The BroxtenDigital Show - Episode 15: Nicole Milazzo

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/broxten-davis-6b050a239/I'm joined by Nicole Milazzo — Associate Director, Learning & Development at Publicis Media. Her actual day job is coaching the entry-level talent inside one of the largest media-agency networks in the world, which means the audience of this show is, quite literally, her audience too. I asked her the questions every 22-year-old should be asking their L&D lead but never gets the chance to. In this episode we cover: - The "complete accident" that landed her in media in 2011 with an English & business degree, and the 10-year media-buying career at Starcom that came before the L&D pivot - Why Gen Z actually shows up to an agency at a disadvantage on soft skills (it's not what you think) and the 4-to-6-month onboarding curve every entry-level hire should give themselves grace for - The slow, methodical career pivot she ran from Associate Director on the media side into a full-time L&D role — including the 6 months of career counseling, the Org Psych master's done nights-and-weekends, and the volunteer work that ultimately became her job - Whether the master's degree was actually worth it (with a real answer, not a recruiter answer) — and how to know if it's right for you - The number one soft skill she tells every early-career marketer to build now: over-communication, and what it actually looks like in practice - The hard skill most associates wait too long to develop and regret later (it isn't Excel) - The "wacky" free learning resource she swears by — and why "horizontal networking" with the peers you're coming up with might matter more than chasing the CMOs above you - The two pieces of advice she'd give 22-year-old Nicole: imposter syndrome is real, and pace yourself before you burn out Nicole drops a TON of actionable, demystifying advice for anyone in the first 0–3 years of an advertising or marketing career — and a lot of it is the opposite of what the LinkedIn algorithm wants you to hear. Subscribe to get more actionable advice from the best in advertising & marketing! Follow the show on Instagram for more daily value and insights: https://www.instagram.com/thebroxtendigitalshow/ ⏱ Chapters 00:00 Intro: meet the L&D lead who trains the people watching this show 01:07 The "complete accident" — how an English & business major ended up in media 09:23 Why Gen Z onboards slower than they think — and the 4-6 month grace period nobody tells you about 18:30 Networking, alumni connections, and the introvert's case for reaching out anyway 27:55 The slow pivot: earning the L&D role before they paid her for it 35:38 Is a master's degree worth it while working full time? An honest answer 45:24 The #1 soft skill (over-communication) and the #1 hard skill every associate should build now 58:18 Advice to 22-year-old Nicole: imposter syndrome is real, and pace yourself 🔗 Connect with Nicole - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-milazzo-86b274a/ #DigitalMarketingPodcast #AdvertisingPodcast #YoungProfessionals #MarketingPodcast