Heather Flanagan
Co-lead Choreographer
Vashon, WA
My Role
By day, I am a freelance consultant, supporting global multistakeholder technical communities as they develop standards, coordinate best practices, and basically make the digital world a better place, one specification at a time. By night, I’m the co-lead choreographer at Identity Flash Mob, which is a passion project of mine to bring digital identity and tech information to people not already in tech. What I’ve observed every day is that the divide between the technical communities and the people that actually use the tech is huge. I want to be a part of bridging that gap!
What I love most about my role
The creativity and the challenge! I want to reach people where they are hanging out and make the information I bring them fun enough that they’ll want to learn more. LinkedIn is all well and good, but I am trying something different. I’m reaching out via TikTok and Instagram, and the creativity that requires is incredible.
How I define success
Success is hearing one person say “Whoa! I didn’t know that! That’s cool, and now I want to know more!” If I can lessen the confusion and intimidation that tech brings to people, I am having a really good day.
The best piece of business advice I ever received was
Don’t undersell myself. I have a unique skill set of communication, organization, and empathy. I need to own that and not be afraid to charge what I’m worth.
What would I tell my younger self
Oh, so much! But if I didn’t start with that business advice (I do wish I’d thought of it myself!) I would start with encouraging younger-me to look beyond traditional day jobs. Freelance consulting isn’t for everyone, certainly, but for me, it is so much more rewarding than working for a single organization! I wish more young people realized that there are more options out there for their careers.
What 2B Bolder mean to me
2B Bolder is about community. Women can be such amazing bridge builders within or across organizations. We are community-organizing entrepreneurs! And 2B Bolder means I can meet and support other women to think that community is in fact that important, engaging, and exciting.
Years of Experience
27 years
I recommend you focus on developing these 3 skills to succeed in a role like mine
Communication, organization, collaboration