Digital
Storyteller
Caira Lee
Marketing
t was Thursday morning, just two hours before a job interview and I was dressed in a sheet. Or maybe it was a large scarf. Who knows. I secured it hastily while furiously cleaning my room. Cranking the volume up on a "10 Tips to Ace Your Interview" podcast,
I desperately tried to avoid the obvious truth.
(216) 369-7702 • Caira@CairaLee.com
As the job interview for “Clinical Research Coordinator at Johns Hopkins Hospital” drew near – I gave myself the pep talk: “We got this! You’ve invested time and money into these certifications…we’ve spent 3 months preparing for this interview. You got this!”
Yet, deep down inside I felt awful. Because subconsciously, I knew by pursuing this path, I was putting my immediate financial needs before my true calling. My truth was simple: I was a creative soul, and clinical research? Meh, I couldn't care less about it.
Why was I so uncomfortable with showing up to the job market as my true self? Well, simply put: I had low-self esteem because I had a non-traditional career journey.
ou see, losing my mom to alcoholism at 13 years old left me essentially orphaned in Baltimore City. Despite the challenges, I persevered, graduated college with honors and even gave a TEDx Talk at 19. But beneath all those achievements, I was still scared of getting stuck in Baltimore.
Seeking a better life, I took a leap of faith at 22 and accepted an invitation to teach English for 1 year at Ashesi University – Ghana, Africa’s first liberal arts college, which was seeking American teachers to help build their college culture. I had teaching experience as the coach of my college’s poetry slam team, which I founded. So I took the plunge and relocated to a developing country all on my own.
When the contract ended, I realized I had no compelling reason to return to Baltimore. Embracing the opportunity, I decided to try my luck in Africa, immersing myself in the Ghanaian culture. Along the way, I learned to adapt, launched a non-profit, started an export company, and successfully managed social media accounts for small businesses in Ghana, conquering seemingly insurmountable challenges.
After 6 years in Ghana, I realized the country had become my comfort zone, hindering my growth. Determined to broaden my horizons and advance my career, I chose to return to the United States in March 2023.
Watch my documentary!
However, I faced another issue. Despite my accomplishments, I began to doubt the worth of my work experience as I hadn't fully appreciated its significance. Comparing myself to others on LinkedIn, I discovered my peers had earned 3-5 years of traditional work experience at reputable companies. In my mind, a menacing thought took hold: OMG…I’ve wasted my entire 20s! Determined to change course, I abandoned my narrative and focused solely on pursuing "lucrative" fields like clinical research. I charged ahead in the wrong direction, blinded by my urgency to survive. As I cleaned my room, it was the unmistakable knowing that I was on the wrong path that weighed heavily on me.
ut fortunately, you're not a clinical research recruiter, are you?
Thank goodness. And so, here we are today, with my application in your hands. I arrived at this point with the help of friends who made me realize I just needed to slow down. I took a break to reflect on my achievements, distill them, and give my true
passions another shot.
Some thought-provoking questions arose in the process: Was I destined to be a motivational speaker? A social media marketing manager? A non-profit director? Shouldn't I embrace my role as a poet, podcast producer, or brand manager? What did I genuinely want to pursue? Which path would provide me with sufficient financial stability? Eventually, I merged these diverse interests into an authentic portrayal of my craft: Digital Marketing Storyteller. My ideal position is: Creative Director for a mission-driven organization.
SkillS i hAVE
TASKS I KNOW HOW TO DO
ToolS I usE
Skills I aspire to
1
Storytelling
Story Building: Core Message Identification, Rising Action, Climax, CTA (Call to Action) / Resolution
Pipdeck Story Building System
Intuitively knowing the right story to tell
and when.
2
Film Making
3
Branding
4
Podcast Production
Cinematography: Composition, Lighting, Camera Movement
Editing: Audio / Sound Design
Data Driven Buyer Persona Creation
Product Differentiation: Value Proposition Identification
KPI & Goal Identification
Pre-show: Research & Knowledge Gathering, Script Writing
Setup: Remote and Local, Post: Editing, Publishing
Davinci Resolve
Capcut / Descript
Iphone X / Shure MV7 Mic
Editing: Color Grading
Drone Operation
Casting
Google Analytics
Facebook Audience Insights
Instagram, YouTube, iTunes
MakeMyPersona.com
Cohort Analysis: Grouping customers based on their shared behaviors and analyzing their collective trends over time
Adobe Photoshop
Anchor.com: RSS Feed, Analytics
Squadcaster.com, Epidemic Sound
Iphone X / Shure MV7 Mic
Multi-Speaker Sound Setup: Audio Interface / Mixer
5
6
7
8
9
Writing
Social Media Strategy
Website Management
Email Marketing
Project Management
Qualitative and Quantitative Research
Creative, Analytical and Visual Thinking
Content Creation: Pillar Content into Micro Content
Scheduling
Paid Ad Monitoring: A/B Testing
KPI & Goal Identification
Site Mapping
Visual Hierarchy
HTML
Cyclical Newsletter Planning
Email List Building: Lead Magnets, Contests and Giveaways
KPI & Goal Identification
Stakeholder Identification
Risk Anticipation & Management
Google Trends / Docs
Coschedule Headline Studio
Chat GTP
Metricool, Honeybook: Client Relationship Mgmt / Email flows
Instagram, Facebook Creator Studio
Canva Pro
Wordpress.com
Fontsinthewild.com
Lapa.ninja
Mailchimp, Malilerlite
Google Trends
Canva Pro
Asana
Google Sheets
Advanced AI Prompting
SEO Optimization
Copywriting
Platforms: TikTok, Twitch
influencer Marketing
SQL, Python
CCS
Figma / UX Design
AI Websites: Zyro.com
Hosting on Personal Server
N/A
PM Methodologies: Agile, Prince 2, PMBok etc.
Budget & Resource Mgmt etc.
10
Leadership
Project Documentation & Reporting
Vision: Expansive perspective that inspires indvs. to take risks
Kind Candor: Honesty that helps indivs. grow, learn & improve
YouTube.com
Ethical Decision Making Models
Self-Reflection & Feedback Mechanisms
Career
Highlights
Created a 200% increase in social media engagement as measured by likes and comments through creating engaging video and copy.
(GGG 2020-Present)
Developed 3 long-term partnerships, which led to $15,000 in sales
through leveraging Facebook lead generation. (Ghifted School, 2019-2022)
Helped keep 722 employees informed during COVID-19 by innovating a voice messaging system for our CEO to communicate with his teams. (Ecom Ghana, 2020).
Acquired 300 new Instagram subscribers in 1 week through a newsletter-text message campaign. (The Birthday Journal 2022)
Co-wrote Harvard trained leadership coach Shade Zahrai's first TEDx speech which resulted in over 1.5 million clicks on YouTube. (Care Consulting, 2022)
"Caira was an absolute delight to work with!
She was professional, responsive and has a remarkable way of making you feel very comfortable throughout the whole process.
And that's not even touching on her speechwriting abilities!
This writer is a master of her craft! "Very grateful to have come across her work, and even more grateful to have had her support in preparing this speech.
I highly recommend Caira if you're looking for someone to help you refine your ideas and convey them in a highly impactful and unforgettable way."
- Shade Zahrai
She really teaches
Extremely good English language skills. Able to help walk me through the process of structuring an essay, podcast, speech, poem, and much more. She even helped me with a cover letter that, I kid you not, got me an interview only 2 hours after I sent my application in.
- Nathaniel, 60 lessons with Caira
Now I am seeking to join an awesome team to continue growing my skills in these 4 areas:
1) Data Driven Audiovisual Storytelling 2) Tracking KPIs / Performance Analysis
3) Leadership 4) Project Management
Please call me at 404-579-2444 or email me at caira@cairalee.com to further discuss how we might work together!
The End
404-579-2444 | Caira@CairaLee.com