Meet the Proofreading Posse: Brooke Interview

The following interview is a conversation between Reyné Pearson and Brooke Andrews. All opinions belong to the conversation participants and don’t necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Proofread Anywhere. 

Hello everyone! I’m so excited to share an interview with our Community and Customer Queen, Brooke! She has been with Proofread Anywhere for almost 5 years and is an essential member of our freelance team. 

Brooke is known for always raising her hand whenever someone asks for help, grading a mountain of student exams, and bringing a bright smile to every Zoom meeting!

I’m so happy that you all can get the opportunity to know her better. So, let’s dive in! 

Finding Proofread Anywhere 

Reyné: Hey Brooke, thanks for sitting down with me! To start out, can you talk a little bit about how you heard about Proofread Anywhere and what you do now? 

Brooke: I was just scrolling through my phone one day and saw an ad on Pinterest.  I’ve always been somewhat of a word nerd and I loved English and spelling in school. It’s just always been my thing. 

I wasn’t specifically good with grammar, but I loved writing and reading so when I saw the ad, it felt like a perfect fit. At the time, there was only a Transcript Proofreading course because General Proofreading hadn’t been made yet.

I remember reading an interview with a student and she was explaining how she felt going through the course. I felt intrigued right away. Immediately I looked up the course and thought “Yep, I’m just going to sign up”. I thought, worst-case scenario, it if doesn’t work out and I don’t find clients, it’s still really great information that I could apply to almost any career. 

Reyné: That sounds like a great way to start with the course.

From Side Hustle to Freelance Expert

Reyné: How did it feel once you started learning? 

Brooke: I just ate everything up.

After taking the course, I had a couple of clients, but I was also working a full-time job. At the time, I was working for the county as an administrative assistant, and I had four little kids. Life was a bit crazy! My initial goal, at the time, was to work from home full-time, but I didn’t think I could just do that with court transcript proofreading. 

I didn’t think I could fully replace my income, so I just did a bit of proofreading work on the side and kept an eye out for something else that would allow me to leave my full-time job completely. 

Then, when I saw the customer service job was open and saw that Caitlin was looking for somebody, I thought maybe I could do that too. I could answer some emails and earn a bit of extra money until I build up my proofreading clientele. 

So, I sent an application and got an email response asking me to take a personality quiz to see if I was a good fit. Haha! I got the job, and it has evolved into what I do now. 

At the time, this was back in late 2016, I had no idea what virtual assistants were or anything like that. The Transcript Proofreading course was the first step and it really opened my eyes to the possibilities of working online. 

Reyné: Absolutely! When I interview students, even if they aren’t working in proofreading, they are all still working as freelancers, and making money online, because the course was able to give them the skills, and the perspective, to make it in the online world.

You Don’t Have to Only Proofread

Reyné: Did you dabble in other kinds of online work? 

Brooke: I have an e-commerce business so I still dabble a little bit with that, but I currently mainly work as a freelance virtual assistant. 

Reyné: That’s so cool! I had no idea that you did e-commerce. What do you sell? 

Brooke: So, I have a women’s clothing boutique (I actually took a course to do that, too!), but I am phasing out of that as we speak and have my own blog that is currently in the works where I want to shed light on mental health issues, particularly anxiety and OCD. I have struggled with both my whole life, and I find writing and journaling to be therapeutic.

Being able to relate with others and make an impact on their lives by shining a light on anxiety with empathy and humor feels so incredibly fulfilling and meaningful. I will likely still weave some e-commerce into my business with relatable products; however, I am focusing on one thing at a time with that. 

I had always dabbled a bit in e-commerce, like selling on eBay when my oldest daughter was a baby, and I sold quite a bit on Poshmark, but I didn’t actually find success until I started my own boutique business.

During COVID, things really blew up with my shop. I was actually packing and shipping all of my own orders and things got so crazy for a while. I was doing everything by myself and still working with Proofread Anywhere. I had a little bit of everything going on. 

Reyné: Wow! That does sound busy! 

Brooke: Yeah, I did get a little bit burnt out from it, and I just wanted to narrow my focus a bit.  

Sometimes, when I do all of these different things, it’s like my mind never shuts off. 

Freelancing is perfect for me because I’m able to do a lot of different tasks, so there is a good variety.

Reyné: That totally makes sense.

A Diverse Work Background With One Common Thread

Reyné: So, before Proofread Anywhere, what was your background?

Brooke: Well, I did a lot of different jobs growing up. My first job as a teenager was in fast food, so I learned how to work with people right away, especially unhappy people. Defusing difficult situations was something that I became really good at early on, and simply having to get out there and talk to people I didn’t know really helped me come out of my shell as a shy and anxious kid. 

I was also a dental assistant for a little while, but after completing my schooling for that, I found that I liked working in the front office more than the back office. I liked doing all of the administrative stuff as opposed to working in the back office and being on my feet all day. 

Reyné: I know exactly what you mean. I had so many odd jobs in college. Do you feel like your educational background helped with these jobs? 

Brooke: Yes. For sure! I did also end up getting my bachelor’s degree online in psychology a few years later, and then I got my master’s degree in organizational leadership. 

Reyné: Wow! That’s impressive! 

From Lost to Freelance Boss

Reyné: How do you think Proofread Anywhere helped your career? 

Brooke: It really helped me launch my career as a freelancer.

I have been with PA since early 2017 and when I first started, it was only meant to be a very part-time customer service gig that I could do from home while I built my clientele as a transcript proofreader.

I had no real aspirations with PA beyond that other than to make a little extra money since I was still working full-time outside of the home. It turned into me doing a whole lot of other tasks on the backend of PA, and I absolutely loved it! I loved being part of a little virtual team and all of the opportunities that came with that. All of my foundational knowledge as a VA came from PA. 

I feel like Proofread Anywhere is where I have learned almost everything, and it really inspired me to keep going and think about what else I can learn. What else can I do?

It really just opened up a whole new world for me that I didn’t even know existed.

The world is your oyster and there’s so much opportunity out there that I would never have discovered without starting with Proofread Anywhere.

Reyné: I love that! It was your springboard into all things freelance! What is your favorite thing about being a freelancer? 

Brooke: The fact that I can be creative and come up with new ways to do things. I have duties at PA, of course, and repetitive tasks that are expected of me as a team member, but I love that I can come up with new ideas and contribute them to Proofread Anywhere. It inspires me to be creative in my own freelance ventures as well. 

I can also make my own schedule (for the most part). If I need to take a day off, I can do that and don’t need to ask permission. If I want/need to take a break midday for a couple of hours, I can do that too!

I have a really hard time setting work boundaries (the boundaries thing is a work in progress!), but I love that I can just be there for my kids. Even though my youngest is 13, if they need a ride somewhere or I need to drop something off at school, it’s no big deal. Little things like that are reminders of why I’m glad I don’t have to work a 9-5!

The Truth About Proofread Anywhere & The Future

Reyné: What is something that you wish more people knew about Proofread Anywhere? 

Brooke: That we have all been in their shoes, at one point. I mean, we are all freelancers too.

Some people take the course for different reasons, but I would say that the majority of people sign up because they want to be full-time freelancers. Some people also want a side hustle or something to help them after retirement but, whatever the reason, we have all been in their place too. 

We understand how overwhelming it can be, at first, and we just want everyone to succeed. 

Reyné: Absolutely! It feels even more personal when you get to help people that you relate to so closely. What are your dreams for the future of Proofread Anywhere? 

Brooke: I hope that we can keep branching out and offering more types of courses. 

I have been with PA since 2017 and seeing how much things have grown since then has just been amazing! It started out as a little blog with a small number of students and has exploded into this huge, awesome community full of students from all walks of life! I love seeing so many of our students realize that proofreading is just the beginning of so many more doors opening for them in the freelance world. 

I would also love to keep growing and keep doing more, myself, but overall I like seeing how we’ve been coming up with different courses where we can branch off from proofreading. Now we teach social media marketing in our Ideas to Impact course, and we just launched a freelance business course, Freelance Formula.

It’s perfect because so many people who take the proofreading course get inspired and start thinking about all of the other things that they can do. 

It’s not just about proofreading. You can do almost anything once you’re inspired to work from home. It’s a huge world that’s open for you. 

Reyné: I couldn’t agree more! I’m still learning about new remote jobs every day! 

Everyone Needs a Hand Sometimes

Reyné: What do you think your favorite memory from PA is? 

Brooke: When I’ve really gotten through to a student or someone who is struggling. Some people just need a little empathy. I might be able to talk them through a course issue, or it may not even be course-related. Sometimes we get people in our inbox who are just having a really rough time. 

Some people can be really unkind, but once you can acknowledge them and show them kindness, I find that a lot of the time, their attitude completely changes. So that really puts a smile on my face. Sometimes people just want to be heard and have some acknowledgment that they’re having a tough time. They just want someone to be empathetic with them. 

Those are the feel-good moments. It makes me so happy to brighten someone’s day or to help them in some way. 

Reyné: You definitely do! We’re always getting amazing reviews about how you and Rebecca make people feel so warm and reassured! 

If I Can Do it, You Can Do it!

Reyné: What is something that our students and graduates should know about you? 

Brooke: I think the biggest thing is just that I know where they’re at, and I want them to succeed. I know how desperate it feels at the time.

I used to have terrible self-esteem and just thought that there was no way I could do it and that I wasn’t good enough, but if I can gain the confidence to succeed, I really believe that you can too. It’s something I had to work really hard at, but you just have to jump in, trust the process, and you will get there. 

Reyné: Yes! You have done so so well in your career and it all started with a leap. Do you have any other words of advice? 

Brooke: Use your resources, and DO NOT give up! Ask for help and don’t be afraid, especially in the Facebook groups. They are amazing communities. You can search for any question in those groups and find incredible answers. 

We really want to teach you to be resourceful and use the tools that we give you. There are no dumb questions, and everyone starts from a different place, so don’t compare yourself to everyone else. Their journey will be different than yours.

Reyné: I haven’t spent a ton of time in the groups, but any time I need help or want to find information, I’m always surprised by how helpful everyone is.

Where Can I Find More of Brooke? 

Reyné: If people want to get in touch with you, where can they find you? 

Brooke: If somebody is having a really tough time or they have questions I can help them at [email protected].

If they have failed a test or an exam and they really need extra help, I would suggest tutoring, but if they just have a few questions, they can come to me.

You can always reach out and I’ll try my best to help because I really want everyone to succeed. I don’t want people to feel intimidated. Yes, the course can seem overwhelming at first, but with  

I still remember submitting my first exam and watching my email nervously for a reply. Now I’m on the other end, and I know exactly how they feel! We’re here to help!