Blog: This Isn’t My First Rodeo

by CJ Fairfield Senior Associate Editor, CRN, The Channel Company 

This isn’t the first time this has happened to me. Someone comes to me and suggests I write a blog/column about…anything? My life? And people around me encourage me to do it. 

But let me introduce myself first. Hi, I’m CJ Fairfield, senior associate editor at CRN and your newest contributor to the WOTC blog universe. 

After the fabulous Jacquie Rives featured me as Woman of the Week last June, she suggested that I start writing a blog for the Women Leadership Network. I think I told her I’d think about it but then just kind of put it on the back burner and that’s where it stayed…until December. I was at a dinner with colleagues when a co-worker said that they think I should really do it. 

Well, if TWO people said it, so here I am. 

But this isn’t my first rodeo, I actually used to be a columnist at a newspaper. 

And it all started with an OB/GYN appointment. 

Let me explain. 

I was 30 years old living in Maryland at the time and working at a daily newspaper when I went to my annual gynecology appointment. I was a new patient and had a male doctor. I typically prefer a woman but I figured I’d switch it up. 

Now, at 30 I for sure thought, for some reason, that this doctor would say, “You know, your biological clock is ticking. If you plan on having kids you better start thinking about that soon.” 

This whole conversation played out in my head where I’d tell him that I actually don’t want kids for a million reasons and to just please prescribe me my birth control and I’d be on my way thank you very much. 

I walked in there armed with my response.  

Welp, that conversation didn’t happen. In fact, it was much worse. 

After being a little rough with the exam (I won’t go into detail, but yeah, it was painful) this doctor told me I should start taking vitamins to ready my body for menopause. 

“Menopause?” I asked quizzically, “But I’m 30.” 

“Yes,” he said. “You have to start now.” 

I left the office completely confused and asked just about every woman I know my age if their doctors had the same conversation with them. They all said no. 

Menopause typically begins at 50, give or take a few years. So why was this doctor telling me to prepare my body 20 years ahead of time? That’s like telling a toddler to drink responsibly.  

So I tweeted about it, the whole experience. 

My colleagues in the newsroom (all around my age) saw it and we discussed it later that day at work (I’m very open, as you can see, so I was cool with discussing it). 

Some months later I was called into my editor’s office, “We think you should write a column,” he said. 

The paper had a weekly lifestyle issue where it had feature stories covering events in the area, weekend happenings and things like that. It also had weekly columnists. My editor was looking for one more, and he thought I’d be a great fit. 

“You tweeting about your life has great engagement, like that whole thing about your doctor saying you need to prepare for menopause at 30,” he said. 

“But what would I write about?” I asked. “All I do is hang out with my dog and watch Teen Mom.” 

“So write about that,” he said. 

I told him I’d think about it. Surely people wouldn’t care about me watching reality T.V. 

After discussing with my family and friends, and they all said I should do it, I went back into my editor’s office and said I’d do it on one condition: my columnist photo had to include my dog. 

“Done,” he said. 

A few days later I brought my pup Kenley into the newspaper’s photo studio and we had ourselves a whole photoshoot. 

And that’s how I became a columnist.  

My editor told me I had to do an introductory column introducing myself, which is what this very blog post is, hi. 

In my wildest dreams, I thought some big shot at some network would see my column and I’d be the next Oprah. Ha! That didn’t happen, not even close. I honestly didn’t even think anyone would read it, until a council member at a town council meeting came up to me and started discussing my latest column. Yikes, I thought, people do actually read it. 

The column was short lived though as five months later I left the paper and moved back to my home state of New Jersey. 

Who knew five years later I’d be asked to write again. 

I promise to keep these blogs honest and candid, much like my personality. 

Unfortunately, I have no odd doctor appointments to report here, sorry to disappoint. 

Though I will be 36 in March, maybe I should start taking those vitamins.  

Bio:  CJ Fairfield is a senior associate editor at CRN covering solution providers, MSPs and distributors. 

She holds a Master’s degree in International Journalism from Brunel University London. Prior to joining CRN, she worked at daily newspapers, including The Press of Atlantic City in New Jersey and The Frederick News-Post in Maryland. 

She lives in New Jersey with her shitzu-bichon mix, Kenley.