Month: April 2020

Jeff Cavins of Outdoorsy: “They told me it was impossible and I did it anyway”

It’s human nature to be negative. Prove them wrong, but never gloat. When I sent that investor the box of Outdoorsy goodies, I also thanked him for making us be more focused and making me think harder and work harder on the business concept. Basically, you never want to be an arrogant winner — it’s very unbecoming. Even if you’re right, be a very gracious winner.

As a part of our series about “dreamers who ignored the naysayers and did what others said was impossible”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jeff Cavins, CEO of Outdoorsy.

Jeff Cavins is a technology veteran with over 22 years of senior-level experience in emerging growth technology, software, Internet, and digital media companies. During his career, he has created over $32B in total market capitalizations. He co-founded Outdoorsy in 2015 and serves as Chairman and CEO of the largest and most-trusted peer-to-peer RV rental platform.

Prior to Outdoorsy, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of Fuze, a cloud communications company based in San Francisco, CA. In 2013, Fuze was recognized by Inc 500 as the 125th fastest-growing private company in America. Prior to Fuze, Cavins served as President and CEO of CallWave (NASDAQ: CALL), a leading provider of internet and mobile based unified communications solutions, as well as CEO of Loudeye Corporation (NASDAQ: LOUD), a global leader in digital media distribution technology, which was subsequently acquired by Nokia. While at Loudeye, he expanded the company globally, developed strategic partnerships with such companies as Apple, AT&T Wireless, Nokia, and Virgin, growing shareholder value by over 1700 percent. While at Fuze, he supervised the development of Fuze for iPad, personally used by Steve Jobs and featured by Apple in the 2011 “We Will Always” global iPad TV ad campaign.

Cavins served as a Venture Advisor at Azure Capital Partners in San Francisco, and as Senior Vice President for Exodus Communications, a hosting and interactive web services company, where he was responsible for over $1.3 billion dollars in revenue, 1,900 employees and established strategic partnerships with such industry leaders as Google, Yahoo!, eBay and MSN.

Prior to that, Cavins served as founder, President, and CEO of CSI Digital, an advanced digital media technology software company developing visual effects technologies for the TV and film industries. CSI Digital was recognized by Inc. Magazine in 2007 as the 100th fastest-growing private company in America and in the same year, it won first place in the first-ever Deloitte and Touche Fast-50 Program.

Prior to CSI, he spent nearly a decade in the broadcast division of Sony Corporation in sales management and engineering roles. Cavins designed and developed the Instant Replay system for the NFL and deployed the system across the NFL, and also led the NFL’s migration from video to film for game day analysis — two technologies that are still in use by the league today.

Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know you’ a bit better. Can you tell us your ‘backstory’?

Fun fact: I’m not really just a business guy, although my bio might convince you otherwise. I’m actually an engineer at heart. When I get into any new business, I immediately start to see problems. And that’s a good thing. The biggest thing I’ve ever learned in my career is you always look for the “bleeding from the neck” problem — the thing that’s just killing customers and consumers. And then you tackle it head-on. So my career has been a series of roles at completely different kinds of companies where I’ve uncovered problems and worked to find innovative solutions to them.

Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?

I like to think that everything we work on at Outdoorsy is exciting because we’re building a product to help make memorable outdoor experiences accessible to everyone. We mobilize the 54 million RVs around the world, empowering RV owners to realize life-changing financial benefits and empowering everyone to experience life’s best moments outside — which is pretty cool! As good as our team is at constantly iterating on improvements to the Outdoorsy experience, we’re just as good at keeping secrets. There’s one announcement we’ll be making before summer arrives that I’m particularly excited to talk about, but can’t share anything quite yet. (Stay tuned to our social channels for that announcement!) In the year ahead, as has been true in years past, our priority with any new development remains the same: We always put the customer first.

In your opinion, what do you think makes your company or organization stand out from the crowd?

At Outdoorsy, we see the act of renting an RV and hitting the road as a step — and an investment — in mental wellness. By facilitating RV rentals, that investment is made more accessible to a broader group of travelers. From the key exchange where you connect with the RV owner, to that first night sitting around the campfire at your campsite, you are having an experience that pulls you out of your comfort zone and separates you from your normal daily routine. You are, as John Muir so eloquently put it, “washing your spirit clean.” By seeing everything that can’t be seen at 30,000 feet, hearing every bird chirp, and breathing in the fresh mountain air, you are recalibrating how you think about yourself and the world around you. Your perspective and outlook on even the most minute, daily things starts to become more positive. We’ve heard about the benefits of the 3-day effect and doctor’s prescribing nature as medicine, and we see the act of renting an RV as a way to get closer to making that 3-day weekend or that much-needed time in nature a reality.

Ok, thank you for that. I’d like to jump to the main focus of this interview. Has there ever been a time that someone told you something was impossible, but you did it anyway? Can you share the story with us? What was your idea? What was the reaction of the naysayers? And how did you overcome that?

I’ve been a VC, I’ve been a CEO of two publicly traded companies, and I led a third publicly traded company to $32 billion in valuation, so I had a pretty good idea what I was doing when I started Outdoorsy, but when I went to pitch the idea of Outdoorsy to people, they started laughing at me. They were like, “What? RVs?” I would go pitch a VC and they would cut the meeting short. Usually they give you about an hour to do your pitch, but they were cutting me short at about 15 minutes. They called it an “unintelligent idea.” I had one guy stop the meeting right as I was clicking to Slide 2 on my presentation deck and he goes, “What? You’re doing a marketplace for RVs? That’s ridiculous. Any business that’s old, male, and stale, we want nothing to do with.” That’s what he called it — old, male, and stale. So Jen and I basically got walked out of every meeting. Then I had people start laughing at me. The worst one was when I met with this famous investor and he listened to the pitch quietly, and at about 20 minutes in he stopped me. He said, “Jeff, this is the dumbest idea I have ever heard of. This is stupid. Nobody cares. There will be nothing but crickets chirping on your website.” He said, “I’m telling you, you’re building a business with nothing but crickets.” And he adjourned the meeting. That was how we spent most of the year of 2014 — being rejected.

So we went back to the drawing board. I had two other guys on the team by then, our co-founders Ryan Quinn and Tyler Stillwater, and I told them, “Guys, I really think we can do something here. I’ll fund it myself, but at some point I am going to have to bring in an investor to help us. So I started funding it and we got up and running throughout 2014 and 2015 and then in 2015 Jen and I sat down and said, “We’ve got to go live among the people that do this.” So we decided to go live on the road — like people we wanted to use our site would do. We sold everything we owned, bought an airstream and hit the road, crisscrossing the west coast for 7 days a week for 7 and a half months. We conducted more than 1,200 in-person interviews with people we met along the way.

In the end, how were all the naysayers proven wrong? 🙂

I had no doubt that we could make Outdoorsy work, but when we were traveling around the country, we learned that the people living this campervan lifestyle weren’t old, male, and stale. They were young and ambitious, and the more I kept meeting with people, the more I developed confidence in Outdoorsy. I’d come back to Silicon Valley from time to time and I’d tell people, “This is what I’m seeing in the field” and they would say, “Jeff, this is such a stupid idea. What are you doing this for? You’re ruining your career.” But the more I kept meeting with customers and getting in front of people, the more I started to develop confidence that there was a movement afoot and nobody in the press was talking about it. About nine months after we took the company live in 2015, all of a sudden — boom — all over the press you were hearing about Gen Z and millennials and campervans.

It was such a harsh indictment on the vision to hear from investors that there would only be crickets on the site, so once we hit $100 million on the site in 2017, I packed up a box — I took a T-shirt, some stickers, and a printed out copy of our dashboard — and I sent one of the investors a note saying there was now 100 million crickets chirping on Outdoorsy. He sent me a note back and he was very congratulatory and he said, “You know, we don’t get them all right, Jeff, and that’s awesome that this is working out for you guys.” Fast forward from that and between 2016 and today we’ve done almost half a billion dollars in revenue and it’s changing people’s lives. Our owners are experiencing life-changing financial benefits and it’s really cool to watch.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

The biggest influence I had in business was my father. He was my first phone call every morning, and he taught me so much. He was a CFO at an oil company in Houston and was very successful and very hard core. When I was a CEO at age 29 running a $65 million company, there was a lot I didn’t know and a lot that was over my head, but I knew I had great product ideas and a mentor I could call. He would always set me straight and throw a problem I was having back at me, saying that every problem or frustration I was having laddered back up to management, that the buck always stopped at the CEO. One of the biggest lessons he taught me: It’s never too soon to make the right decision and you’ll realize that, when you do, you’ll wish you did it sooner. You have to be swift and decisive. Your company counts on you for that.

It must not have been easy to ignore all the naysayers. Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share the story with us?

I was raised by an old school father. He taught me what it meant to be strong. He was one of those guys who never threw in the towel and never gave up. He used to say it’s not about how many punches you can throw, it’s about how many punches you can take and still stand back up.

From a business perspective, I had a chance to hear Steve Jobs deliver some notes of wisdom on conference calls that just blew me away. One of the things he said that still sticks with me was, “Get close to your customer. Live with them. And anytime you get confused, get back in front of the customer, listen, and solve backward from what they have to say.”

When Jen and I were on the road, interviewing people we met along the way, we saw that RV owners wanted a marketplace economy to be built around the campervan lifestyle. We had a thesis around Outdoorsy and what it could be, but it was getting in front of the customers that confirmed it could be successful.

Based on your experience, can you share 5 strategies that people can use to harness the sense of tenacity and do what naysayers think is impossible? (Please share a story or an example for each)

Having a vision and being excited about something is not enough. Typically people build a solution, looking for a problem to solve. But the best way to understand if you’re going to have something that’s successful is to go find a problem — one that people might not know they have — and then go build it. And if you believe in something, make sure you test it, and make sure it’s solving something.
Know there’s a product-market fit and a founder fit. Make sure you fit what you’re doing. It should be something that fits you and your personality.
Go as far as you can without having to raise money. When you have an idea for a company, you want to go as far as you can without raising money because you want to focus maniacally on customers. It’s hard to do because you have to survive and buy food and pay your rent. But the minute you take a nickel from an investor, you now have a new customer that you are beholden to. As the founder, one of your chief customers is your investor; you have to communicate with them constantly. You have to give them the good news and the bad news — they need to hear it all. Be prepared to understand that an investor is your customer as well.
It’s human nature to be negative. Prove them wrong, but never gloat. When I sent that investor the box of Outdoorsy goodies, I also thanked him for making us be more focused and making me think harder and work harder on the business concept. Basically, you never want to be an arrogant winner — it’s very unbecoming. Even if you’re right, be a very gracious winner.
Don’t be a good loser though. My dad always said, “Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser.” Losing should never be something you’re really good at. We’re all going to lose in business, but what that means is you when you lose, you want it to hurt. You want to learn something from the loss.

What is your favorite quote or personal philosophy that relates to the concept of resilience?

“Anytime you’re confused or don’t know what to do, go back to the customer, get as close as you can, and then solve backward from there and it will drive all of your clarity.” You really have to listen though, you have to soak up what they’re not saying as well, you have to study them and notice their behaviors — notice what makes them smile, how they dress, how they talk, how they like to vacation. Live among them to learn how you can refine your product.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

In the RV market, people are trapped financially for owning something they don’t need to use 24/7. RVs are overpriced and the value depreciates almost immediately after purchase. To be able to help RV owners recoup and increase the value of their investment, while simultaneously creating a new, affordable, and fun mode of travel for those who don’t own RVs, is a movement I want to stand behind — and that’s the journey we want to bring customers on at Outdoorsy.

Can our readers follow you on social media?

Yes, you can check out our website or follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. For any media-related inquiries or questions, feel free to email us.

Thank you for these great stories. We wish you only continued success!

Jeff Cavins of Outdoorsy: “They told me it was impossible and I did it anyway” was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The Future of Beauty: “Hair transplants with long term viability” With Abed Ayesh of Eternal Hair &

The Future of Beauty: “Hair transplants with long term viability” With Abed Ayesh of Eternal Hair & Esthetics

I would like to inspire a movement for people to feel beautiful. I think that beauty knows no bounds and that confidence instills beauty. People are watching others’ lives on Instagram thinking that’s reality, but the reality is that when you wake up in the morning and you look in the mirror, whether you’re bald, overweight or no matter what you have, your mind should feel beautiful. You can teach yourself and others to be beautiful no matter what.

As a part of our series about how technology will be changing the beauty industry over the next five years, I had the pleasure of interviewing Abed Ayesh.

Abed Ayesh is an entrepreneur and owner of Eternal Hair & Esthetics. He has studied the most cutting-edge and innovative methods of hair restoration from around the world, becoming the premier expert in the tri-state area and attracting clients from all over the United States and internationally.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

My desire to get a hair transplant is what led me to this career path. I had begun my research to find the best hair transplant facilities around the world because I wanted to make sure I received the best method with the most natural results. I traveled to different countries so I could see what was out there and I found a method that I thought was very unique, but it was offered in a way that wasn’t complete. Ultimately, I was afraid to trust someone with my hair. So, I decided to build my own business where I incorporated several existing elite methods in the industry to create the DFI (Direct Follicle Implant) method.

Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?

I realized this market needed to be more mainstream versus elitist. I felt that hair transplants were overvalued rather than being something that is readily available to the common individual. I also realized that the many practices that delivered the less expensive product were not using physicians to administer these transplants, thus the results weren’t great.

Eternal Hair and Esthetics aims to deliver excellent product with amazing results and reasonable pricing. We make hair transplants accessible to common individuals. Our goal is to address the problem, work on lifestyle changes and offer a solution rather than just patching up the problem area. We also provide PRP (Protein-Rich Platelets) and vitamins with our transplants in hopes to address and slow down hair loss in each patient.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I would attribute all of my success to my mom. Growing up with a single mother, who would never settle for mediocrity and who always wanted us to be the best, drove me to be a go getter and to strive to be the best in everything. She is the reason why I don’t want to have a regular hair transplant group; I want to be the top hair transplant group in the world. I want to provide all of our patients with the best pricing and top-notch natural results.

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. The beauty industry today has access to technology that was inconceivable only a short time ago. Can you tell us about the “cutting edge” (pardon the pun) technologies that you are working with or introducing? How do you think that will help people?

For hair transplants, devices have enabled us to use smaller punches to get maximum extraction. This helps us maximize on the amount of grafts we’re able to extract. The tray implanters have helped us create a natural hair line. These devices have improved the total outcome of a hair transplant. We believe that SmartGraft devices are the best out there because it helps us do extractions. SmartGraft takes the graft right into a chilled compartment, which gives long term viability to the graft because its survival ratio is much higher than a non-chilled environment.

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the “beauty-tech” industry?

I think the beauty industry has come a long way! You now have 4D liposuction, that gives someone a 6 pack after 1 Liposuction treatment! We’re excited to introduce High-Def Liposuction to our practice. We’re also looking into exosomes in the industry for hair, which has shown results of growing new hair without surgery. Red Light Therapy has also shown to strengthen your hair. Technology has definitely come a long way and understanding why you’re losing hair and what’s causing it is not so much of a guessing game anymore.

Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest?

There are many things that concern me about the hair transplant industry. For starters, there are people executing hair transplants that are not medical physicians. It’s very important for the consumer to be more educated on whether it’s a technician or a medical provider administering their hair transplant. There is also no recourse to medical tourism and many of the medical practices abroad are unregulated and can be risky. In the US, the tech model is also unsafe and unregulated right now. In the near term, I think you will need to be a medical provider in order to do a hair transplant and I believe the industry needs to go that way.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I would like to inspire a movement for people to feel beautiful. I think that beauty knows no bounds and that confidence instills beauty. People are watching others’ lives on Instagram thinking that’s reality, but the reality is that when you wake up in the morning and you look in the mirror, whether you’re bald, overweight or no matter what you have, your mind should feel beautiful. You can teach yourself and others to be beautiful no matter what.

How can our readers follow you online?

You can follow us on Instagram, @eternal_hairesthetics

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.

The Future of Beauty: “Hair transplants with long term viability” With Abed Ayesh of Eternal Hair & was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The Future Of Beauty: “Before & after slide technology that allows you to compare skincare changes”

The Future Of Beauty: “Before & after slide technology that allows you to compare skincare changes” With Shannon McLinden of FarmHouse Fresh

So many technologies can help us “fix it” and move on. That’s a big deal for people who marinate in a negative head space over something they wish they could fix. It knocks the barrier down, and they can focus on the bigger picture life has to offer.

As a part of our series about how technology will be changing the beauty industry over the next five years, I had the pleasure of interviewing Shannon McLinden.

Shannon McLinden is the founder of the freshly harvested spa skincare brand, FarmHouse Fresh® based in McKinney, Texas.

Headquartered on a hilltop ranch, McLinden’s team grows organic extracts and ingredients that are crafted into high nutrition skincare products. Whether certified organic or using up to 100% naturally derived ingredients — all of FarmHouse Fresh® ‘s products are chock full of vegetables, milks and more from U.S. farms, including their own. All products are made in the USA.

FarmHouse Fresh® is carried at thousands of locations throughout the U.S., Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, and United Arab Emirates, including top tier destinations like Sandals & Beaches Resorts, Four Seasons, Ritz Carltons, The Woodhouse Day Spas, Margaritaville Resorts, Dollywood, Westin Dubai, and many others. The company has repeatedly been voted Favorite Body Care Line, as well as among the top 2 favorite brands in other categories including Favorite Skincare Line, Favorite Natural Line, Favorite Indie Brand, and Favorite Education, by spas through American Spa Magazine Professional’s Choice Awards.

In January 2008, McLinden was a recipient of the “Make Mine A Million Dollar Business Award” from American Express Open & Count Me In, the leading national not-for-profit provider of resources and business education for women entrepreneurs. McLinden spent time throughout college as a motivational speaker for teens and is the author of a book, The Me Nobody Knew, published in 1998, which details the struggles and triumphs of overcoming her teen years. Today, the book is sold in two languages: English and Taiwanese, and is used as a curriculum in middle school, high school, and college classes throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Shannon McLinden graduated with a Bachelors’s Degree in Journalism in 1997, and an MBA in 1998, both from Texas Christian University. She resides in McKinney, Texas.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

In my teen years I had great challenges with my self-esteem — not feeling pretty enough or smart enough, constantly questioning myself and what I would ultimately do, and my impact on those around me and the world. I’m a problem solver by nature, which further fostered the pressure I put on myself to answer that question.

As I grew older, I started harnessing my passions and talents into things that made me feel good — such as creating products that had a purpose and solved problems. It started in college when I invented peel and stick liners for sandals to take the smack out of your shoes during those hot days! After launching, customers began asking if I had any other products, which led to the first FarmHouse Fresh® product. The line launched with a sea salt exfoliant trio to keep cracked heels at bay by combining fine grain sea salt and rice bran oil. The trio of sea salt scrubs were selected for Oprah’s O List, which catapulted my career path into skincare.

15 years later, I have the best job — through FarmHouse Fresh® my team and I get to lift people up every day for a living by helping them look their best and love the skin they’re in.

I don’t think I would have such a heart for what I do, had I not had such a difficult time looking in the mirror as a young girl.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

We attend industry trade shows every month, and we always build out a beautiful storefront that includes a 10,000 pound country-chic barn with crystal chandeliers. During the early years we were at a show in New York City and from afar saw a forklift crash through a pallet containing the walls of our booth. Needless to say, once the booth was set up, there were huge holes in every wall. We spent the night in cabs going to stores across the city buying cloth, rope and rods to create drapes and decor to cover the holes and make the booth look purposely designed. Ironically, we won the award for the best booth!

When my first products made the O List, I had so many calls coming in from stores and spas, and it would take me 20 minutes just to get the courage to call a buyer back! I know my strong points — I am a creative, but also an introvert, so sales and customer relationship building…not my skill set.

Immediately after that, I knew I needed help and brought on my sister-in-law, Delia, as VP, sales & business development.

I distinctly remember on her first day at FarmHouse Fresh® I was driving with Delia, and she was taking calls every 10 minutes with an earpiece and a notepad in her hand and I just felt a wave of relief wash over me. She would take a call and say, “That was a resort in Orlando and they want to bring on the line” or “that was a buyer from a chain of paper stores and she thinks the product is beautiful.” I couldn’t believe it. I always say Delia was the rainbow that connected all the dots and she still is today.

Since then, we’ve grown tremendously as a brand and have built an amazing team with people who complement and fill in all the spaces. My brother, and Delia’s husband Scott, also joined us as brand & media director with a robust personality — he can entertain a ballroom full of partner accounts in training — which we attribute to his prior life as a TV Anchor. We have a wheel and spoke organizational chart — I’m at the center and our motion forward comes from all the wonderful people on my team who make up the wheel. I am grateful every day that they champion this dream.

I am eternally grateful to my husband, Hani. I exhaust him with excitement and ideas, and he loves hearing them. I started the business out of our home and when it was time to find an office space, we would drive around the city, looking at possible workspaces, high rises and office complexes. One afternoon, I drove him out to horse country on a winding road with a hill at the end and a house on top, surrounded by animals. I said, “This is the end game for me…to have a working ranch, where we can live, and my team can grow ingredients, and rescue and care for animals.” And he said, “That should be your start — not the end game. Let’s go build it.” And that’s how FarmHouse Fresh® Headquarters came to life. Today the ranch includes a commercial greenhouse, groundskeeper residence, spa and animal sanctuary.

I love this new before/after slide technology that allows you to compare skincare changes. This is something we’re implementing online. We develop so many fantastic products that not only feel impeccable on the skin, but generate results you can see — reduced irritations, calmed redness, better balance in skin tone, and lessened signs of aging and we’re excited for customers to see real, un-touched results.

Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?

Perfection isn’t the goal. As someone who struggled with self-image most of my life, I worry that putting emphasis on perfecting yourself could have a negative effect on the confidence of young people. The feeling that you aren’t pretty enough is something I know too well. So it’s a fine balance between showing how the right skincare can help you, but we want that to be through gaining self-confidence and not through self-doubt.

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the “beauty-tech” industry?

So many technologies can help us “fix it” and move on. That’s a big deal for people who marinate in a negative head space over something they wish they could fix. It knocks the barrier down, and they can focus on the bigger picture life has to offer.

Instantaneous visuals of before and after including the application of makeup, hair styles, clothing, eyeglasses opens up a world of change for those who might have been afraid to jump out of the box they’re in.

Professional facial results can be amplified with the right technology tools — lasers, steam, oxygen and more. It’s exciting to see next-level benefits with the right combination of product and technology.

Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest?

Education on tool use is important. Just as a doctor can graduate with a C grade, so too can a clinician. We hear from customers who have had a terrible experience during a service with an improperly trained clinician.

Inaccurate claims. When we travel the country at shows, we’re often asked questions like — “Does this detox your body? The product down the other aisle will remove all your toxins.” Some of the claims are just incredibly inaccurate, and unfortunately, many individuals believe the claims.

Young girls and boys being bombarded by messages of perfecting themselves is concerning. Depression is on the rise among youth, and we need more emphasis on the image-positive messages.

You are an expert about beauty. Can you share 5 ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”? (Please share a story or example for each.)

Volunteer. Help people. Help animals — just volunteer. Through your service, you realize this profoundly important fact — that you have a purpose, and you are appreciated for just being.

Be present when your friends and family are sharing their personal thoughts. So many people look at their phones, watch TV, and never connect. Really listening, understanding, and asking questions brings an enormous amount of comfort to others going through a struggle, and it’s so rare — you will feel the appreciation and know that you’re loved.

Wear a rubber band on your wrist, and snap it every time you have a negative self-thought. This was my first step to awareness of thought, and how it shaped how I felt and carried myself through life. Once I was aware, I forced myself to think of one positive thing after the snap — could be anything minor from “I have nice shoes” to “I remember small details no one else can remember.” Forcing a positive to replace a negative, with time, forces the negative out and lets beauty in.

Find a makeup brand with a makeup app. You will be shocked no matter how awful you feel your selfie is, when you start playing with colors, you find that stretching yourself to new and different is sometimes just the thing you needed to get yourself out of a bad headspace!

Grab a friend, tell them you want their help in trying something new with your hair, makeup, skincare — whatever. Sometimes friends have the best ideas on what you might want to try next. By asking them for their opinion, they’ll know you’re open to change and might not hesitate to suggest something obvious that you might absolutely love!

We are passionately, gushingly, living a movement at FarmHouse Fresh® and I feel incredibly grateful to have created this purposeful life. As a spa and wellness brand, we feel very close to animals and believe they are part of our healing and wellness. So, we collectively decided early on that we would take profits from the products customers love and use them to save animals from cruelty situations, neglect, and slaughter.

FarmHouse Fresh® Ranch headquarters was intentionally built as a farm animal sanctuary. We use profits from product purchases to fund, rescue, and rehabilitate neglected animals that our employees help care for at our sanctuary. We also help place animals with other local rescues, where they rehabilitate them and help them find the perfect forever home. Customers get to follow all the animals’ journeys — who they helped save — both online and in a printed seasonal publication called the FarmHouse Fresh® Farmanac®.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Live like you’re dying.” Perhaps because of my entrepreneurial spirit, I’ve always felt like time was ticking down. I feel a strong responsibility to contribute as much as I can, as quickly as I can. Particularly as we grow and see how much we’re able to positively affect people’s lives through skincare and how many animals are saved, while opening up the hearts of our customers and teaching children that kindness for all creatures is important. There is a grand mission here that makes me want to wake up every morning.

How can our readers follow you online?

Facebook — @Farmhousefresh
Instagram — @farmhousefresh

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.

The Future Of Beauty: “Before & after slide technology that allows you to compare skincare changes” was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The Future Of Beauty: “We can sculpt and tone muscles with no pain or downtime” With Dr. Tahl Humes

With aesthetic overload on social media, it’s easy for a patient to get carried away with requests for over-exaggerated features, filter goals or celebrity look-like requests. Our job is to counsel them and help them understand what is healthy and realistic for their individual lifestyle and goals.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Cosmetic Physician, Tahl Humes, MD, Founder of VITHAL Medical Aesthetics.

Dr. Tahl Humes is a board-certified physician and an international expert in aesthetic and anti-aging medicine. Her expertise includes advanced injectables, aesthetic lasers, skin tightening technologies, non-invasive body contouring, wellness, and skincare. She is known for her expertise in combining lasers and injectables for total facial rejuvenation.

Dr. Humes is a luminary speaker for various aesthetic companies including Cutera, and trains physicians, PAs and nurses from around the world on lasers, IV Nutrition Therary, and advanced BOTOX® and dermal filler injection techniques. Dr. Humes has performed many thousands of aesthetic treatments with lasers and injectables. She is in the top 1% of Botox injectors in the country and also in the top 5% of Juvederm injectors in the country.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

The main thing that made me decide on my career path is that I wanted to find a way to help people to age better. I have wanted to be in medicine since a young age. I love everything about the science and thought process that goes into medicine. I became interested in aesthetic medicine because I love the science and technology that slows down the aging process. I don’t want to age, so I was determined to find a way to help other people age with grace, confidence and all the possible tools to remain youthful on their terms.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I’ve had some prominent patients from society who have come in having “botched jobs.” Being able to bring them back to their natural looking selves gives them back their confidence and truly changes their lives. Seeing them smiling a few weeks later in a magazine where no one is the wiser reminds me of why we do what we do.

I would say three years in I started to see significant growth, but it wasn’t until the market changed about 6 years in, and there was a change in the industry towards non-surgical body treatments, that we really started to grow. As we brought in more cutting-edge non-invasive technologies, I found that investing in new devices allowed me to grow the business by staying current and offering something unique with little downtime. The key was to answer the growing patient demand for minimally invasive procedures that offered maximum impact with no time off work, away from their kids, their social life, etc.

We opened VITAHL Medical Aesthetics in Denver in 2005 and have since expanded to include multiple offices across the country and become a preceptor site for physicians.

My mentor in medical school taught me not only to investigate my patients’ medical issues, but to think outside the box and take the knowledge to the next level. I’m always continuing to learn and determined to bring the most innovative technology and options to my patients — and the industry at large. This is a big reason I took on a training role outside my medical practice.

One of the biggest trends we are seeing is a growing interest in overall body contouring to truly shape the body. It is no longer only fat reduction that patients are after. Now it is also skin tightening and muscle sculpting. Patients are coming in asking for the whole package. For example Cutera truSculpt iD + truSculpt flex together can reduce fat, tighten skin, and tone muscles with no pain or downtime. A muscle building device like truSculpt flex can be used alongside a fat reduction technology like truSculpt iD to take body shaping results to the next level. This way, patients get full body sculpting instead of just fat loss. Of course, these devices are popular in aesthetic practices, but can also be used in a practice doing medical weight management or rehab.

truSculpt® iD uses innovative Monopolar RF technology to selectively target fat and therapeutically heat it until fat cells are eliminated by passing through the body naturally. It takes just 15 minutes and delivers up to 24% fat reduction in the treated area. truSculpt flex uses unique TMS technology and delivers three workouts in one by replicating intensiﬁed crunch, squat and twisting actions to strengthen, ﬁrm, and tone your muscles. Alone or combined, these two technologies are redefining how men and women can stay in shape, break through plateaus and even recover from sports injuries.

Having access to technology where we can get excellent results without a lot of downtimes has revolutionized the industry. A couple of years ago, everything was about fractional lasers that had 5 to 10 days of downtime. Now we have treatments like radio frequency, which have minimal downtime. The RFMN device we use in my practice is Secret RF. This technology combines radiofrequency (RF) energy with tiny needles allowing the delivery of the RF energy deeper into the skin for better results. With Secret RF, patients can see an improvement in wrinkles and conditions, such as acne scarring, which then lets them go out into the world with much more confidence that they had before.

Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?

The trend used to be that filler could fix anything and docs would chase all wrinkles (superficial or deep) with the needle. This led to people looking overfilled and unnatural.

The trend now is to combine our modalities for pan facial rejuvenation. We combine lasers with injectables to treat different layers of the skin, giving a more natural look. We will use fillers to increase volume, neurotoxins to decrease muscle movement and devices to treat brown spots, redness, and wrinkles. Simply evening out uneven skin tone with an IPL will make the skin appear younger. Then when we add in Laser Genesis or Secret RF to help with texture and dermal filler in the midface to volumize, we are looking at full rejuvenation — all with minimal downtime.

With aesthetic overload on social media, it’s easy for a patient to get carried away with requests for over-exaggerated features, filter goals or celebrity look-like requests. Our job is to counsel them and help them understand what is healthy and realistic for their individual lifestyle and goals.

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the “beauty-tech” industry?

The first thing is the ever-evolving technology. We’ve seen dramatic innovation in both non-invasive and surgical technologies and techniques and there’s no sign of slowing down. This industry is committed to learning and improving the patient experience, results, and treatment offerings year over year. It’s an exciting thing to be a part of.
Education is key and more and more companies spend resources and time to educate physicians on how we can best treat our patients. I am currently at an international conference put on by Cutera lasers educating other physicians and clinicians on how to best care for their anti-aging patients.
The aesthetic industry is not about vanity or just skin deep. We are often changing people’s lives by doing things like treating their acne, helping with acne scarring, and changing the way that they face the world.

Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest?

Lack of regulation — This is an evolving industry that does not have the oversight and regulation it truly warrants. These treatments are medical, but not always performed or overseen by a medical professional.
Undertrained staff — Unfortunately, there are people abusing the industry because they are unqualified and not well trained. Many of these undertrained people are making promises they can’t fulfil due to their lack of knowledge.
Unproven technologies — There is also the issue of people using the bottom tier technology, which can cause issues with patient safety.

The way I hope to help reform the industry is by being a spokesperson for reputable leading aesthetics companies that invest in training people and improving their skill level and ability to use the technologies with confidence. We need to set the bar high for training standards in order to protect patients and practices.

Research is key when investing in new technologies for your practice. Do not purchase something just because it is a bargain.

Speak with other doctors who have the technology and see not only how they like it, but how their patients and staff like the treatment.
Look at before/afters from peers and other doctors, not just company studies.
Ask questions to peers like: What kind of results are you seeing? What has your patient feedback been like? How does your staff like performing the treatment?
Do your research and look at the studies that are out there. Compare them and make the ultimate decision on your own.

You are an expert about beauty. Can you share 5 ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”? (Please share a story or example for each.)

The best way to feel beautiful is to understand that beauty is more than how you look. Beauty comes from within!
Surround yourself with good people who appreciate and celebrate you.
Be the best you. Take good care of your skin, wear SPF, and hydrate well. If you want a tweak or anti-aging treatment, do you and don’t be ashamed! Take your best feature and do treatments that enhance your individual beauty rather than trying to change the way your face looks.
Wear clothes that flatter, rather than hide who you are.
Be kind. Kindness radiates beauty.

I feel very blessed with the life that I have, and I truly believe that our purpose in life as human beings is to help people — to pay it forward. For every one person that I can help in life, I hope that they pay it forward to the next person because that’s how you create a movement of good.

This is the gratitude movement, which encourages us to understand how lucky we are and be grateful for what you have rather than focus on what you don’t.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“To know one life has breathed easier because you have loved, this is to have succeeded.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

How can our readers follow you online?

www.vitahl.com

Instagram: @vitahlmed

The Future Of Beauty: “We can sculpt and tone muscles with no pain or downtime” With Dr. Tahl Humes was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Dreamers: “They told me It was impossible and I did it anyway” With Ramon Castillon of Row House

Personally, I don’t feel it’s necessary to confront your naysayer for a reaction. By doing so, you’re giving their opinion more value than it deserves, while holding you hostage. All that matters is what you want and what you believe. The minute you seek approval, you put a ceiling on what you can accomplish because it is dictated by someone else.

As a part of our series about “dreamers who ignored the naysayers and did what others said was impossible”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ramon Castillon

With nearly a decade of experience in the fitness industry, Ramon Castillon began his fitness career at 24-Hour Fitness as part of Corporate with a focus on pricing and strategy. Following his time at 24-Hour Fitness, Ramon joined Basecamp Fitness where he scaled the company and accelerated the growth from one to five locations. Today Ramon is the President of Row House, the leader in the boutique indoor rowing space. Ramon graduated from Stanford University in 2004 with a BA in Economics.

Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know you’ a bit better. Can you tell us your ‘backstory’?

Definitely. I was born and raised in Oakland, CA, but both my parents are from Mexico. They came to the United States as migrant farm workers where they met and settled down. From childhood to young adulthood, I watched how hard they worked and the personal sacrifices they made in order to provide a better life for me. That experience is ingrained in my DNA. On top of that, I was raised amongst the inner-city grit of Oakland in the 80s and 90s, which set the tone for how I operate. I have a deep respect for hard work and making sure you never fall short of giving everything you’ve got, while also being willing to take risks.

Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?

Yes, over the last two years Row House has quickly expanded across the U.S. with studios open in 20 states. Many markets already have more than 3 studios open. Rowing is truly one of the most effective workouts that is accessible to all fitness levels. Because of this, the brand will continue to break down barriers that often keep people from starting a fitness routine. Plus, on a personal level, I know the impact a healthier lifestyle can have on your work, relationships, and mental health.

In your opinion, what do you think makes your company or organization stand out from the crowd?

Rather than positioning our members against each other during workouts, we work together to push each other outside our comfort zones. We go further together versus individually. To do that, the programming we offer not only delivers a great workout but also provides an inclusive and authentic experience. We have everyone row in synch — as a team, similar to what is needed in competitive rowing. For a boat to effectively drive through water, everyone needs to grow together. That doesn’t mean each person is producing the same output in exertion, but it does mean they remain in unison. Everyone has a purpose in the boat.

When I was in college, I applied for a finance program that helped minorities find opportunities within large financial institutions. It helped open doors at traditional investment banks. At the conclusion of my interview, the interviewer said I should consider another path as I was not cut out for that environment. Needless to say, it did not sit well with me. The program was meant to open doors for students of my background, but instead tried to shut me down before I could even get a foothold. Thankfully, my upbringing helped me persevere. I thought about my parents’ hard work and dedication to ensure I didn’t become another statistic in Oakland — and moved forward.

Personally, I don’t feel it’s necessary to confront your naysayer for a reaction. By doing so, you’re giving their opinion more value than it deserves, while holding you hostage. All that matters is what you want and what you believe. The minute you seek approval, you put a ceiling on what you can accomplish because it is dictated by someone else.

In the end, how were all the naysayers proven wrong? 🙂

By graduation, I was recruited into one of the most prestigious programs at a top investment management firm. The program was essentially an accelerated business school with real-world experience. It led me through all facets of business, domestic, and global.

My father. He had Rheumatic Fever as a child, which damaged his heart; and in his 50s had a series of operations including open heart surgery during the era when doctors split your chest open. Before the surgery, he fought through a great deal of discomfort to provide for his family and had many health scares leading up to it, but never once focused on the bad. During hard times as a young adult, his consistent advice to me was “just be happy”. It was his way of saying why waste a breath on this earth being down when there is so much good to enjoy. Any time I hit a rough patch, I hear that phrase, his voice crystal clear in my head, and instantly crack a smile.

It must not have been easy to ignore all the naysayers. Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share the story with us?

My Dad had his first open heart surgery when I was in 6th grade. His recovery process ran into several complications which meant I needed to become more independent. My mother worked two jobs for the county and Air Force, plus took care of my father and I. To get to work on time, she’d have to drop me off for 6am mass, where I then walked to the morning extension program at 7am, and finally to middle school by 8am. This routine happened on repeat for a year. With everything my mother was juggling, I realized the best way I could help was by getting myself to school — and holding myself accountable to complete my homework.

Based on your experience, can you share 5 strategies that people can use to harness the sense of tenacity and do what naysayers think is impossible? (Please share a story or an example for each)

Don’t compare yourself to others — the minute you start comparing yourself you lose sense of your true self. Every person’s path is unique. Embrace it and enjoy the experience.
Talk to yourself in a positive manner throughout the day. It’s easy to find yourself in a cycle of self-doubt, which inhibits learning and operating outside your comfort zone. Every morning literally tell yourself you are a badass that will win. And if you fail, remember it’s only temporary. Winston Churchill has this amazing quote on failure which is “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
Train every day to be prepared for when you need to be resilient. If you don’t mentally rehearse for adversity, it will paralyze you. Make the necessary investments to handle those stressful times. As I’ve taken on more responsibility and Row House continues to grow quickly, I’ve prioritized my sleep, diet (my wife proudly converted me to plant-based), and fitness routine. By investing in my mind, spirit, and body, I’m more balanced when dealing with the impossible.
Find a coach and commit to the process. This one is tough because change is not an overnight process. Coaching requires time, repetition, and some tough times as you go outside your comfort zone.
Enjoy the journey. Remember to appreciate the fact that you get to grow, that you get to make choices, and that you get to decide who you want to be. Remember that NO matter what, NO one can tell you what to feel or do. The greatest gift we have is free will so own it every day.

What is your favorite quote or personal philosophy that relates to the concept of resilience?

There is a Spanish saying, “No hay mal que dure cien años, ni enfermo que lo resista” which means there is no pain that lasts a 100 years, nor anyone who could outlive it. So rather than dwelling on pain or disappointment, you better just move on and focus on what is next. Dwelling isn’t effective as you won’t outlive it, so might as well charge forward.

More investment in helping individuals of different backgrounds through higher education institutions and workforces. The more doors we can open, the more opportunities we create to achieve the impossible.

Thank you for these great stories. We wish you only continued success!

Dreamers: “They told me It was impossible and I did it anyway” With Ramon Castillon of Row House was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

SunShare CEO David Amster-Olszewski: “They told me it was impossible and I did it anyway”

One example of naysayers that stood out, in particular, occurred when I was looking for legal representation and was turned away from a law firm. They said utilities would never agree to let us sell an off-site solar option to their customers. One person jokingly referred to me as “the David going up against the Goliath utilities” but in the end, it was the community that won. We built and sold out the nation’s first competitive-market community solar garden with Colorado Springs Utilities in the fall of 2011 — a three-acre solar project with thousands of panels — less than three months after the law changed.

As a part of our series about “dreamers who ignored the naysayers and did what others said was impossible”, I had the pleasure of interviewing David Amster-Olszewski.

David Amster-Olszewski founded SunShare in 2011 and serves as its Chief Executive Officer, has grown it into one of the leading community solar companies in the nation.

David’s foundational SunShare community solar garden with Colorado Springs Utilities was the nation’s first competitive community solar program. In true startup fashion, David developed that project out of his apartment with the help of interns, signing up more than 300 homes and educational organizations in two months. Since then, SunShare has moved its headquarters to Denver, opened offices in other states, and become the largest residential community solar company by partnering with utilities in multiple states and developing more than 100 megawatts of community solar gardens, which provide the benefits of clean, renewable solar energy to more than 10,000 customers.

David was featured in Forbes Magazine’s “30 Under 30” in 2016 and recognized as a national leader in the renewable energy market.

Prior to founding SunShare, David worked for PowerLight in Geneva, Switzerland in 2006, and then in California in 2007 for SunPower, completing an executive management training program at SunPower in 2010. He has a degree in International Political Economics from Colorado College.

Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know you’ a bit better. Can you tell us your ‘backstory’?

I am from Miami, Florida, and growing up in the warm sunshine state I was exposed to tremendous cultural diversity but a society with little awareness of our impact on the environment. I left Florida for Colorado College and got a first-hand introduction to a community with an environmental ethic, something I had exposure to from my family, but not in my broader community growing up.

As a freshman, I took an economics class during my first semester. This was during the time that oil prices were skyrocketing to over $100 a barrel, a scale of price increase that historically preceded a recession. And sure enough, shortly after, we hit the Great Recession. My studies that first semester of college, combined with my growing understanding of the negative impact our society was having on the environment, prompted my interest in energy efficiency and renewable energy. During my summers, I began my career in renewable energy through internships in the solar industry in Europe and the United States.

In my junior year, I became frustrated after attending a year of sustainability committee meetings and hearing different proposals for installing solar on campus, but not seeing any come to fruition. During spring break that year, I recall stewing on a chair lift (where all the best brainstorming is done) about that fact and decided we had to change the no-solar problem by the end of the school year two months later. In the three weeks following spring break, a few friends and I raised $200,000, and in the following four weeks hired a solar installer to install what was the largest non-military solar installation in Colorado Springs — surprising because it was only 25 kilowatts, or the approximate size needed to power just four homes. But in those days, solar was new to that part of Colorado.

Following college, I worked for SunPower, a large international vertically integrated solar company, with who I had interned during college. After approximately two years in a management training program there, I learned of a budding new segment of the market called community solar development in Colorado and started SunShare.

Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?

This is a very exciting time for my company SunShare and the community solar industry. This year is the 10th anniversary of the first community solar legislation in the nation passing in Colorado. In the past decade,19 states plus Washington DC have followed Colorado and have community solar laws on the books, with more on state dockets in 2020.

Our home markets are Colorado and Minnesota, yet over the last year we have kicked off an exciting expansion into new markets around the country that will deliver exponential growth in the number of customers we can share solar with over the next few years.

Community solar helps people because it is unique among solar options. It allows homeowners, schools, businesses, and municipalities to purchase solar energy without having the panels on their roof or on their property. With community solar we build larger 10–50-acre solar gardens anywhere in a utility’s service area and transfer that solar energy over the utility’s power lines to our customers. Community solar is that perfect option for people who don’t own their home, don’t want to or can’t spend $20,000 on rooftop panels, have an old roof, have tall trees, or simply want a simpler solution than rooftop solar panels.

As fires rage in Australia, hurricanes get increasingly worse, king tides become more frequent, and a US presidential election looms on the horizon, it is ever more important that we put the power for creating clean energy in the hands of the people — and community solar is the one way that citizens can drive demand for renewable energy regardless of their rooftop suitability or socioeconomic status.

In your opinion, what do you think makes your company or organization stand out from the crowd?

SunShare has made many firsts in the community solar industry — first to develop a community solar garden in a competitive open market; first to develop 100 megawatts; first to subscribe 10,000 residential community solar subscribers — but I believe what truly sets us apart is our unwavering commitment to our original vision of expanding access to residential customers. While many have come into — and left — the residential community solar space since SunShare’s inception, few if any have remained as focused on a singular mission, much less achieved it. Being first is tough and at times unforgiving but surviving the tumult of a nascent industry finding its legs and doing so with an ever-stronger team has been great fun.

By engaging the individuals who live in the approximately 75 percent of homes that cannot put solar on their roof, we are giving people a pathway to their first big step towards significantly decreasing their carbon footprint. To have the option to participate in community solar is very empowering to folks. Often times, climate change seems to be out of our hands, the solutions unfathomably complex and seemingly impossible to implement on an individual level.

At SunShare, we believe that by empowering people to ‘go solar,’ we can help them take the first step. Perhaps the next step will be an electric vehicle, powered by their solar energy. And the following may be planting trees to offset air travel.

I started SunShare as a 24-year-old with a dream, and the belief that we as individuals needed easier and more accessible options to consume renewable energy. First out of an empty classroom at Colorado College during the spring and summer of 2011.

I ignored everyone who told me utilities would never accept community solar and pursued it anyway (this of course was before 20 states passed laws allowing it!) and started SunShare. In Colorado Springs, as is the case in most areas with monopoly electric utilities, it was illegal for anyone other than the utility to sell solar energy to customers if the solar was not on their property. And of course, utilities were not offering many of these options. So, we changed the law… That was fun.

One example of naysayers that stood out, in particular, occurred when I was looking for legal representation and was turned away from a law firm. They said utilities would never agree to let us sell an off-site solar option to their customers. One person jokingly referred to me as “the David going up against the Goliath utilities” but in the end, it was the community that won. We built and sold out the nation’s first competitive-market community solar garden with Colorado Springs Utilities in the fall of 2011 — a three-acre solar project with thousands of panels — less than three months after the law changed.

In the end, how were all the naysayers proven wrong? 🙂

We did it through perseverance, supportive policymakers open to changing the law, and a tremendously supportive community.

Colorado Springs didn’t always have the reputation as a leader on topics such as sustainability and renewable energy, and that made it all the more fun. The community bought into the challenge and became the first city and utility in a movement toward customer choice for solar that now encompasses utilities representing over 50% of the US population.

While the regulated monopoly utilities may still view community solar as a competitor, state legislatures prompted by their constituents are embracing the renewable energy movement and demanding progress.

Those of us in the battle for expansion see consumers pushing this movement with their feet as they march every Friday with Greta Thunberg, or vote for representatives who understand the looming climate crisis.

There will always be those who tell us no, or you can’t, or it’s impossible — but we have proven them wrong each time we’ve passed a new law, or updated a limiting regulation, or realized a new idea that allows collaboration and progress..

My family has played the most impactful role in my success. My parents, sister, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and fiancé. Since I was a child, they have been supportive of my, let’s call it persistent, personality traits. While many of your questions highlight persistence or tenacity, I’m sure you can imagine a few other adjectives that could be associated with persistence as a personality characteristic. Many of which may ring true as it relates to me. Pain in the … perhaps. But in all seriousness, my family’s support of my drive, creativity, and inquisitive nature as an adolescent, along with providing for an environment where it was ok to question and debate, provided me with the tools and confidence to drive change in my professional career.

It must not have been easy to ignore all the naysayers. Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share the story with us?

As a child, when I was playing a game or trying to learn something new, I would be so focused on accomplishing the task or finishing the activity that sometimes my mom had to insist I stop just to come and eat dinner (and I often wouldn’t). I’ve never been good at giving up, and that has always been a part of my personality.

Based on your experience, can you share 5 strategies that people can use to harness the sense of tenacity and do what naysayers think is impossible? (Please share a story or an example for each)

Don’t take “no” as final — it’s just the first step — Just because someone, even someone in power, tells you “no” doesn’t mean you can’t try anyway. My best example of this turned out to be starting a new industry in clean energy.
Try a different approach — If the first attempt doesn’t work, don’t just give up; think of a different way to accomplish the goal and try again.
Rely on your support system — Sometimes the challenges wear you down and you need to be reinvigorated or re-inspired to keep pushing. My fiancée Kirby does this for me. She shares my passion for conservation and leaving the world a better place, so when I get overwhelmed by obstacles or with running a business, she reminds me why I’m in this fight.
Be appreciative and reflect — Go back through your own story and look at what you’ve already accomplished. If you take some time to reflect on how far you’ve come, it will usually give you the confidence to drive forward yet again… As this relates to my story, even though Colorado was the first state to pass community solar legislation a decade ago, over the past several years I watched other states leap ahead with more progressive laws while Colorado’s primary utility fought the expansion of community solar. There were times when I thought it would simply be easier to concentrate on other states and leave Colorado. But I reflected on where we started at the very birth of the industry, and I refused to give up on Colorado as our home market. In 2019, Governor Polis signed the Community Solar Garden Modernization Act and the Public Utilities Commission set out new rules. Now Colorado is within a few months of leading the pack in community solar once again!
Don’t get mad; get working — Turn frustration into focus to keep driving forward. A big part of doing the impossible is just not giving up. Before I started SunShare, it was illegal for anyone but the regulated monopoly utility to sell energy across property lines. The regulatory attorneys with whom I spoke told me it was never going to happen when I said I was going to get that law changed. And I admit, my first response was frustration. But I took their negative statements and turned them into the fuel to keep pushing and proved them wrong. And I haven’t stopped since!

What is your favorite quote or personal philosophy that relates to the concept of resilience?

“I didn’t fail. I just found 2,000 ways not to make a light bulb; I only needed to find one way to make it work.” — Thomas Edison

As it relates to my personal philosophy, I believe in the power of creativity and willpower to turn walls into speed bumps. Most times, it’s just a matter of the perspective you take that can power you forward and build the resilience necessary to overcome obstacles.

I would hope to inspire people to go against the grain. To not take “no” for an answer. To be confident in themselves and believe that they have the power to do what they set their mind to. To free themselves from the constraints that they might feel are preventing them from taking action. I think what’s needed to make progress is an overwhelming burst of confidence in the general population to take charge of our negative impact on the planet and turn things around.

I would like to see people focus more on the solutions that are available today, which range in simplicity and cost, such that there are options for everyone. And not just get lost in fear and sadness over the problem of climate change.

We’re at this amazing point in history where we have all of the technology we need to eliminate our carbon and methane emissions and prevent the pollution of our air and water. And we’re even at the point where most of these technologies are actually cheaper than the polluting alternative. Our task now must be to remove the barriers and allow change to happen. Such as simply allowing the greater than one hundred million homes in the United States to choose off-site renewable energy and prevent monopoly utilities from being able to block them. Studies show that over 70% of these people would switch to renewables today if they could and it was simple!

I would like to give people the confidence to get engaged in politics and share their positions and concerns, to choose renewable energy, to buy an electric car powered by renewable energy, or simply choose to walk or bike to work and benefit from the exercise and fresh air. It’s amazing what people can do when they feel engaged and empowered to make a change.

I would like to inspire a movement of increased confidence and empowerment to seek and make changes.

Can our readers follow you on social media?

Follow what SunShare is doing in community solar activism and development.

https://twitter.com/@mysunshare

https://mysunshare.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-amster-olszewski-4ba7355/

Thank you for these great stories. We wish you only continued success!

SunShare CEO David Amster-Olszewski: “They told me it was impossible and I did it anyway” was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Rising Star Sarah Hamel-Smith: “At first, people will not understand what you are doing; Do it…

Rising Star Sarah Hamel-Smith: “At first, people will not understand what you are doing; Do it anyway, don’t worry about other people’s approval”

At first, people will not understand what you are doing- do it anyway. Don’t worry about other people’s approval.
When I first started my blog and Instagram, a lot of people in my community were gossiping and saying terrible things. I was creating a brand and a forum to speak about issues I thought were important but at first people that knew me from before didn’t get it. People also told me it was impossible to achieve the goals I had set out for myself. Now they come up to me and congratulate me on the work I’m doing.

As a part of my series about social media stars who are using their platform to make a significant social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sarah Hamel-Smith.

Sarah is a New York based plus sized model, digital influencer and storyteller represented by TRUE Model Management. She has a deep understanding and passion for the plus sized consumer and love for humanity in all its various forms. After being body shamed for many years she decided to be one of the people who changes the way beauty is defined in society.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I left my corporate job working in Energy communications and I wanted to do work that was meaningful, but I had no idea what that would look like.

I came to New York City and was taking a course at NYU and a woman came in to speak to the class about Influencer marketing, which is something I had never heard of before. I raised my hand and said, “do you work with plus sized influencers?” She said “Of course! I’m so sick of the faces I have. You’ve got great style, if you had enough followers I would use you for my brands.” And then the whole class screamed in a chorus, “Sarah, you should be an Influencer!”

I left the class feeling totally confused and looking onto Bryant Park I said “Universe, if this is what you want for me then you send me the resources.”

I called up a friend and asked if she knew any photographers, she said “I’m sitting next to one right now. Come meet us for a drink in Brooklyn.”

I hopped on a train, met the woman and she loved my story and said “I’ll shoot you for free!” and that’s when I started my Instagram page @thecurvytrini

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this career?

Through my influencer work, I was signed with TRUE Model Management and able to move from my tiny island of Trinidad and Tobago to New York City, which has snowballed into a lot of amazing and wonderful experiences. I’ve spoken at NYU as a subject matter expert in Influencer Marketing, presented a TEDX talk entitled “Social Media Can Create A More Inclusive Standard of Beauty.” I’ve modeled on Good Morning America and been featured at InStyle Magazine’s plus-sized street style gallery during New York Fashion Week. I’ve also gotten to execute social media campaigns for many major fashion brands including Tommy Hilfiger at Macy’s, Eloquii, and Aerosoles, and to name a few.

Many miracles have happened through this Influencer work, but the best part is when I get messages from my followers sharing that the stories I tell have helped or impacted them in a positive way. That’s always the most wonderful and interesting part for me.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

When I was first starting out and had around 500 followers a brand reached out to me and said they would like to collaborate and I was so excited I told all my friends. I was so proud that a brand wanted to work with me.

After I agreed, they told me I had to buy the product (which costed about $150) and they would repost my photo on their Instagram page which had a lot of followers so I chose an item and bought it.

When the item came in was so small I couldn’t even get it on my body, the size chart was crazy and the product was very poor quality. I ended up throwing it away.

I learned through this experience that any brand that asks you to buy the product or pay for shipping for “free product” is a scam. Creating content takes a lot of hard work, time, and effort. Brands should at the very least gift your product.

The lesson I learned from this experience is not to devalue myself and accept any offer that comes my way. It taught me to be a lot more discerning when it comes to the brands I choose to work for and align with.

Ok super. Let’s now jump to the core focus of our interview. Can you describe to our readers how you are using your platform to make a significant social impact?

Social media is a powerful tool. The way I use my platform to create a social impact is two-fold- firstly I create and share content that is positive and motivational in nature and secondly I build relationships with brands and other influencers which I then bring together for projects that help others.

Social media gets a bad rep- I’ve chosen to use my medium for something good.

Instagram has provided me with a platform to empower others. I create imagery to help desensitize people from seeing plus-sized women in fashion and I tell thought-provoking stories in my captions to inspire and empower others to be kinder to themselves and gentler to their bodies.

I am also a motivational speaker and had the privilege of being able to present a TEDx talk where I was able to share my personal journey of how social media positively impacted my perspective of myself and my body, as well as contribute to the creation of a new and more inclusive standard of beauty.

In 2018 I co-produced an event with another blogger named Urszula Makowska as well as renowned NYC events producer Catherine Schuller called #BloggersGiveBack

The event was formulated through recognizing a need for applying a social responsibility, diversity, and sustainability component to Blogging/Influencer Marketing. Bloggers have a reputation for being selfish and self-centered and this isn’t true about everyone, we wanted to change the conversation.

The team hosted a highly curated and diverse group of 200 of New York City’s top influencers and bloggers, models, and celebrities including the host of MTV’s show Catfish Nev Schulman with a combined global reach of well over 20 million. Attendees were asked to bring new clothing that they were gifted with to donate.

We were able to provide hundreds of pounds of quality clothing to Housing Works (a New York City-based non-profit fighting the twin crises of AIDS and homelessness).

Through this event, we wanted to re-define the term “Blogger/ Influencer” as being someone who only works for their own benefit, to being someone who uses their platform to affect positive change in society.

We intend to host more events like this again in the future.

I’m also involved with an organization called Fashion Week Brooklyn which seeks to provide exposure and opportunities for up and coming designers and models. I help connect them with brands I’ve built relationships with to provide support for the cause.

Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted by this cause?

When I finished presenting at TEDxYouth@HCCS, a little girl came up to me and said “I want to show this to my mom so she can know her body is good.”

Another little girl came up to me and said, “You’re plus sized. I am plus sized too! You inspire me.”

So much pain and suffering takes place in the world because we have been fed an impossible standard of beauty. Bodies come in all shapes, abilities, sexualities and sizes and they are all good and worthy.

When I went home I sobbed thinking about these little girls and was so thankful that message reached them at such a young age.

Was there a tipping point the made you decide to focus on this particular area? Can you share a story about that?

I’ve always approached life from a perspective of what can I give versus what can I get. I also believe the experiences we have in life when shared, can also help others to feel less alone.

Growing up I was body-shamed a lot and didn’t have access to clothing that fit my body and that was a very shameful and de-humanizing experience.

One day I was scrolling through Instagram and discovered the #BOPO and found a group of plus-sized women who were wearing beautiful clothes and I realized for the first time that nothing was wrong with my body, but the clothing I had access to.

I had an “aha” moment and I wanted to help create that similar awakening for others.

Even though there were a lot of people “in real life” that was plus-sized, I never saw people with bodies like mine being represented in pop culture as something good or beautiful. Body conversations usually centered around shame, self-hatred, and losing weight.

I realized with social media we do not have to rely on big media houses to define what is beautiful. We can create this definition for ourselves. We can use social media to connect with each other and create positive shifts in pop culture. I wanted to help create a change so that is why I chose to focus on this particular area.

Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?

Community: Build relationships with those in your community, even if they may look or seem different from you. Help the less fortunate (both people and animals) in whatever way you can, even if it’s something as small as holding the door for an older lady or giving a sandwich to a homeless person. People think charity involves a lot of effort or money but it doesn’t at all. If we each helped and took care of our own little area, the world would be a much better place.

Society: Support brands and companies that exhibit diversity and inclusivity in their campaigns and offer inclusive sizing. Big companies care mostly about profits. If we can show them that this is the type of content and product ranges we want and buy from, then that’s what they will create and offer.

Politicians: Advocate for diversity and inclusivity training and laws that protect humanity in all its forms; not only in the board room but also in the class room. It is important for a culture of acceptance and inclusion of all body shapes, types, colors, sexualities and abilities to be systematically inculcated from a young age and at all levels of society.

What specific strategies have you been using to promote and advance this cause? Can you recommend any good tips for people who want to follow your lead and use their social platform for a social good?

As I mentioned before, I approach advancing my cause from a perspective of what I can give versus what I can get. I think a lot about how others would benefit from the cause and lead with that. I create content that people can profit from and connect with.

Life is a numbers game and power is also in numbers. In order to be successful it’s all about building relationships. Social media provides direct access to people who otherwise may be impossible to find. I spend a lot of time researching and reaching out to various brands and people who I want to connect with; of course, I get ignored and rejected but it is also surprising how much support you can get for a cause by just reaching out and asking kindly.

I would say to those thinking about using their platform for social good, if you have a cause in your heart, don’t be afraid. Just start creating and go after it. There are so many people throughout the world who use social media. There will be others out there who connect with your content. Create what you want with an authentic voice and others will find you and follow.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

1. At first, people will not understand what you are doing- do it anyway. Don’t worry about other people’s approval.
When I first started my blog and Instagram, a lot of people in my community were gossiping and saying terrible things. I was creating a brand and a forum to speak about issues I thought were important but at first people that knew me from before didn’t get it. People also told me it was impossible to achieve the goals I had set out for myself. Now they come up to me and congratulate me on the work I’m doing.

2. It takes time. Keep working and be patient.

When I first started out I would check my follower count every single day and get very anxious and frustrated if it wasn’t growing or if I wasn’t getting as many “likes” as I wanted. All that does is create stress and anxiety. Building a brand and gathering subscribers and followers takes time and patience.

3. Ask for what you want and be professional about it
With the advice of a friend I decided to create a media kit highlighting my stats and the brands I’ve worked for, showcasing what I bring to the table and started reaching out to much bigger brands and to my surprise I started getting to work with them and sometimes even got paid for the content I created. I may not have previously been on the radar of those brands, but by reaching out I was able to be considered for opportunities.

4. Look Out for Scams- Anyone who asks you for money or to buy a product (or even pay for shipping) is a scam.
As I mentioned before I was swindled by a “brand” in my early days. Brands benefit greatly from the exposure they get through influencer marketing. They don’t have to hire a photographer, makeup artist, stylist etc. to get beautiful content. Don’t work for free or sell yourself short. And definitely don’t pay!

5. Build Strong Relationships
When I first started working with brands I would just focus on that single collaboration and then move on. Eventually, I realized I could build relationships with the brands or PR people which could one day evolve into other things. Instagram is not going to be the cool thing forever but the relationships you build with people can last a lifetime.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I would love to create a formal non-profit organization that provides quarterly opportunities for Influencers and Bloggers to give back to society. The events would bring awareness to a different cause or provide assistance to a different underserved group in various communities throughout the world each time.

Ideally, the events would be funded by brands and the bloggers would bring the donations or provide the labor and work together to help others. As Influencers, we have massive audiences who are very interested in what we do/ wear/ say. I think it would be so powerful if we used our voices (and our cameras) not only to work with brands to promote products and services but also to align with causes that resonate with us. It would be easy for the brands to write off the sponsorship money as an act of charity, and the non-profit would handle all the logistical arrangements as well as outreach to influencers to sign on.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” ― Robert Schuller

I had a little magnet on my fridge with this written on it and I would read it to myself every day when I was trying to achieve what seemed at the time impossible. So many times in life we don’t even try because we are afraid of failing. We don’t even ask because we are afraid of being told no. I come back to this quote often because it helped me to imagine and at least try for the impossible, and a lot of seemingly impossible things have happened in my life since I adopted this way of thinking.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂

Oprah Winfrey without a doubt. She is one of the greatest humanitarians who ever existed in my opinion. She is so very beautiful and kind, and genuinely empowers others. Having lunch with her would literally be a dream come true.

How can our readers follow you on social media?
They can follow me here:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecurvytrini/

Blog: http://www.thecurvytrini.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC38vwnZI3EPK1hb7M4UJQHA

And they can check out my TEDx talk here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSIqup0p7Ac

This was very meaningful, thank you so much!

Rising Star Sarah Hamel-Smith: “At first, people will not understand what you are doing; Do it… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The Future Of Beauty: “Facelift-like results without the risks or downtime of surgery” With Dr Scot

The Future Of Beauty: “Facelift-like results without the risks or downtime of surgery” With Dr. Scott Gerrish

The beauty-tech industry is a very exciting space right now. If you thought the iPhone generations changed quickly then the pace of cosmetic laser advancements is very eye-opening. Technology that was relevant last year may now be just a great dust collector in the office. With continued advancements, we will see what is impossible become possible. Maybe, just maybe, someday technology will sideline facelifts for good.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Scott Gerrish.

An award-winning internist, Scott Gerrish, DO, provides noninvasive and minimally invasive medical cosmetic treatments to men and women at IYA Medical in Scottsdale, Arizona. Dr. Gerrish’s status as a key opinion leader in developing technology and treatment protocols gives him priority treatment and early access to the newest technology from large equipment manufacturers in the aesthetic industry.

Dr. Gerrish graduated from the Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Illinois before completing his internal medicine residency at George Washington University in Washington DC.

An East Coast medical spa owner, international speaker, and medical director of the East Coast CoolSculpting University (CSU), Dr. Gerrish has 20 years of experience in the aesthetic industry, including working with laser companies to assist in the development of advanced laser technologies.

His work led to the adoption of Dr. Gerrish’s CoolSculpting protocol, and he is responsible for training over 4,000 medical professionals around the world on CoolSculpting practices and techniques. In addition, Dr. Gerrish developed the miraFresh protocol to dramatically increase the comfort and efficacy of the treatment and was among the first physicians in the United States to use the Juvéderm® dermal filler as a participant in the Juvéderm Phase IV trial.

Dr. Gerrish and his family made Scottsdale, Arizona, their home in 2019 to bring the services of his award-winning East Coast medical spa to the Phoenix metropolitan area.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

During my medicine residency at The George Washington University in the mid-1990s, there was the unique opportunity to work under a local cosmetic surgeon who just opened one of the first medical spas in the United States. While the laser technology back then was nowhere near what it is today, I fell in love with the integration of lasers and their applications in medicine/cosmetics. Upon completing my residency, I concentrated my entire medical practice on lasers, their applications, and their advancements in cosmetics.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

In 2009 I had the opportunity to purchase the commercial building where my medical practice was located. It was an amazing opportunity but it came with one catch. The owner of the building also owned a salon that was operating within the building. The building and the salon came as a package deal. A physician owning a salon? It might sound a bit crazy, but I did it. Owning and managing the hair salon has been the most challenging task in my career. After several rollercoaster years, I finally downsized and streamlined the salon to a manageable level that properly complemented my cosmetic practice. In the process, I learned about highlights, lowlights, perms, keratin treatments and much more. But, in all seriousness, it’s nice to have a business that pays a mortgage vs rent.

There has been a number of critical tipping points throughout my journey but one specific event has been, by far, the most significant. While building my offices in Virginia, Maryland, and DC, I also began to utilize my mechanical engineering degree to consult with manufacturers to improve their laser technology and protocols. For reasons most strongly linked to humility, I kept my contributions quiet. It wasn’t until 5 years ago that I began to reveal my contributions, some of which were game-changers in the non-invasive cosmetic industry. It was at that point my practice began to grow at record levels. I have always deemed myself as being humble. I thought that marketing my accomplishments seemed like bragging. What I learned is that there is great value in sharing your accomplishments in a factual manner. And, when done correctly, it is 100% different than the promotional “look at me” statement.

There are several individuals who have heavily influenced my career and helped propel me to the success I enjoy today. I do however feel the greatest help I have received did not come from just one individual. The greatest help has come from the team members that surround me. Without their support, the whole practice would fail. While the magic happens in the treatment room with highly experienced practitioners, none of it would be possible without a strong, dedicated, hardworking support staff.

We are living in a very exciting time when it comes to current and evolving technology to combat and reverse the signs of aging. In the past, technology has been the limiting factor in obtaining consistent and substantial results. For instance, in order to lift and tighten the skin, we need to deliver heat into the deeper layers (or dermis) of the skin while not overheating the top layer (or epidermis). Until recently, technology was unable to effectively bypass the top skin layer and achieve deep collagen heating. That dilemma has changed with the introduction of the breakthrough technology of Profound RF, by Candela. This technology is incredibly exciting and now allows us to safely create substantial remodeling of the collagen that results in drastic lifting and tightening of the skin. We are now one giant step closer to facelift-like results without undergoing the associated risks or downtime of surgery.

Another very new and exciting technology that launched this year is electromagnetic muscle stimulation for strengthening and toning major muscle groups of the body. The latest and most powerful addition to this field is the CoolTone, by Allergan. CoolTone is FDA cleared for toning the muscles of the stomach, buttocks, and legs. While the cosmetic benefits of muscle toning is exciting, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. With increased muscle mass, we increase our metabolism and burn fat more effectively. With a stronger core, we see improvement in lower back pain. Additionally, it has been fun to watch our patients advance in athletics and exercise performance from the CoolTone’s induced muscle tone and strength.

Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?

With advancing technology it is more important than ever to go to an experienced provider. While the vast majority of the newest technology has built-in safety parameters, inexperienced, careless, or rushed treatments can result in irreversible damage leading to permanent scarring. We all like sales, bargains, and getting “a deal.” When it comes to the one and only body we are given, I would only trust your treatments to the most experienced hands vs. the most budget-savvy price.

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the “beauty-tech” industry?

The beauty-tech industry is a very exciting space right now. If you thought the iPhone generations changed quickly then the pace of cosmetic laser advancements is very eye-opening. Technology that was relevant last year may now be just a great dust collector in the office. With continued advancements, we will see what is impossible become possible. Maybe, just maybe, someday technology will sideline facelifts for good.

One of the most exciting developments in the recent introduction of regenerative medicine into cosmetics. Lasers and all energy-based devices work by creating a highly controlled injury within the skin. The positive changes we are trying to achieve rely on the body’s innate healing response. As we age, our ability to heal and repair is not as robust as in our youth. Utilizing regenerative techniques via growth factors and cytokines, we are boosting the body’s capabilities to repair and create significant changes that would otherwise be unobtainable.

Most importantly, the battle of fighting aging is won on a daily basis. That fact places a lot of weight on the daily skincare we use. The advancements in topical regimens have been amazing. From growth factors to peptides, to sunblocks and more, we can now fight aging with creams that create meaningful changes.

Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest?

The noninvasive to the minimally invasive cosmetic field has exploded over the last 2 decades. As the field continues to grow and expand, entrepreneurs and medical professionals are opening new medical spas to benefit from the high demand. While most practitioners become highly qualified, there are those few that are delivering treatments that are not qualified to safely and effectively deliver these services. Even more concerning is the shift in the business of medicine. Early in my training, medicine was a service that was delivered based on medical need. With the evolution of the Medspa industry, we are now seeing some practices determine the need for these services being dictated by business or commercial influences vs medical appropriateness. It is very important for patients to fully vet their practitioners.

As the cosmetic industry grows at rapid rates, the manufacturers are feverishly designing and selling new technology. Over the years there have been a number of devices that have been very disappointing in either safety and/or effectiveness. As the expression goes, one rotten apple spoils it for the bunch. Flawed or overhyped technology can create consumer doubt and compromise the integrity of the industry. In order to protect the standard of care, we will continually need to rely on the FDA, state medical boards, and fellow physicians to meticulously evaluate and self-regulate the growth and direction of the industry.

You are an expert about beauty. Can you share 5 ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”? (Please share a story or example for each.)

That is an excellent question and I would first like to call out the differences between feeling beautiful and looking beautiful. Looking beautiful is in the eye of the beholder but feeling beautiful comes from within ourselves. Early in my career, I concentrated all my efforts on addressing the physical aspects of beauty. As my career progressed I gained invaluable insight from a number of patients that truly looked beautiful but honestly didn’t feel beautiful. It was at that point I began to link ‘feeling good’ with ‘feeling beautiful’. So here are my top 5 ways to feel beautiful/good and it might not be what you would expect from a cosmetic physician:

Nutrition is the sole pathway for fueling our bodies. Not only will healthy eating slow down the aging/disease process through decreased systemic inflammation but the right foods will improve the look and health of the skin in addition to increasing energy, mood and the feeling of wellbeing.

Exercise is very important in maintaining our cardiovascular health, physique, muscle tone, balance, flexibility, and much more. Beyond those major benefits, exercising increases endorphins and neurotransmitters like serotonin and norepinephrine. These neurotransmitters are the body’s natural chemicals to make you feel good.

Additionally, meditation slows the aging process by significantly increasing melatonin and DHEA and decreases the stress hormone cortisol. Like exercise, meditation also increases dopamine and serotonin. Meditation is a wonderful practice to calm our mind and connect to ourselves and restore confidence to meet the challenges in life.

Feeling beautiful is not just limited to our bodies, the clothes we wear have a significant impact on the way we feel about ourselves. Picture yourself in a tee-shirt and sweatpants. What are you doing? How do you feel? Now picture yourself in a business suit or formal dress. Notice the difference in how you feel? How we dress impacts not only our mood and confidence but also how we look and feel about ourselves.

Lastly, with aging, we all see changes in our appearance that we don’t like or that reminds us of our parents. Whether it’s a jowl, a wrinkle, or just an overall tired look. With today’s armament of technology we now have the capability to reverse those signs of aging to help feel and look our best. To complement these results, an effective physician-grade skincare regimen can take one’s skin tone and complexion to the next level.

Over the last 25 years, I have seen tens of thousands of patients. The one thing I am most grateful for is the physician-patient relationship. Once that door closes, the defenses drop and the flood gates open. Conversations that would not be had with best friends or spouses are now being discussed with me. Overall these years and conversations, the one thing that truly stands out is that we all struggle with feeling beautiful. If you self-reflect, we are harder on ourselves than we would be to our worst enemy. Why do we beat ourselves up? Why are we never enough? Why do we not feel beautiful when we are? If I could create a movement, it would be to give people the tools to feel and be beautiful.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

My favorite life lesson quote comes from Dr. Brene Brown and the following is in her own words:

“You can choose courage, or you can choose comfort, but you cannot choose both. They are mutually exclusive. Anything great that has ever been attempted is a result of people choosing courage over comfort. In our self-gratifying minds, we may wish for a life of relative ease and comfort. But nothing of significance has ever been attempted or accomplished this way. Courage, on the other hand, gives us the vision to see what others cannot see, to pursue what others would not dare to go after. Courage combined with faith relieves us of the fear of taking risks and gives us the guts to attempt great things.”

How can our readers follow you online?

Readers can follow me at www.iyamedical.com or www.drgerrish.com

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.

The Future Of Beauty: “Facelift-like results without the risks or downtime of surgery” With Dr Scot was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

KAYAK CTO Giorgos Zacharia: “Success in the future is reserved for companies that bring their…

KAYAK CTO Giorgos Zacharia: “Success in the future is reserved for companies that bring their products and services to the devices and platforms where users are spending the most time”

Success in the future is reserved for companies that bring their products and services to the devices and platforms where users are spending the most time, and leverage machine learning to provide smarter, more personalized results for even more complex actions. Airport wait times are an example of an intricate problem that might only be solved by machine learning coming to mobile.

Research shows that voice search continues to grow on a daily basis. We will continue to see more integrations for advanced actions and functionalities, like the ability to complete transactions for hotels hands-free. In 2017, we were the first travel company to offer this via Alexa and continue to lead the category with our advances in search.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Giorgos Zacharia, he serves as Chief Technology Officer of KAYAK and served as its Chief Scientist since February 2009. Zacharia has extensive experience in machine learning and data mining and is also a Co-founder of three machine learning-driven startups, Open Ratings, Inc., Stocknomics Ltd., and Emporics Capital Management LLC. He received a Ph.D. in computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and holds a master of science from the MIT Media Laboratory, where he was a Telecom Italia Fellow in the Software Agents Group, a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and a Bachelor of Science in computer science with a minor in Economics from MIT.

Thank you so much for joining us Giorgos! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I am a math nerd with five medals in International Math and Physics Olympiads, who got excited by machine learning startups and ended up in travel technology almost by accident. I came to MIT to study Mathematics and Computer Science. I did my master’s research in applied AI for eCommerce marketplaces at the MIT Media Lab in the late 1990s, and ended up founding Open Ratings as Chief Scientist and CTO based on that research. My role at KAYAK was a great next step because I could use my machine learning background to solve travel problems, which was and still is a fun challenge.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

How I joined KAYAK is an interesting story. After selling Open Ratings to Dun & Bradstreet, I focused on finishing my MIT Ph.D. and started two machine learning-driven hedge funds. In 2008, one of my former engineers introduced me to the co-founder/CTO of KAYAK, Paul English, because KAYAK had a machine learning problem they were trying to tackle for a few months. Norwest Airlines prices kept showing up on KAYAK inaccurately, and KAYAK was looking for an intelligent solution to correct them. I explained how I would use machine learning to address the challenge and I also pitched an idea that today is among our most popular features — Hacker Fares — the idea of combining tickets from different airlines (vs. a single ticket for the same trip) to save travelers time and money. Paul offered me a job as Chief Scientist right then and there.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

As a global tech company, we have maintained a start-up culture — enabling employees from all over the world with varying backgrounds, interests and experiences, to work together to make an impact in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. We welcome ideas from all areas of the company. Just last year, following an employee SWAT week, a team of KAYAK employees leveraged augmented reality to help travelers recognize whether or not their luggage would fit in the overhead bins. The tool is now a permanent feature on the KAYAK mobile app.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”? Can you share a story about that?

Maintain a good work-life balance. At KAYAK, we believe employees are more productive when they’re happy and have fulfilling lives outside of the office. We actively encourage people to take time off to travel. While work-family balance can be difficult to achieve, we encourage our teams by offering flexible schedules and supporting them to prioritize being present for family time.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

Paul English has been instrumental in helping me optimize my hiring criteria. Prior to meeting and working with him, I made hiring decisions primarily based on intellectual and technical skills, as well as overall entrepreneurial intensity.

Paul focuses on hiring “people accelerators” — team members who make their colleagues even more productive through their personalities and their own diverse intellectual curiosity and experiences.

Now, I combine both priorities in my hiring and team crafting approach, and that helps build high performing, collaborative, and overall more fun teams to be around.

Let’s jump to the core of our discussion. Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the travel and hospitality industries?

Our goal is to make travel planning easier on the platforms where people are spending time. One way we’re doing that is through investing in AI innovation Since 2016, we’ve laid the groundwork for voice by introducing the ability to search for flights, hotels, and cars, to explore destinations they can go to within a budget, and to track flights — all using just your voice. Today, KAYAK is available on Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple TV, Slack and Facebook Messenger.

AR is another area we have been exploring with the introduction of our AR bag measurement tool last September which leverages augmented reality to let travelers know whether or not their carry-on luggage, will fit in the overhead bins.

We’re also exploring the vacation and home rentals space. Earlier this month, we introduced KAYAK Premium — select accommodations and experiences that are well-reviewed, offering thoughtful and modern design, unique amenities and perks. In the future, our app will help personalize, connect and automate the KAYAK Premium experience, including seamless check-in and check-out, saved room preferences, recommended dining and delivery options, and amenity selection.

Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing this innovation?

We see a new category of accommodations emerging — rooms that have the consistency of a hotel with the advantages of a rental, KAYAK Premium is our first move into this space. We want to make accommodations — and ultimately all travel experiences — that are well-reviewed, and offer thoughtful and modern design elements and amenities that travelers prefer, easier to find by curating and badging them as Premium.

Can you share a few examples of how travel and hospitality companies will be adjusting over the next five years to the new ways that consumers like to travel?

Success in the future is reserved for companies that bring their products and services to the devices and platforms where users are spending the most time, and leverage machine learning to provide smarter, more personalized results for even more complex actions. Airport wait times are an example of an intricate problem that might only be solved by machine learning coming to mobile.

Research shows that voice search continues to grow on a daily basis. We will continue to see more integrations for advanced actions and functionalities, like the ability to complete transactions for hotels hands-free. In 2017, we were the first travel company to offer this via Alexa and continue to lead the category with our advances in search.

You are a “travel insider.” How would you describe your “perfect vacation experience?”

A perfect vacation is a super active one, with family or friends with children of similar ages as mine. I’m from Cyprus and my wife is from Bulgaria, so we always make it a point to visit one of the two countries every summer. I love combining cultural experiences with relaxing beach time. We typically spend half our time visiting archaeological sites or immersing ourselves in cultural tourism. The last few years, we’ve scheduled stopovers to other European countries — it’s a great way to get in some additional sightseeing without breaking the bank.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

I would start a movement to eliminate the major barriers associated with travel. Travel enhances human connection, open-mindedness and understanding — if more people were able to travel and experience the world, I think we would see a lot of positive change.

KAYAK CTO Giorgos Zacharia: “Success in the future is reserved for companies that bring their… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Katerina Yoffe Larden of Hey Honey: “Bind is beautiful and always trending”

My advice: Be you. Be determined. Success is not one suit for all, it will come in different ways and at different times. Some faster some slower, as long as you’re headed in the right direction — it will come.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Katerina Yoffe Larden, CEO + Founder of Hey Honey — an award-winning line of cruelty-free skincare products developed with the best dermatologists in the industry with just two founding ingredients — honey and bee propolis extracts — for both men + women all skincare types.

Coming from a professional background of marketing and advertising, Katerina and her husband owned a digital agency where they worked with a variety of amazing brands. She learned so many things about so many different industries, and it was life-changing and inspired her to create a launch of a company of her own.

As a busy working Mom, Katerina found it difficult to stick to skincare regimes that required a strict order of multiple steps with a seemingly endless list of products. Her real-life is hectic and ever-changing, just like her skin, so she found a need to launch a line of natural beauty products that are guaranteed to fit any lifestyle, NOT the other way around. Born on the foundation that skincare doesn’t have to be arduous to be effective, Katerina launched Hey Honey in 2014 with a mission to deliver a skincare line that proves healthy, glowing skin can be achieved through simplicity, with a motto “Real Life. Real Skincare”

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, I would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

Thank you for allowing me to share my story with you! I was always a busy woman. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always worked for myself. I was in the online advertising industry, working seven days a week around the clock. Then I got married, had kids and became even busier. After my husband and I had the opportunity to sell our previous company, we decided to move our family to the states. It was an exciting time in my life and one of the first times I slowed down and stopped running from one place to another to plan our move. While I was packing up our belongings, I noticed how many expired high-end skincare products I had on my shelve that I hadn’t used more two times. This felt exactly like me joining an expensive gym, paying the premium, and not showing up. Frustrated, I started to wonder why I hadn’t used those skincare products more than a handful of times. Was it my busy lifestyle? Or did those products require too many steps? I then realized I wanted my skincare routine to fit into my lifestyle, not the other way around. I wanted it to be easy, fast-acting and I wanted to love it. I became obsessed and started thinking about how I could make that change and create products that would fill all those needs — and that is how Hey Honey was born.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

When I moved to the States, I realized that business culture varies from place to place, even though the world is so connected. Learning the business culture in a new country was like starting over from scratch, even though I had so much experience. Launching a company in a new country was and continues to be an interesting experience! +Really everything new we do is an interesting experience. I love our industry and that it keeps me on my toes because it is always changing in so many ways.

Starting a new business in a new country and learning a new language, without previous experience in the beauty industry, was all very challenging. Wanting to do things my way and sometimes against the stream was also a challenge. It is important that I look around and learn from successful brands and entrepreneurs that were thriving. But it was also important to remember that every individual and brand is different, you bring your personality to everything you do and follow your heart. In the first year of business, I felt that I was making products for myself and my family, even when people said that a certain product would not work because it was not “trending”, we still moved on with it.

The tipping point of success in my career was in late 2014 when Hey Honey launched its first program with IPSY. We chose to launch with a Peel Off Mask, that was considered to be “not trendy or “vintage”. However, the success that immediately came with the product launch and the buzzing social presence was the first realization that I am no longer making products for myself, I am actually touching others with my creation. People value and connect with the Hey Honey brand message — we are able to deliver products that do exactly what we wanted from day one. When we started receiving reviews that validating our brand message, I knew this was our turning point.

My advice: Be you. Be determined. Success is not one suit for all, it will come in different ways and at different times. Some faster some slower, as long as you’re headed in the right direction — it will come.

In 2014, we were working out of our basement with limited products. Then came Allison Slater Ray, who offered Hey Honey its first IPSY program. We had so many questions — what is IPSY? How will it benefit Hey Honey? How will we manufacture such a high volume of samples? I thought she was so brave☺ But we accepted the opportunity with both hands and thank Allison, to this day, for the special opportunity. Fortunately, enough, there have been many great people along the way that have been sincere and helpful in us finding our success.

We are of course grateful for our customers — their kind reviews and support have helped us became a stronger, confident and more knowledgeable brand We value our customer feedback and are always listening! One customer at a time helps me keep going in the right direction.

I am also grateful to have been working alongside my husband for 20 years, we help each other get to where we need to be daily.

Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. The beauty industry today has access to technology that was inconceivable only a short time ago. Can you tell us about the “cutting edge” (pardon the pun) technologies that you are working with or introducing? How do you think that will help people?

Our cutting-edge technology is happening mainly in the lab. Working with two time-honored ingredients, honey, and propolis and being able to preserve the natural properties of each ingredient to their maximum — this is where we are utilizing technology. Delivering results with our clean beauty promise is another way we use technology as well.

Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?

I think that one place that will have a potential drawback is the way brands collaborate with influencers. Our tagline is “Real-Life, Real Skincare.” It is extremely challenging to stay real and at the same time deliver an impactful message to the mass. The problem is that consumers are often get lost between reality and life (as it seems) on Instagram. As an example, virtual 3D influencers are a creative way to exercise social (you can’t appreciate the creative side of it ), but it’s not reality and the potential drawback is when people can’t separate facts from entertainment.

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the “beauty-tech” industry?

Personalization — Being able to deliver personalization by product innovation.
We are working hard to create products that self-adjust to ever-changing skin conditions. In other words, if you buy the same product as your friend, it will work different on you compared to them
Technology creating new opportunities that every brand can utilize. Such as AI, which analyzes big data of skin conditions driven by geographical conditions, environment, environmental effects, can definitely see how technology creates new unconventional retail channels that will present brands with new opportunities.

Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest?

More reality! fewer filters.
More regularity over trendy claims and what is considered good/bad ingredients.
More giveback as an industry. We are fortunate in our industry and need to share.

Since you’re a beauty expert, can you share 5 ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”? (Please share an example for each.

Sleep eat and drink water — A cliché, but as many cliché’s — this is so true. This is the basis of healthy skin
Positivity — Thinking positive will actually make you look better:)
Be real, and there will be no stress in being something you’re not.
Be kind — kind is beautiful and always trending

If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

Every business, regardless of size and industry, should be committed to at least one social cause in any way they can. Whether it’s donating a percentage of sales in products or services, adding a logo next on websites, etc. we can make a huge difference.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? And can you share how it is relevant to you in your life?

My Dad once told me “In some business decisions, you will need to choose if you sleep well or eat well, choose to sleep well.”

Katerina Yoffe Larden of Hey Honey: “Bind is beautiful and always trending” was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.