Steph's Story: Turning My Work Into My Passion

This blog is a part of a series presented to you by the MGMT staff. Since we spend so much of our time working and wearing our business hats, we thought it’d be fun to open up a bit and get personal.

My name is Steph, and I am the Director of Digital Strategy & Operations at MGMT Digital.

For everyone thinking, “what the hell does that mean?,” let me share with you a little about my journey into digital marketing in the addiction treatment space and why I work for MGMT Digital.

Finding My Passion in Digital Marketing

My journey in digital marketing began when I was 5 months sober and hired as a sales representative for a digital marketing company that specialized in law and the medical field. I worked for that company for about a year, and during this time I took serious interest in learning how to do what I was selling for a living. So, I began teaching myself the in’s and out’s of SEO, PPC, social media, content and web design.

Through a series of events, I wound up getting a job opportunity at an addiction treatment digital marketing agency in South Florida. I am still beyond grateful for that job to this day because it is where I learned how to truly be a full-blown digital marketer. For almost 4 years, I worked and helped the agency grow, before moving out to California with my fiance to experience something new.

Landing My Dream Job

After living in California for a few months, I scored an interview at my dream company in the addiction treatment industry. Long story short, after almost a year of working at this company, I learned it was not actually my dream job. At first I was disappointed, but instead of letting the experience bring me down, I decided to learn from it. Being in recovery myself, I know the importance of owning my part in every situation and moving forward in life.

In an effort to find a job that aligned with my professional goals and morals, I began my job search again. During this time my good friend Danny approached me and asked if I can help him and his friend Zach start a digital marketing agency for drug rehabs. Talk about great timing.

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Exactly Where I Was Meant to Be

After I trusted the process and acknowledged that everything does happen for a reason, I joined the founding MGMT Digital team. MGMT Digital was started as a response to the unethical patient brokering, which is something I unfortunately witnessed first hand in the past.

For those who are unfamiliar with the term patient brokering, it’s when an addiction treatment center will pay someone or provide incentives to go to their rehab. Think of it as a bribe. The reason this is illegal is because it removes the power of choice from the person seeking help and many times this person gets stuck in a vicious cycle of attending treatment programs that arent best suited for them.

Being that I’ve gone to treatment over 30 times in a span of six years before getting sober, I know the importance of finding the right kind of addiction treatment. Unfortunately my story isn’t unique but I am grateful I’ve made it out of addiction unscathed.

If you’ve read Zach’s blog, you know that our founding member Danny lost his life to this disease when we first started the company. After Danny’s passing, Zach and I made a decision to continue to build this company to the best of our ability in order to really help people.

The Journey Continues...

Four years later, today when I am asked why do I do what I do for work the answer is pretty simple. I know at MGMT, we are truly helping people find quality addiction treatment in an ethical manner.

Through search engine optimization (SEO), content publication, social media marketing, paid advertising, email campaigns and traditional marketing channels, we are able to connect those addicted to drugs & alcohol with ethical programs that we have vetted and believe in.

To work for a company that truly cares about the wellbeing of other people just like me is something I am extremely proud of. To know that we work with programs who truly help people is one of the best feelings you can have going to work everyday.