I'm Keisha T.K. Jutess. I wasn't always a radio producer, but I am now.

Before, for about 15 years, I was a licensed practical nurse.

Yep, stethoscope, CPR, urine collection, temp checks, all that.

It taught me a lot about how strong I was. It was intoxicating to be needed.

It instilled a characteristic of dependability in me that I will never lose.

It also paid for my college education, which helped me pursue my passion in media.

And those regular paint checks, they definitely gave me a stability that I was scared to lose if I left.

And yet, nursing just wasn't for me.

The long hours, the told on your body, and as a first-gen child of immigrants,

I was born into a culture that had narrow views on what success looked like,

and fears of being broke that played into my choice to become a nurse right out of high school.

I actually tried to leave twice.

The first time I quit, I just knew that I was tired, and this was not the vocation for me.

Even though I knew I wanted to be in media, I had no plan, no support, no idea how I would survive.

Six months later, I went back into the matrix, feeling like I failed myself.

Back to the long hours, the heavy lifting, the cold nights.

And I made a plan.

For a long time, part time and on the weekends, what I was doing all along was working for free,

gathering skills, like learning how to edit, going live on air in New York City,

and trying adjacent things like public speaking.

A few years later, I finally felt confident that it was time.

I gave my two weeks notice, and never looked back.

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