Road Warriors: Alexandra Franzen
TEXT OF STORY
Kai Ryssdal:Business travel can be a fairly daunting proposition. Crammed as you are in the middle seat on a cross-country flight, only to be greeted by yet another anonymous hotel room whenever you get where you’re going. It’s enough to take the competitive drive out of anybody.
For our series Road Warriors, producer Michael Raphael is introducing us to the soundtracks people use when they’re away on business. Today, a woman who uses her music to get motivated to meet with clients.
Alexandra Franzen: I’m Alexandra Franzen. I’m a creative resume designer and copywriter in Minneapolis-St. Paul. The soundtrack to my time on the road is “Right Hand High” by Kid Sister.
“Right Hand High” by Kid Sister
“Right Hand High” is basically just a party jam. It’s got a very strong 4/4 beat — it’s hard to listen to it without getting really energized.
The lyrics are very empowering, especially for women. Kid Sister has a very, sort of, tongue-in-cheek attitude towards working and making money and being successful. She’s very unabashed about the fact that she wants to make a lot of money. In the song, she says, “I’m stackin’ money all night.”
But at the same time, she is very, sort of, coy and funny about it. She realizes that success is very fleeting and that it really is just about the journey and keeping high energy in staying positive. So for me, I love listening to it before any kind of work situation, because it gets me in this hustlin’ frame of mind.
I work a lot with really creative people who maybe have never had a traditional resume before, or who have a resume, but just have never really had to use it, because they’re a musician, they’re an artist, they’re a comedian — but for whatever reason, they want to take another look at their personal brand, maybe they’re applying for their first “real job.” And I help them piece together their eclectic work history in a way that feels really authentic and not corporate and creepy, and put together a resume that really rocks for them.
Ryssdal: We’ve got a new music section on our website. You can check out some of Alexandra’s other favorites there, and while you’re at it, offer up your own playlist.
Stories You Might Like
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
