After 15 years as co-founder of the cult cosmetic brand Three Custom Color Specialists, Trae Bodge felt like she hit a wall. She decided it was time to branch out. Her search for a corporate spot in her industry yielded nothing so she turned her attention to writing freelance. Discovering her love for sharing budget-friendly living ideas landed her a job at RetailMeNot, eventually becoming their spokesperson. A layoff prompted another search for what was next, she took matters into her own hands and launched her career as a smart-shopping expert.
Today Trae is an accomplished lifestyle journalist and TV commentator specializing in smart shopping, personal finance, and retail for over a decade. She has appeared on TV over 1,000 times; including Today Show, GMA3, NBC Nightly News, Inside Edition, and network affiliates nationwide. She is a frequent speaker at conferences, on podcasts and IG Lives, addressing such topics as media relations, entrepreneurship, and how to navigate the media landscape as an on-air talent and expert source. She has co-founded the media coaching firm, One Take, sharing her career expertise with others.
In this episode, Nada sits down with Trae to discuss how not being a fit for one industry led to finding the perfect fit for her. Trae opens up about how difficult it was for her to find what was next, and the value of a Whisper Network. She credits her success to her tenacity, hard work, and living her brand. She also emphatically states that entrepreneurship is not for everyone.