Day: November 29, 2020

Courtney Love Gavin: How To Thrive Despite Experiencing Impostor Syndrome

Recognize What’s Real. When you feel like a fraud and are in imposter mentality, pause and look at how you are showing up. Are you thinking you accidentally got where you are? That you’re not smart enough? You’re not good enough? And that someone’s going to figure it out?

Focus on what you do know for sure! How are you sure of this? Why DO you deserve to be here? Watch for your desire to argue with reality and focus on what you are sure of!

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 Courtney Love Gavin.

Courtney Love Gavin is a professional certified coach and Public Relations expert, dedicated to helping people become their most powerful selves. Courtney Love shares insights weekly on Pretty Pretty Podcast, a top rated podcast available on all platforms. Find out more about CLG at www.courtneylovegavin.com

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’?

Absolutely! I started my career in public relations in 2003 at Nordstrom and climbed up the corporate ladder. Leading communications for global franchises and admired brands like Juice Beauty, Adobe, MGA Entertainment and AwesomenessTV. I walked away from the corporate spotlight in 2019 to create my own coaching practice because in my 20 years of partnering with industry legends, I figured out there’s ONE factor that determines sustainable success: perspective. It’s not the problem that’s the problem, it’s the way we see it! Now I’m able to help more people solve ALL their “problems” through mindset and get them connected to new possibilities.

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?

Working directly with Fortune 50 leaders and inside big Hollywood studios as a public relations executive, the most interesting stories I can’t talk about publicly. But I can share the gems I’ve learned.

The moment you choose radical responsibility over complaining and blaming, you will experience your true personal power. Treat yourself like an asset instead of expense when it comes to investing in your own growth. Being fearless is a myth, courage is what conquers all, feel the fear and do it anyway. And people are everything. I mean everything, value your relationships and lead with your humanity. I love people and I understand people. Because you can’t make a difference in the world, if you don’t understand people.

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

The fact that I’m a public relations expert and classically trained in communication at all levels. I see what most people can’t see and I dare to say what most people wouldn’t dare to say and I deliver it in a tactful way that resonates. I’m usually the only person in my client’s world that’s completely unattached, isn’t obliged to please them and only wants them to succeed.

I have worked with some of the most accomplished and powerful people on the planet, Gloria Steinem, LeBron James. Jeffrey Katzenberg, etc. and even at that level of success you still face challenges. They’re just not the kind you can share with everyone in your world, which is what makes my company stand out. Having a Coach that understands you, you can trust completely, someone willing to challenge your thinking, who always has your back, is a rarity these days, especially when you’re surrounded by people who think it’s their job to tell you what you want to hear, rather than what you need to hear.

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?

Yes, Veronica Dagger host of the Wall Street Journal’s Secrets of Wealthy Women podcast. Her interviews each week helped me believe that it was possible me to build a successful business and be a person of integrity while doing it. When you’re doing something that has never been done before and you don’t have any examples in your own life to look to, it’s crucial to have a trusted source you can turn to and tap into, especially when times get tough. Secrets of Wealthy Women was that for me.

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?

Imposter Syndrome is the fundamental conviction that you’re unworthy in some kind of unspecified way. It’s difficult to wrap your brain around because it truly does not make sense on the surface level.

With Imposter Syndrome there’s an underlying this fear that you’ll be found out to be undeserving, unqualified or revealed as a fraud. And these thought patterns create a perfect storm of insecurity, anxiety and stress.

Imposter Syndrome is a challenge we all go through, especially when we get to new levels of success or growth. Imposter syndrome is not a diagnosed condition that you can’t recover from. Imposter Syndrome boils down to beliefs and thoughts. And those can easily be changed!

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

Imposter Syndrome impacts our confidence and when you have low self-esteem you’re not going to speak up, you’re not going to go for the promotion, you’re not engaging with colleagues or clients.

It can limit your ambition, sense of security and socialization. As a result people play small, quit and withdraw. This can ultimately cost people careers and relationships.

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

Imposter Syndrome impacts how you see the world and how you see yourself. This causes most people to treat others skeptically, catastrophize their intentions, look at what they say through a negative lens and sometimes be wildly defensive

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

When I was giving my power to Imposter Syndrome, other people would look at my career and say, “You are so accomplished and successful!” I was aware of my accomplishments but I didn’t feel proud of them or truly believe in my own success.

I would look at my own career and think, I went to a top five national school for PR. I worked my way up the ladder at Edelman. I was relocated to Los Angeles to head up PR for big Hollywood studios. I lead PR for Fortune 50 companies. I’ve created Grammy and Emmy winning campaigns.

But I felt so much shame about the fact that I didn’t believe it. And that I couldn’t see myself the way that other people saw me, which is what would make me feel even worse about the accomplishments I did have. Because I thought with each achievement I would feel less like an imposter.

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

Yes.. Imposter syndrome doesn’t go away on its own, we like to think if we just get the next goal, then we’ll be able to believe that we’re worthy. Recognizing and accepting there’s nothing I could change externally that would resolve the internal voices telling me I’m an imposter, was the biggest shift in eliminating my own Imposter Syndrome.

I stopped chasing my worthiness and built new beliefs about myself.

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.

Step number one: Recognize What’s Real. When you feel like a fraud and are in imposter mentality, pause and look at how you are showing up. Are you thinking you accidentally got where you are? That you’re not smart enough? You’re not good enough? And that someone’s going to figure it out?

Focus on what you do know for sure! How are you sure of this? Why DO you deserve to be here? Watch for your desire to argue with reality and focus on what you are sure of!

Step Two: Speak The Truth To Yourself. When you see imposter thoughts pop up, challenge them by asking powerful questions back to yourself. AND ANSWER THEM. Writing it down you see how illogical this thinking is (remember don’t judge it).

Example of an imposter thought: I don’t have it together. They have it so much more together than I do.

Powerful questions to ask yourself:

Is that really true?
What if it’s not true that they have it more together?
What is it’s possible I do have it together? What if I have just as much together as they do? What if I am the MOST together?

Step three. Celebrate Your Wins. Our brains tend to skim over success and love to stew in our failures. The more we celebrate our wins and successes, the more empowered we feel. There is no such thing as a small win or a small success. They are wins and all wins count. Success in one area brings you confidence in other areas! The more you let yourself fully celebrate every single win without holding back, the better you will feel and the more you will accomplish.

Step four- Evaluate For Confidence. Our confidence increases when we know what’s working. That’s why it’s important to self-evaluate so you can see exactly how you created the results in your life. Evaluating is where we start taking ownership for our success!

When you evaluate your brain is going to want to immediately focus on what didn’t work. You might even be avoiding evaluating for this reason, because you’re afraid it will make you feel worse, like more of an imposter.

Here’s my simple evaluation process.

Start with what’s working. What went well? What thoughts were good thoughts? Look for all the positives.
Then ask what didn’t go as you wanted? What do you not want to do again? Why do you think it didn’t work? If you had to guess, what would it be?
End with what you’ll do differently. What did you learn? What do you want to change for next time? What actions will you take next time?

Step five- Self Validate. I like to think of self validation as a way of giving yourself a high five. With imposter syndrome we feed ourselves all kinds of vicious thoughts. When you decide to actively self-validate and take responsibility for your decisions, you feel a million times better!

It’s your job to accept you. It’s your job to understand you. It’s your job to validate you. This is your work and it’s not dependent on anyone else.

When I started to take ownership and take responsibility for my own validation. It changed absolutely everything for me and I know it will change everything for you too!

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. 🙂

I want to inspire people to be seekers of truth in the world. To investigate their own beliefs about themselves, their thoughts around what’s possible and live with unapologetic ambition.

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 🙂

Dr. Brené Brown. She changed my life, because of her I learned how to be vulnerable.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

Come hang with me on Instagram @courtneylovegavin for daily IG stories on becoming the person you want to be.

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

Courtney Love Gavin: How To Thrive Despite Experiencing Impostor Syndrome was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Interior Designer Diana Stelin: 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy

When you choose art for your space, don’t just look for color blotches to match your couch or rug. Think of ways you can bring in pleasant memories, to teleport yourself back to precious moments in time.

As part of my series on the “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Diana Stelin.

Diana Stelin is an Award-Winning Professional Landscape Artist who managed a national art gallery, DTR Modern Galleries, for over seven years and helped establish collections of Kanye West & Jason Biggs among others. She specializes in invigorating homes through art, restructuring placements of pieces to optimize their power to become conversation pieces, oasis areas and ways for clients to battle stress and burnout.

In her commissioned landscape work Stelin focuses on important places in peoples’ lives, destinations that spark incredible memories and bring us all to center and gratitude for the opportunities we have had. She utilizes a unique approach of applying layers of professional grade oil pigments and wax to her pieces, building up to five layers of harmonious color in each of her works. Her signature element is the melting of certain sections of each piece with a heating lamp, simultaneously adding in gold leaf and paper elements to further highlight the textural elements of her “living and breathing” landscape work.

Stelin’s pieces are in dozens of private and corporate collections all over US. She exhibited in important art fairs in Miami and Santa Fe, and numerous gallery and museum shows. Stelin has authored a published novel. She has transformed some of her art to fabric design and a new fashion line. She still holds virtual and in person workshops for children and adults in her Best of Boston teaching studio.

Thank you so much for joining us in this series! 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?

I believed in the healing power of art ever since it aided me as a new émigré from the Soviet Union who was bullied in a New Jersey high school. Artmaking was my solace and a way to find a reprieve during a turbulent transition. Later on, traveling through Europe on my year abroad, I discovered that art viewing and art appreciation act similarly. There were times when artworks literally brought tears to my eyes and I realized that there’re very few things that can reach so deeply into our souls and visual art is definitely one of them.

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

I love helping people find artwork that speaks to them but we rarely talk about the profound effects that it has on their psyche. Just a little over a month ago, in the midst of the pandemic, I got this message from a former client and it brought what I do to a true focus: “I feel so grounded when I look at this piece. All the while the wind is blowing in so many directions and there is such fervor in every day these days — but the center is there holding it all together! Art can give strength. This is proof.” Petra, Brookline, MA

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?

My meeting Kanye was the funniest story of my career. It was during the Holiday season when lots of folks were walking around asking for donations for varied causes. When he walked in with his manager, I assumed they were one of those fundraising teams. He asked me to see a Jeff Koons sculpture I had in my window. I proceeded to ask him the regular qualifying questions before bothering with it.

“Are you involved in the arts?” I asked.

“Yes”, he said. “On the music side of things.”

“Did you go to school for art?”

“Yes, but I dropped out,” he proceeded.

I had no clue who he was. This was not a great start, but reluctantly I showed him the piece and told him a bit about it.
“I always loved Jeff Koons,” he said. “It would be great to collaborate one day. Can you send me more info on this piece?”

“Definitely a Pop Star to be collected,” I said and started writing down his private email information to send him sizing and other pertinent info. In the meantime, my assistants were all huddling in the back, giggling as I butchered the spelling of his name, still completely clueless as to who he was.

I was invited to his concerts later on, worked with him for many years, but I think it’s that initial conversation and my ignorance of his stardom that established our great relationship. The lesson I learned is to never judge a book by its cover. You never know what you can learn from the next person you meet, or someone you had in your life all along and taken for granted.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

In these tricky times when we cannot visit places that bring us joy and help us rejuvenate, I’ve been getting a lot of requests to create mementoes for people: their honeymoon destinations, a site of their most memorable family vacation, retirement and birthday gifts, Holiday and anniversary treats. We need to be able to teleport ourselves to our most memorable moments in a heartbeat, to have areas in our homes that can become an oasis of calm, peace and centering. I’m also working on collaborating with commercial architects on large wallpaper design and prints to have my work accessible in large corporate spaces, hospitals and hotels. Additionally, I’m researching manufacturers to create wallpaper and fabric designs, to bring some of my whimsy and color to more people.

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

“Any idea that’s held in the mind, that’s emphasized, whether feared or revered, will begin at once to clothe itself in the most convenient and appropriate form available”, Andrew Carnegie

There were tons of adversities and challenges in my life and yet I held steady to my big dreams and things have manifested faster and faster. The more actions I took, the more bold I was in my expectation of what is to come, the easier it was to see things come to fruition.

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?

A few years ago, I met a woman at a conference. She was wearing the most gorgeous DVF dress and we started talking about it, about how she loves to treat herself to these beautiful gifts and experiences. I responded with tons of blocks about owing things to family first, about not having time to myself, etc. She caught my fears and doubts and family pacts straight away and it got me to working with her through her varied programs. Amira Alvarez is an incredible business and mindset coach and I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am without her hard love and nurturing teaching.

Thank you for that. Here is the main question of our discussion. What are your “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

Bring art into your space. It completes each room, creates comfort and brings back memories of special moments.
When you choose art for your space, don’t just look for color blotches to match your couch or rug. Think of ways you can bring in pleasant memories, to teleport yourself back to precious moments in time.
In installing art, be mindful of wall space. Don’t put a tiny piece on a large wall — it gets lost. Similarly, do not put a larger piece on a wall where less than a ¼ of its width remains on each side. It will not have enough breathing space otherwise.
Look for similar color palettes and try to stay away from battling prints in your décor. Opposite colors like red/green, blue/orange or purple/yellow create too much contrast. If your art is bold — go for subtler hues in your furniture and area rugs. Alternatively, if your furniture has lots of bright prints, aim for artwork that is more abstract and soft.
Intersperse family photos, artwork from friends and family, and more important art pieces in your home collection. This way, every time you go through your space, it will spark more memories and feelings of joy.

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

I think the healing power of art is not apparent to many people and it is my purpose in life to show how powerful it is to be living with art. It has been statistically proven that exposure to visual art even for a half hour a day decreases our cortisol level, and that is our ‘stress’ hormone, by 75%. Art is essential and crucial for our mental health and I intend on drawing this parallel with all of my endeavors.

I’ve already started thinking along those lines by organizing my first fundraising auction to bring funds to mental health charities. I partnered with Hollywood, called on all of my artist acquaintances and past clients, and had an amazing virtual evening full of music, culinary presentations, and a live and silent auction where artworks were purchased by collectors from all over the country. Full proceeds from this event were donated to OneMind, an organization that researches brain disorders, and the Brookline Center for Mental Health, which specializes in outpatient services in my local community.

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 🙂

I would love for my next event to be held in collaboration with Glenn Close. I love all the amazing work Gwyneth Paltrow is doing and I would love for her to be a presenter at my next fundraising auction. I miss my chats with Kanye and wish him all the best with his new school endeavor. I would love to have breakfast with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as they’re just the coolest Boston folks.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

https://www.instagram.com/diana_stelin/

https://www.instagram.com/landscapes.ds/

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

Interior Designer Diana Stelin: 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Kendra Kirane of Wellbridge Addiction Treatment and Research: Five Things We Can Do To Develop…

Kendra Kirane of Wellbridge Addiction Treatment and Research: Five Things We Can Do To Develop Serenity And Support Each Other During These Anxious Times

Keep it simple — when life feels especially uncertain it can be helpful to connect with the basics. Sit and feel yourself sitting. Breathe and experience each breath cycle. Make eye contact with others. Be present.

As a part of my series about the the things we can do to develop serenity and support each other during anxious times, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kendra Kirane.

Kendra Kirane is the Director of Creative Arts Therapy and Wellness at Wellbridge Addiction Treatment and Research. She emphasizes the universal language of art as an essential process in therapy — empowering individuals to be seen, heard, and understood on the path toward recovery. Recognizing wellness is a key feature of sustainability, Kendra prioritizes delivery of mindfulness, fitness, and psychotherapy and to promote restoration and healthy lifestyle choices.

Kendra entered the field in 2006 and gained a deep appreciation for the complex clinical needs of patients with substance use disorders (SUD) with a specific focus on the intersection between SUD and trauma. She provided trauma-informed dance/movement therapy for adult survivors of 9/11 at the World Trade Center Environmental Health Center and Bellevue Hospital inpatient units. In 2018 she transitioned to Union Settlement, launching their Early Childhood Mental Health Program while providing supervision for social workers and creative arts therapists. Kendra has taught throughout the New York metropolitan area — striving to highlight dance/movement therapy as a unique response to the opioid crisis.

Kendra is a New York State Licensed Creative Arts Therapist and Board-Certified Dance/Movement Therapist. She received a BA in Theatre Arts from UC Santa Cruz and MS in Dance/Movement Therapy from Pratt Institute. She completed a fellowship in psychoanalysis from The Psychoanalytic Association of New York affiliated with NYU School of Medicine, and certifications in Authentic Movement, as well as Arts and Trauma Treatment.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

While living and working abroad in Spain many years ago, I found myself mostly alone for long durations. With this solitude came opportunity for introspection. It was during this time that I began to frequent museums, ask contemplative questions, and journal my values in an attempt to clarify priorities and find my path. Gradually it became clear that language and how we connect fascinates me, not only the nature in which we communicate through words but through the lens of our cultural perspectives, the arts, and approaches to mindfulness. When I discovered the field of creative arts therapy I found the balance I’d long been seeking — a blend of psychology and the arts. I’m beyond grateful that this has led to a meaningful career path and today I serve as the Director of Creative Arts Therapy and Wellness at Wellbridge Addiction Treatment and Research.

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

A neat aspect of my work is that meaningful discoveries are made little by little, every day with patients. I’m genuinely moved by their stories and the ongoing opportunity to witness their transformation. Earlier in my career I worked at a non-profit organization in Manhattan that served an under-privileged population. A client, who I had the honor of supporting closely for two years, was invited to speak publicly about overcoming domestic violence, substance misuse, and depression. To witness her stand before a gala of 300 people and listen to her metaphor of “starting out like a toxic tree” and blossoming into a healthy, confident woman, wife, and mother, was a truly remarkable moment.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you?

Sophie’s World by Norwegian novelist Jostein Gaarder left an indelible mark on me.

Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

The story is a clever introduction to philosophy. Sophie and her mentor Alberto journey through history to understand how we solve problems, communicate, and see the world. These themes resonate with me deeply.

Now to the main focus of our interview, from your experience or research, how would you define and describe the state of being mindful?

Mindfulness is a practice that cultivates a conscious awareness of the present moment. Just as in the spirit of getting to know a new friend, mindfulness is a curvilinear journey of getting to know our own selves. With curiosity and openness, we have the potential to experience self-understanding; with understanding and self-compassion, we gain insight…and perhaps wisdom.

This might be intuitive to you, but it will be instructive to spell this out. Can you share with our readers a few of the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of becoming mindful?

Mindfulness can lead to a physical calm and relaxation, mental clarity, and emotional insight. For individuals struggling with addictive behaviors, mindfulness meditation can be profoundly beneficial. At Wellbridge we invite patients to consider the simple act of observing an urge to drink or use a substance, as if it were an ocean wave ebbing and flowing. Urges tend to be time-limited, and mindfulness reinforces that one can learn to ‘surf the urge’ without being taken over by it. By building mindfulness muscles, one gains a capacity to experience situations with self-compassion and control, while an innate resilience and strength is bolstered.

The past 5 years have been filled with upheaval and political uncertainty. Many people have become anxious from the dramatic jolts of the news cycle. The fears related to the pandemic have only heightened a sense of uncertainty, anxiety, fear, and loneliness. From your experience or research what are five steps that each of us can take to develop mindfulness during such uncertain times? Can you please share a story or example for each.

While many of us want and need to stay informed, our health and wellbeing can take a toll if we aren’t mindful of a healthy balance. Here are a few steps to consider:

Awareness — this may seem like low hanging fruit, but notice how frequently you’re checking the phone, watching the news, or scrolling social media. Take note of the duration with which you’re engaging in these activities and how connected (or disconnected) to the body you feel; the answer might surprise you.
Reprieve — many of us are perpetually checking smartphones in search of information or ways to connect. This, in itself, becomes habitual and over time can derive less meaning. Try detoxing from your smartphone for an hour each evening (or if that’s too much, try once per week). Notice if you feel more present simply by separating briefly from technology.
Establish alternatives — practicing mindfulness does not have to mean sitting in stillness for 30 minutes to get rid of uncomfortable thoughts. Rather, it’s about connecting with oneself and noticing what’s coming up in the mind, body, and spirit. Identify a few activities that support your effort to be present, e.g. authentic movement, mandala drawing, or writing in a gratitude journal.
Reach out — let others know when you’re stressed, and also that you’re interested in mindfulness. This can become a way to receive support and to connect with like-minded individuals.
Keep it simple — when life feels especially uncertain it can be helpful to connect with the basics. Sit and feel yourself sitting. Breathe and experience each breath cycle. Make eye contact with others. Be present.

From your experience or research what are five steps that each of us can take to effectively offer support to those around us who are feeling anxious? Can you explain?

Anxiety is the most common psychiatric complaint among American adults. Often rooted in worries about the future, generalized anxiety can show up as restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, poor sleep, irritability, and difficulty controlling worrisome feelings. Recognizing these symptoms and reaching out to offer a helping hand can make all the difference.

Studies show that perceived social support is a protective factor for anxiety. Attune to how your friends and family are feeling, cultivating an ongoing dialogue of empathy and compassion. If casual talk seems like it’s not enough, consider connecting them to a virtual support group, psychotherapy, or medication management, all of which can be tremendously beneficial and can be calibrated to the needs of the individual.

What are the best resources you would suggest for someone to learn how to be more mindful and serene in their everyday life?

In recent years there has been a dramatic expansion of mindfulness content available online. One classic resource that I recommend is the 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn PhD at University of Massachusetts Medical Center.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

Trust the process: embrace what you can control and be in the moment. The rest will follow.

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

Right now I think what the world needs is more kindness and compassion for each other. Small conscious acts of tenderness at any moment can make all the difference.

Kendra Kirane of Wellbridge Addiction Treatment and Research: Five Things We Can Do To Develop… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Ignas Jurkonis of NCS Group: Five Things Business Leaders Can Do To Create A Fantastic Work Culture

Listening. We are all different sets of experiences, backgrounds and personalities. Hearing and listening are different. Listening is for understanding the motivation, passion and learning the audience.

As a part of our series about “How business leaders can create a fantastic work environment”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ignas Jurkonis, a U.S. based entrepreneur, businessman, consultant, and top executive. His primary focus is on company value turnarounds, combining traditional industries and modern management philosophies. Ignas is known for his support of young entrepreneurs, multiple social projects, and non-profit activity, with a guest lecture series in place with University of Southern California (UCS) — Marshall School of Business. Currently, under his formed NCS Group, Ignas is leading and developing a group of companies through a series of M&A acting as a priority freight forwarder and visionary supply chain solution for Fortune 500 companies, also inclusive of notable brands like Walgreens, Boots Alliance, 3M, GlaxoSmithKline across the U.S. market.

Ignas Jurkonis has always actively been involved in charity and non-profit events and organizations, both in the U.S. and overseas. In 2020 Ignas has actively supported the fight with COVID-19 providing U.S. hospitals with free freight services. In March of, 2020, Unlimited Carrier Inc., under the NCS Group umbrella, based in Bolingbrook, Illinois, dedicated more than 50 Trucks to Transport Medical Supplies to Hospitals Free of Charge under the direction of Jurkonis. Several new additional alignments to help both COVID-19 efforts and the widespread fires in need of relief are in development for aid support.

In 2015 he supported a non-profit project called Baltic Marathons for a series of sporting events in Latvia and the Baltic States. In 2016 Ignas established a personal charity fund in Ukraine and initiated a social project together with Kiev City Administration, led by Mayor Vitali Klitschko, and Embassies of multiple countries, including Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, Israel, and others. During the project, Angels of Nations (Ангели націй) 25 angel statues were donated to the city of Kiev as a symbol of support from Ignas Jurkonis and multiple countries.

In 2018, after moving to the United States, Ignas joined Unlimited Carrier Inc., based in Chicago, Illinois. After the acquisition of National Consolidation Services LLC, he formed the NCS Group. He is currently developing the group of companies and is acting as it’s Executive Chairman and CEO. NCS Group is a priority freight forwarder and visionary supply chain solution provider for Walgreens, Boots Alliance, 3M, GlaxoSmithKline, and other Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. market.

In 2020 Ignas Jurkonis became a Patron for the Global Lithuanian Leaders organization and was honored to represent the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists and the Lithuanian Chamber of Tourism for the United States of America. He also became a guest lecturer for the University of Southern California — Marshall School of Business.

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

During the last 16 years, I was a resident in 6 different countries, on 3 different continents. I was involved in dozens of investment and entrepreneurial projects. I acted as Board member and CEO in numerous organizations with thousands of employees in Global Oil markets. My area of expertise during that period of time ranged from high risk and alarming situations in revolutions and war zones to diplomatic and social non profit projects. My background was always very international and I love multicultural teams. Business for me was always tightly related with human relationships, creativity and passion. This is how I determined and formed the sense and understanding of success. All of that developed a unique skills and leadership style, orientated to people communication, psychology and high emotional intelligence.

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

I honestly feel that I have never worked in my life. Not even a day. Business somehow became my lifestyle, source of excitement and life celebration. It provides me resources to do something next and to do something meaningful. Some projects are failed but most of them create the next chapter of this life long reality show. I meet a lot of people, travel a lot and I live an active life, so stories are a big collection I have.

I can share one story that I keep in my heart, a recent event during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have a company Unlimited Carrier with a fleet of 500 trucks which is servicing one of the largest US retailers Walgreens. During the pandemic all of this business was essential and we had a very busy period. However, at the same time our organization, supporting safety on the roads, has so called “no forced dispatch” policy, when a driver can refuse to start driving the truck if he feels unsafe for any reason. That created a challenge when our employees started to refuse to go to the epicenters of COVID-19, such as New York or L.A. Thay have families and loved ones at home and didn’t feel safe.

So we started delivering medical and hospital freight free of charge. We had 50 trucks with special markings and heroic drivers that were providing this essential service for our communities and society in most dangerous cities through pandemic. And as soon as we started doing that, I had this great surprise of many drivers, supported by their families, stepped up and asked me to assign them to this project because they wanted to help. I am really proud and grateful of them and their purpose and it was just this smallest step we did as an organization for this human effort to happen, just 50 trucks and free freight for our hospitals.

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

Currently I am developing several projects in the US. The main business is the NCS Group. NCS is a group of asset based companies in the supply chain providing deeply integrated, taylored and innovative solutions for Fortune 500 companies. Apart from providing the excellent custom service to our customers, our business culture is about serving our communities. We look at supply chain and servicing pharmacies as a purpose to make sure we deliver medications, products, food, commodities so smoothly that people and final consumers will never feel the lack of them. We shape the supply chain solutions with no shortage, overstock and waste of production, which is extremely important thinking about our optimal use of the world’s resources. At the same time we strongly support organic and human health orientated producers, solving their short product shelf life and logistical challenges. I am really happy about the shift towards sustainable, healthier and organic production during recent years.

Ok, lets jump to the main part of our interview. According to this study cited in Forbes, more than half of the US workforce is unhappy. Why do you think that number is so high?

I would start with one of my beliefs. Any organization, no matter if it is a private, public or government sector is simply millions of daily conversations. We communicate with each other to build mutual goals and purposes and to get everyone on the same page within the organization. Being aware of the importance of communication and it’s qualitative management creates tolerance, respect and finally a sense of happiness. However, not enough attention to the quality of conversations will lead to increased frustration, misunderstanding and confusion.

Based on your experience or research, how do you think an unhappy workforce will impact a) company productivity b) company profitability c) and employee health and wellbeing?

Productivity, profitability and employee well being are all related to company value. In fact, this is something I focus mostly on in business. I think value creation comes from a well aligned diversified team of talent that commit to the purpose they believe in on their free will. As a result they clearly understand their role, personal value and are willing to do more. In such a situation we can start to generate strategies on value determination and creation. And it is not rocket science, let’s think about ourselves. When we have a well balanced lifestyle and our jobs are tightly related to our life interests and hobbies and have just the right amount of stress, excitement and recognition. Our productivity will go up. The question for the leader is to understand people in those jobs, how much do they fit that well being.

Can you share 5 things that managers and executives should be doing to improve their company work culture? Can you give a personal story or example for each?

Listening. We are all different sets of experiences, backgrounds and personalities. Hearing and listening are different. Listening is for understanding the motivation, passion and learning the audience.

Respect. Employees are people and everyone just takes their role in organizations. Respect has to create the comfort and support motivation as well as creativity.

Creativity. I think an environment supporting creativity is a fun environment. Such an environment encourages challenges, innovations, and focuses on beauty and quality in what we do.

Purpose. I always try to find a non material purpose of why we gather together as a team or organization. Why we spend time in the office and what we will leave after us. This is what we will remember.

Communication. All organizations are basically just conversations. Managing the quality of those with emotional intelligence skills, you directly manage the success.

It’s very nice to suggest ideas, but it seems like we have to “change the culture regarding work culture”. What can we do as a society to make a broader change in the US workforce’s work culture?

I think our world and work environment changed a lot with the millennial generation. I remember the times when my parents and grandparents looked to their jobs as some sort of safety. Organizations were pretty much guaranteeing a career from school to retirement, including all benefits, trainings. I believe that in today’s world, when the average company’s life is much shorter and people want to be active longer, it is almost impossible to stay within one organization for all career. In such a situation every individual becomes a brand, with benefits, value proposition, and character. Companies are not interested in developing talents so much, they want to invest in talents that are ready to start now. Society should focus on encouraging personal and skills development and helping to match that with careers. It would create a sense of personal purpose of oneself no matter which organization he or she joins. So an organization will be built not only for common purpose but also aligned with multiple individual purposes of their talent.

How would you describe your leadership or management style? Can you give us a few examples?

I love learning and developing. It happens that I always seek to gather very strong teams around me and I love to learn from them. It expands my mental model taking and accepting their point of view of things. Finally, we come to the point where we are all focused on the same goal even if we describe it differently, so my part as the leader remains supporting them and helping them, as well as seeing the full scope of interaction. My leadership style is listening and managing communication. Encouraging education, life balance, creativity and execution. And I always suggest meditation for finding calm hours with yourself to reset.

One of my hobbies is Wine. Wine, same as art for me, is one of the most subjective areas where there is no right answer, just tolerance is respect to each other’s senses. I love spending autumn in the Champagne region of France and one of my dear friends that owns a vineyard, explained the philosophy of their business. He is enjoying the profits from the wine that he sells today which was produced by his grandparents and he is producing the wine today that will be a financial source for the families of his children and grandkids. I share this example as a philosophy of something bigger than just tomorrow’s profits or annual dividends. This is about the value of the business, purpose, commitment that is created, maintained and passed further from generation to generation. Someone explained to me that there are two types of games, finite with rules and a finish line where you win or lose; and infinite with no rules and no finish line, where we end the game weather when we are tired or we finish the resources. Business for me is an infinite game, same as wine. I always seek for business purposes matching my beliefs and values, so I can build it stronger and longer lasting, while being honestly proud of it.

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

I believe that leaders carry a lot of responsibility and are accountable not only for their employees. When we think about the impact we do, we are responsible for families, friends, communities of those employees. Their values, their dinner stories, their vacations, their health, quality of life, experiences, memories and so many other aspects. When we think of all consequences for what we say, do, how we act, inspire. We can change so much being great actors in our positions. I pay a lot of attention not only to what we do but also why and how we do it, and we talk about it until we understand.

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

We have to be able to see directly into the eyes of everyone. Leadership is not only fun, creativity, passion and excitement. Real leadership starts when we come up to something tough and rough. We all have losses, mistakes, bad choices, hard decisions. That’s where we start the real inner honest dialogue with ourselves. Your name is the only thing that is left no matter what, so we need to take care of it.

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. 🙂

My most favorite movements are related to life quality as health, sustainability, mindfulness and life balance. My inspiration would probably be to create the change of our organizational purposes and goals from usual KPIs and financial metrics to life quality measurements of people involved. When I think of it, I probably need to start looking for a VP of Happiness in my organizations. )

Ignas Jurkonis of NCS Group: Five Things Business Leaders Can Do To Create A Fantastic Work Culture was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Mary Hampton of Hampton Design & Closets: 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More…

Mary Hampton of Hampton Design & Closets: 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy

Have an item in every single room that makes you feel good. Think of a picture frame that encompasses a great memory, a blanket that someone special gave you or a handbag displayed in your closet that you worked so hard for.

As a part of my series on the “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mary Hampton.

Mary Hampton is the owner of Scottsdale-based Hampton Design & Closets. Her eye for design and attention to detail has allowed her to transform spaces from bland to glam. Her passion for finding joy in every room truly shows up in every project. Visit myclosetcrush.com for inspiration and to collab.

My love for homes and home renovations is really what brought me to this specific career path. What better way to impact someone’s life than remodeling their closet? You sure spend a lot of time in it, so you should definitely love it!

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

The most interesting thing that has happened to me since I started this career is a client called me a few years ago and thanked me for designing a Mudd room for her home. It really was a simple design and not too expensive, but it had hooks for her three kids’ backpacks and a space for their shoes. She said the fact that she doesn’t have to kick backpacks and have a messy house coming home from school every single day, eliminated the chaos and made such a difference in her time with her kids after school! She said it was almost enjoyable!

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?

The funniest mistake I’ve made is when I was new to the industry and designing a laundry room/pantry the client wanted built around their stand-alone freezer that opened toward the ceiling. Every time I spoke of the room, I kept designing it with the countertop over the freezer. There were two or three more conversations before the client looked at me and said, “Mary this sounds terrific, but how would we open the freezer?” I was embarrassed, but I said, “Well, get a new freezer.” Moral of the story? Start selling freezers.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

The most exciting project I’m working on now is my own showroom! The showroom will be open early October 2020 and we just can’t wait! It’s fun and new and I’m bringing some rare innovative options to the space. I can’t wait to share it with my clients. I’m also working with some amazing interior designers and their clients. I love designing and branding! It elevates your life, so it’s been so rewarding to do projects that my clients are more excited than I am to complete. I love my work and love bringing new ideas to life in someone’s space. It’s so rewarding to see the end product and my clients so happy with the result.

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

“I don’t care what you think of me. I don’t think about you at all.” -CoCo Chanel

This quote often comes off snarky, however I am a firm believer that you need to do you and be who you are regardless of who is watching and what others may or may not think of you!

I sold my first closet for $21,000 and it was a massive project. My first deal! I was so very excited. However, I didn’t even have enough capital to cover the materials of a project that large. I was at lunch with a friend and told him of my new sale, but that I would have to delay in order to secure funding for the project. He gave me the money on the spot that very day.

I’m not sure if in my life I have ever had someone believe in me more than myself at that time! It was a true testament that I was doing the right thing and it was a business that was going to work! I took that loan and did the project and paid him back. To this day, I will never forget two things. That there are people who are rooting for you and that you always have to take opportunities when they arise!

Thank you for that. Here is the main question of our discussion. What are your “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

Have a space or spot for everything. If you don’t, toss it!
Have an item in every single room that makes you feel good. Think of a picture frame that encompasses a great memory, a blanket that someone special gave you or a handbag displayed in your closet that you worked so hard for.
Color, color, color!
Make sure you have organizers in your closet pantry and laundry room. A little organization goes a very long way.
Rearrange rooms often and change out just one item occasionally to make the space feel fresh and new.

Thirty random acts of kindness at least twice a year. I think the most impact we can have in life is helping others with simple kindnesses! There is no greater joy than losing the excuses and helping others!

I have never felt more love and stronger connection from another human like I have Tony Robbins! He is out to make a HUGE difference! His workshops have allowed me to do more and be more helpful to others.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

Instagram: @Hamptondesignandclosets

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hamptondesignandclosets

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

Mary Hampton of Hampton Design & Closets: 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Interior Designer John Barnes of Lamps Plus: 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark…

Interior Designer John Barnes of Lamps Plus: 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy

Add something of your personality or personal interests. It’s your space, after all, so make it your own. Furniture pieces with a memory behind them, framed family pictures, collections of music or art — whatever it is that gives you pleasure and calm, make sure that it’s in the room.

As part of my series on the “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy”, I had the pleasure of interviewing John Barnes, Interior Design Expert at Lamps Plus. John has over 15 years of interior design experience working in the home lighting and decor industry. Lamps Plus was founded in 1976 to give consumers a winning combination of service, selection, and value. As the nation’s largest lighting retailer, they carry all the top brands alongside thousands of exclusive and patented designs in lighting, home furnishings, and décor.

Pure chance! I studied art and film in college, worked in the entertainment industry in LA for a decade, then pivoted to online marketing and design, which I love.

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

The range of personalities you meet are quite interesting. From meeting Mark Cuban at a conference to working with design world stars like Kathy Ireland, sports personalities, bloggers and more. Doing last minute script revisions with Kathy, with dozens of video crew standing around waiting on us, was a great lesson in how to rise to the occasion and be professional.

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?

Well, the learning curve in terms of getting a grasp on all the lighting industry and home decor terminology is steeper than you might think. Take a simple conversation about a “regular” light bulb. You can call it an “Edison bulb”, a “standard” bulb, a “medium base” bulb, or all three at once. So there were a number of initial conversations I had with team members where we just talked in circles around each other until we came to an understanding. I think this is pretty common to all industries, and it takes time to understand it and then, even more importantly, time to learn how to communicate it to customers.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

It’s been very gratifying to see the emergence and mass acceptance of LED lighting, a trend that will continue in the years to come. They last a very long time and are so much more energy efficient than regular incandescent designs. That people have come around to them and see the benefits, both from an energy consumption and a design point of view, is really great.

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

The job is never done, ever. I once heard the story about how they paint the Golden Gate bridge: they start at one end and by the time they reach the other end it’s time to start all over again. I don’t know if that’s true (seems like it could be?), but it certainly holds true in my work and life experience. Work and life is a constant process of building and revising, and starting over again. Sounds depressing when I say it, but it’s true!

Dennis Swanson, the founder and CEO of Lamps Plus, has certainly helped me get to where I am in this industry. He really sets a great work environment for the company and I admire his mix of hard-headed business sense and creativity, all backed by a steady-as-it-goes personality. I remember him sharing a story about his coming to the corporate headquarters after the big Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles, which was centered near where the corporate offices are. The building was pretty shook up and there was structural damage to part of it. But he took a deep breath, looked around at all the staff pitching in to clean up, and thought, well, things are going to be OK, let’s get back to work. That’s the best lesson from him, in a way, just dig in and work the problem and you will be alright.

Sparking more joy is all about being comfortable where you are. Since everyone is spending more time at home these days, and the “work space” has increasingly shifted to working from home for a great many people, making the home space comfortable is what it’s all about.

The first thing we always want to remind people is that any room should make use of multiple light sources. Most of us only are using one or two sources, and we rely too much on overhead recessed lighting, which is just boring. If you use multiple sources you’ll create dramatic areas of light and dark, which is interesting. It will make any room feel more comfortable and liveable.

The second point is to create a focal point for the living space. Most areas don’t have this, so the natural feeling we get from them is one of anxiety and being uncomfortable. You want a visual point to the room that draws your eye in and lets you know what the room is for — use a sofa to anchor a living room, a desk for a home office, a decorative headboard for a bedroom.

Third is declutter. Personally, I’m not all that good at this, as I have a lot of stuff! You don’t have to go super minimal, but the point is to organize what you have in such a way so that it’s not a point of stress or conflict. Put things away you don’t need or use regularly, add storage space, add a bookshelf — whatever it is you need to do to streamline the visual look of your space.

Then, bring in the outside light. Sunlight and the colors of the outside world are the designer’s secret friend. Open up blinds or add a wall mirror to bring in outside light. You’ll be surprised at the dramatic difference this will make in a room.

And finally, add something of your personality or personal interests. It’s your space, after all, so make it your own. Furniture pieces with a memory behind them, framed family pictures, collections of music or art — whatever it is that gives you pleasure and calm, make sure that it’s in the room.

I’ve always been a supporter of education and learning for the sheer joy of knowledge and gaining a greater understanding of ourselves. So If we are going to advance this world I think that education is going to be the key and the way we advance. Universal education free for all would be a world changer and a benefit for everyone. And if nothing else, people would be a lot more interesting to chat with!

Wow, you saved the toughest question for last! Hmmm…well, they would have to be someone you could have a conversation with, meaning that they’d have to be able to hold up their end of the talk. Frankly, I suspect that there are more than a few of the “biggest names” out there who wouldn’t be able to do this. And they know who they are! So maybe…chef and restaurateur Jamie Oliver? I mean, you would at least eat well, I’d hope, and he seems like a good conversationalist. Or, to stick with an Oliver, John Oliver would be fun…remember, no pre-written script! Sports announcer Doris Burke would have some stories to tell. Designer Jonathan Adler is another person I really admire, plus he seems like he’d have a good cocktail suggestion. YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, author and bookstore owner Ann Patchett…how big a table did you say I could have?

How can our readers follow you on social media?

Instagram: www.instagram.com/lampsplus/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/lampsplus

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

Interior Designer John Barnes of Lamps Plus: 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Disruptors: Artist Niki Woehler On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

One of the biggest contributing catalysts to everything “scary” I’ve jumped into is a video I stumbled across many years ago. I don’t know how I found it, or what made me watch it, but it created a paradigm shift in my mind. Boiled down, the message was, “we all have an expiration date, we just don’t know what it is. If you knew yours was in three years, two days, and seven hours, would you still be doing what you’re doing? Would you still have that job, live in that city, travel the same rate you currently travel, eat the ice cream, spend the same amount of time with the people you love most, etc? If your answer is yes, then keep doing what you’re doing. If the answer is no, then why wait? Take the leap. We never know when our time is up, and wasting a single day doing what you don’t love is a travesty.”

As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Niki Woehler.

Niki Woehler, an Arizona-based artist, who recently opened her first gallery and working art studio in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale. The gallery serves a place for Woehler to create while also displaying her two different types of works: organic, textural canvases and high gloss resins that often resemble stone scattered with minerals. Woehler straddles the line between the corporate and private art worlds. Her large-scale pieces are great visuals and very popular amongst collectors, corporations and interior designers.

Described as modern and abstract, Woehler’s art is filled with lines, layers and textures that invade smooth facades, imbuing surface beauty with depth, character, strength and wisdom. Her unique approach to creating her masterpieces has made her one of the one of the most collectable emerging artists in the West.

Woehler was the presenting artist for the opening of Iconic Haus, a luxury designer showhouse in Paradise Valley featuring beautiful rooms and outdoor spaces created by 19 top marquis design firms. She’s also represented by several galleries throughout the country, and was one of a few select artists invited to show as a “Resident Artist” at the Found:Re Hotel, an upscale boutique hotel dedicated to the visual arts downtown Phoenix.

One of her works, “Silent Partners,” took first place at the Arizona State Fair Fine Art competition and was handpicked from more than 1,100 submissions to be part of a group show titled “Face Off” at the Herberger Theater Gallery. The same piece is currently being turned into a one-of-a-kind rug by David Adler. She has been the featured artist during the Telluride Art Walk October three times in the last four year and successfully showed her art at Art Expo New York, selling out her entire collection of resin works within hours of opening.

To make an appointment to view her work, hire her for commission or learn more about her process, visit nikiwoehler.com.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

I definitely didn’t take the road most traveled to find my path as an artist. In fact, as a kid I didn’t love art and I would try to find ways to skip art class. In retrospect, this was most likely because they wanted me to paint fruit in bowls and I’ve never been one to color inside the lines.

When I was in my mid 20’s a friend and coworker died in a car accident, needlessly…he fell asleep at the wheel. On my way home from his funeral, I looked up to the perfectly blue sky from my little convertible and told Michael (my friend) that he should have been here with us on this beautiful day. Then I heard a little voice whisper in my ear to pull in. I looked over and there was a Michael’s store. Still not sure why, but I pulled in, parked my car, and purchased 3 canvases, a bunch of brushes and several tubes of paint. I went home and painted my first painting.

As luck would have it, my neighbor was an art professor at ASU, so I knocked on her door and asked her to come and give me some advice. When she saw the painting she asked, “This is your first painting?” I said, “yes.” She turned on her heels and started to walk out the door. Perplexed, I asked, “Is it that bad!” She said “No, that’s good. Just keep painting.” And she left.

I painted two more paintings, and shortly thereafter, gave birth to my first child. Then two more children came rapid fire after that. Between three kids three and under, and a full-time job in marketing, I simply ran out of time and I didn’t paint again for almost 10 years. But as the kids became more self-sufficient, I would paint to relax on my down time. It was my escape.

Flash forward a few more years and one day a client caught me playing hooky from work so I could paint (by then I owned my own boutique marketing agency). She asked what I was doing, and I told her, sheepishly. She then asked to see some of my work. Reluctantly, I sent her some photos. Next thing I knew, she sent me back a photo of a blank wall and asked me to paint her something for it. I did. She loved it and commissioned two more. At the end of it, she told me I was an idiot if I didn’t quit marketing and paint for a living. I forced myself to be brave for 20 seconds, and posted one of my paintings on Facebook, just to see what my friends would say. It sold in under an hour. Shocked, but encouraged, I did it again with another painting. That one sold as well, in the same timeframe. So I looked up to the sky again and said, “ok, I’m listening. If it happens again, I’ll quit marketing and be an artist.” It happened again. I closed shop within 30 days. That was seven years ago now. I’ve never looked back. And I’ve never been happier or more fulfilled in my life.

Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?

I wouldn’t say my art is disruptive, but what IS disruptive is bucking conventional wisdom, leaving the safety of what you know and jumping off of an enormous cliff to do what you love, at the risk of everything. I walked away from almost 30 years in my field of expertise, a single mother of three, to be an artist. Let’s face it, no one goes into art because they think they’ll get rich (they didn’t coin the phrase “starving artist” for no reason). People probably thought I was crazy! And maybe I was, thinking about it now.

However, in my early 20’s I was hit by a city bus as I was walking across the street. The bus launched me 40 feet through the air, and I somehow landed on one foot, still holding my mug of raspberry tea (thank you for all of those years of gymnastics when I was a kid). Granted, I couldn’t put my right foot down again for 8 months, but I remember so clearly thinking, “I should be dead”. It changed me forever.

I no longer say no to dessert, no longer sweat the small stuff, and most importantly, I lost my fear. It really drove home quickly that life is short. We should do what we love, because we never know when our time is up. Don’t waste your time on this planet. So now, I share my story whenever I’m able to, so that it might give someone else the courage to follow their dreams.

I read somewhere that people used to say that it was impossible to break the four-minute mile, until the first person did it. Then thousands of people broke it shortly thereafter. Things are only “impossible” until someone proves that wrong. Then the doors are flung wide open for everyone else who believes they can. I’m here to tell you, do what you love, do it with passion and heart, and you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve. The universe will conspire on your behalf in ways you cannot fathom!

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?

Oh, I have a few of those, but I think I’ll share the one about when I set a canvas on fire and hurled it into the pool. It was about a year into my art career. I had landed representation in a really great gallery that had two locations, Slate Gray in Telluride and Kerrville, TX. I was working with the gallery director selecting from my works for the Texas gallery, and she requested a specific painting. Unfortunately, that painting had sold already. When I told her it was gone, she asked me to paint something similar to it, but instead of it being my rendition of the mountains in Lake Louise, make it a mountain scene from Texas.

Typically, I paint abstracts, but I had been to Lake Louise twice in my life, and each time was struck so deeply by the incredible beauty. I had to paint it. It came from the heart, which is why the painting was so beautiful. Because I was so new, I didn’t have the courage to say no to the request of a Texas rendition. I was more concerned with pleasing them more than I was about staying true to myself. I set to work on that painting. I fought with it for weeks. In my heart I knew it wasn’t great, but she seemed to love it and against my better judgement, I delivered it, along with several other paintings.

A year later, when the painting didn’t sell (surprise surprise), I took it back. I was so annoyed with myself that I turned it around so I couldn’t see it and forgot about it. Later, when in need of a canvas, I decided to paint over it. For weeks I wrestled with that canvas again! Absolutely nothing I did to it worked. In fact, I started to think maybe the canvas was cursed. I told myself that I would try one last time, and if I still didn’t love it, I was going to roast marshmallows over it with my kids that night. I started painting again…and this time, I was LOVING what I saw and in an effort not to overwork the piece, I left the canvas to dry, and went to work on another that I was doing simultaneously.

Hours later I returned to the table, super excited to see how it had dried, and was horrified. It was awful. I got so angry that I grabbed the cans of spray paint I used to touch up the paint on my outdoor potted plants and wrote “F**k Art” across the canvas. I then set it on fire, and tossed it in my swimming pool. A few minutes later it dawned on me that it was sinking, and being late fall, the last thing I wanted was to have to jump in to fish it out.

When I pulled the canvas out of the water I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was so damn cool. For fun, I posted the painting on Facebook and it sold in minutes. In fact, there was a lineup for it. I ended up naming it “The Teacher”, because it taught me incredibly valuable lessons: have courage to stay true to yourself, and always work from passion. When you do, it will resonate. Its where palpable connection comes from.

We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?

I wouldn’t say I’ve had “mentors” in the traditional sense of the word. However, I’ve had people and experiences that have made enormous impacts on my life and way of thinking. One of the things I’ve learned is that the universe will give you what you need, when you need it, you just have to ask, and then be open to the source.

One of the biggest contributing catalysts to everything “scary” I’ve jumped into is a video I stumbled across many years ago. I don’t know how I found it, or what made me watch it, but it created a paradigm shift in my mind. Boiled down, the message was, “we all have an expiration date, we just don’t know what it is. If you knew yours was in three years, two days, and seven hours, would you still be doing what you’re doing? Would you still have that job, live in that city, travel the same rate you currently travel, eat the ice cream, spend the same amount of time with the people you love most, etc? If your answer is yes, then keep doing what you’re doing. If the answer is no, then why wait? Take the leap. We never know when our time is up, and wasting a single day doing what you don’t love is a travesty.”

Curiously, this video showed up during the same time that I was feeling “stuck” in my marketing career. Even though I had taken the leap and built an agency I was proud of, with great clients, it had lost its luster. I no longer felt that same passion for what I was doing and wanted something more. There are no coincidences. The universe gives you signs every single day. The question is, are you listening?

In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?

For me, it’s all about INTENT. Are you disrupting with the intent for good? Then it’s a good thing. But if you’re disrupting for the sake of disruption, or to cause a negative effect, then it’s not good. I want to leave this world a little more beautiful than it was before I lived. Whether via my art, or through inspiring just one person to live their own dreams because I had the courage to live mine. Can you imagine how amazing this world would be if we all followed our dreams??

Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.

Often when I post images of my work on social media I attach inspiring quotes from famous artists or poets to them. I remember so clearly reading the quote “Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” — Andy Warhol.

This one was HUGE for me. I painted this painting a few years ago that was so atypical for me, but I had to paint it. It was screaming to get out. The problem was, I didn’t know what to do with it. It was colorful, and had so many elements that I’d never incorporated before. I was afraid to show it to the galleries that represented me because it didn’t look like a “Woehler”.

In fact, I almost painted over it, worried that no one would like it. For whatever reason, I snapped a pic of it and posted it on instagram, calling it “squirrel” because it made me think of the dog from the movie UP. Not that it looked like a dog, but rather, how it would go on a tangent and then suddenly get sidetracked by a squirrel. Anyway, the next day I received an email with “squirrel” in the subject line. A woman had seen the photo, and she was hoping I still had the painting. I took it to her house and was completely blown away. Never was there a more perfect painting for her space. In fact, even if she had commissioned me to paint for her, I wouldn’t have come up with it.

I renamed the work “Connecting the Dots” because I realized how right Warhol’s words were. Just paint from your heart with abandon and the universe will connect the dots for you.

Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each:

In the very beginning of my art career I gave myself a gift and hired an artist consultant to help me navigate my start. We don’t know what we don’t know and I flat out refused to be a “starving artist”. She helped me build an art appropriate website, guided me on things like artist bios and statements, and most importantly, she told me to value my work. if I didn’t, no one else would either. And she was right.

I know this probably sounds strange, but one of the most impactful pieces of advice I ever got was courtesy of Denzel Washington- “fall forward”. What he meant by that was don’t be afraid to fail. Keep trying new things, keep perfecting your craft, just keep going, even when you do fail. Because everyone who’s ever accomplished anything great in their life failed several times first. But they kept advancing. When they fell, they fell forward. Did you know that Thomas Edison had 999 failed inventions? But each of those didn’t matter, because his 1000th invention was the lightbulb. No one talks about the 999 that didn’t work.

We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?

I’ve got so many incredibly exciting things in the works, like a series of silk scarves of my art being made in Italy, limited edition prints, but the one that has my heart beating a million miles an hour is taking flight after years of dreaming it into being. I’m working with a team of engineers and Hollywood riggers to create a custom motorized flying system in my studio that will allow me to hover over huge canvases to paint fluidly and freely!

Yep, think “Mission Impossible” kind of hovering! I paint with my canvases lying flat, and for so long I’ve been limited by my ability to reach the middle of the really giant ones, so I’ve been restricted. Those days are almost over! I’ll be able to paint enormous paintings with complete abandon. I’m not sure I’ve ever been more excited about anything in my entire life!!!

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

When I first began my career in art, I was told that women artists have a much harder time getting their work into galleries and art museums. In fact, I know of a few women who paint under a man’s name, just to avoid that. I don’t know if I have personally experienced that, but it’s entirely possible. What I can tell you I’ve experienced is the juggling act of being a full time artist, single mom of three, friend, significant other, and all of the other roles women play at one time, while trying to build a business that requires creativity. Some days it’s a challenge to quiet the noise and manage all of the “duties” long enough to let inspiration flow.

Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?

I’m not sure where I’d be today without Eckhart Tolle or Abraham Hicks. I’ve listened to their videos/talks almost daily for the last year, and my entire life has changed as a result. It was a paradigm shift in the way I think that’s led to everything I’ve ever dreamed about coming into being. The truth is, I’ve learned that thoughts really do become reality. Choose what you think about, and how you speak to yourself wisely. The universe is always listening and will find a way to give you what you focus on, whether it’s good or bad. And happiness is a choice.

If I could inspire a movement it would be “Do what you love”. That means walking away from the things that no longer bring you joy, and doing what does. We all have our gifts and talents, but so few of us are living them. When we’re young, we’re so idealistic and full of promise. And then life happens, and we let our dreams fade away. I can’t tell you how many people have told me they still haven’t figured out what they want to do, but they don’t like what they’re doing. My response to them is always the same, “lay down on your bed and quiet your mind for a moment. Then imagine you just won the lottery, and you don’t ever have to worry about money again. After the killer vacations, and the new house, etc, what would you CHOOSE to do every day that brings you joy? What would you do if money didn’t matter? Would you be a painter? A singer? A guitarist? An attorney for children’s rights? Would you teach people how to trek through the mountains? What would you do with your days? Because THAT is what you’re meant to be doing”. I often imagine what the world would be like if we were all living our lives doing what we loved…I think it would be amazing. People would be happy, fulfilled, and full of life.

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

“Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”. Don’t get me wrong, the almost 30 years I spent in the ad/marketing world were really satisfying in many ways, and for many years I really loved what I did. I think I was pretty good at it and accomplished some great things along the way. But it doesn’t begin to compare to my days as an artist. Even my best day in the office doesn’t hold a candle to my hardest day in the studio. I’ve never felt so much satisfaction or so fulfilled when I complete a painting I love, or better yet, see the joy it brings to its new owner. Going to the studio never feels like work. It feels like play. And who doesn’t want to spend their days playing?

How can our readers follow you online?

They can go to my website nikiwoehler.com or follow me on Instagram, NikiWoehlerArtist. My instagram page is definitely the most up to date (I need to get better about adding new works to my site), and is far more personal. I love showing peeks into my process, my life and my thoughts on IG. It just feels like I’m talking to a friend there when I’m posting.

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

Female Disruptors: Artist Niki Woehler On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Disruptors: Dr Angela Reddix of ARDX On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

Female Disruptors: Dr. Angela Reddix of ARDX On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

Choose your circle wisely. People are placed into your life for a reason. You should think of your life and those you meet as parts of a tree. The people that are your rocks and foundation are part of the trunk and the roots of the tree. The people who make up the branches of a tree are around us for a shorter period of time but they provide us what we need and then they break from us. We then have bus that provide new opportunities and joy to those who behold them. They, too have a season and time where they eventually float away or grow into a new tree. Finally, we have leaves that represent the people that come and go very quickly in our lives. As you can see, there’s value for everyone you will meet in your lifetime. It’s where they fit into your life that is the exciting part of life.

As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Angela Reddix.

Dr. Angela D. Reddix is an award-winning businesswoman, author, and TEDx speaker who has grown her healthcare management and IT consulting firm, ARDX, into a multi-million-dollar operation. Reddix serves as the Executive Director and professor of the Hodge Center for Entrepreneurship at Norfolk State University. She is the founder of Envision Lead Grow (ELG), a non-profit that serves young girls, and author of Envision Lead Grow: Releasing the Boss Within. Reddix is committed to her community as a board member and trustee for various local organizations

including the United Way of South Hampton Roads’ Foundation and YWCA. She’s also the co-host of “The Vine Experience” podcast and will launch another podcast with her daughter, Anyssa in December 2020.

I was raised primarily by my grandmother during my formative years in Virginia. My grandmother encouraged me in everything that I did with her unwavering love and support.

As a child, I had always dreamed of becoming a teacher and while that wasn’t exactly what my mother had envisioned for me, the idea of educating others eventually found its way back to me throughout my career. Between leading employee training, both as a consultant and as an employer, and becoming faculty at NSU, and most importantly, my middle school girls at my nonprofit, Envision Lead Grow, I’ve been able to teach others in some capacity and the reward is immeasurable.

Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?

One thing about me is that I’m always on a mission to help others and because of that, I simply don’t settle for mediocrity in anything I do. To me, that stand to not settle IS disruptive. It’s certainly not the status quo. I work tirelessly to research the most poignant data and in turn, I use that data to disrupt the current state of our economy, one community at a time through Envision Lead Grow. My disruptive approach is to provide middle school girls living in poverty the resources to transform their communities and their lives.

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

When I first started ARDX, I was doing everything just to keep the lights on — answering the phone, scheduling meetings, meeting clients, paperwork, as well as hiring. I have learned so much in that span of time. In one particular instance, I had hired an exceptional employee. Her work was stellar and I knew I could go to her to execute anything. One morning, I overheard her tell another employee that they shouldn’t turn in a certain project that was due because I was “a beast.” I was crushed and felt as if this employee was being disloyal. In no way did I associate that comment in a positive light. That comment really shifted the dynamics of our relationship and it was no surprise that she was not employed with the company much longer after that. Flast forward to almost 10 years later when I overhear my husband watching a football game and saying, “That man is awesome -he’s a beast!” I instantly had a flashback to that moment almost 10 years ago and I realize that I didn’t totally understand the slang being used. It showed me that we are all so different and take things so differently, especially when things are just assumptions. I now take pride in knowing my expectations and that I have amazing teams that work to ensure they, too are on the same page of their own expectations.

We all need a little help along the journey. Who has been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?

A period of my life was spent working for Mary Kay. I was and still am inspired by the life, legacy, and empowerment of Mary Kay Ash and the business model she created. She was a true trailblazer for women in business and she most definitely defined a lane next to businessmen all over the world. She made a mark, letting everyone know she was here to stay. Working for the Mary Kay brand helped me realize my goals were achievable and instilled deep values of leadership, teamwork, and accountability. These are some of the very values I hold true to who I am as an entrepreneur today.

Disrupting is always a positive thing when you are bringing or providing value to something that otherwise, could not stand on its own. I think being disruptive means you are no longer sitting or waiting in silence. It means you are standing up for what you believe in and you aren’t backing down. Those are very important qualities that make you a powerful human being.

A time that I was disruptive in my organization happened when I decided that we were going to be CMMI Level 3 certified. CMMI stands for Capability Maturity Model Integration and it is a process level improvement training and appraisal program. Being verified Level 3 meant we would be operating at a “defined” level. The company leaders and staff felt that preparing for this certification would completely disrupt the way they were used to working. It became a sales job for me to get my team to understand the value. The distinction allowed us to win a seat on a contract vehicle that was a 10-year, $100+ million opportunities. Not only did we get a seat at the table for the large deal, but three years later, we were ranked in the top 1% of companies in the country with a CMMI Level 5 distinction. Had we not had those credentials, we would have lost out on the deal.

Where disrupting carries a negative connotation is when is it self-serving, without a mission, and without value-added.

An example of this was when, as a small business owner, I had decided to move away from the day to day operations. In that first year of these changes, I had hired a team that essentially led aimlessly, approaching change for the sake of making changing. It was like a tornado hit the company. Needless to say, they did not last long within the company and I quickly pivoted.

Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.

“The Devil is in the details,” might not resonate as some of the best advice or phrase I’ve heard in my life, but it truly challenged my interpretation of what it meant and what it now means to me. I see it as God is in those very details. Instead of actually taking the line verbatim, attaching it to something negative, I see God’s wisdom and grace. When you learn the details of anything, you can save yourself time, money and heartache.

Choose your circle wisely. People are placed into your life for a reason. You should think of your life and those you meet as parts of a tree. The people that are your rocks and foundation are part of the trunk and the roots of the tree. The people who make up the branches of a tree are around us for a shorter period of time but they provide us what we need and then they break from us. We then have bus that provide new opportunities and joy to those who behold them. They, too have a season and time where they eventually float away or grow into a new tree. Finally, we have leaves that represent the people that come and go very quickly in our lives. As you can see, there’s value for everyone you will meet in your lifetime. It’s where they fit into your life that is the exciting part of life.

My third piece of advice is to never manage by criticism or compliments. People will love you one day and criticize you the next. Leaders can’t effectively lead or manage by things that upset or enlighten you.

We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?

I really believe in setting an example for the millennial group of women. I want them to know what it looks like to have healthy relationships with men and with women. I want them to know what it looks like to have a loving relationship, get married, bring children into the world, and balancing life and work. In this cycle of life, one of the first and most important relationships is that of a mother and daughter. Because of how strongly I feel about this, I’m working on developing a podcast with my daughter, Anyssa. She’s a brilliant girl-boss and my Senior Program Manager at Envision Lead Grow. I couldn’t be more proud of her. She always inspires me and keeps me on my toes. We plan to have very real conversations about our experiences, mother to daughter. We really want to share a piece of our relationship with the world and make people feel like they are listening to a family member. Important conversations are happening everywhere and it’s important to add to that ongoing conversation and be relevant in today’s society. We aim to do just that and so much more.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

I think as women, we tend to overcompensate for the things we think we are lacking or missing. We forget that we ARE the total package and that we don’t need to present ourselves with any extras. I also feel that it’s in our nature to apologize for successes or growth. Apologizing is a step backward and I refuse to let that happen. While there are many men who celebrate our accomplishments, there are still men who feel we are undeserving and that we are not equipped with the same caliber of education to sit at their table. The times are changing. It’s best to get on board and watch the beautiful transformations and growth. We can learn so much from one another.

Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?

I have had many influences and influential individuals in my life. Two books in particular have helped form and expand my leadership as an entrepreneur. The first book happens to be a yearly ritual of mine. Each January, I read The Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes. I read it to remind myself of what it means to be the first and only, a series of experiences that led me to feel completely isolated. This book is my liberation and reminds me to live in those successes. The second book that also continues to inspire me is Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown. Brene’s research ethic and standards inspire me and it was her mission in this world that ignited my mission — to transform communities through empirical data.

I feel humbled and fortunate that one of my dreams to create a movement has indeed become a reality. That movement is inspiring young middle school girls all over the country and transforming communities of poverty to communities of prosperity. My nonprofit Envision Lead Grow is now in 178 cities across the country.

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

“If you always do what you’ve always done. Then you will always get what you’ve always got” Albert Einstein.

When I was in graduate school working on my master’s degree, my favorite professor would always say that quote. Almost 23 years later, I think about that message. In my company, I always challenge the staff to question the process and ensure that it makes sense for the direction we are going today and tomorrow. Yesterday brings experience, but we always have to question if the results of yesterday have the same results we expect tomorrow. If not, we have to improve our processes.

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

Female Disruptors: Dr Angela Reddix of ARDX On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Disruptors: Graciela Chichilnisky of ‘Global Thermostat’ On The Three Things You Need To…

Female Disruptors: Graciela Chichilnisky of ‘Global Thermostat’ On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

The work I am doing can change the global economy, making the carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere the new petroleum, while reversing climate change and helping achieve basic needs for the poorest people on Earth. It is possible.

As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Graciela Chichilnisky, author of REVERSING CLIMATE CHANGE, is a Professor of Economics and Mathematical Statistics at Columbia University, and Director of the Columbia Consortium for Risk Management. She is also co-founder and CEO of Global Thermostat, and co-creator of a carbon removal technology that the National Academy of Sciences has said is the only one that can reverse climate change. In 2020, Global Thermostat was named to the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School’s third annual Most Fundable Companies list and one of the 50 Best Companies to Watch 2020 by The Silicon Review. Global Thermostat’s technology was chosen by MIT Technology Review as one of the Ten Breakthrough Technologies of 2019, curated by Bill Gates. Additionally, the company was named one of the top ten most innovative companies in energy by Fast Company in 2015 and Dr. Chichilnisky was selected by International Alternative Investment Review as the 2015 CEO of the Year in Sustainability.

In 2020, Global Thermostat and ExxonMobil expanded their joint development agreement following 12 months of technical evaluation to determine the feasibility and potential scalability of Global Thermostat’s technology.

Dr. Chichilnisky worked extensively on the Kyoto Protocol, creating, designing, and negotiating the carbon market that became international law in 2005, and she acted as the lead U.S. author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which received the 2007 Nobel Prize for its work in deciding world policy with respect to climate change.

Dr. Chichilnisky is the author of more than 300 scientific articles and more than 15 books, including the award-winning Saving Kyoto, which won the American Library Association’s 2010 Outstanding Academic Title of the Year and the American Geographical Society’s Book of the Month Award in October 2009. She holds two Ph.D. degrees, in Mathematics and Economics, and her graduate studies were at MIT and the University of California, Berkeley.

I was born in Argentina in a prominent Jewish family. My father, a Professor of Neurology at the University of Buenos Aires and minister of Public Health under Peron, built hundreds of hospitals all over Argentina. I still have some of the letters that Perón wrote to my father. When I was a child, Buenos Aires seemed a magical place at a magical time. People were interesting and intense. In reality, Buenos Aires then reminds me of New York now.

Toward the end of the 1960s and early 1970s, though, the military staged several coup d’états and in one of them they closed down the University in Buenos Aires. I was finishing high school at that time and had started taking University courses without permission. I met wonderful professors and students who opened my eyes to the world of science and mathematics. An MIT professor, Warren Ambrose, a well-known mathematician, was teaching at the University before it closed. He arranged to take six Argentinian students to MIT to continue their studies. The other five students were taking doctoral courses in mathematics — except for me.

Although I had not gone to college, MIT accepted me, a single mother without a college degree, as a Special Graduate Student in Mathematics. The Ford Foundation gave me a scholarship. After a year of very hard but enjoyable work, I was ranked at the top of the Mathematics Ph.D. class. I then became an official Ph.D. candidate and obtained a doctorate in Mathematics, and then another in Economics at U.C. Berkeley.

I have taught at Stanford, Harvard, and Columbia University where I am a Professor of Economics and Mathematical Statistics, and Director of the Columbia Consortium for Risk Management. My topics in Mathematics are Algebraic Topology and Nonlinear Analysis. In Economics, I have done work in international trade, development economics, extensive work in environmental economics, on the economics of markets and social risk, economic theory including game theory, growth theory, the economics of networks, and the economics of gender.

All of this helped form my determination to impact the global environmental risks we face. That is why I created the carbon market of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, which resolved climate change for the Kyoto protocol nations. I co-founded Global Thermostat with Peter Eisenberger in 2010. We invented a patented carbon capture process that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere so that it can be re-used commercially. We currently have a partnership with Exxon Mobil in which we are working together to bring our technology to scale. I am very close to reversing climate change now. It is incredibly challenging, but possible.

Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?

The work I am doing can change the global economy, making the carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere the new petroleum, while reversing climate change and helping achieve basic needs for the poorest people on Earth. It is possible.

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?

I have made so many mistakes over the course of my career — and I continue making them. It is difficult to think which is funniest.

We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?

I have had many mentors: from famous mathematicians, Nobel Laureates in Economics, and great politicians to famous physicists. It is long list and probably worth writing a book about. They are truly impressive, in fact, much more so than me.

One never knows when a disruptive innovation will be positive — but it is true that disruption for disruption’s sake is dangerous. The issue is to maintain flexibility so that you can adapt to challenges not to disrupt.

Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.

The best 3 words are, “believe in yourself.”

When I created the economic approach to measuring poverty called Basic Needs in 1975 and then the carbon market of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, both of which became international laws in 1992 and in 2005, respectively, I was told they were impossible to implement and that I should abandon them.

Furthermore, it turns out that the Kyoto carbon market has traded almost one trillion dollars so far, and has been, in great part, responsible for the solar energy revolution. My work has helped lead to hundreds of billions of dollars to be transferred to poorer nations like China, which helped the country use the money for building thousands of solar photovoltaic plants, reducing the cost by 80% in 10 years. This will transform in a couple of decades the $57 trillion global power plant infrastructure, which is responsible for about 45 percent of global emissions of CO2. It can be done. Just as long as you believe in yourself.

We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?

I will complete the job of reversing climate change, turn Global Thermostat into a $1 billion company, and revolutionize quantum theory using topology for the benefit of understanding what is time and who we really are.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

I truly see only one challenge and that is male chauvinism.

Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?

The research that I have done for my own books and papers have had the deepest impact on my thinking. I have written 16 books and over 300 papers.

My most recent book, Reversing Climate Change: How Carbon Removals Can Resolve Climate Change and Fix the Economy, was just published by World Scientific Publishing. In it, I state unequivocally that the Earth is at a crisis point.

The planet’s polar caps are melting, and the sea levels are rising. We have increasingly violent, frequent, and severe climate events, major floods, and unusual severe droughts that do not correspond statistically to standard deviations from the mean. Thousands of scientists from all over the world have come to the conclusion that changes in temperature are associated with changes in the concentration of greenhouse gases, of which the main one is carbon dioxide, and that the mean temperature is increasing due mostly to the burning of fossil fuels — coal, natural gas and petroleum for economic purposes: industrialization.

The next few years will determine whether we will implement solutions or unleash irreversible, catastrophic damage. In my book, I present concrete solutions for reversing climate change.

I am starting a movement to bring the most amount of good to the most people. It all begins with Global Thermostat and carbon capture as my team and I work to reverse catastrophic climate change. We hope that thousands of corporations, industries, non-profits, and other local and international organizations will join us in thwarting the biggest threat to the future of our planet that we have ever experienced.

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

“It is easier to create the future than to predict it.”

How can our readers follow you online?

Visit www.globalthermostat.com, follow the company on social media on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also see what I have going on next at www.Chichilnisky.com.

Female Disruptors: Graciela Chichilnisky of ‘Global Thermostat’ On The Three Things You Need To… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Disruptors: Ashley Kirk of ‘Empower Us Agency’ On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your

Female Disruptors: Ashley Kirk of ‘Empower Us Agency’ On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

Relationships are Critical: Every successful executive and industry leader knows that the most important asset is their network. Relationships are critical to maintaining and opening doors for future work. I was grateful to learn this at the start of my career and have continued to keep this top of mind with whomever I meet. You never know whom someone else knows or can connect you with.

As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ashley Kirk.

Ashley Kirk is the co-founder of Empower Us Agency. This company serves as an industry linkage to support up and coming Black entrepreneurs, incubators, and accelerators connect to social and financial investment opportunities to maximize their capital gains and organizational goals. With the recent launch of the company in late summer 2020, her organization has gained traction from some of the most prominent Black figures in the entrepreneurial/investment ecosystem, such as Melissa Bradly (co-founder of 1863 Ventures) and Connie Evans (CEO, Association for Enterprise Opportunity). They see the organization’s value-add in its efforts to be a valuable source for building Black generational wealth in the business sector.

My life as a young Black woman in this country has forever changed in the wake of the murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and the countless other unarmed Black women, men, and children that have lost their lives in this country. The national and now worldwide attention garnered by these murders over the last several months has again exposed society to the barriers and systemic racism Black people have faced for well over 400 years. What makes this moment different than any other time is that people and corporations are now starting to listen. The momentum of these uprisings has caused me to shift gears from my day-to-day job as a financial Medicaid consultant and think about how I can utilize my talents to help create long-lasting opportunities for the Black community. During this period of thinking about how I can be a leader for my community, I noticed several local small Black businesses popping up on the weekends where I live in Oakland, California, selling everything you could think of (e.g., food, hair products, clothing, health/wellness products). At this moment, I realized I needed to utilize my talents in this ecosystem of business and contribute to growing Black entrepreneurship beyond an idea and creating a pathway to funding.

Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?

Before I jump into answering this question, I think it’s important for readers to understand what the entrepreneurial/investment ecosystem looks like for Black women and men regarding access and opportunity. In an industry that thrives on captivating ideas of talented entrepreneurial geniuses, Black-owned businesses continue to be overlooked by angel investors and venture capitalists for investment funds and or network resources and support. Similar to the tech industry, this isn’t something new and has been happening for some time. The Bold Italic recently released statistics that indicate from 2009 to 2017, startups have raised nearly half a trillion dollars of venture capital — only .0006% of that went to Black women, and less than 1% went to Black people overall. And in terms of venture capital investment firm ethnic representation, Black people make up less than 2%. The biggest takeaway from these two important statistics is that there is an access issue for Black entrepreneurs and Black investors that limits our ability to control capital and receive investments. As a disruptor, I am focused on eliminating these systemic barriers that revenue-generating Black entrepreneurs face by creating a platform and space for us that leads to success in the form of financial and social capital. What is unique about this approach is that nothing like this currently exists in the industry. There isn’t a business focused on creating synergy and support for Black entrepreneurs and Black investors.

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?

There isn’t a story I can share about the funniest mistake I made when starting. What I can say in terms of a lesson learned when first starting on this journey, especially during my period of outreach, is making sure to be concise in my description of who we are as an organization and make my asks clear. Investors, business owners/startups, accelerators are busy and don’t have time to read an essay of why you want to work with them. It’s important to get to the point quickly in your outreach efforts.

We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?

Since the start of my career, I’ve been very blessed to have strong women leads whom I not only reported to but mentored me along the way and shaped me to be the woman I am today. Someone I can credit with this career shift is my former managing director lead, Michele McGinn. Over the last four years, she has helped me realize how important my voice is as a young Black female leader in my personal and professional career. She has always advocated for me to feel comfortable taking up space. She will forever be an important mentor and friend to me.

In the entrepreneurial/investment industry, the systemic barriers Black and other ethnic groups face regarding access to capital and resource support is one of the most profound examples of a negative disruption. I believe what Empower Us Agency is striving to provide for the ecosystem in terms of limiting these obstacles and closing the White-Black wealth gap is our way of bringing positive and impactful disruption.

Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.

Along my journey

Relationships are Critical: Every successful executive and industry leader knows that the most important asset is their network. Relationships are critical to maintaining and opening doors for future work. I was grateful to learn this at the start of my career and have continued to keep this top of mind with whomever I meet. You never know whom someone else knows or can connect you with.
Network or No Work: This was again another piece of advice I learned at the start of my career over 10 years ago that has served me very well. As a young person starting in any career or field, we have aspirations and goals we hope to obtain. Whether that be running our own company, becoming a hospital executive, etc. It’s important, no matter what journey or trajectory you are on, to network and meet people along the way. This can be in the form of meeting industry leaders at conferences or reaching out to people via LinkedIn or e-mail to request informational interviews. This effort provides insight into what steps leaders completed to get to their current positions and it also serves in expanding your network. Sometimes it can even lead to internships or jobs. Networking is one of the most important skills to harness.
Don’t Be Discouraged By People Who Don’t Believe In Your Work: I learned this last piece of advice from a gentleman in the venture capital space who was kind enough to talk about our business model and approach to building Black wealth in the industry. Like me, he took an unconventional path to get into the VC industry that didn’t include business school. As cliché as it sounds, he believed he could build his own venture capital firm on his own, and now he’s done just that. One of the lessons he learned across this journey during his fund-raising phase was that many people doubted his efforts or told him his concept or approach wouldn’t work. Despite hearing such negative feedback, he kept at it because he believed in himself and didn’t let anyone discourage him from his dream. As I continue to venture into this ecosystem and meet more industry leaders, I keep this piece of advice top of mind.

We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?

We are just beginning in terms of our business journey, and there is still so much to do and strive for in the industry. With this next phase in our work, we are focused on continuing to build meaningful and trusted relationships across the industry through our outreach efforts and start to think about how to build meaningful partnerships with our stakeholders that really get at our approach of building synergy across entrepreneurs, investors, incubators and accelerators.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

This question is unique because I strongly believe Black women disruptors face challenges that aren’t typical for White women or men. Unlike White women disruptors, Black women disruptors face gender and ethnic stereotypes that are extremely exhausting stressors. It just adds another layer in terms of the barriers in achieving success in our respective industries and feeling respected as Black female leaders. Often strong Black female leaders are stereotyped as aggressive, angry, sassy. These are all perfect examples of the use of negative words to describe powerful Black women. Society needs to allow for the idea of strong Black women to exist because we do.

Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?

I have always been a huge fan of Alicia Garza! For those of you who aren’t familiar with her name, she is one of the Black Lives Matter movement co-founders. I’ve been an avid listener of her podcast, “Lady Don’t Take No.” She is not one to shy away from important topics impacting Black people, nor is she someone that is afraid to speak her mind. She is a strong Black woman that has inspired so many people through her advocacy efforts. In addition to her impact, she also interviews many different advocates and leaders in various industries to expand her listeners knowledge. Alicia Garza’s inspires me to be focused on my goals as a disruptor and creating meaningful change for Black people.

If I could inspire a movement, it would have to be self-care. The pandemic has taken a toll on many people over these last nine months. This happens to be our new normal and new way of life. With that being said, it’s so important for people to practice self-care, whether that be through cardio, meditation, talking to family/friends, to make sure they are doing well.

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

My favorite life lesson quote has to be from Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. She was the first African American elected to Congress. She said, “if they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” As a college-educated Black woman, there has never been a seat at the table for me; it’s been inexistent. I am sure many other people of color reading this can relate to my experience. I’ve always had to work twice as hard as my White counterparts to be noticed and valued. I eat, breathe, and sleep hustle because I know my worth.

How can our readers follow you online?

Readers can follow me via our Twitter @empowerusagency to learn more about us or check out our website at www.empowerusagency.com.

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

Female Disruptors: Ashley Kirk of ‘Empower Us Agency’ On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.