Onco-Ballet Foundation Founder, Anna Wassman-Cox

Girl Money Talks, Annette Walker

Can you describe your job and what you do in simple terms?

Onco-Ballet Foundation, Anna Wassman-Cox

My current job is as the founder and executive director of the Onco-Ballet Foundation. We’re a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, and we offer free ballet classes and performance experiences to those in the cancer community to spark joy.

Girl Money Talks, Annette Walker 

Wow, that’s so fun. What kind of things do you do day to day? And like, does your job include structure? Or is it more flexible?  

Onco-Ballet Foundation, Anna Wassman-Cox

Yeah. Now, being on the more organizational leadership side of things, and running an organization versus working for a corporate company or an agency, which is where I started my career, there is much more flexibility. In my day, things were going to look one way, and then they just didn’t. But that’s what happens as you move into more of a leadership role within any company, whether that’s a company you run or even if you’re a leader at another company. You can build in as much or as little structure as you want in your days. There are several benefits to creating your own calendar, schedule, and routine. For instance, you may discover that you work really well on more challenging topics first thing in the morning. It’s similar to time blocking, where every day from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. is when you accomplish your most significant work. And then, from 10:00 to 11:00, you reply to emails, and then you engage in more social activities related to your work in the afternoon, and it goes from there.

Of course, not everybody has the luxury of that. I’m sure as you’re talking about finance, I think you’re… One, your possible job is more structured, and you would be at the… You must follow the company’s guidelines regarding procedures and protocols. However, that’s just with experience too; you’re always somewhat at the mercy of whoever you’re working for in terms of the schedule and what that entails from the outset. And then, as you get more senior in your career, you definitely have more flexibility.

Girl Money Talks, Annette Walker 

Okay. Talking about college, is there anything that you studied specifically in college that contributed to your success or helped you a lot in your career? Or, on the flip side, was there anything that you may regret not studying?  

Onco-Ballet Foundation, Anna Wassman-Cox

That’s a good question. I also majored in business, so I have that great business foundation. I emphasized marketing for my major, but it wasn’t only marketing. So, it wasn’t just marketing; I was doing everything. Taking the classes that are interesting to you, especially when you get that choice, because then you’ll see, like, okay, why was this interesting to me? Why wasn’t it? There are plenty of core classes that you’ll have to take, such as the basic finance class and accounting. That one, in particular, can be challenging. However, especially if you are going into the business world, you’ll find that some of them will come more naturally to you than others. And that’s okay. It’s the whole point of many college classes, especially the required ones, that you gain a basic foundation, which shows when you enter the workplace that you can learn something. It’s not that they want you to come in and be able to do all the things you learned in school, but it definitely helps. In today’s world, if you have the opportunity to take a class on AI, absolutely do it.

I recall that I was at Loyola, and I had to take this class; it was essentially an Excel class, where you had to learn how to use Excel, and it was the most boring class I’ve ever taken. But part of me wishes I had paid attention to it a bit more, or taken it more seriously, not necessarily to pass the test. You have to do that to graduate, but also to take your time to like dive deeper into some of those topics and get used to it. ‘Cause I kid you not, no matter where you’ll go, and especially if, let’s say, it’s finance, you need to know how to navigate the basic Microsoft suite. And that will hold for a very long time, regardless of the era or decade we’re in, because that’s what all businesses use. So, just some of those basic skills, like how to manage your email inbox. Some of those things that, while you’re in school, take the time to learn them then, because once you’re at work, you don’t want to be like, Oh, I’m learning how to do this.

Of course, there’s time for that; it takes time to learn those things as well. And with any entry-level or internship or whatever you do, there’s plenty of time for that. However, it also helps to have a safe learning environment where you can learn some of those basic skills, so that when you enter the workplace, you’re not like, ‘ Wait a minute, I don’t actually know how to do this or format something. ‘ I know that sounds really just entry-level stuff, but it’s a complex skill at the end of the day. So, find the things that you really enjoy or want to learn more about, lean into whatever the newer technology is, or just something that would be handy to have as you continue, and then learn those hard skills in school.

Girl Money Talks, Annette Walker 

Could you talk about your first jobs after college or how you got to where you are now, such as running your own business?

Onco-Ballet Foundation, Anna Wassman-Cox

Yeah, it’s interesting. So I went back to school a bit later. I did ballet right after high school, and then I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. So I ended up going to… Again, I spent two years at community college and transferred because I didn’t want to waste my time, anyone else’s time, or money. However, I also greatly valued gaining real-world experience of what it’s actually like to be in the workforce. And now that I didn’t have dance all the time, I was like, I can really lean into this. Even before working and interning, I completed several summer projects for this PR firm on a project-based basis. I assisted with event planning and learned how to pitch a story, among other valuable skills. I even worked at this theater company for a short time, helping with stage management. It’s like odd things, but you pick up really excellent skills along the way that you can apply to anything.

And then, how I started interning with your dad was that there was an opportunity through the city college I was attending to network with different companies that were hiring. And then it was this, almost like, I don’t know if he’s told you this, but it was almost like speed dating, but with like companies and candidates, and you just went around and kind of like pitched yourself to these companies and they pitched themselves to you. And then you ranked them in order of like, what was your top priority? And for me at the time, like I really wanted to lean into marketing and understand, okay, what does that actually mean, ’cause it’s such a broad topic in the business world. And that’s how I met your dad. And then I secured an internship with AE Marketing Group and spent my first summer there. I continued to intern with them throughout almost my entire time at Loyola. There were some breaks in between when I studied abroad and did other things, but no, it was just a great way to learn.

And understand, okay, is this the side I wouldn’t want to be on, like on the agency side, and be like more in the creative brand side of things with like the strategy, or do I want to try something else? And then, after graduation, what do I want to do? I decided to try corporate work for a while, as I had already explored the startup and arts worlds. That’s just like where I came from, and I tried like small businesses, ’cause that’s also what I knew. And if there’s any time to try corporate, it would be right after graduation. And that’s when I started going to someone like the Loyola career fairs to see what was out there. And I ended up talking with a recruiter from Bosch, and that’s how I had a good conversation. And they were like, ‘Oh, we have this rotational development program; you might be interested in it.’ ‘Cause I still wasn’t… I don’t know; I’ve always been like, ‘ Let me just see what else is out there and try all the things and decide what it is that I want to do. ‘

And I don’t know if we ever fully understand what we want to do, by the way, that’s a whole other topic, but I ended up getting into this program, which was a two-year leadership program at Bosch. I had a similar corporate experience, where I changed roles every six months, led projects, and also had the opportunity to go abroad. For me, that was the big selling point as well. I spent seven years at the company. And I did everything from brand to channel marketing, which is like retail marketing into product management.

I founded this nonprofit two years ago. I was still at Bosch during part of it, and then I had to balance both. And then I thought, ‘I can’t do both; it’s too much, this is growing too fast. I have to focus on this a bit more.’

While I run the nonprofit full-time, I also continue to consult on a part-time basis. I’m currently consulting for Bosch, and I’m actually on a project that requires only five to 10 hours a week, which is barely enough. I also have the flexibility to take on other projects when I want to or accept outside commitments. Additionally, I work with different brands that are seeking cancer patient advocates.

Girl Money Talks, Annette Walker

Talking more about opportunities for women as the business world keeps evolving, how do you or how have you seen new opportunities arising for women in your field?

Onco-Ballet Foundation, Anna Wassman-Cox 

Oh, that’s an excellent, tricky question. It’s been an interesting time to be a woman in the workplace. There have been more and more moves towards female leaders and increased representation in the workplace. Sometimes it feels like, even though it’s getting easier to be a woman in the workplace, it still depends on the company and its culture.

It can still be challenging. Having worked with so many men, you get used to it, right? However, it’s the opposite; I now work predominantly with females and women. I can relax and be more genuine with people. But at the same time, you find the colleagues at the company with whom you do mesh really well. When I was working in the bike industry, I had a whole little girl gang going on, and there were maybe 10 of us out of the hundreds of men at these industry events.

It’s about ensuring that you surround yourself throughout your career with women who will also bring you up and support you where you need it, and understand that. Unfortunately, some gaslighting occurs in the workplace, affecting women. I’ve definitely had it happen to me, and it sucks. And then on the flip side, some women aren’t for women, and you also get that. But I think it’s just finding a way to navigate it for you. However, I suppose that if it’s something you want and you aspire to be a leader at a large company, I think it’s more achievable nowadays than ever, and hopefully it will continue to be that way; that’s my hope. And I think the more we see women in the workplace, the better it will be, and the more we stay there and help bring each other up, I think it will just continue to get better. So, yeah, I’m sure I could talk for hours on this too, but I’ll spare you the details.

Girl Money Talks, Annette Walker 

My last question, and you’ve already touched on this, but more specifically, what advice do you have for girls who are looking to pursue a business career after graduation?

Definitely do it. It’s such a great field to be in. Honestly, you can go anywhere and everywhere; that’s the beauty of any business degree. I like to use Bosch as an example, just because it’s one of my larger, longer-term work experiences.

They’re historically an engineering company, right? At the end of the day, though, they’re a business; they still need finance, marketing, sales, and everything else. Every business needs businesspeople. Even if the company is bikes or ballet, there’s always a place for it because that’s how people do it. So, learn those hard skills that you can in the area you think you want to work in, and learn whatever it is that helps set you apart. Don’t forget about your soft skills; they will also take you a long way.

If people like to work with you, if you’re easy to work with, if you’re a hard worker, not that you have to be like perfect all the time, but if you’re just reliable, if you can have a conversation with people, if you can genuinely get to know people and get to know the company and network, I think that’ll help you go very far. And especially if you’re considering a career in finance, soft skills will set you apart. So, I would say lean into those things, identify your strengths, and definitely build on them. Be open to learning and try to be as true to yourself as possible. There is no perfect in business or in life or anything, right?