Balancing Freelance While a Full-Time Employee
May 16, 2024, 12:00 pm-1:00 pm ET
Freelance Life, Personal, ProductivityWriters and journalists often determine if they want to work for themselves as a freelancer or someone else as a full-time employee. While each path offers benefits, it’s not always an easy choice. But, why do we have to choose? It is possible to do both with the right mix of balance and boundaries.
In this virtual education session, you’ll hear from three experienced writers and ASJA members who are full-time employees in various industries, while also continuing their freelance careers. They’ll share their honest experiences with pros and cons along with tips for balance, discipline, and time management. The panelists will also discuss ethics and how they handle any potential conflicts of interest. While freelancing in addition to being a full-time employee can be challenging, it can also be a fun, rewarding opportunity to grow professionally and personally while making additional income.
Balancing Freelance While a Full-Time Employee
Lisa has 25 years’ experience working with corporations, advertising agencies, publications, and non-profits in both a freelance and full-time capacity including Target Canada, TVOntario, RR Donnelley and ParentsCanada Magazine. Currently, Lisa is employed full-time as Director, Marketing, Communications and Development for a Canadian non-profit organization and freelances on the side for some of her former regular clients.
Lisa holds two university degrees as well as certificates in early childhood education and conflict resolution. You can find out more about Lisa at: https://lisahotta.wixsite.com/tabachnick and via her Substack focused on copywriting as a Highly Sensitive Person at: https://copywritersecrets.substack.com/
Leanna Lee is a future of work and disability writer-journalist who specializes in small business, DEAI, and mental health content. A disabled writer, she advocates for work and health equity, remote work, and workplace accessibility for both freelancers and full-timers.
Lee is Co-Chair of the American Society for Journalists and Authors’ (ASJA) DEAI Taskforce. In 2023, she created The Chronic Worker/Chronically Self Employed, a blog and newsletter by and for disabled workers and their employers. Lee is also the co-founder of Bettermental, a mental health podcast for small business owners which she hosts with speaker and corporate wellness specialist, Mike Veny.
Lisa B. Samalonis is senior medical editor at a NJ medical communications company working with pharmaceutical clients. Previously Lisa served as managing editor of the physician magazine and digital brand, The Dermatologist, and she has written and edited extensively—as a freelancer or full-time employee—in the healthcare publishing industry for more than two decades. In addition, her articles and essays on health/medicine, parenting/family, books, and personal finance topics have appeared in The Independent, Wired, Shape, Next Avenue, Care.com, and The Philadelphia Inquirer, among others. Her 2023 Business Insider—Parenting essay about purchasing a new home as a single parent after divorce led to a televised (and print) money segment on Good Morning America and numerous ABC affiliate broadcasts. Connect with her on LinkedIn or on X.
Maria Satira is an award-winning communications professional and author with experience in journalism, public relations, and nonprofit marketing. She spent nearly 10 years as a local news anchor and wrote the book An Introduction to Media Relations for Nonprofit Organizations to share insider newsroom knowledge with nonprofits. While employed full-time as a director of marketing and communications for an economic development organization, she founded Maria Satira Media to provide nonprofits with public relations and communications education on a freelance basis. She often shares her expertise while speaking at conferences and forums nationwide and hosting trainings in nonprofit, economic development, and academic settings.