“Be a Cockroach”: Alie Ward emphasizes passion, resilience and confidence in the media industry

“Be a cockroach.”

For actress, journalist and podcast host Alie Ward, this may be the most worthwhile pursuit of them all. 

With palpable enthusiasm, Ward addressed a spirited room of San Diego State University journalism and media studies students at the Jan. 27 JMS Fest, tracing the arc of her professional journey while offering insight into ambition and resilience in the media industry.  

“You gotta be a cockroach,” she said. “That is my best advice. Get in a room. Do not wait for the door to open. Go under a crack, get in there. I approached my career as a cockroach.”

For the past nine years, Ward has hosted her science podcast, “Ologies,” a show that aims to transform curiosity into content that educates and entertains. Her story does not start there, however, beginning instead with a series of spontaneous career experiences that span acting, freelance writing, blogging and more. 

Ward explained that much of her professional life has been fueled by perpetual change and a relentless hunger to pursue what she loves. In her view, the most rewarding career choices are those that both excite and unnerve you. 

“No one’s path is linear,” she said. “Yours isn’t, and no one’s here is going to be. Other people’s might look linear, but mine definitely was not, and it was really informed by, ‘what am I into right now? How far do I want to go with this?’”

This precise attitude is what compelled Ward to make a sudden, deliberate shift from TV acting to visual arts in the early stages of her professional development. What followed was a fluid progression through illustration, writing and broadcasting, each role a reflection of what thrilled her at the time. 

Of course, the media industry is not without its obstacles – a reality that Ward frames as incentive to adopt even bigger, bolder aspirations.

“If you don’t see anyone in the room that looks like you, that just means you belong there more,” she said. “You have to understand how much that room needs you. If you don’t see something that you want to do, it is because there is a void for it, and that is really wonderful. That is really important.”

Perhaps even more vital is that young JMS scholars preserve their confidence and authenticity while advancing through the media industry. Endeavor to be a role model and strive to establish a trusted, credible voice, Ward urged. 

And, in this effort, always consider “the three P’s.”

“Passion, pay, prestige,” Ward said. “This thing is like gospel to me. Everything you do should have at least two of those.”

For Ward, this popular philosophy has been a guiding principle throughout the evolution of her career. At times, she acknowledged, the most financially practical positions may not be those that offer the greatest fulfillment or growth, but they harbor valuable lessons, nonetheless.

“I was a columnist of the LA Weekly while I was a waitress,” she recalled. “I remember actually seeing someone reading my column while I served them soup. And so, that sucked. But, at the same time, it was helping me build my toolkit.”

This very same priority that Ward assigns to resilience and ambition, she gives to true restoration. She noted that the fast-paced, rigorous nature of the contemporary media industry renders fatigue almost inevitable, and stressed that intentional recovery is more than necessary to produce quality work long-term.  

“The consequences of burnout can be catastrophic,” Ward said. “So, instituting rest is super, super important. And do not lie to yourself and say that doom scrolling and couch rotting and being stressed is rest. I learned that the hard way and wound up in the hospital with pneumonia and a mental breakdown.”

Since that point, Ward has taken deliberate, passion-driven steps to design a rewarding career of her own. Now, as she nears her 500th episode of “Ologies,” she approaches each day with vigor, “like a pitbull with a toy.” 

Ward’s parting message to those students standing at the edge of a dynamic industry is simple: open a document and put your dream into words. 

“When you actually tell yourself in black and white what you want to do, you start making subconscious and conscious changes to get toward that,” she said. “And when you refine what you want, it is really a compass. It makes you into that cockroach. It gets you in the door.”