"We consider the stakes of a story — why it's important & people should care. Getting that balance right is key." Twitter Q&A with Deputy Lifestyle Editor, Chloé Pantazi-Wolber

To help our readers get to know the people that power our newsroom, we host live Twitter conversations called #TheInsideStory on our @InsiderInc account with reporters and editors from our Business, Life, and News sections.

We recently caught up with Deputy Lifestyle Editor, Chloé Pantazi-Wolber, to learn more about her passion for journalism, major accomplishments from her team, and tips for being a successful people leader. Be sure to follow Chloé on Twitter and check out her page on Insider for the latest updates.

Thank you so much for joining us today, @chloepantazi! To get us started, can you share more about your career path and where your passion for journalism comes from? #TheInsideStory

Thanks for having me! I started out as a reporter & editor at my student paper @QMUL, then I went on to study @nyu_journalism. After J-school and a few internships, I worked at Thrillist before joining what was then Business Insider UK in London as its first lifestyle reporter.

Then I moved to the US, and transferred to @thisisinsider's NYC office where I continued reporting on lifestyle before becoming an editor. While I sometimes miss reporting, editing is definitely my passion and I love leading our incredible lifestyle team on @InsiderLife!

Thank you for sharing! As you mentioned, you’ve had the unique experience of being a journalist in the UK and the US. Can you share your perspective on what it’s like being a journalist in both places?

For sure! It’s not been all that different in my experience, but I had to train myself to follow US spellings! I’ve found my background in UK journalism helpful as I work really closely with our UK lifestyle senior editor @KiaraKeane and reporters @MikhailaFriel and @mariaanoyen.

Speaking of staying connected to the UK, one of the biggest events this year, for both news and Insider, was the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. How do you strategize coverage on sensitive subjects like this?

It was the biggest event I’ve covered in my career so far. My team had a robust coverage plan that was years in the making, and we worked with many other desks across the newsroom to ensure our stories were thoughtfully reported, edited, and ready to go out as soon as possible.

It’s imperative to be sensitive and stay neutral reporting on events like these so that was an intentional part of our reporting process. I’m incredibly proud of the work @bettanneta and @mariaanoyen put into our obit for the Queen, and it was an honor to edit.

Queen Elizabeth II is dead at 96, bringing her unprecedented 70-year reign to a close

This provides great insight into how the team comes together to produce powerful pieces. Can you tell us more about your current role here at @thisisinsider?

Absolutely! As lifestyle deputy editor, I oversee Insider’s coverage of travel, food, style, beauty, weddings, the royals, real estate, and much more. I manage a large team spread across the US and UK, and often liaise with our colleagues in our Singapore bureau as well.

My job mostly involves top-editing stories and working with talented editors and reporters to tell the most fascinating lifestyle stories. I also work on making big-picture editorial projects happen and cover major events coordinating across the newsroom, which I love doing!

And what does a “typical” day look like for you as deputy editor?

It starts with coffee! Then I catch up on lifestyle news and make sure my team is set up with stories. I top-edit stories throughout the day and also attend team meetings, check-ins with reporters and editors, and brainstorms. My days can vary, which keeps me energized!

In addition to your talent for journalism, it's apparent you have a passion for people. You recently attended @Poynter’s Leadership Academy for Women in Media. What advice can you share to aspiring people leaders?

@Poynter was so rewarding & I learned a lot that I've applied to my everyday work and life. (And I have to shout out my #poyntersisters #poynterwomenleaders here!) In terms of advice, the best lessons learned were how to delegate effectively and defeat imposter syndrome.

Here’s a quote that really stuck with me I heard during my time at @Poynter: “Busyness is a marker of servitude, not status.” Remember you don’t have to do everything and delegate – you don’t have to appear to be busy to care about your work and team.

@dorieclark wrote about how "busyness" can get in the way of strategic thinking for @HarvardBiz in 2018. 10/10 recommend reading.

Don’t mind us taking notes ✍️ Really powerful advice! Branching off of delegation, how do you and your team choose what to focus on considering Lifestyle encompasses a breadth of topics?

Great question, it's one we often ask ourselves! We pay close attention to what readers care about and what matters to them. And we consider the stakes of a story — why it's important and people should care. Getting that balance right is key.

Have you noticed changes in what readers want to know about? If so, what do you think contributed to these shifts?

Definitely. Reader interest changed a lot at the start of the pandemic and we found people were seeking more feel-good news and human-interest stories. I like to think we served readers by bringing them some joy during hard times. It also brightened our days on the team.

And as the world opened up again, we’ve seen readers showing a huge interest in travel. We responded by sending reporters on cruises, planes, and trains — and across the US, Europe, and as far as Australia and NZ — to tell compelling stories about what it’s like to travel now.

Can you share more about those travel stories? What has the team’s experience been like?

Absolutely! This year, our travel reporters went on some once-in-a-lifetime bucket-list trips. One of my favorite recent examples: @monhumphries took readers into the most magical place she’s ever stayed — a tiny house on New Zealand’s Lake Wakatipu.

I'm a travel reporter who has slept in dozens of places. Take a look inside the most magical tiny house I've ever stayed in.

And @joeyraehadden spent A LOT of hours on trains this year. She recently wrote about spending 100 hours on trains in Europe vs. the US. It’s fascinating to see some of the differences.

I’d also love to shout out our travel editors @EmilyHochberg and @laurapcasado behind Insider's fantastic travel guides. Our latest guide is on ski season with the best resorts to visit and also what NOT to do on a ski trip — something I wish I’d read sooner!

12 beginner mistakes new skiers make and how to avoid them, according to a lifelong skier

So cool, thanks for providing travel inspiration as we plan trips for the year ahead! Sadly, the bunny hill is all I will ever know.

As 2022 winds down, what are some of the biggest accomplishments from your team this year overall?

There are so many, I couldn’t possibly share them all here but one great example is @bettanneta's @DollyParton interview edited by @mgarb_. Her question about Dolly’s favorite @tacobell item made news and soon after Taco Bell brought back Mexican Pizza!

Also Dolly later appeared in Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza TikTok musical, which was really cool to see!

Dolly Parton said she's a huge Taco Bell fan, and she thinks the chain should bring back its beloved Mexican Pizza

Ah, so we owe your team, @DollyParton, and @tacobell a big "thank you" for bringing back the Mexican Pizza. Yum.

Is there anything you’d like our readers to keep an eye out for from your team in the new year?

Looking ahead, a big story for our royal reporters and editors will be King Charles III’s coronation in May. We’ll definitely be covering that, and much, much more in the royals and lifestyle world. Follow our coverage on the @InsiderLife homepage!

Before you go, what’s your favorite part about working at @thisisinsider?

My talented colleagues. I couldn’t do my job without them! I love being part of a newsroom brimming with ambitious ideas and the talent to make them come to fruition. As a manager, seeing reporters and editors grow in their careers is another really rewarding part of my job.

Chloe, thank you SO much for joining today’s #TwitterChat, giving us the opportunity to get #TheInsideStory about you and your role at @thisisinsider. Be sure to stay up to date with Chloe by following her @chloepantazi and checking out her page.