess my message would be to go for whatever it is that's in your heart, because I would never imagine that I would be here starting out in my profession as an educator. It wasn't in my preview, I just never thought about it. You know what I mean, and it's so true If you can dream it, you can be it. And so once I got a taste of it and realized, wow, I like this, that you don't have to be boxed into one thing, you can do everything you want to do. You might not be able to do it all at the same time, but you can certainly find time to do what it is that your heart desires.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I love that. Well, thank you for coming in today.