This week, as part of the ongoing series, we’re meeting Caroline, the founder and editor of Changing Lanes.

Who are you and what do you do?

Hello! I’m a commercial copywriter, author, motoring journalist and the founder and editor of Changing Lanes, an Irish online automotive magazine. I spend my days putting words together, playing with them, tugging at them, tearing them apart, and then putting them back together again. It could be a client project like content for a new website, a thought-provoking editorial, or a review of the latest family hatchback or SUV.

What is the best part of your job?

I love the variety of my work and the challenge to find new ways to be creative and original with words. I like to push the boundaries and put words together in interesting ways. It’s about trying to get the rhythm just right, like a poet or musician. Keeping that energy through a large piece of text requires patience, skill and determination! But when it all comes together, it’s pure magic. I love happy clients and happy readers. 

How did you get to where you are today? 

A lot of hard work, passion, cups of tea and the support of great friends! Building a sustainable career in writing and journalism has not been an easy path. When I graduated with an MA in Journalism back in 2012, I landed straight into the culture of the poorly paid internship or no pay at all for ‘exposure’. If you wanted a media career, options were limited. By 2014 I’d had enough of it! I launched Changing Lanes and my copywriting business in the same year. I always had a vision of what sort of lifestyle I wanted and I can honestly say I love what I do. My days are well spent working for lovely clients. For me, that’s success. 

 What did you find to be the most challenging?

When I graduated, the jobs I wanted just weren’t there so in the end, I created my own. But it took a while for me to get into my stride as a young, self-employed writer and find my niche. Entering the male-dominated automotive industry with Changing Lanes was also challenging. Now I don’t even notice any more if I’m the only woman in the room!

Communication

What have you found to be the best way to work with colleagues and clients?

In the spirit of teamwork! When you’re self-employed, people may think of you as a solitary worker but for the best results, a team mindset with clients and colleagues is what works best. I love collaborating with colleagues and clients. These are people I have learnt a lot from. They’ve helped me to refine my services and get better at what I do. They challenge me and together we create work we can all be proud of.

Part of your job is to review cars, if you have a bad experience with a car, how do you navigate this?  

Unless the brakes fail, it’s been a good experience! I would say there are no bad experiences, only some cars that are better than others. As a car reviewer, I tap into my market and product knowledge to put the car into context for the consumer. Car buyers may prioritise anything from design and prestige, to how many child seats you will fit across the rear bench or is there a spare wheel. Most buyers will want to know is the car efficient and good value for money. Whether I like the colour of the seat upholstery or not doesn’t really matter!

When working with clients for copywriting services, what are the things that make the project run smoothly?

Clear communication. Listening more than speaking! Finding out about their challenges and what they want to achieve by working with me. Putting a plan in place with a timeline. Being clear on payment terms. Giving projects space to breathe and mature.

Have you ever encountered communication problems with a project?

Yes, I have. I’ve always delivered what clients wanted but in my early days as a freelancer, I didn’t take enough time to define and plan projects at the start, which caused me more stress. As you get busier, you have to have a strategy for dealing with enquiries and new clients, as well as managing several client projects at the same time and getting paid. And communicating all of the above to your client!

The Gender Question

As a woman who has a passion for cars and all things motoring, have you ever had to deal with comments that suggested you didn't know what you were talking about?

Yes. Mostly on YouTube. I’ve also experienced some beautiful examples of mansplaining! I find it funny now but years ago these opinions might have rattled me. To be honest, I think I have a good rapport with most of my readers and they respect my opinion, as I respect theirs (unless they’re being plain rude!)

Do you know how many female car and motoring bloggers exist in Ireland?

I could probably count on one hand the number of women actively involved in motoring journalism in Ireland. But I do see lots of great young Irish women sharing motoring content on Instagram, so that’s really promising. There are also many talented female Irish car photographers sharing content on the platform. All this engagement is important for creating a more egalitarian world and challenging the ‘cars are for boys’ gender stereotype.

What do you think we can do to make sure subconscious bias isn't passed down the line?

We have lived for millennia in a patriarchy. So even the most open-minded men and women may feel the pull of it in every-day situations, and keep perpetuating the ingrained beliefs that are passed down through generations about how men and women ‘should’ behave, dress, speak etc. and the roles they should take in the home, family and society. I think we need to start these conversations early in the home and in an education setting. Question the attitudes, actions and beliefs of ourselves and others. This can be done in a non-judgemental way to raise awareness and gradually we can impact change.   

What advice do you have for young women entering this industry? 

Focus on your craft. Get good at what you want to do, whether that’s photography, writing about cars or making videos of them. Be confident and believe in yourself! Know your value. If the opportunities aren’t there, make them for yourself. Don’t waste your time on drama.

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If you want to find out more about Caroline you can visit Changing Lanes, and if you want to read the other blogs in the series, you can do so here.