Don't Wait to Be the Artist You Are: Amanda ReCupido

I met Amanda ReCupido at the opening of a clothing collection drive in Downers Grove. Without knowing one another that well, we headed into a conversation about life and careers. “There was a time I wanted to be a yoga teacher.” “I wanted to be an actress.” “I still want to write a book.” Communicators have a talent and skill for recognizing the innermost drives of people—it’s how we create the connections that build movements and businesses.

Three years later, I met with Amanda for lunch after she had achieved much success as the Executive Producer of Sex and the Windy City: An Unofficial Musical Parody, and sailed to the top of Zapwater Communications as Managing Director in Chicago. What was her secret? I was grateful she confided in me.

"Don’t wait for anyone to give you permission to be the artist you are, and don’t let the gatekeepers hold you back from sharing your stories. They don’t know what they’re talking about anyway,” she said.

Amanda demonstrates that success doesn’t hinge only on talent and ambition alone, but a willingness to ignore the voices and the gatekeepers who can’t see your vision. You have to fight back by trusting yourself. 

Sex and the Windy City had nearly sold-out runs at Davenport's Piano Bar and iO Chicago, and was the runner up for Best Musical in Chicago Reader’s Best of Chicago Awards. In the show, Carrie Bradshaw and friends encounter a literal rude awakening when they find themselves transported from their beloved New York City to the Windy City. As the core four try to make sense of their surroundings, they learn there’s a lot to love about the Midwest, and it might be just the right time to give Chic-ago a go. 

I know I’m glad I gave Chicago a go for the incredible network of women like Amanda that I have met along the way.