Month: June 2020

The Future Of Beauty: “Facetite, Bodytite, & Venus Bliss” With Dr Farah Naz Khan

The Future Of Beauty: “Facetite, Bodytite, & Venus Bliss” With Dr. Farah Naz Khan

I heard this quote during my training and I’ve never forgotten it since: ”If you want to see a rainbow, you have to put up with the rain”. Owning a private practice is hard work, and I often say the easiest part of my day is operating. But when you’re running a business, you also have to oversee and manage employees, marketing, networking, and the day to day operations. Physicians also have to make sure they keep up with their CMEs (continuing medical education) so it can be overwhelming. But, the satisfaction of having your own practice and being your own boss so you can treat your patients the way you want to makes it all worthwhile.

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 Dr. Farah Naz Khan, MD

Dr. Farah Naz Khan is a board certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon practicing in Dallas, Texas. She performs a full range of cosmetic surgery procedures, including 24 hour recovery® breast augmentation, mommy makeovers, body contouring, liposculpting, facial surgery, and breast revision surgery.

Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, Dr. Khan was raised in both California and New Jersey, experiencing life along both coasts. Excelling both athletically and academically, she received a full scholarship to The College of New Jersey and graduated Summa Cum Laude and with Honors with a degree in Biology in only 3 years.

She then continued her education at the prestigious Duke University School of Medicine where she immersed herself in basic science and clinical research at the Kenan Plastic Surgery Laboratory. This resulted in several publications in peer reviewed journals as well as presentations at both the national and international level. She also received an NIH medical student research fellowship to further her interests.

After observing her plastic surgery mentors, she realized that the best surgical results were obtained by those who were able to recognize and appreciate often subtle differences in symmetry, shape, and form. She enrolled at the world renowned Parsons New School of Design in New York City where she sketched, painted, and sculpted human models and learned to appreciate the nuances of the human form. Earning a Certificate in the Fine Arts, she then returned to Duke University to complete her final year of medical school.

Graduating with Honors from Duke, she continued her education at Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital under the tutelage of Dr. Aldona Spiegel, an expert breast reconstruction microsurgeon. Completing both a clinical and research fellowship in breast reconstruction and microsurgery, Dr. Khan knew she had found her calling and was admitted into the highly competitive integrated Plastic Surgery residency training program at the University of South Florida.

During her 6-year residency, she rotated through several highly acclaimed institutions, including the Moffitt Cancer Center and Tampa General Hospital. Training in the full spectrum of all that plastic surgery has to offer, including hand surgery, burn reconstruction, cleft lip/palate surgery, lower extremity reconstruction, maxillofacial trauma, head and neck surgery, microsurgery, and cosmetic surgery, she knew she was more than ready to enter the world of private practice in Dallas, Texas.

Joining first as an associate of Dr. John B. Tebbetts, Dr. Khan was fortunate to begin her practice under the guidance and mentorship of a world-renowned plastic surgeon. She quickly mastered Dr. Tebbetts’ 24 hour recovery® breast augmentation technique, which when combined with her vast surgical skill set, allowed her to become one of the most sought after aesthetic plastic surgeons. After Dr. Tebbetts’ retirement, Dr. Khan established her own state of the art office in the Turtle Creek neighborhood of Dallas.

Ultimately, Dr. Khan believes that it is an honor and a privilege to be a plastic surgeon. “I am truly blessed to have found such a wonderful career. Every day, I am inspired by my colleagues and patients to give 110% to whatever I pursue. Every day I learn something new and that allows me to provide my patients with the latest and most innovative procedures to correct both function and form.”

Dr. Khan strives to provide her patients with the safest and most up to date surgical technique. She regularly attends national Plastic Surgery meetings and is a diplomate of the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS), and a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and the Dallas Society of Plastic Surgeons. She is nationally recognized for the 24 hour recovery ® breast augmentation, and is routinely featured as an expert contributor for Fox News Radio and various media outlets, including NBC, CBS, ABC and the CW network.

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 2nd year of medical school at Duke, I fell in love with surgery. I enjoyed the immediate gratification of identifying my patient’s problem and “fixing” it in the operating room. But my plastic surgery mentors inspired me the most, and I remember one particular day in clinic when I decided I wanted to be a plastic surgeon. This attending plastic surgeon was a craniofacial surgeon and the clinic was full of kids with various craniofacial anomalies, including cleft lip and cleft palate. The first patient was a young child with a cleft lip and instead of taking photographs to document the child’s condition, the surgeon sketched the child’s lip and explained to the parents, via drawings, how he would correct the lip. I was amazed at how well the surgeon understood this child’s anatomy and how well he could appreciate the subtleties that would need to be corrected. The next child in clinic was a postop cleft lip correction and the parents were simply ecstatic with the results. The young child was able to feed properly and was thriving because he was gaining weight, all because of a simple corrective surgery. By the end of that clinic day, I knew I wanted to make a difference in the lives of my patients just like my attending plastic surgeon.

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

After I decided that I wanted to be a plastic surgeon, I realized I needed to expand my training beyond just the science. The practice of medicine, after all, is not just a science but an art. The best plastic surgeons I observed had great surgical technique but were also able to recognize and appreciate often subtle differences in symmetry, shape, and form. Therefore, during my third year of medical school, I enrolled at the world renowned Parsons New School of Design in New York City. I learned to appreciate the nuances of the human form through sketching, painting, and sculpting human models. While this certificate in the Fine Arts program was a far cry from the rigors of Duke Medical School, I found my time at Parsons to be quite formative in shaping how I assess my patients. This training allowed me to focus on restoring both function AND form, and I find it interesting that patients still tell me they feel more comfortable with me as a plastic surgeon because of my art training. In fact, a majority of my new patients cite my time at Parsons as the reason why they come see me instead of another plastic surgeon.

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?

After I finished my plastic surgery training, I moved to Dallas to start in private practice. I had never lived in Dallas prior to this move and I had no “roots” in this area. I moved because I had a wonderful opportunity to join a world renowned plastic surgeon in practice. Private practice is challenging to start off in because there is no guaranteed salary. I remember my partner telling me that the patients will come, I just needed to make sure I did good work. The first month I saw two patients and the second month I saw four. I heeded my partner’s advice and took on the hard cases and made sure I did my very best to give my patients the best possible result. I also scrubbed in with my partner regularly and learned additional surgical techniques to polish my own skills. Perhaps most importantly, I learned the 24 hour recovery® breast augmentation technique because I was willing to learn from my partner. Even though I had 8 years of surgical training under my belt, I knew I still had a lot more to learn and I was committed to finding the best surgical techniques for my patients. This helped me attract a lot of patients to my practice and within 18 months, my clinic and surgical schedules were full! The takeaway is work hard and continue to better yourself. The success will come.

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 will always be grateful for the time I spent with Dr. Tebbetts. Even though he was my “partner” in private practice, he acted more like a mentor to me. I learned from him not only surgical techniques but also life lessons and the business of private practice.

When I first met Dr. Tebbetts, he asked me if I knew my worth. At the time, I was confused by the question but he explained to me that everyone should know their worth so they are never undervalued. Needless to say, I quickly figured out my worth and to this day, I keep that in mind whenever I’m setting my prices for a new procedure or evaluating a new business proposal.

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?

I am best known for providing my patients the 24 hour recovery® breast augmentation. This procedure allows my patients to look their best with minimal downtime so they can return to their busy lives ASAP. In fact, patients fly from across the country (and even across oceans) to get this procedure because they can return home within a day or two while enjoying their new figure. Traditional plastic surgery procedures have several weeks of downtime and recovery but our aesthetic practice recognizes that in today’s world, patients do not have the luxury of taking a lot of time off. Therefore, our procedures are designed to give patients the best possible results in the least traumatic manner possible. Facetite and Bodytite are two such procedures that allow us to deliver results that previously were only possible with traditional surgical procedures involving lengthy incisions and several weeks of downtime. Instead of a traditional facelift/necklift, Facetite uses radiofrequency to tighten and contour the lower face and neck. Small pinpoint incisions are used instead of the traditional facelift incisions that go in front of and behind the ear. For the body, Bodytite is used, often in conjunction with liopsuction, to simultaneously remove excess fat AND tighten skin. So, instead of a traditional arm lift, which requires a long upper arm incision extending from the elbow to the armpit, I am able to fully contour upper arms with Bodytite and liposuction (which only requires 2 small liposuction scars that are easily camouflaged). In the past, liposuction would remove the fat but the excess skin would still hang, necessitating surgeons to excise the skin with a long incision. However, the amazing technology of Facetite and Bodytite allows us to get maximal skin tightening and contouring in the safest way possible.

Perhaps even more exciting are the latest advancements in noninvasive technology. One such device is the Venus Bliss, a diode laser that has shown significant fat reduction results after only 3 sessions. This procedure is comfortable and takes less than 30 minutes to perform with almost no downtime. Most patients opt to do work or watch TV while undergoing this procedure! And although liposuction with Bodytite allows us to remove larger amounts of fat in one setting, the Venus Bliss allows us to comfortably contour a patient’s “problem area” over several sessions. Patients often prefer noninvasive devices because of the very little to no downtime, significantly reduced cost when compared to surgical procedures and their ability to undergo these procedures despite having certain medical conditions that would disqualify them from being surgical candidates. Similarly, facial resurfacing procedures using noninvasive technology, such as the Venus Versa, have gained popularity because they allow us to target MULTIPLE skin concerns in one platform/device with minimal downtime for patients. Even more impressive, the Venus Versa is able to use radiofrequency, Intense Pulsed Light (IPL), and/or an Acne Dual Head IPL to combine multiple treatments in one setting for patients of ALL skin tones. In the past, lasers were often contraindicated for use in dark skin patients because of the risk of hypopigmentation but radiofrequency based technologies with the newer IPL allow us to treat darker skin patients with precision and confidence.

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 always remind patients they need to have realistic expectations when undergoing noninvasive procedures. So, although a fat reduction device like Venus Bliss can improve the appearance of a patient’s problem area after 3 sessions, patients should not expect surgical like results. And, if a patient has deep scars or wrinkles, they may need several facial rejuvenation procedures (including Venus Versa, chemical peels, and/or botox and fillers) to get the best possible results.

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

We are always looking for newer technology that delivers better results in a safer and more efficient manner.
We are getting surgical like results from minimally invasive devices like Facetite and Bodytite.
Treatments are becoming more affordable because there are more options so there is something for everyone.

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?

False advertising (i.e. promising results that are not possible with the procedure being advertised)
Practicioners (including physicians, nurses, and aestheticians) using misleading credentials to boost one’s own reputation
Misleading before/after photos (using flash, different backgrounds, or photoshop to show differences that may not be present)

3 ways to reform or improve the industy:

Promote ethical advertising standards by making sure ALL professional societies (for doctors, surgeons, nurses, etc.) hold their members accountable for their advertising
Patients should do their due diligence when selecting their provider so they understand the difference between a plastic surgeon vs. a cosmetic surgeon or an aesthetic doctor. Board Certified Plastic surgeons undergo at least 6 years of surgical training in plastic surgery, followed by an intensive oral and written board certification process. The only plastic/cosmetic surgery board recognized by the ABMS (American Board of Medical Specialties) is the ABPS (American Board of Plastic Surgery).
Social media allows anyone to post videos or before/afters so he or she can look like an “expert”. Again, patients should always check an account’s website to see what credentials the practicioner has (i.e. training, board certification, expertise, etc.)

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.)

Have a daily skincare routine and use a mask once a week. This will give your skin that “glow” that helps us all feel beautiful.
Get monthly facials and/or peels. Again, when your skin looks its best, you tend to feel most beautiful.
Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Your skin will be hydrated and your makeup will look even better.
Treat yourself to a blowout before a party or a big event. You (and your hair!) will look and feel beautiful.
Take a relaxing bath and use bath bombs with essential oils that leave your skin feeling soft and moisturized.

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. 🙂

In this day and age, we are under constant pressure to look and act a certain way. People often hide what they are really feeling in hopes of putting forth the perfect image on social media. Since we never know what another person is really going through, I make a conscious effort to smile at whoever I run into. If we all just remember to smile a bit more, we can make this world a friendlier place for all.

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

I heard this quote during my training and I’ve never forgotten it since: ”If you want to see a rainbow, you have to put up with the rain”. Owning a private practice is hard work, and I often say the easiest part of my day is operating. But when you’re running a business, you also have to oversee and manage employees, marketing, networking, and the day to day operations. Physicians also have to make sure they keep up with their CMEs (continuing medical education) so it can be overwhelming. But, the satisfaction of having your own practice and being your own boss so you can treat your patients the way you want to makes it all worthwhile.

How can our readers follow you online?

My practice is very active on social media and readers can follow me on Instagram @khan_plastic_surgery, on Facebook at Khan Plastic Surgery, and on twitter @KhanPlasticSurg. For more information about specific surgical or noninvasive procedures that I offer, feel free to visit my website at www.khanplasticsurgery.com

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

The Future Of Beauty: “Facetite, Bodytite, & Venus Bliss” With Dr Farah Naz Khan was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Grammy-Nominated Producer Emile Ghantous “They Told Me It Was Impossible And I Did It Anyway”

The truth is that I have never really paid attention to the haters. Many of the people who said I wouldn’t ever make it now hit me up trying to meet their favorite artists, or ask me if I can help someone they know make it in the business. I always listen to everything everyone sends me because you never know what you might discover. And I do my best to stay cool with everyone.

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 Emile Ghantous.

Grammy-Nominated and NAACP Award-Winning Producer Emile Ghantous is no stranger to making hits. As the mastermind behind award-winning tracks by names ranging from Chris Brown to Snoop Dogg, Prince Royce to Pitbull, and legends such as Charlie Wilson — Ghantous does not shy away from a challenge. And so when he was tasked with producing a 15-person global hit virtually, he rose to the occasion. And the results may be changing the industry as a whole.

Emile Ghantous recently teamed with internet ultra-sensation, Now United, to produce their most recent hit, “By My Side”, which resulted in a total knockout, garnering an impressive 330K streams and 3.7M video views in under one week. Although these numbers are remarkable, it’s the way in which “By My Side” was created that is catching the attention of industry professionals, sparking conversations and molding expectations of just where the industry is headed in years to come.

Amidst the Stay At Home restrictions due to COVID-19, the “By My Side” producer found a way to create this track, consisting of the vocals of 15 individual members, all from different parts of the world, via separate iPhone voicenotes sent to him via text. Ghantous then took the low-res recordings and worked tirelessly on engineering them to sound like a high-budget, in-studio, collaborative piece.

“I took the recordings and moved everything around manually until they lined up in Logic, and started equalizing and creating vocal chains for each singer according to the room they recorded in. Some lines were even split into 5 tracks to get all the tones to match,” explains Ghantous.

And hundreds of thousands of streams later, the song has proven to be a major hit, and the industry is taking notes on the new production style. With COVID-19 showing no signs of letting up on Stay At Home restrictions, this production style has started a trend. With “By My Side” proving to be such a major success, Ghantous is now working on a number of other songs for Now United and other artists.

It’s an understatement to say the world is facing some difficult times right now. In the music industry, artists are feeling the effects no matter what capacity they part-take in it. The traditional processes of music-making are being challenged, and activities such as record-producing, which, from the beginning of time, have depended heavily on studio sessions with hundred-thousand-dollar technology, are threatening artist’s livelihoods and futures. But as they say, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”. And Ghantous proved once again, he is as tough as a veteran Hollywood producer comes.

“I didn’t want to let physical boundaries stop us from creating something we love. In this industry, you have to adapt to survive. We took what we were given and made something great of it. It was tricky but we made it work,” says Ghantous. “You have to find a way to get things done. I believe there should never be an excuse for why you can’t get things done, and if you are waiting for someone else to do them for you, then you will most likely be waiting for a long time. You should NEVER have any excuses. Technology should be your best friend, and if you want to take this business seriously, you need to put in the work.”

Rather than letting this put a halt on the hits, he once again proves why he has risen to success time and time again in an ever-changing industry; by adapting to the circumstances, using some creativity, and lots of hard work. Thanks to this work ethic, artists will continue to work, listeners will continue to hear the songs they love, and hopefully people will remain hopeful for better times to come.

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’?

Thanks for having me! I’ve been writing and producing records for more than 15 years. I got my big break while living in Chicago working with artists like Public Announcement, Boyz II Men, Jojo, 3LW, Bobby Valentino, etc.

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

I’m currently working on a lot of new things, but I’m focusing most of my energy primarily on new artists. Recently I’ve working a lot with Now United. The group consists of 15 artists from 15 different countries. So that’s been a lot of fun. I’m also working with Baby Goth, Carly Gibert, WanMor (whose father is Wanya Morris from the group Boyz II Men), Charlie Wilson, Celina Sharma, Haven, Angel Taylor, and a lot of others.

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

Well I do my best to focus on delivering great songs and making sure I have great sounding vocals from the artists I produce. Even though I make beats, I also am a true producer who can finish a record and make it sound radio ready. A lot of people are good at making beats, but don’t know how to properly take an idea and turn it into a record. I have a lot of experience and can always deliver a high-quality product.

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 think anyone who follows their dreams and becomes successful gets bashed by others on their way up. When I first started, I was waiting tables while trying to make it as a producer. I had people tell me that I would never make and that I should stop telling people I was a producer because I was never going to be anything more than a waiter. I also had a big hit record a few years back and one of the people I showed the song to told me it sucked and would never work. But I followed my instinct and continued working on it and the song became one of the biggest songs of my career.

In the end, how were all the naysayers proven wrong? 🙂 Well, success is the greatest revenge isn’t it? ☺

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?

Well in my situation, I didn’t really have anyone help get me to the next level. When I first started, I used to email A&R’s and managers pretending I knew them. I would create an email chain between us and fake a conversation. I would make up names of people I was working with and attach my music to the emails. Well, my music was good enough to get them interested and I slowly started selling songs that way. I have worked with some of the biggest managers in the industry and none of them have ever worked harder for me than I have worked for myself. And none of them really did much for me.

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?

The truth is that I have never really paid attention to the haters. Many of the people who said I wouldn’t ever make it now hit me up trying to meet their favorite artists, or ask me if I can help someone they know make it in the business. I always listen to everything everyone sends me because you never know what you might discover. And I do my best to stay cool with everyone.

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 answer! Don’t take no as answer! Don’t take no as answer! Don’t take no as answer! Don’t take no as answer!

What is your favorite quote or personal philosophy that relates to the concept of resilience? Anything is possible if you just believe!

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.

More collaborations with people who bring out the best in each other.

Can our readers follow you on social media? Yes. I’m on Facebook and IG @emileghantous

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

Grammy-Nominated Producer Emile Ghantous “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.

Laura Freebairn-Smith of Organizational Performance Group: “Five Things We Need To Do To Close The…

Laura Freebairn-Smith of Organizational Performance Group: “Five Things We Need To Do To Close The Gender Wage Gap”

…A third factor is an emphasis on having children as a critical life achievement. More women and men are choosing not to have children but there is extraordinary societal pressure to do so. It’s a cliché but true — as soon as a couple gets married (hetero, gay, or otherwise), people start asking, “When are you going to have kids?” Children have a major impact on at least one partner’s income, and the world is overpopulated. We don’t need more children, but as a species that is biologically programmed to reproduce, we are driven to have them.

As part of my series about “The Five Things We Need to Do to Close the Gender Wage Gap,” I had the pleasure of interviewing Laura Freebairn-Smith.

Laura Freebairn-Smith is a co-founder and partner at Organizational Performance Group (OPG). Laura helps leaders redesign their organizations and create strategic plans through organizational development guidance. Laura also teaches at Yale’s School of Drama and the Yale Office of International Affairs.

Prior to this work, Laura served as Yale’s Director of the Organizational Development and Learning Center, which she helped create in 1999. In addition to her work with OPG’s clients, Laura teaches leadership, diversity, and team building at Yale’s School of Drama.

Her work and career have three major foci:

Leading the creation of extraordinary organizational cultures
Guiding groups, large and small, to greater effectiveness and impact
Consulting on organizational development issues with a special emphasis on strategic planning and organizational redesign

Laura’s background includes a BA from UC Berkeley (Philosophy and Political Science) and an MBA from the Yale School of Management. She holds a doctorate in Organizational Systems and has published articles and chapters on organizational development topics, most recently the impact of gender on inequity in compensation.

Prior to joining Yale, Laura founded Good Work Associates, a consulting firm providing strategic planning and organizational development services. Before that, she served as Managing Director for the Gesell Institute of Human Development, as Chief Operating Officer for Jobs for the Future, and as Education Coordinator for the International Rescue Committee on the Thai-Cambodian border. In addition to her teaching position at Yale, Laura has taught at the University of New Haven, Georgetown University, and Central Connecticut State University. She has received several leadership awards.

Laura is committed to being a catalyst for the planting of one million trees in her lifetime.

Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us the “backstory” that brought you to this career path?

I became interested in organizational issues when I was working in a Cambodian refugee camp on the Thai-Cambodian border as the Education Coordinator for a camp called Khao-I-Dang. I had 1,000 Khmer staff and about 10 Thai and expatriate staff working for me. I reported to the International Rescue Committee’s Bangkok and New York offices, as well as to the UNHCR in Bangkok. I was struck with how difficult middle management and communication was. As a result of those challenges, I ended up at the Yale School of Management where I discovered the field of organizational development. I also discovered accounting and finance. Those two organizational “languages” became powerful sense-makers and tools for me in my career. I went on to be a Chief Operating Officer, Managing Director, Director of Organizational Development, Professor, and Partner in a variety of organizations ranging from a small nonprofit called Jobs for the Future to Yale University.

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

I do not have a most interesting story; that’s impossible to choose from the events and experiences of 40 years. I have had the honor and privilege of working with CEOs and front line staff on a wide range of challenges that mattered to them greatly. I’ve flown in helicopters to retreats, skied down a mountain at night with emerging leaders, and watched multiple staff grow and flourish. It might sound corny but it is true for me that every single day that I spend growing OPG is interesting and meaningful. At my core, I’m an entrepreneur. I love creating jobs and value by creating great organizations.

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

This is not so funny as much as a powerful learning. One of my favorite bosses of all time, Peter Vallone, once said to me, “Don’t get out ahead of your boss.” It was such a great lesson about not taking initiative or saying things in a public space without being sure your boss was on board. I had done this many times, I’m sure, before he taught me that phrase.

Ok, let’s jump to the main focus of our interview. Even in 2019, women still earn about 80 cents for every dollar a man makes. Can you explain three of the main factors that are causing the wage gap?

Netflix has a great new series, “Explained.” One of the topics is the pay gap for women. In the series, based on Rwanda’s success at decreasing the pay gap, one effective approach to change the pay gap is to have a majority of women in political and other leadership roles. Women, in general, seem to create and approve more policies that decrease the gender gap. They vote for free or inexpensive childcare. They vote for income equality.

Another factor in the pay gap is the idea that childcare and home management are women’s work. In Arlie Hochschild’s book, The Second Shift, written in 1989, she documented how women do 80% of the house work and management. Men tend to do the once a week, once a month, or once a year house tasks such as mowing the lawn, taking the garbage out. Women are cooking multiple meals a day, feeding the dog, bringing in the mail, and getting children ready. For some younger generations in developed countries, this imbalance is shifting as young men have begun to see house care and childcare as part of their relationship contribution.

A third factor is an emphasis on having children as a critical life achievement. More women and men are choosing not to have children but there is extraordinary societal pressure to do so. It’s a cliché but true — as soon as a couple gets married (hetero, gay, or otherwise), people start asking, “When are you going to have kids?” Children have a major impact on at least one partner’s income, and the world is overpopulated. We don’t need more children, but as a species that is biologically programmed to reproduce, we are driven to have them.

Can you share with our readers what your work is doing to help close the gender wage gap?

We work with leaders in our client organizations. As part of our work, we ask them to consider how they can use their power and influence to change the world for the better, not just their organization. Through those dialogues, we hope that our client leaders will make changes to pay scales, promotion tracks, and equalize expectations across gender about who needs what kind of support (men need parental leave too).

Can you recommend 5 things that need to be done on a broader societal level to close the gender wage gap? Please share a story or example for each.

Here are five things we can do on a societal level.

As mentioned above, based on Rwanda’s success at decreasing the pay gap, one way to change the pay gap is to have a majority of women in political and other leadership roles.
Model shared house care. Be sure that you and your spouse divide up all the work that it takes to run a house in an equitable way.
Model gender equity in your home. Don’t allow or use language or ideas that make women second-class citizens with fewer rights.
Encourage your daughters, nieces, and other young women in your life to question the images they see in the media.
Run for office.

I have a few ideas here:

Every second Sunday, everyone would stop using their cars, flying, or using any individual vehicle with emissions. They would walk, bike, take public transit. Twenty-four hours of decreased emissions world-wide, once a month, would help global warming.
14x Pay Differential: Every company would commit that the pay differential (including all forms of compensation) would never be more than 14x between the highest paid and the lowest paid worker. OPG’s differential is 6x.
“I have more than I need” — My son once asked me if we were rich. I said, “We have more than we need so, yes, we are rich.” If we could all focus on using less resources, sharing more, and voting in the interest of others, not ourselves, I think it would continue to improve the global condition.
Every company would commit to Paul Hawken’s guidelines for a responsible free market economy from his book, The Ecology of Commerce, with some modifications:
Reduce absolute consumption of energy and natural resources in the North by 80% within the next half century
Provide secure, stable, and meaningful employment for people everywhere
Be self-actuating as opposed to regulated or morally mandated (for me, this needs modification)
Honor market principles (for me, this needs modification)
Be more rewarding than our present way of life
Exceed sustainability by restoring degraded habitats and ecosystems to their fullest biological capacity
Rely on current income
Be fun and engaging

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

I use the five rules of life in my teaching and my own life.

Show up
Be present
Speak your truth
Don’t be attached to an outcome
Be open to all possibilities

For me, speaking my truth has been an ongoing practice — how to speak the truth without anger or sarcasm or fear. This is hard work.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. 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 see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂

Warren Buffett. I’m intrigued with his deep commitment to sharing the wealth. I’d love to talk to him about how capitalism can be changed to reduce income inequality, at a system level, not just individual by individual. How do we reduce greed? Increase ethics? Increase sharing? I think he’s worked hard on these issues his whole life.

How can our readers follow you online?

www.orgpg.com
[email protected]

This was really meaningful! Thank you so much for your time.

Laura Freebairn-Smith of Organizational Performance Group: “Five Things We Need To Do To Close The… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Shannon Houchins of Average Joes Entertainment: “They told me it was impossible and I did it…

Shannon Houchins of Average Joes Entertainment: “They told me it was impossible and I did it anyway”

We need to believe in ourselves more. The person standing in the place we want to be doesn’t have super powers or a magic button. If we work hard enough, we can get there. Don’t get paralyzed by fear of trying. Just go.

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 Shannon Houchins.

Shannon Houchins is CEO/President of Nashville-based Average Joes Entertainment. Average Joes is a multi-faceted entertainment/lifestyle company that includes three record labels, music publishing, artist management, the Mega Truck Series of extreme motorsports racing and Hideout Pictures, a film & tv/video production company. The company focuses on a grassroots approach, availability of product and cross-promotional opportunities to expand artist visibility.

Since launching the company in 2008, Houchins has overseen all aspects of the business. Over the past decade, it has sold in excess of 3 million albums, 4 million singles, over 1 million concert tickets, and has been nominated for numerous music industry awards. In addition, Houchins has been featured in such major media outlets as The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone and The New York Times.

Average Joes and affiliated labels’ growing roster of artists and projects includes Colt Ford, Montgomery Gentry, Bubba Sparxxx, Sarah Ross, Sam Grow, Maggie Baugh, Carter Winter, SMO, Lenny Cooper, DJ Canyon Bannon, Tommy Chayne, Cypress Spring, James Phillips, Devin Burris and the Mud Digger Series.

Houchins began his career as a producer. He went on to become a staff producer/writer for Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def Productions working with acts such as TLC, Usher and Jagged Edge, to name a few.

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 began my professional career in Atlanta, Georgia as a staff producer for Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def Productions. I later started my own production company that was the stepping stone to form my own record label (Average Joes). Sometime over the past few years I caught the bug to make film and television, and now I’m doing that.

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

I’m currently working on a slate of alternate-reality western films that all tie into each other. I don’t know if they will help anyone, but hopefully they will be enjoyable to watch.

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

I think we are more of a lifestyle brand than a record label or a film entity. We’ve found a core audience that is specific to what we create and our job is just to feed that audience. So basically we’ve found a niche’ space. What’s different about us is that space itself.

I was told that coming from a small town it would be impossible to make a mark in the entertainment business. When I wanted to start Average Joes Entertainment, I was constantly given the terrible odds of the label being a success. When I wanted to create and produce a tv pilot, I was told the chances were nil we could sell it. There are several more instances that arose as I kept coming up with things I wanted to try (mainly to keep myself from getting bored.) The naysayers usually just say “who knew.” I don’t hold those opinions against anyone. From a probability standpoint, they were probably right in saying I’d fail. But if I didn’t try, then my chances were zero.

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

When my venture worked. Sure I’ve had to stop, take three steps back and re-evaluate at times but that’s what makes the process so much fun. It’s all about the journey, right?

There are several. Too many to name. Life is a team sport.

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 played alot of sports and I hated to lose. I never understood the term “sore loser.” Isn’t that redundant? If you play, you want to win, right? So, of course, you are sore when you lose. I was fortunate to play sports on teams that won and when I quit playing, I still had that thrist to play. To win. I just applied it elsewhere.

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)

I’ve read so many testimonials of how so and so became successful. To me everything you attempt has a different path, and every person’s starting gate circumstance is different. There are so many factors to consider that I never like to give any standard “how to” advice. If anything, I like to think of each venture like one of those puzzle mazes. You know where you are. You know where you want to go. Then you make a plan and go. You hit a wall, you adjust, go the other way, climb it. Just keep going.

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

“To believe a thing impossible is to make it so.” I’m not sure who said it, but I like it.

Well I don’t know if I’m “of great influence,” but if anything I think what the world lacks most is confidence. We need to believe in ourselves more. The person standing in the place we want to be doesn’t have super powers or a magic button. If we work hard enough, we can get there. Don’t get paralyzed by fear of trying. Just go.

Can our readers follow you on social media?

Not personally, but our Average Joes and Hideout Pictures socials are below:

Instagram,Twitter, Facebook: @averagejoesent

Instagram: @hideoutpictures

Facebook: @hideoutpics

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

Thank You.

Shannon Houchins of Average Joes Entertainment: “They told me it was impossible and I did it… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

AJ Cartas of Syzygy Social: “5 Ideas That Influencers Can Use To Monetize Their Brand”

As influencers, people look up to them for a reason. Some of the most common types of courses sold are workout routines, recipes, and other how-to’s and DIY’s.

As part of my series about “How Influencers Can Monetize Their Brand” I had the pleasure of interviewing AJ Cartas.

AJ has been a social media influencer since 2013. By the end of 2015, he had over 1.2 million followers across Instagram, Vine, YouTube, and Twitter. AJ used his social media skills and started consulting for brands from startups to multi-billion dollar corporations. He has led influencer marketing for both domestic and international campaigns. Currently, he is the Founder & CEO of Syzygy Social, a social media agency that specializes in growing online communities for brands using unique engagement and content strategies as well as global influencer marketing campaigns in China, United Kingdom, and Australia.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! What is your “backstory”?

My name is AJ Cartas and I am an entrepreneur, a social media influencer, an author, and an investor. Currently, I am the Founder & CEO of Syzygy Social, a social media agency.

I was born and raised in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States on October 3rd, 2001. I lived in the Chicagoland area for more than 14 years until I moved to California in 2015.

I started creating content for social media in early 2013 and fell in love with the ability to grasp people’s attention and drive action. That’s when I was introduced to social media marketing and influencer marketing.

As I attended my third year of college, I realized that it wasn’t beneficial for me to continue giving my time and money due to the fact that I was doing what I was learning in my classes. After I finished the semester with a 3.9 GPA, I dropped out and took the risk of moving to Silicon Valley for an internship.

That internship actually turned into a huge scam and I had to claw my way out of that hole. I started reaching out to brands to do their social media and my Instagram was literally my resume. Eventually, I landed a client, and then another, and then another. Later on, I became the Director of Social Media for Bytedance, a $78 billion company (parent company of Tik Tok), and was Director of Influencer Marketing for Calm.

I filed a lawsuit against the company that refused to pay me and used that as a learning experience, which shaped into the type of person who I am now. I actually wrote about my experience in my book, Startups and Downs, which I published in May 2019.

As I advanced in my career, I launched my third agency, Syzygy Social, (after having the previous 2 acquired), that specializes in helping Western brands be introduced to Chinese consumers.

Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you in the course of your career?

One of the most interesting stories I could think of is what I mentioned earlier: how that one company scammed me. It was a very vulnerable moment for me, but I gladly share it so others can learn from my situation.

I was offered a summer internship in 2015 that required me to relocate to San Jose, California. I was offered a pretty good salary as well as accommodations as a package.

I rented out this apartment that was $3,000 per month and purchased furniture with a promise that the company would reimburse me. I was also told to lease it for one year and that the company would take over the lease after my three months was up.

Week after week, I asked the founder when I would get paid and reimbursed and he would say as soon as there’s funding and that it should be next week. It all became empty promises and eventually left. The whole process took almost three years until a judgment was filed with the company. The founder was ordered to pay me back, but it was nearly impossible to because there’s no money.

I decided to pursue the judgment so that others don’t fall victim and will see that the company hasn’t paid me back.

In my book, I also gave tips on how to spot red flags during the interview process because I wish I knew the right questions to ask and maybe I wouldn’t have landed in this mess. However, I don’t regret it at all because it was one of the best learning experiences I’ve ever had. I truly believe I wouldn’t be where I’m at now if it wasn’t for that misfortune.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

Before I moved to California, there was this middle school student that reached out to me from Garland, Texas to be part of a charity event for cancer. They offered to compensate me, but I refused and paid out of pocket since my grandpa died of cancer and wanted to do it in his honor.

I flew out there with a friend and did a meet & greet for the event and donated everything I potentially could’ve made. I was told by the counselor that the district has one of the highest rates of cancer and that the event became the biggest in the district!

I’m glad I was able to use my social media platform for something great.

If someone would want to emulate your career, what would you suggest are the most important things to do?

Never stop learning
Never regret anything
Always find solutions to your problems
Be resilient
Learn when to spend your time and your money efficiently

These are some of the things that someone should do on a daily basis.

Is there a particular person that made a profound difference in your life to whom you are grateful? Can you share a story?

Yes, his name is Sumant Pendharkar.

When I moved to California, I literally had no one in my network and knew no one. Luckily, I met Sumant when I was at the lowest point of my life.

I was deep in debt. I didn’t know where my career was going. I didn’t want to go back to Illinois as a failure.

Sumant took me under his wing and offered me invaluable advice financially, professionally, and personally. He’s one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met and I’m glad I can go to him for any advice.

So what are the most exciting projects you are working on now?

I’m running influencer marketing campaigns for brands that are established in the U.S. and helping them expand in China via influencer marketing. There, influencer marketing is called KOL marketing, which stands for key opinion leader.

It’s exciting to me because China is a completely different field because Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and all of the other social media platforms that are available in the US are not available there. Instead, they have their own platforms such as Weibo, WeChat, XiaoHongShu, Taobao, and Douyin.

I’m able to expand on my marketing acumen by familiarizing myself with how to launch campaigns in China.

What are your “Top Five Ideas About How Influencers Can Monetize Their Brand”. (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. Brand collaborations

One of the most common ways to monetize an influencer’s brand is by collaborating with a brand. The brand either sends the influencer products to promote or pay the influencer to promote their product or service.

2. Affiliate marketing

Some influencers regularly curate products that they like and regularly use. Through this method, they’re able to sell these products (without direct relationship from the brand) and get a percentage every time a product is sold using their link or discount code.

3. Selling courses

As influencers, people look up to them for a reason. Some of the most common types of courses sold are workout routines, recipes, and other how-to’s and DIY’s.

4. Creating exclusive content

You can monetize your following by signing up on platforms like Patreon or Paid Followers. Your most loyal followers can subscribe to your account and pay per month, per week, or whatever the platform allows you to.

5. Launching their own business

The biggest influencers launch their own business, which is actually one of the smartest things an influencer can do because their revenue stream is not just stuck into their social media platforms. They’re able to move their followers to other areas either online or offline. Some examples of successful influ-preneurs, (a term I coined; a portmanteau of influencer and entrepreneur) are Nikita Dragun, Bretman Rock, James Charles, and Logan Paul.

Arlan Hamilton!

I’d love to have a sit down with Arlan, Founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital which she built while homeless, who focuses on investing in founders part of underrepresented communities. As a first-generation, gay, Filipino-American, she’s uplifting those who are people like me.

We need more Arlans in the world and I hope to follow her lead and amplify those who part of underrepresented communities as well.

What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?

The best way you can follow me is on:

Instagram: @aj.cartas

Twitter: @ajcartas

Facebook: AJ Cartas

AJ Cartas of Syzygy Social: “5 Ideas That Influencers Can Use To Monetize Their Brand” was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Steve Richmond of Projetech: “How I Was Able To Thrive Despite First Experiencing Impostor…

Steve Richmond of Projetech: “How I Was Able To Thrive Despite First Experiencing Impostor Syndrome”

I always try to take people for what they are. Even though a company might be small, or they might be relatively inexperienced, if there’s an opportunity where we can collaborate or where I could make use of their expertise, I go for it.

Ihad pleasure of interviewing Steve Richmond of Projetech Inc. Born in Los Angeles, California and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Steve Richmond founded Projetech in 1990 and has led, driven and grown it to its present day success. Pioneering IBM Maximo as a Service in 1999 he transformed a traditional consultant-based organization into an award-winning IBM Gold Business Partner.

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

I find it a little ironic. I was educated in mechanical engineering and my company morphed into a Software-as-a-Service business, which at first it doesn’t seem to parlay very cleanly, but 30 years ago it made sense to me.

It occurred to me at some point that making money and managing and maintaining assets were just mechanical systems. Just thinking about boilers, chillers, air conditioners, and heating systems, it struck me that there was only so much money that could be made fixing those things and that you’d always needed a strong back and a ladder.

I thought that if you had better information about those assets, that the information itself, at some point, would be of greater value than the work you were doing. That’s what sort of drove me towards Asset Management.

The question then became: did I want to run a contracting business and fix things? Or did I want to develop an Informational System that would make people smarter about how they fixed things?

Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?

I always like to talk about one of my earliest clients. They were looking for a software product, something that I had not yet delved into a great deal. At that point in my career, I tried to do a little programming with some flat-file systems and I realized pretty quickly I wasn’t a programmer.

I was hired by a manufacturing company. They wanted a system that could differentiate between various variables of a specific product — they were making silicon wafers for the chip industry and were running their systems 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, but needed more information. Texas Instruments was buying every wafer they could make at the time, so their key thing was “uptime”. They never wanted to turn their systems off but they needed a software product to help explain and help them manage these assets to be more productive.

I learned a great deal researching various products that were available at that time. And at the end of the day I made a recommendation; I wrote a report but they never bought the product.

The company I recommended in my report ended up hiring me to sell that product a year later and that’s how I kind of tripped into the software business.

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

I think it’s the service-oriented nature of the people that work there. We’ve always tried to put Customer Service first. We all understand that we wouldn’t be in business if we didn’t have clients. We have to keep them happy.

Many times, we are approached by companies where they have very constricted timelines. For example, they’re required to be up and operating in a power plant in 60 days. They have to hire people and transition and train and do all the documentation that’s involved in making such a transition happen. Our ability to pivot and move quickly enough to support those kinds of timelines has always been a differentiator for us. There are very few companies that can take a system that’s on-premise, that is, perhaps a legacy in terms of its version or has less than pristine data. There are very few companies that can clean that data, upgrade that software and deploy it from the cloud in 30 days or 60 days, and we do it quite often.

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?

I don’t have names of specific people. What I found helped me the most were groups of people.

When I first started, there was an organization here in Cincinnati called Score, S-C-O-R-E. It was a service corps of retired executives, just a group of guys that got together to try to help startup companies.

They weren’t specifically technical companies in the early 90s, they were just trying to help people with their businesses, whatever those may or may not have been. I got a lot of good advice from people who had worked for many years for Procter & Gamble or General Electric.

Four or five years later, I began participating in what was called a “Round Table”, where a group of people were brought together, at the time, by the Chamber of Commerce. We all owned our own businesses, we were all diverse, but every 30 or 40 days, we would get together.

It was half therapy and half education. We all had similar problems, whether they were personal or financial or something else. I just learned a lot about being in a room with a lot of smart folks.

You know, the old saying “You don’t want to be the smartest guy in the room”? I think that’s what’s helped me the most.

Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. We would like to explore and flesh out the experience of Impostor Syndrome. How would you define Impostor Syndrome? What do people with Imposter Syndrome feel?

I think young companies are faced with this often. It’s difficult, for example, to justify hiring a very young consultant because they may or may not have the level of experience you might need depending on your challenges or the area of expertise you require. So both of you may end up questioning your roles and abilities. The parallel also works when you just talk about size, if you’re a two or three-person company and you’re trying to sell a service to a multinational, it’s very difficult to be taken seriously.

A lot of smaller companies feel that they need to overcompensate, through elaborate websites or titles, trying to look bigger through things that give the impression that they’re a bigger organization, when this isn’t necessarily needed.

How can the experience of Impostor Syndrome impact how one treats others?

I always try to take people for what they are. Even though a company might be small, or they might be relatively inexperienced, if there’s an opportunity where we can collaborate or where I could make use of their expertise, I go for it.

I feel, having grown a small business, that I have some level of wanting to give back and allow those people the opportunity to take a little bit more rope than somebody else might have given them.

We would love to hear your story about your experience with Impostor Syndrome. Would you be able to share that with us?

When we were younger and smaller, there were oftentimes where we would hit the wall with negotiations because of the size of the business. Well, both in size and experience. It’s just hard for a large company to take a small one seriously, or hard for an important project to be handed off to a rather young inexperienced resource. And this can be demoralizing but it can also be the fuel or motivation needed to succeed.

Did you ever shake the feeling off? If yes, what have you done to mitigate it or eliminate it?

If I can help someone along, and it’s not really risky, there’s nothing wrong with letting somebody fail and picking them up and moving them forward. Failures are just great little learning opportunities. It’s all it is, really.

You always have somebody apply for the job and you’re looking for experienced, and they don’t have any experience but they want the job and its challenges. Until somebody gives them that opportunity, they’re never going to have the experience. So, at some point, somebody has to be willing to take that chance.

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

I’m terrified by the lack of women in technology. It’s just too much of a “Boys’ Club”.

So, if I could influence anything, it would be to have more women in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) sectors. I’m the father of two daughters and I feel that it would have a great impact on them, as well as companies and organizations. It’s a win-win. I think there are a lot of really talented people out there that are not being taken seriously and some of that is definitely based on biases from a young age.

There’s a WIT (Women in Technology) program at the University of Cincinnati that we’ve helped and offered support to as a way to push for change.

We are blessed that some very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them 🙂

Ah, T. Boone Pickens, I’ve loved him since childhood. He was a great guy with many great lessons.

Also, I am a big fan of anything Elon Musk does. You can see that in the Projetech offices.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevekrichmond/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/projetech/

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

Steve Richmond of Projetech: “How I Was Able To Thrive Despite First Experiencing Impostor… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Publicist Amy Merrywest: “How I Was Able To Thrive Despite First Experiencing Impostor Syndrome”

We live in a digital age where we are all connected and vulnerable to criticism, whilst constantly seeing entrepreneurs online, who appear to always be at the top of their game and a huge success.

It’s unrealistic to think that they don’t have bad days or self-doubt, yet people don’t always realize this.

When we are surrounded by (albeit false) perfection — it’s hard to feel worthy.

As a part of our series about how very accomplished leaders were able to succeed despite experiencing Imposter Syndrome, I had the pleasure of interviewing Amy Merrywest.

Amy is founder and director of two companies, one of which helps entrepreneurial mums create and implement their own PR plans. You can find out more here.

Amy has big agency PR experience as well as freelance and small boutique agency experience. She has worked on plenty of well-known brands and secured a great deal of national, glossy and TV coverage for her clients as well as helping others maintain their own public profiles.

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

I am so pleased to be here, thanks for having me!

I started out my PR career in a small agency as a temp. I was tasked with pitching to the local press a story about the British Sub Aqua club.

This involved me calling journalists, all day, every day, and discussing the initiative. I can’t even begin to explain how hard it is to say “British Sub Aqua Club” over and over again! Needless to say — I soon became a pro on the phone!

From there I moved to a large PR firm in the city and took on some really great clients — I worked on many projects and became totally addicted to the buzz of getting great coverage — especially TV features.

This was a few years ago now and since then I have left the city and have a wonderful family. I now concentrate on helping entrepreneurial mums create and implement their own PR.

Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?

Naturally I enjoy getting a new piece of coverage — the bigger the better, and I love to see the benefit to my client that it can have.

There was a particular piece of coverage I had on a huge UK daytime TV program and it was a feature on a small eye cream from my client (a leading national supermarket).

If I’m honest, I got lucky because I had sent a press release to the producers not long before and I was in a position to courier over a sample of the product for them on the same day as filming. I was in the right place at the right time.

The eye cream was featured and overnight, pretty much all the stock in every branch across the UK sold out.

I took two things from that:

Doing PR well does involve knowledge and practice (this is what I teach), but sometimes you get lucky and appear in the right inbox at the right time.
One single piece of coverage can make a company, brand or product into a huge success.

What do you think makes your company stand out?

I have a naturally nurturing personality and this is thoroughly ingrained into my teaching.

I teach entrepreneurial mums how to create and implement their own PR plans for their brands.

The reason I focus on mums is because, as a mum myself, I get how tricky it is to juggle business and parenting — especially if you are working around school hours. I also understand how the internal narrative goes when you’re a mum and sometimes there is inner conflict — are they doing the right thing and can they really do it?

So for those reasons, I’d say that my company ethos is particularly nurturing and I don’t just focus on helping my ladies to make a success of their business, I teach them how to believe in themselves.

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?

My family is always the driving force behind what I do and that goes without saying.

But I also have to say that I owe a lot of my success to Lisa Johnson (Lisa Johnson Coaching). When I started out, I had times when I felt like I couldn’t do it and I wanted to give up, but Lisa really helped me change my mindset.

She gave me the practical tools to build my business and she gave me confidence in my abilities.

Imposter Syndrome is the feeling people have when they lack confidence in their own skill, worth and knowledge. They feel that they are trying to be someone they are not capable of being — that they are a fraud.

We live in a digital age where we are all connected and vulnerable to criticism, whilst constantly seeing entrepreneurs online, who appear to always be at the top of their game and a huge success.

It’s unrealistic to think that they don’t have bad days or self-doubt, yet people don’t always realize this.

When we are surrounded by (albeit false) perfection — it’s hard to feel worthy.

What are the downsides of Impostor Syndrome? How can it limit people?

I work with lots of ladies with Imposter Syndrome and it can be really limiting. They often feel that they just shouldn’t bother and they’d rather settle for a 9 to 5.

It tends to peak as they realise that their business is starting to take off — they are excited but scared to succeed. Almost as if their potential success will expose them.

How can the experience of Impostor Syndrome impact how one treats others?

I think if a person is experiencing Imposter Syndrome, they can behave in many different ways that might be out of character. They may feel envious of others’ success and feel that they need to sabotage their work or be unsupportive.

This could be the cause of much hatred and negativity on social media — it is well known that if a person is trolling, they are often projecting their own insecurities onto others.

We would love to hear your story about your experience with Impostor Syndrome. Would you be able to share that with us?

When I first started out in PR I felt insecure about my own abilities — it was a long time ago, I was very young and I looked even younger. I had a feeling that people would think I sounded like I didn’t know what I was talking about and I absolutely hated people hearing me on the phone to clients.

Did you ever shake the feeling off? If yes, what have you done to mitigate it or eliminate it?

I guess for me, I winged it for a while and hoped that it would go away but it wasn’t until I got promoted and then moved onto bigger and better things that I realised that I was good at what I do and that I had learnt a great deal.

People had faith in me and I looked after the PR for some huge clients and then went on to freelance work.

It is likely that feeling the way I did, back then, was an important step in my career because it now helps me to coach my ladies through their own experience of Imposter Syndrome, with empathy.

I am lucky enough to be teaching some amazing entrepreneurial mums and it feels great!

In your opinion, what are 5 steps that someone who is experiencing Impostor Syndrome can take to move forward despite feeling like an “Impostor”? Please share a story or an example for each.

Look at themselves through the eyes of a friend.

If a loved one was experiencing Imposter Syndrome, we know it is likely that they are looking at themselves in an unrealistic and negative way and naturally we would see the best in them and help them through it.

I would ask them to look after themselves in the same way that they would for a friend and realise that they are thinking too harshly.

We are all still learning.

I am often told by my clients that they do not feel knowledgeable enough to do their own PR. But I explain to them that nobody is expecting them to be the best at it all — I am not teaching them to be head of public relations for Alan Sugar, I’m just teaching them how to do their own PR.

Look at others more realistically.

If you take a look more closely at someone you are comparing yourself with, try and think about them and their life more realistically.

If they are on Facebook talking about the 6 figures they just made, do you think they would also share the story about the two failed businesses that had before their success? Probably not.

This does not mean that they are not successful because they are, but it just goes to show that they are human, just like you and I.

There will always be something that you know that someone else does not.

So you might not be an expert in Facebook advertising, but you know a thing or two about social media content. Don’t give yourself such a hard time for not knowing absolutely everything because you have plenty of knowledge that others might not.

Practice not giving a hoot.

Try practicing some mindfulness and CBT to help reframe your thoughts. It might mean that you are able to let go of your inhibitions a little and stop worrying so much about what you are doing. Try and enjoy the ride.

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

Educating our children in the skill of understanding and knowing their self-worth is so important. I’d make this part of the curriculum in every school.

Richard Branson, for sure. He always seems to handle everything so well, with such calm and kindness. Not to mention he’s pretty good at business!

How can our readers follow you on social media?

I’d love that. I am on https://www.facebook.com/AmyMerrywestConsulting/ and my PR group is www.facebook.com/groups/ThePrPowerhouse

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

Thanks for having me!

Publicist Amy Merrywest: “How I Was Able To Thrive Despite First Experiencing Impostor Syndrome” 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: “Vampire Facelifts” With Dr. Neil Nichols

I think a holistic approach for beauty is key. Look at the process in total to make it optimal. People focus on beauty and getting these treatments. However, today they can look at these efforts as preventative measures. We are seeing a shift towards younger demographics getting these treatments to be preventive. Whether it’s Botox at a younger age to prevent progression or deep-seated lines, or using augmentation, injectables to enhance patients at an earlier age. There is also a shift in taking a holistic approach to beauty and health.

This starts with good health, a healthy diet, exercise regimen. This is being healthy from within. If you have an individual, especially a young patient, that’s where the focus should be. This is done in combination with aesthetic treatments that will enhance the longevity to their beauty. Focusing on overall health, diet, nutrition, health and wellness, exercise and ultimately using the right treatment modalities. I don’t think you can have optimal beauty with missing out on any of the above.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Neil Nichols, MD, FAAO., AACS.

Dr. Nichols is a Board-Certified oculoplastic surgeon; specializing in Oculofacial plastic surgery and Reconstructive surgery, in addition Dr. Nichols has completed fellowship training in Cornea and Refractive Surgery. He is co-owner of Sight of Beauty medi spa located in Plainview, New York (https://sightofbeauty.com/). Sight of Beauty is a state-of-the-art medi spa provides clients with advanced aesthetic, non-invasive services.

Dr. Nichols earned both his undergraduate and medical degree from Tufts University. He obtained a B.A. in biology from Tufts University with honors, and subsequently earned his medical degree from the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. Dr. Nichols´ post-doctoral training included a one-year internship in internal medicine; Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York University in affiliation with Elmhurst Hospital Center, followed by an ophthalmology residency at New York Medical College and affiliated hospitals. Dr. Nichols was then selected to serve as Chief resident in the department of ophthalmology at Westchester Medical Center.

Upon completion of his formal training in comprehensive ophthalmology Dr. Nichols completed a one-year fellowship in Cornea and external disease in affiliation with St. Barnabas medical center in New Jersey. Dr. Nichols then completed two years of fellowship training in Oculofacial Plastic Surgery under the tutelage of an American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive surgery (ASOPRS) trained surgeon and fellow in affiliation with New York Medical College and Westchester Medical Center.

Dr. Nichols engages in continuous education and professional development to stay up to date in the latest technological advances in all aspects of ophthalmic plastics, Oculofacial and reconstructive surgery. In addition, Dr. Nichols continues to have clinical and research interests in Cornea and refractive surgery. Dr. Nichols is a Diplomat of the American Board of Ophthalmology; and has helped publish numerous professional research articles in the field of ophthalmology.

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 subspecialty, oculoplastics surgery, is very unique. This is the main component of my practice, which consists of doing oculofacial aesthetic surgery, the mid-face up and around the eyes and facial rejuvenation.

My interest in how I got into the field was my desire to improve people’s lives; to help them with their vision and functioning. This led to the development and the growth of aesthetic practice, which focuses on facial rejuvenation. This consists of fillers, Botox, neuromodulators and all the different aesthetic treatment modalities to aesthetically improve our patients and clients.

My desire to become a physician was to help patients improve their lives and their beauty. What is great about my subspecialty is that patients can get immediate gratification and see instantaneously — after a surgery, injectable treatment or other procedure — that we are improving their lives.

What got me into this field is that I knew that having a surgical subspecialty would be very rewarding. I saw that I would be able to improve all my patients in that modality, if that makes sense.

I have always enjoyed science and learning. Even to this day, I think that to become a physician and to be a great surgeon you have to be self-motivated and have a desire to learn daily, improve yourself, improve your knowledge base. I think that is what keeps me interested in medicine in general. Every day is a new challenge and that interest was fostered within me at a young age. I always enjoyed biology, chemistry. I actually enjoy learning even if it didn’t have to do with medicine. I am a committed lifelong learner and with a tremendous about of internal motivation and desire to learn.

I think that there was definitely a transition from a point when I was in practice and getting great results for patients. The satisfaction level was growing among patients that I operated on and treated. The feedback I was getting allowed me to know I was successful and moving into the top tier or at a top state in terms of my skills. This was about 2012 after being in practice for about four or five years. The key indicator was the fact that I was getting many more referrals, mostly from patients that I had operated on and treated. The snowball started to grow and grow from there.

Patients and staff members trusted me. It is very rewarding when my staff members send their family members to me for surgeries. This is a great compliment. People I see every day trust me. I have a nurse that says “I’d like you to do a procedure on me”; this tells me that I am doing something right.

Are there any lessons you learned early on, from a business perspective, about working with your patients, communicating with them? What more did you do to build trust?

My philosophy is all about teamwork and working together to let the patient know that our objective is to give them the best results and that they feel it, they sense it and they know that you have the ability to do. We work as a team and communicate with clients to make sure that they are 100 percent satisfied that we will complete the procedure to their complete satisfaction.

We commit to spending enough time with patients to really know what their expectations are. We use this to identify treatment modalities we will offer to get that result. Working as a team we are almost guaranteeing that we will be successful.

For example, on a consultation, I always ask “what brings you here to see me today?” I don’t ever point out imperfections. I ask them to open up with me first. They tell me the areas that they are concerned about. I have them look in the mirror. We look and review and then I tell them what I think and what we can offer them to improve them aesthetically.

When I was in medical school at Tuffs, I worked with an oculoplastic surgeon.

I saw a very interesting case; a nasolacrimal lid obstruction, a lid laceration that involved the lacrimal system. We had to spend time repairing the tear duct system and the eyelids; he was my mentor.

What influenced me to go into medicine? It was my father. He was not in medicine, he’s an attorney and a CPA. In the Navy he was a pharmacist’s mate and he always wanted to be a general surgeon. Growing up he always encouraged me to become a doctor because he regretted not becoming a doctor. He was the one who influenced me the most to choose medicine. I learned business lessons from him too; this is why I am getting an MBA now.

Just for example, the injectables and the options that we have now did not exist 10 years ago. Today we use different types of injectables for each part of the face so if you want a filler that’s a little thicker, we know exactly where to target. If you want it in the mid-cheek and the laugh lines versus finer material that you need to use in the lips and then vermilion border. We have injectables that are very effective in the temple region and we have a whole line of biostimulatory injectables that you can do body contouring.

We offer injectables that go anywhere from the buttocks to your dorsum, back of your hands, your upper arms, temple regions. These injectables are excellent because you inject a small amount and then you have your own body get induced or stimulated to add volume. This has an aesthetically pleasing result in areas where you have volume depletion. All these new modalities have improved our treatment options.

We have many different lasers and surface treatments that we didn’t have years ago.

For example, CoolSculpting for body contouring, to dissolve fat, Ulthera for skin collagen production and tightening. These are noninvasive modalities that can really rejuvenate our patients and make them look great.

What are three of the technologies or areas of beauty technology that excite you the most?

The new treatment modalities using autologous material. Vampire Facelifts, PRP, plasma rich protein, stem cell treatments or fat transfer are all extremely exciting and commonplace today.

All the biostimulatories to induce production of collagen by the patient is exciting. All the new laser treatments to target and increase collagen production and also tightening that is available now are excellent. Ultherapy is an extremely exciting treatment modality that offers patients a noninvasive facelift. The biostimulatories, the new lasers and all the different autologous treatment are top of the list.

Are there any things that concern you about the industry?

What is very important is making sure that patients are seen by somebody who’s board-certified, trained, and has experience with the treatment they are offering.

We all have to look out for nonpractitioners or individuals jumping in to take advantage of the wave of aesthetics. Many of these individuals do not have the proper training.

It is important for clients to make sure that they see a board-certified medical doctor or somebody who’s working in conjunction with a medical doctor. They have to have the proper training. No matter what, patients have to be sure they see somebody who knows what they are doing not someone who does a little of this a little of that. Having a devoted practitioner with a track record and training is critical.

There are individuals who are out there, trying to get involved in this area but do not necessarily have the training, expertise, and background.

As for locations, don’t be fooled. A practitioner can have the most beautiful built-out spa. However, if they don’t have that background and experience and expertise, there could be trouble. Patients should always ask the questions and feel comfortable with their practitioners and their teams.

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?

I think the industry has improved tremendously. Injectables are very safe. There have been many improvements in the area of injectables. If there is an adverse event, now we have different modalities to break down a lot of these materials. There is a lot of experience now, for decades, and we know which areas are safe to treat. Many of these treatments we are offering are safe and proven at this point, this is also part of the reason why it is so exciting.

There are always areas of improvement. There are complete safety profiles and they are going to get better and better. Our new techniques improve patients’ experiences, reduce discomfort, shorten downtime and post-treatment recovery in some cases can be immediate. However, post-treatment recovery is one area that can be improved.

For example, CoolSculpting treatments with the latest machine have a recovery time of less than half of what we had before; treatments that used to take 45 minutes, now take 20 minutes.

You are an expert about beauty. Can you share 5 ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”?

I think a holistic approach for beauty is key. Look at the process in total to make it optimal. People focus on beauty and getting these treatments. However, today they can look at these efforts as preventative measures. We are seeing a shift towards younger demographics getting these treatments to be preventive. Whether it’s Botox at a younger age to prevent progression or deep-seated lines, or using augmentation, injectables to enhance patients at an earlier age. There is also a shift in taking a holistic approach to beauty and health.

This starts with good health, a healthy diet, exercise regimen. This is being healthy from within. If you have an individual, especially a young patient, that’s where the focus should be. This is done in combination with aesthetic treatments that will enhance the longevity to their beauty. Focusing on overall health, diet, nutrition, health and wellness, exercise and ultimately using the right treatment modalities. I don’t think you can have optimal beauty with missing out on any of the above.

What would bring the most good to the most people? I think we were talking about a holistic approach that embraces beauty in that way. Definitely promoting and explaining to patients what they can do is the most important approach. For example, there is new treatment modality for skin called AQUAGOLD. This is where I do a superficial treatment with hyaluronic acid derivative and Botox to treat the skin. It gives patients a great natural glow. However, we have to explain that to get an optimal result from this or any treatment, that the patient can’t smoke, they must have a low salt diet, embrace healthy lifestyle and exercise. People talk about toxins in the system, overall health and wellness helps to reduce this. This recommended approach helps all patients live longer and healthier lives. We then augment this with our treatments and all that we offer.

Can you give us your favorite life lesson quote? Can you share how that is relevant in your life?

One quote my mother gave me when I was in medical school — “it is said every obstacle is a stepping stone to your success.” For this shows that life is a series of little speed bumps, obstacles, not everything is easy and you have to be persistent; with persistence, hard work, no matter what you do in life, this is how a person is going to fulfill their potential. This is what I instill with my children and those I work with. I let them know what life can be. Remember that in daily life, no day goes completely smoothly and nothing is ever perfect. Everyone must embrace this concept.

A series of stepping stones requires taking them one at a time in a series. Nothing ever got accomplished in one day. It is a series and you move forward. As you get better and better, this builds that trust and confidence. When your results are better, people recognize it and recommend you more. Continuing forward you feel more confident in your skills and ability. Repetition is critical, doing same techniques and procedures over and over again allows me to get better. I don’t necessarily get faster, but better and more proficient.

The Future Of Beauty: “Vampire Facelifts” With Dr. Neil Nichols was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Shannon Lavenia: “They told me it was impossible and I did it anyway”

I would love to create a platform where people can share their stories in a way that moves and touches others. I believe that everyone has a story that can impact and influence others in a positive and creative way. I’ve often stopped to talk to random people, including homeless people, and I have heard the most incredible stories and gained so many valuable life lessons. The life lessons from people who have lived extraordinary lives are laden with practicable wisdom.

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 Shannon Lavenia.

Shannon Lavenia is a high-energy, fun, and dynamic speaker, coach, and entrepreneur who transformed her life from bored, broke high school teacher to online business and branding expert. Her story is one of overcoming adversity to live an incredible life, having survived and thrived through being an orphan and beating Stage 3 breast cancer. She is the founder of Brand Builder Design Studios, voice of the Booming Business Podcast, and creator of the Brand Builder Course Collective. Shannon is family focused, operating her business with the philosophy of family fun first while still creating incredible results and serving her audience with results-driving expertise. Shannon uses her energy, experience, and expertise to create obsession-worthy brands for her clients and coaches her students in the creation of fun-fueled, passion-fulfilling, wildly profitable businesses. She’s an expert at business expansion/life balance and demonstrates how to implement systems and easy, results-producing marketing strategies that gets her clients the results they’ve yearned for while enjoying life to the fullest. You can learn more about Shannon and access her free training and resources at https://shannonlavenia.com

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 grew up in New Jersey and was orphaned at the age of 7. My single mom was a casualty of the 80’s cocaine boom, leaving me to be raised by her father and his second wife. My grandfather was a doll of a man, but my grandmother was a bit of a pickle. I believe my grandmother was well intentioned, but after spending much of her early 20s in psychiatric hospitals, she just wasn’t right. Her method of parenting was to tell me I was worthless and would never amount to anything. When I was 8, she sat me down and very sternly told me that since my mother had me without being married, I was a sinner and no matter how good I tried to be, I’d never get into heaven.

I ran away many times, but being a ward of the state, it was either a teenage group home for me or back to my grandparents. The toxic, abusive environment was too much to handle, so I ventured out on my own the day I turned 18 and miraculously landed a spot in an all-girls college. I say miraculously because I was top of the list of the truancy officer’s cases. Through all that, I was the first person in my family to graduate from college, working three jobs to get myself through.

That was followed by a career as a high school Biology teacher. I chose teaching because it aligned with my passions for helping people and traveling. I enjoyed it for the most part but soon realized that my teacher’s salary wasn’t going to afford me the lifestyle I desired, and the politics were getting ridiculous. I wanted to desperately to make a change but didn’t quite have the courage. That was until I was forced to make a change.

The weekend I was married, my husband was downsized at his job. The stress landed him in the hospital, and we were forced to find a solution. We prayed and an opportunity was presented to us. Although it was a financial stretch, we put it all on the line and went for it. It was the best move we made. We sold personal development courses and conferences plopped us smack-dab into an environment of successful people who were using goal setting, vision boarding, and visualization as tools to create better futures. We suddenly had friends who believed we could achieve the crazy, wild goals we were setting for ourselves. More than believe it, they were supporting us in achieving them.

From there, I began launching online marketing training courses. I love serving my students and helping them break free of their limiting beliefs and incomes. Creating online courses enables me to fulfill my love of teaching and helping others, but also provides the income I desire for the lifestyle I want. I have been very fortunate to speak on stages around the world and to have an incredible audience of goal-getting entrepreneurs.

My students wanted more done for you services and I noticed a demand for excellent branding services for female entrepreneurs which led to the launch of Brand Builder Design Studios. We focus on helping empower women in their businesses by creating obsession-worthy brands and marketing strategies to scale. I have a talented team who amaze me daily with their creativity and spirit.

I’m living in Arizona now with my husband, John, and my beautiful daughter Trinity. I’m so grateful for the businesses I have and for my family. Last year, I was diagnosed with advanced stage breast cancer and I was able to allot the time to heal through this journey because of how my business is structured, and the support of our customers and my staff. I’m proud to say I’m now cancer-free. I’m beyond blessed. Hundreds of people have sent us prayers, gifts, meals, etc. Now, I’m more passionate about helping women than ever.

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

Yes! I’m about to relaunch my Booming Business Podcast on iTunes where I’ll be picking the brains of expert guests to help my audience gain know-how and expertise in what’s working right now. My past guests have included Grant Cardone, Amy Porterfield, and Chris Ducker, so my audience can look forward to very helpful interviews. I also have two new courses coming out to help entrepreneurs scale their businesses — the Profit Planning Workshop and Easy Marketing Academy.

In the fall, I’ll be launching an online store with a brand that retails products for women going through treatment for Breast Cancer. It will be attached to a 501c3 non-profit so we can send products to women who are most in need at no charge and also so friends can send gifts to these women as well.

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

We are obsessed with delivering quality service and results to our clients. We really care about our students and clients and our fundamental driving principle is “The client always deserves to be heard, to be valued, and to be served. Our clients are thrilled with our exceptional service and are winning with the products we have provided them.” We listen and deliver what is wanted in the way it is asked for. Rather than having a rigid business model, we have a very fluid one and rely on a team of outsourcers who can meet the needs of our clients in diverse ways. We focus on results that are predicable, so our clients feel their investments in our services are worth-while. We want everyone to leave happy and ready to tell others about us. After all, a referral is the best kind of testimonial.

Oh boy, I’ve heard this A LOT. Just given my childhood, growing up in poverty and given my mother’s history, I was told I would never amount to anything. I even had a guidance counselor laugh at me when I told her I wanted to go to college. I was working a full -time job at 16 so my grades and attendance weren’t the greatest. But I knew that to have a better life, I had to get out of my current environment. When I tried to get into college, I was rejected by everyone, including the community college. But I kept on trying, and eventually, I found a school willing to give me a chance — the College of St. Elizabeth. Their belief in me drove me to do more and to be a better person. I graduated with Honors and started my teaching career.

When I was teaching and decided to start a business, I made the mistake of telling the other teachers. My husband and I truly believed we could create a phenomenal income and life with our own business. We constantly read books, including Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill and the Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles. The response from the teachers was disappointing. I was openly taunted and teased. One day I walked into school and my desk was covered in gold coin chocolates with a note that said, “Your riches have arrived!”. I moved my desk out of the shared office and continued to focus on my goals. I had a vision board at home and a goal card I carried everywhere. I read it like 20 times a day. I quit my job a few months later after hitting my first goal of $20,000 in revenue in a single month. That year, my husband and I grossed almost $500,000.

When I created my first online course, a mentor of mine told me I was making a huge mistake and no one would buy it. I was so excited when I told him about the idea and left the conversation feeling very deflated. That conversation left me in tears. I had already started putting the course together and invested countless hours learning how to set up an online course. This was back in 2009, so a lot of the tools available now didn’t exist. I abandoned the project for a few weeks but then kept looking at all the emails I was getting with questions on how to generate leads. I decided to put the course together anyways and really didn’t care if anyone bought it or not. I figured I would at least have a resource I could share with people and wanted to complete what I started. I haphazardly launched the course, making about every mistake one can make in a course launch, but I still generated $30,000 in sales with it and was able to help other businesses increase their revenues with a fresh source of leads.

I learned an incredible lesson through all of these experiences. When you know what you want, muster up focus and determination and go after it. I don’t think there’s one big thing I’ve gone after where someone didn’t tell me it wouldn’t work or warn me of the potential of failure. I’ve always been able to make it work. The worst has been when I have given up on a course of action because of seemingly “good” advice only to regret it afterwards. There’s always a price to pay. It’s either hard work, grit, and focus or missed opportunity and regret. I personally prefer to pay the price of hard work to get the results I want.

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

I got results. In every instance, I kept on going and got results. I graduated from college, launched a successful business, launched successful courses, traveled the world, and continue to do what I think is best for my family, myself and my community. There have been lots of little and big failures along the way, but I don’t stop to fester on them, I just keep going and find new ways to get results. I believe what often stops people from pursuing their goals or dreams is the fear of the naysayers being “right” or “looking bad” to other people. I really didn’t care what anyone thought, I just kept going to reach my own goals.

I’ve had many mentors, but the one person I’m most grateful for is the Sister of Charity who granted me admission into the College of St. Elizabeth. I didn’t have the grades. My attendance was horrible. On paper, there really was no good reason for her to accept me into the college. I certainly didn’t have the money to pay for it. I was an orphan and a ward of the State of New Jersey, so at 18 I was fully emancipated. But I was so determined to go to college that when I drop by the College of St. Elizabeth, I decided to walk in and get an application. I stepped up to the Admissions Office desk in desperation and asked for an application. When the Sister, who was the Dean of Admissions at the time, saw me, she said “hello” and I burst into tears. She gently put her arm around me and walked me into her office. I shared my story with her. At the time, I was practically homeless, couch surfing from friend to friend. I so desperately wanted a chance in life to better myself, get out of the toxic environment I grew up in and have a chance at something better.

The sister asked me one question, “If I give you this chance, are you willing to give it your all? That means no drugs, no boys, no drinking and 100% dedication to your studies.”. She explained it would be hard work and I’d have to get jobs to pay for some of it along the way but she was willing to give me the chance. I said “YES”! and started college the next month.

I never knew exactly what it was that she saw in me, other than sheer determination. It was hard work. It did take dedication. While others were partying, I was working. I worked overnight shifts at the local hospital and did secretarial work for a local architect. I babysat whenever I had free time. I studied and did well, graduating with Honors. It wasn’t so much the degree that made my life so different and amazing, but the chance to be in a different environment, working towards a goal, with the belief of others that I could do it.

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 grandfather was a hard-working, blue-collar, hold no punches kind of guy. He was also sweet as can be. My grandmother was very abusive and when my grandfather would find me hiding and crying when he arrived after a long day’s work, he would say “Never let anyone tell you what you are worth.”. He also said, “The only person who can decide if you can do it is you.”. He would never let me whine or complain about my circumstances, he guided me to find my own solutions, fight my own battles, and achieve my own success. He also taught me to work for everything I wanted and to keep on persisting until I got it.

While my childhood wasn’t ideal, what I walked away with was thick skin and the confidence to know that I can endure, survive and succeed. There isn’t much that ruffles my feathers, I’m able to stay focused through adversities that some people would crumble under.

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)

You have to want your goals as much as you want air. They have to excite you and you need to believe they can become real. When I set my first goal of $20,000 net revenue in a month, it wasn’t because it sounded “nice”. My husband had just been downsized and the stress landed him in the emergency room. He was 31 years old and a doctor told me he’d be dead within 5 years if we didn’t make some serious changes. We were married 3 months at that time and I definitely didn’t want to be a widowed newlywed or to live life without him. That goal represented a year’s worth of my take home pay and I wanted it as much as I wanted air. That goal meant freedom.
You have to keep your goals front and center and visualize them daily. I write my goals on a goal card. I carry it with me and read it aloud throughout the day. It’s the constant reminder of what I am doing that enables me to focus with total clarity.
Look at the naysayer’s life and decide if it’s what you want. Personally, I wouldn’t take health advice from someone who isn’t healthy, so why would I take success advice from someone who doesn’t have the success I want. When I was being taunted by the other teachers, I looked at their life. Their ability to live prosperously, their health, their happiness, and their freedom. Most of them were financially struggling and constantly penny pinching. They talked openly about how broke they were. They talked about their spouses negatively. They were unhappy, overweight and unhealthy. This was not the life I wanted so I decided not to listen to any of their opinions or “advice” on what I was doing.
Connect with a new group. I needed to find some new friends who would understand what I wanted to accomplish and would be supportive of it. I found a group of entrepreneurs who were all making more than I even imagined possible. I connected with that group and went to social gatherings they were at to be around them. I integrated myself like I was one of them, not less than them. I didn’t try to “pick their brains” but rather, listened to their conversations and assimilated what they were talking about and doing. Soon, I was having the same results.
Start BEING the person you want to be, BEFORE having the success. I realized early on that most of the people who were naysayers simply couldn’t “see” me being anyone other than who I was. So, I changed how I acted and dressed. I started behaving and being the successful person, even before having the success. I started sharing pictures of me with luxury cars and nice dresses. A colleague messaged and asked if I had inherited some money and that’s when I knew I had up-leveled myself in a way that others could see it. Suddenly people started to refer to me as a successful person and use words like “badass” and “guru”.

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

“She stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails.” — Elizabeth Edwards

I would love to create a platform where people can share their stories in a way that moves and touches others. I believe that everyone has a story that can impact and influence others in a positive and creative way. I’ve often stopped to talk to random people, including homeless people, and I have heard the most incredible stories and gained so many valuable life lessons. The life lessons from people who have lived extraordinary lives are laden with practicable wisdom.

The other, and totally unrelated, has to do with a movement I want to initiate entitled “Don’t buy pink.” I will be launching it in September before Breast Cancer Awareness Month. What few people realize is that when they buy pink, very little or none of those dollars spent goes towards curing Breast Cancer or helping women going through treatments. People have the most beautiful intention to help, but their money isn’t making the impact it should be making. I want to put a network together of amazing organizations that support Breast Cancer Patients with things they need and also fund Breast Cancer research at universities that people can donate to instead. I’m in the process of establishing the 501c3 non-profit to do this.

Can our readers follow you on social media? YES!

https://facebook.com/shannonlaveniafanpage
https://instagram.com/shannonlavenia
https://linkedin.com/in/shannonlavenia

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

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute.

Shannon Lavenia: “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.

Chelle Neff of Urban Betty: “6 ways to leverage Instagram to dramatically improve your business”

Whenever you celebrate another person’s success, you draw that same energy onto yourself. I would love for everyone out there to want others to succeed and be happy for them!

I had the pleasure of interviewing Chelle Neff.

Chelle Neff has been a leader in the U.S. salon industry since founding Urban Betty in 2005 and has more than 20 years of experience creating innovative practices in the salon and beauty worlds. Neff has successfully grown Urban Betty’s revenue year after year and today has a space that houses more than 60 employees. So successful was the first location that she opened the second Urban Betty Salon in 2019.

In addition to her work with Urban Betty, Neff is fascinated with Austin architecture. She and her husband, David J. Neff, created The Weird Homes Tour, and their first book, {Weird Homes: The People and Places That Keep Austin Strangely Wonderful}, was released in 2018.

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 was led to this career path from my sheer motivation to do better in my life. My parents had me when they were teenagers, and we lived from paycheck to paycheck when I was young. I knew that if I wanted to go to college, I would need to find a way to pay for it myself, along with my cost of living. I naturally had a knack for doing hair and art, so when I was 16, I had the chance to enroll in cosmetology school while in high school, and became fully licensed at 18. The beauty school route was much more affordable for me than the traditional college route, so that’s what led me to pursue it. Ten years later, I bootstrapped my brick and mortar called Urban Betty.

Can you explain to our readers why you are an authority about Social Media Marketing?

As a business owner of a salon, we leverage Instagram to its fullest! Our stylists use their accounts as their portfolios; we use our Instagram account to repost their work, create brand awareness, and drive in new traffic. We have made Instagram one of our top priorities for finding and retaining new business. We have 42.2k followers, and we have a system and formula which works beautifully! Due to our high volume, last year we hired a marketing director that helps us post several times every day. And in 2020, I launched a series of classes to help brands with Instagram called Betty Bootcamp.

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

The most exciting thing that has happened to me since starting my career was founding a second company! My husband and I call our side hustle The Weird Homes Tour. We noticed an abundance of weird homes here in Austin, and we were just nosey enough to want to go inside them. So, we started a tour that happens once a year in Austin. We are in our 5th year, have expanded into five other cities, and wrote a coffee table book. I could never have guessed this would all happen!

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?

In 2002, I launched a website with a terrible logo. At the time, I thought my logo looked good. It was a lady with a city background, and she seemed very cartoonish. Think Sex and the City if it were a children’s book. Not good. We reworked it after a couple of years. I recently found an old scrapbook with my first brochure and the original logo. I showed it to my employees, and they couldn’t believe how bad it was. We all had a good laugh! I learned that you should always be re-evaluating your brand and evolving to stay current.

Which social media platform have you found to be most effective to use to increase business revenues? Can you share a story from your experience?

I have found Instagram to be the most effective platform that increases our revenue. We consistently tweet, use Pinterest and Facebook, but Instagram outperforms them all. When I listen to our guests, a majority of them come to us because of our strong presence on Instagram. We know that because we ask every new guest over the phone, “How did you hear about us?” And it’s not only guests that we get from our Instagram, but we also attract new talent. Just last week, I was on a training call with another salon owner from another state, and she had heard of Urban Betty! I can’t tell you how many times that has happened. The first thing the younger generation is going to do before they come to work for you is inspect your social media. If it’s lacking, they are going to move on. You have to make it work for new guests and new talent, that’s key to increasing your revenue.

Let’s talk about Instagram specifically, now. Can you share 6 ways to leverage Instagram to dramatically improve your business? Please share a story or example for each.

First and foremost, separate your personal account from your business account. First impressions are everything. You are important, so make your profile present that. If it’s a business account, please set it as a business account. This change will give anyone searching for your business clickable links to your phone number and email. Your profile will automatically display your physical address and website. Don’t forget to have a profile pic that is clean, clear, and happy! Brands should be your logo, and personal pages should have your face as the profile pic.
Make your photo layout beautiful and cohesive. Pick a theme, color, and plan for every single photo and stick with it. Content is critical — post daily. Your photo has a 2-hour lifespan. Your page is only as relevant as your last nine photos.
Post what people want to see. They want to see your personality along with your brand, behind the scenes photos give people a glimpse into who you are. Be careful about posting too many selfies. Sprinkle them here and there if you have to, and be relevant to your brand. Post a “How-To” What can others learn from you? A hairstyle, a recipe, or how to use a particular beauty product.
Give people Inspiration and empowerment. Quotes, travel pictures, & nature photos. And again, try to tie these pictures into your brand subtly. Sometimes it can just be a pretty picture. Don’t overthink it! Always show the world how you are a part of the community. Give the public a sense of being part of your brand and success. Photos of events, promos for upcoming events, upcoming sales, and or contests. Who’s your employee of the month? Who’s your client of the month? I also love to include any philanthropic events in this category, as well. Show the community how you are giving back.
Contests are a great way to gain new business and followers. Tag a picture. Ask followers to like a pic, tag a friend, use a specific hashtag, and/or become a follower of your business to win. Make sure to let people know that a winner will be chosen at random, also be sure to set an end date and ask users to have their profile set to public if using a hashtag. Share a picture. Ask followers to regram your photo with a hashtag. Don’t forget to close out your giveaway after the date. I usually set a reminder on my phone. Loops. These can be great for getting followers. They can be a little trickier to coordinate, however. It would be best if you had several brands willing to give away something. Next, you send out one pic with text to each brand. You then all coordinate a time to post the pic and who will tag who in the photo. It has to be in a particular order that loops back to the original. (via group text or email is the best idea for communicating this) Each contestant must follow that user and then click on the pic to see who is tagged and keep following each user until they loop back to the original user.
The most crucial step is engagement! Follow. You must follow people to gain followers. Like. Like lots of pics. Comment. Tell them why you like the photo. The stats are that if you like three pictures and comment on one, a user is more likely to follow you. I understand that no one has time to sit around and do this all day! So, you can always ask for help. Seek out employees that are young and love to spend time on social media.

Because of the position that you are in, 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 love to inspire a movement of supporting other people’s successes. The world is not one pie for everyone. We each have our own pie! When one person is successful, they are never taking away from you. Your worth and all that you have are based on your emotional well-being and your beliefs surrounding that. Whenever you celebrate another person’s success, you draw that same energy onto yourself. I would love for everyone out there to want others to succeed and be happy for them!

Some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂

I would love to meet Bethenny Frankel. I love the empire that she has created with her brand. She has had a ton of challenges in life and has overcome them all with laughter and even more success. I am so proud of her!

Chelle Neff of Urban Betty: “6 ways to leverage Instagram to dramatically improve your business” was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.