Pipe Dream interviewed the four speakers featured at this year’s TEDxBinghamtonUniversity event, themed “Refractions,” which centered around the exploration of unique ideas and new perspectives.
Faye McCray ‘03 is an attorney, writer, journalist and entrepreneur. A Goldman Sachs consultant, she has published content for HuffPost, Healthline and Parade Magazine, specializing in career mental health and wellness. Her interview responses have been slightly edited for clarity.
Q: Could you tell us your name and an overview of what your talk is going to cover today?
A: “My name is Faye McCray. I’ll be talking a little bit about identity and the expectations that get placed on us from a young age, about who we’re supposed to be versus who we end up becoming, and just a little bit of empowerment in that way, because I’ve pivoted a lot. So I graduated here in 2003, and I majored in English. I went to law school, but I ended up going back to my roots and writing and having a really great career in media and as an author. So I just talk a little bit about following your truth and what’s true to you.”
Q: How did your time at Binghamton University help prepare you for the different career paths that you’ve taken?
A: “I loved my time at Binghamton, in particular the English Department. At the time, we had great professors; John Vernon and Thomas Glave and Donette Francis were all professors that were here when I was here, and they had very, very creative approaches to English and really opened the doors to reading a lot of different types of things.
And I think when you open up the world to all the different possibilities through literature, it helps you live your life in a way that’s more intentional and purposeful and see a lot of possibilities. So I think I was exposed to a lot, which, in turn, made me more of a risk-taker when I left.”
Q: As someone who has worked in many different fields, including law, journalism and entrepreneurship, what advice do you have for students uncertain about what career path they would like to pursue?
A: “I would say to really rid yourself of this expectation that you need to have it all figured out when you graduate. You’re going to experience things that you’re going to be like, ‘Wow, this is amazing.’ And then you’re going to experience other things where you’re going to be like, ‘Oh, this is not for me.’ And life is all about those twists and turns and pivots. So it’s okay to kind of redirect and resituate yourself and go in another direction. So instead of framing it as ‘I’m graduating, and I’m entering the thing that I’m going to do for the rest of my life,’ ‘this is the thing that I’m going to try and see if I like it.’
I think that alleviates some of the pressure of choice and expectation. You want to find things that not just fulfill you and allow you to make an impact but also help you live this type of life you want to live.”
Q: Your talk overview discussed how part of your talk is going to center around healthy relationships with ambition. How have you displayed this in your career and what insights do you have to offer listeners of your talk?
A: “For me, the core of what’s healthy ambition is ridding myself of other people’s expectations of what I do versus things that really feel aligned with myself. I think, for a very long time, particularly early in my career, I wanted to make people proud. And that could be my family, but it could also be a boss or an organization that I was working for — and sometimes that meant I gave so much of myself that there was very little left over for me.
So I think at the root of healthy ambition is really just being in tune with yourself and living a life that feels value-aligned and it feels good, the work that you’re doing. Make yourself happy first, everybody else will come along for the ride.”
Q: As someone who has a current focus on career wellness and mental health, what is the importance of this and how can students look to achieve that in their future careers?
A: “It’s everything. It’s not an afterthought. Just like you would go to the doctor if you were feeling sick or like you had a cold, you want to make sure that you’re taking time to focus on your wellness. Am I taking care of myself? Am I taking rest? Especially when you’re in your early 20s, right after you graduate school, you just are full of, like, ‘I gotta do all the things.’ And it feels almost like there’s an urgency around it. And a lot of times, we neglect our health and our mental health, and we neglect relationships that could provide a real foundation for support.”
I think it’s so important to constantly check in with yourself, make time and space for the people that love and care about you, that kind of recenter you — I’ve had the same best friends since I was 14 — but just a phone call or a check in is so grounding for me. Really hone in on those relationships that are core to that, and then when you need something outside of that, there’s no shame in therapy or any other support that you need, but it’s just so foundational to being healthy as you progress and move throughout your career.”
Q: What do you hope that students will take away from your talk?
A: “I hope that you feel permission to be yourself. I’m sort of renavigating this experience. My eldest son is 17, so he’s getting ready to pick a college. We’re getting all the acceptances and stuff rolling in right now. And there’s these parts of him that have been so fundamental to him since he was little. He’s a musician — I talk a little bit about that in the talk. And I think he’s in a place of questioning: ‘Do I abandon these parts of myself to study business or do something that’s going to be more financially sound and stable?’ And I want people to feel empowered to explore all parts of your identity.”
Honestly, in the world that we’re living in right now, nothing is stable, everything is all over the place. So just do the things you know that you can pour passion into, in your zone of genius and your expertise, and you’ll be good. You’ll be good.”