PW Classmates: What do you do now for work?
Barbara Tarlow Radler: I own a healthcare communications business focusing on video production, web broadcasts, design and animation, virtual reality, and holograms.
PW Classmates: What has your career path been since graduating from PW?
I graduated from PW, naively thinking I wanted to be a physician. Since I really didn’t give enough attention to math or academics (grades) in general, after not making it through calculus a few times, I thought, hey, I love video from my experience with CITV,… maybe I can do something with video and healthcare. So, I freelanced throughout college in the video field, and the summer after graduating from the University of Delaware, I started freelancing for GSK (formerly SmithKline Beckman) in their studio. A few years later, I was asked to incorporate and not freelance for them, purely so they wouldn’t owe me benefits! 30+ years later, we have grown our small business so that we have nine people on our team, with a wide range of freelancers supporting our business worldwide.
PW Classmates: Tell us about your family.
This makes me smile. As Rachel Somers just texted me last week — yes, we are old enough to be grandparents! I have two daughters in their 30s, and between the two of them, they have given us five grandchildren, all three and under. It’s exhausting, but my heart could not be fuller. I am so proud of my girls and their husbands – no matter how much success they have at work, they have a strong moral compass, are true to themselves, and prioritize family first!
It did take two tries to get the husband thing right, but I am thankful for my husband of 24 years, Joe, and how he embraces the role of ZaZa to the point that our girls call him first when they need help. We still have husband #1 at all of our family gatherings, and we all work together very well.
PW Classmates: What did you dream of becoming in high school?
I dreamed of becoming an orthopedic surgeon but didn’t really consider what it would take to make that happen. Now, I am so thankful that I switched gears to communications. I can truly say that this is my calling, and I can’t imagine that I would have enjoyed the clinical setting as much as the work I am doing now.
PW Classmates: Any hobbies you still that you enjoyed in high school?
I still love to play and watch tennis. I’ve been fortunate enough to go to all four grand slams, and nothing gets me out of my head more than getting on the tennis court and hitting the ball. I also still love to take pictures… always capturing moments… which may have stemmed from being a high school yearbook photographer! It was crazy that my hobby of video in high school turned out to be my career. I’m not sure if it relates to high school, but I love going on family trips… before my kids started having babies, we would have family meetings to decide on a cool trip we would enjoy together. I know we are taking a little break now, but I can’t wait until that starts again!
PW Classmates: What advice would you give to your high school self?
I know some people worry too much, but I was so in the moment I didn’t plan ahead. I applied to college with a green pen that happened to be on my kitchen table, and I didn’t think about what I wanted out of life. I just went with the flow. I never set goals, and I never thought about where I wanted to be in 5, 10, 15 years… so for me, yes, I was in the moment, but I could have thought a little more about the future. It didn’t occur to me until I saw my older daughter show me her end-of-the-year grid of the goals she met for the year, her goals for the future, and the action steps she wanted to accomplish in the year to come. That blew me away, but I might have done a few things differently if I thought about the future just a little bit.
PW Classmates: What advice do you have for others about creating your best life?
Follow your heart, be in the moment, but also think strategically about what you want your life to look like in the coming years, and set one or two action items to achieve that goal.
PW Classmates: What would you like to say to all of your classmates today?
I think we had a special Class of ’82. It’s wild, but I love it when I bump into or connect with alumni in any way. There’s just a bond that I can’t explain – but I love that feeling when we connect. As a group, I feel like we have a certain positivity with hearts that are pure. To put it simply, we are good people! I also love that no one seems to care what anyone else does or has — the connection we have is greater than the superficial stuff. I feel lucky and grateful for the class of ’82.
Learn more: btkgroup.com
Email Barb: bradler@btkgroup.com
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