#29 Sarah Burke: The Great Resignation

We’re into Women’s History Month and ready to celebrate another International Women’s Day (which I think by now, you know, is something I do all year long on this podcast). This week also marks the one-year anniversary of this podcast. I want to revisit some of the inspiring conversations I’ve had over the last year; call it a best-of if you will. But, I also have some personal news to share.

 Resilience is defined as the ability to recover from or adjust to misfortune or change. After all, we’re talking about one of the most rapidly changing industries where everything from the news to your job can dramatically change by sundown on a given day. The only sure thing is change, and you’ll be resilient if you can embrace that.

You know, when I launched this podcast just ahead of International Women’s Day a year ago, my aunt asked me, “hon…when do we get to hear your story?” I laughed and tucked that comment into the back of my head and tried not to think about it all year.  

The truth is, while I’ve been interviewing women about their challenges and triumphs in the media, I’ve been having a really difficult time myself. Maybe launching this podcast was a means to better understand what I’ve been going through. But, if you’ve noticed, you haven’t heard too much about my story yet, and why? Fear.

Fear seems to be a constant theme on this podcast and it’s popped up in almost every conversation. It’s different for everyone. Fear of losing one’s job. Fear of judgement. Fear of not being good enough. Fear of being too demanding. Fear of asking too much. Fear of saying the wrong thing. Fear of being too confident, too bold, too much…

What stops you from making tough decisions? For me, it was the fear of ruining my career; the fear of not getting another great job. The fear of repercussions. So, why is it that fear is so popular amongst women (and especially women in media)?

When you look fear in the face, you’ll know exactly what you’re made of. Fear is fucking fascinating; it’s got two heads. It’s multi-purpose. Fear can make the best and worst of you. Fear can change you for better, and for worse. Fear can scare you into a terrible decision just as fast as it can encourage you to take an exciting risk. Fear, without a doubt, is POWERFUL.  

So, here goes… I just became a stat in the great resignation and left my job. A job that I absolutely loved. I handed in a resignation letter without even lining up a new full-time job. I carefully crafted this letter thinking about my team and the projects we had in front of us and the support they needed before determining the date. I wanted to respect my superiors on my way out, giving them ample time to work on the transition of duties. I wanted to leave with grace. And one of my greatest fears came true in the process: I didn’t get to say goodbye. I didn’t get a chance to say thank you to my colleagues or partners or the emerging musicians-turned-friends that have been the soundtrack to my last five years.

I have no choice but to remember that a proper goodbye is never guaranteed in this industry, and this was a business decision that I had no control over.  The only thing I could control was the literal words I’d put on the page, and what I would choose to take away from this experience. The lessons learned.

Forbes recently did a piece on the Great Resignation and shared some findings from an American survey that asks what the main causes are. The top three causes were low salary, limited career opportunities, and not feeling valued by management...interesting. Let’s unpack one more factor. I think this pandemic has forced many of us to look inwards, asking ourselves who we are, what we care about, and who we want to be next. A job doesn’t define you and that’s a lesson that I’ve needed to learn for a long time, but better late than never.

I made the decision to resign in the name of self-love and that concept is new for me. The challenges were outweighing the joy I once felt at work.  That may be shocking to some, but as thrilling as these last five years have been at a really exciting company, it became difficult to separate me from SiriusXM.  I also came to an important realization that helped me face my fear; my accomplishments will follow me. Just because you resign, it doesn’t erase what you’ve poured your heart and soul into for five years. It doesn’t end friendships that will continue for years to come. I’m grateful for the entire journey, though, and really excited for the future.

I have some thanks to give as I end this chapter, and I wasn’t given much else of a choice but to do this here. I want to thank SiriusXM and my colleagues for the last five years. I’ve learned so much about our business and the industry, but also about myself and what I’m capable of. 

Jeff: You are a beloved member of the music industry and I can’t thank you enough for taking a chance on me. Thanks for all of the memories at Americanafest and the CCMAs, and for showing me the ropes at SiriusXM. Most importantly, thanks for that little question you asked me on my first day at lunch: “How do you feel about working in country music?” I came to SiriusXM as a rock jock, and I’m leaving as someone who can program and appreciate every format of music. That little question changed the path of my entire career and I’ll be forever grateful for it. Thanks for all the times you said no and sent me back to the drawing board. Better ideas always came out of those moments. Thanks for all the times you said yes, too.

Craig: You’ve made me feel like family on several occasions and we’ve been through a lot together over the last few years. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your approach to mental health and championing your people. You’ve been a real cheerleader for my work and the new ideas I brought to the table.  If only that water cooler beside your desk at the office could talk…oh the stories it would tell.

Siobhan: Having you on my team has been a dream. Our pivot to working from home will honestly go down in history as the smoothest transition ever. I admire how you do everything with a smile even if life is falling apart behind the scenes. I thank past-us for everything that today-us crushed and I look forward to communicating with you outside of Zoom!

Marc-Andre: You have seen me at my most vulnerable, stepping into a management position when I had no idea what leading a team would really look like.  You truly are the person who shaped me into the manager I am today. Thanks for letting me learn with you; it’s important that I acknowledge that you really helped me figure out the type of manager I wanted to be and I thank you for your patience as I made mistakes and learned along the way. 

Kim and Kaylen: Working with the two of you, creating great content for a traditionally under-served audience has been my absolute favourite part of SiriusXM. Learning and laughing with you both in our team meetings is the reason I stuck around as long as I did. I’m certain you will continue making the Indigiverse a meaningful channel for Indigenous communities not just in Canada, but everywhere.

John: When I think about what I learned from you during my time at SiriusXM…it can really be summarized by what I can do today compared to what I could do when I started this job.  I came here as an afternoon drive host and programmer and I’m leaving as someone capable of presenting to an executive team and analyzing data. Someone who can think critically about business.  Thanks for all the opportunities you put in front of me; I’ve surprised myself.

Nicole: Working with you has been a blast from music festival road-trips to pulling Blue Rodeo Radio out of our asses with one day to recover from the CCMAs. We always found a way. You have also taught me so much about the professional I want to be and become. You’ve also become a great friend. You are SO good at your job, by the way. Maybe even too good?

Special thanks to Sam, Rosana, Allison, Nirmala, Andy, Social Steve, Joe, Peter, both the Jenns, Cassandra, Ben, Paduch, Joel, and my man Drew; you all made my experience at SiriusXM what it was and I loved working with all of you.

Some people may still be wondering…did something happen, though? I stopped seeing my potential for growth in the environment I was in, and growth is SUPER important to me.

As you know, this podcast is about building community, and celebrating women. Today, I just so happen to be celebrating a personal decision, a new chapter, and five years of accomplishments alongside the amazing guests that were part of year one of the Women in Media podcast. 

Here are a few things I’m really proud of:

I had the privilege of shaping the sound of North Americana on SiriusXM; one of Canada’s only triple-A radio formats while hosting a weekly show that brought me so much joy. Sunday Service, as coined by my pal JJ Shiplett, allowed me to support great Canadian musicians like him, and speak to stellar musicians like Mike Campbell of Tom Petty Heartbreakers, Natalie Hemby, Jon Batiste, Daniel Lanois, and the list goes on. I loved my show so much.

With a little help from Andy in our digital department, I built a music submission system to help level the playing field for emerging artists, and in particular, Indigenous artists who may not have extra cash to spend on radio distribution services, promoters or trackers.

I lead SiriusXM’s first Indigenous team through a meaningful rebrand of a channel that was essentially just a mixtape before my time, with a team that’s so badass that we won Broadcast Dialogue’s 2021 award for Multi-Market show of the year for a series that’s just getting off the ground called Turtle Island Talks. They’re getting ready for episode #2 and I hope you’ll listen as they continue to put reconciliation into action.

So, what’s next? The truth is I don’t know. Terrifying, right? As fucking scary as the idea of leaving my secure job was; I knew it was time for a new challenge. I’m so lucky that I’ve got some time to figure out what’s next while doing the evening show on Indie88 here in Toronto. Mike and Ian, thank you for being so supportive and keeping a seat warm for me while I do something that I love as I figure my life out.

Here’s what I will say about what I want next…I want a portfolio that aligns with the person I’ve become. At the end of the day, all the parts of the industry that I love intersect at storytelling; whether it be about music or some other type of programming. Whether I am creating content or overseeing content, it’s gotta be content I care about. I hope I get to do that again soon on an exciting platform with a team looking to disrupt and try new things. And, the TEAM part is REALLY important for me. I am really looking for another great team, because mine will be hard to match.

To anyone else who’s been chipping away at little pieces of themselves and losing sight of the important stuff; I dedicate this episode to you and I hope you pick up the pieces and do something amazing with them. And, do reach out if you want to tell your media story. I recommend you spend some time listening to the resilient women who have shared their stories here over the last year; they’re all hella inspiring.

Follow along on my socials for what’s next, subscribe on your favourite podcast service, and share an episode with someone who may be in need of that same inspiration that I needed.  Again, a heartfelt thanks SiriusXM and my guests from year one of the Women in Media Podcast.  If you’re looking to get a hold of me, there’s a contact form right here on my website or you can try me on socials. Thanks for listening, here and anywhere else you’ve been following along.

SB