Meet the Filipina-American news anchor who’s helping women & POC navigate toxic workplaces
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Have you ever been the only woman, person of color, or woman of color in the room? Starla Sampaco, the founder of Career Survival Guide, is no stranger to these moments.
“As women or people of color, we often feel like we have to be very buttoned up to be taken seriously,” Starla said. “How we’re perceived not only affects us, but also the people who come after us.”
Throughout her career as a journalist, Starla interviewed women and people of color who faced similar challenges in the workplace: microaggressions, unconscious bias, and the network gap. At the time, Starla didn’t have a go-to place to access the resources that she and others needed to overcome these barriers.
“When you face a setback, it’s hard to talk about it because of shame and stigma. But when someone shares a similar experience, it makes you feel like you’re not the only one.”
“You can’t be what you can’t see, and it’s hard to envision ourselves in positions of influence or positions of success when we are underrepresented. That’s why it’s so important that I’m a woman of color who’s on camera, and I spotlight women and people of color in a range of roles.”
Starla figured that if anyone could create content for women and people of color who were early in career, then why not her?
This is the same advice that she gives to viewers of Career Survival Guide, which helps women and POC through career workshops/speaking engagements, free content on YouTube and Instagram, and 1:1 coaching.
“Career Survival Guide was something that gave me butterflies in my stomach,” Starla said. “I would stay up at night thinking about my content, and that was a really good indicator that I should stick with it.”
Now, her followers are learning actionable strategies for advocating for themselves in and out of the workplace.
“Whether you’re a job-seeker or starting a new venture, don’t wait for opportunities to come to you,” Starla said. “In some cases, you may need to make an opportunity for yourself. That’s what I did with Career Survival Guide.”
By spotlighting people with a range of work experiences, areas of expertise, and backgrounds, she hopes to connect her viewers with the tools they need to build fulfilling, successful careers.
“You can’t be what you can’t see, and it’s hard to envision ourselves in positions of influence or positions of success when we are underrepresented. That’s why it’s so important that I’m a woman of color who’s on camera, and I spotlight women and people of color in a range of roles.”
Follow Starla Sampaco’s Instagram to be notified of upcoming Career Survival Guide content, behind-the-scenes moments, and photos of her dog Dorito. Subscribe to Career Survival Guide on YouTube. Learn more about Starla Sampaco on her website, and sign up for her email list.
Drawing strength from a community of women and people of color in media, tech, and business
Starla tackles barriers and workplace challenges head-on in her Career Survival Guide videos on YouTube, which features interviews with people of color in media, tech, and business. Her guests include former MSNBC journalist Mariana Atencio, Harvard Business Review contributor and diversity and inclusion expert Ruchika Tulshyan, and impact investor Maoi Arroyo.
“I interview people who have successfully reached some of my professional goals,” Starla said. “Through our interviews, we reflect on their journeys and encourage viewers to do the same. Sometimes, I’ll even ask for advice about my own career.”
For example, Starla recently chatted with Keita Williams, the founder of Success Bully, to draw on her expertise in time management, accountability, and goal-setting. At the time, Starla was deciding if she should focus on building Career Survival Guide full-time or keep it as a side hustle.
“In my head, I thought that you could either be a full-time entrepreneur, or have a conventional nine-to-five job. Keita’s response was ‘yes and.’ I didn’t need to pick one over the other. I could do both.”
Each guest brings their own perspective to how they respond to workplace challenges and advocate for themselves. Take a recent interview with Mariana Atencio.
“She had done everything right. She received her journalism degree from Columbia University and joined a big network, but someone higher up still told her, ‘Please don’t look too Latina.’” Starla said. “When we think about barriers, we might think of outright discrimination, but microaggressions can chip away at you every day. We have to figure out how to cope, push back, and decide what to do next.”
Meeting with accomplished women and people of color has been inspiring for Starla, but it’s equally impactful to hear from young professionals who resonated with her content.
“One of my proudest moments was when someone said, ‘you’re like the older cousin I turn to for advice,” Starla said. “ It was a reminder that people value my content.”
One moment that stood out? Starla spoke at an event hosted by Association for Women in Communications at the University of Washington. A student in the audience found her on LinkedIn, subscribed to her YouTube channel, and pitched herself as an assistant.
That student’s name is Difan Zhao, and Starla later brought her on as an assistant. Difan shared that she was inspired to pitch herself after Starla talked about the importance of advocating for yourself at work.
“I was incredibly proud of her in that moment,” Starla said. “You only get what you ask for, and she embodied that.”
From journalist to founder and back again
In addition to creating content for Career Survival Guide, Starla recently started her side hustle as a news anchor at Crosscut Now on KCTS (Seattle’s PBS station). Being in a newsroom has continued to inspire Career Survival Guide’s content. More broadly, working as a journalist has taught her how to prioritize accuracy and transparency, all while seeking the truth.
“It’s not just about giving someone the headlines, but also about empowering them with information that can make their lives better,” Starla said. “With Career Survival Guide, we also seek the truth and spotlight important issues that deserve more attention in the media.”
There are moments when Starla still experiences a sense of impostor syndrome, especially when Career Survival Guide went from a passion project to a business venture in 2020. However, she had a conversation that changed her perspective. She had recently conducted an interview at KING 5 News and was carrying her camera gear for the content she was filming. She worried that her former news colleagues would perceive her as an amateur.
“I thought, ‘what if they see me lugging around all this gear, and it’s not the most expensive professional-grade gear?’” Starla said.
Her friend pointed out that her most successful colleagues wouldn’t judge her for doing a lot with a little. Rather, they would have even more respect for her because she didn’t have a lot to work with and was hustling anyway. “That’s the attitude that I’m taking forward, especially as a first-time founder,” she said.
Cultivating a community, not just an audience
Starla has continued to invest in Career Survival Guide, and you can expect to keep seeing interviews with more women and experts of color about how they navigate the workplace. To learn more about her target demographic, Starla has interviewed dozens of college students, recent grads, and working professionals.
The goals of these conversations?
“I ask open-ended questions about their career pain points and give them space where they would feel safe to tell their stories unfiltered,” Starla said. “This research became a case study in what early-career women and POC expect out of their workplaces and where some employers fall short.”
These conversations have highlighted some common themes, including the expectation to “just be grateful” when they get a job offer.
“A lot of young professionals who are children of immigrants have been told that they’ll be seen as greedy if they negotiate their pay,” Starla said. “Another educator shared that many of her first-generation college students have been told not to reach out to hiring managers because it’s too aggressive. In reality, that’s how people get ahead.”
Through Career Survival Guide, Starla hopes to share tips and strategies that empower young professionals to thrive in the workplace today. In some cases, this may require people to unlearn what they’ve been taught.
“Our families give us advice based on their own experiences, but workplaces and jobs in 2021 come with a different set of expectations,” Starla said.
Insights from these user interviews have helped Starla tailor Career Survival Guide content to the needs of her target audience, and she’s also bringing other perspectives into her work. Although Starla is used to shooting, editing, and reporting her own content as a one-woman band, she recently decided to hire two content strategists.
“You don’t have to do it all by yourself. Delegating some of my work has given space to think about the direction that I’m heading in and come up with new content.”
“When I go through moments like this, I’ve learned to see them as near-wins rather than failures. I strongly believe that when you come so close to winning, that is not the time to give up. It’s the best moment to push even harder.”
Seeing everything as a learning opportunity
Working on Career Survival Guide has been an ongoing journey, especially for Starla as a first-time founder. The most important part? Having an idea and pursuing it boldly and wholeheartedly.
“One of the best pieces of advice I got was from Helen Bui, a serial entrepreneur in San Francisco,” Starla said. “She said that the only way that your startup or your project or idea fails is if you stop working on it. That’s something that I think about every day, especially when things don’t go as planned.”
One recent challenge occurred when Starla applied for an opportunity that would connect her with $80,000 and the network she needed to take Career Survival Guide to the next level. She went through the 6-month process and made it to the final round.
Then, she got the call that someone else received the fellowship, and she was the runner-up.
“When I go through moments like this, I’ve learned to see them as near-wins rather than failures. I strongly believe that when you come so close to winning, that is not the time to give up,” Starla said. “It’s the best moment to push even harder.”
Ultimately, entrepreneurship boils down to one critical thing: getting started.
“The reality is that the timing will never be perfect, but you have to commit to it,” Starla said. “Get into the habit of taking action. You never know what opportunities are ahead of you once you put your ideas into the world.”
Subscribe to Career Survival Guide on YouTube.
Learn more about Starla Sampaco on her website, and sign up for her email list.
