Contact: monica.l.obrien [at] gmail.com
Twitter: @monicaobrien
Websites: http://twentyset.com/
Career: Marketing Consultant for SMBs in the Chicago area
Passions: “Animal rights and the environment”

Once upon a time there was a guy named Jun Loayza who had just recently started his blog.  He wrote some decent posts, and wanted to attract a bigger readership to his blog.  He read a lot of literature that told him that he should write a guest post on other blogs, so he found a site called Brazen Careerist and was instantly immersed into a community of young, motivated, millennial bloggers.

He searched through the “blogger” page and of course looked for the prettiest girl he could find to reach out to.  Looking up and down the list of bloggers, there was one girl that instantly stood out to him.  And that’s how Jun decided to reach out to Monica O’Brien!

Yes, that’s a true story.

I am so excited to debut this video interview with Monica!  She is absolutely my favorite, and I know that after this interview she’ll be yours too.  I highly encourage you to reach out to her after the interview because I guarantee you that there are so many things that you can learn from her.  Enjoy!

Conversation Breakdown

1:10 - What motivated you to start TwentySet.com?

Monica was inspired by ProBlogger and wanted to make money blogging.  She started her first blog in 2007, but unfortunately was not successful with it.  She then found Penelope Trunk and was inspired to write in a similar fashion.  She created TwentySet.com as a result of being inspired by Penelope and later developed her own unique voice through her blog.

2:11 - Why do you feel that the “New Girls Club” does not work?

Read the post here: Why the New Girls Club Doesn’t Work

All the high-paying fields are dominated by men, so women need to know how to network with men more so than they need to leran how to network with women.

4:11 - Do you think that it’s an even playing ground when it comes to freelance consulting?

Monica makes it a point to network with men.  She understands that men are dominant in the executive positions, so she wants to position herself in a way that allows her to get the most exposure and greatest chance of success.

6:31 - If you never had to work another day in your life for money, what would you be doing?

Monica would be writing.  Ever since she was a child, she wanted to be a childrens author.  Even in her elementary school days, she would write short childrens stories.

7:55 - So you separate your personal writing from your writing for personal branding?

Monica feels that the very personal content is NOT good to post online.  She keeps a private journal for her private use.

9:21 - How do you and your husband stay balanced and healthy when there is no “steady” flow of income and you’re currently the bread winner?

There have been a lot of naysayers, but Monica stays focused on herself, her husband, and their happiness to get through it.  She has experienced a reversal of roles where she is the breadwinner, but she feels that it is all worth it because her husband will soon graduate and generate solid, stable income.

12:18 - What was it like to be a software engineer and one of the very few girls in your classes?

Computer Science is one of the worst majors for women because there are so few of them in this major. Monica feels that clubs such as the Women in Computer Science Club are useless because it promotes a segragation of the sexes

14:16 - The story of how Monica and I first met

It’s a really cute short story

16:19 - Gary Vaynerchuk wants to own the New York Jets.  What does Monica O’Brien want to do?

Monica wants to live the life of a successful, best-selling fictional author such as J.K. Rowling.

17:23 - Would you write a fiction or non-fiction book?

If you give Monica a book deal, she will write whatever you like.