Episode #9: Margie Strauss
Margie Strauss is a recognized industry expert in the fields of advertising, branding, public relations and media. Her passion for staffing, built on her 25 years of experience, makes her an integral part of the founding partnership of CitiStaffing. Prior to her career in staffing, Margie worked in the global public relations firm, Burson Marsteller, in the areas of consumer PR, crisis management, and new business development. Margie’s real passion is working closely with candidates to assist them in developing their career path.
When Margie felt a strange, electric pain in her body while on vacation with her family on Cape Cod in the summer of 2001, she initially wanted to muscle through it. After ultimately deciding to head back to New York to get an MRI, she was admitted to the hospital and, that very same day, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). Quickly, the nuisance that had disrupted her vacation became a new reality. On this episode, Margie and I talk about why she snapped into action to find her team of doctors and specialists, how she finally started to prioritize herself (and why her diagnosis was a wake-up call), and how she now acts as a resource for others with MS.
“I had a very busy, full life, and I still do, but I didn’t take care of myself. And I didn’t know I needed to. It didn’t even register anywhere that you have to take care of yourself. When the MS thing happened, I was like, okay, this is a wake-up call.”
Here are some of the things Margie and I chatted about:
Why it was easy to write off her MS symptoms until her first episode in 2001
The strange coincidence of MS being the very disease she feared having (and why)
The moment she knew had to find a doctor who saw her as a person, not just a patient
How her career as a headhunter helped her interview potential doctors and find the right one
The doctor she ultimately found, and how his actions made her feel completely supported
Her realization, after being diagnosed, that taking care of herself had been last on her list
Why she likes the idea that she’s a “jock,” and how that helped her find a great team
What it was like to return to work after her diagnosis, and the thought that comforted her
Why she believes having a team of people is essential for anyone managing an illness
How she acts as a resource to others with MS, and why she shares everything she can
“I’m sitting on the train and I have this thought. I’m looking around the car, and I said to myself, you know, everybody lives with something. I know my something. This is my something. And it just kind of comforted me.”
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