Day: April 4, 2022

Kate Loree On How To Develop Mindfulness During Stressful Or Uncertain Times

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Notice how different you feel now in comparison to when you started. In addition, you may notice that not only has your body calmed down, but your emotions may feel more peaceful, and your thoughts may have become more positive.

As a part of my series about “How To Develop Mindfulness And Serenity During Stressful Or Uncertain Times”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kate Loree (LMFT).

Kate Loree, LMFT, is a sex-positive licensed marriage and family therapist with a specialty in non-monogamous, kink, LGBTQ, and sex worker communities and the author of Open Deeply: A Guide to Building Conscious, Compassionate Open Relationships.

In addition to her master’s in marriage and family therapy, she also has an MBA and is a registered art therapist (ATR). She is an EDSE certified sex educator and an EMDR certified therapist with additional training in the Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM) for the treatment of trauma.

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?

I began my career in 2003 as an art therapist and trauma therapist, but in my private life, I was, and still am, non-monogamous. When I was ready to leave the hospital clinic and open a private practice in 2011, word got out in the Los Angeles non-monogamous community. Immediately, my phone began to ring with potential clients. Non-monogamous people tend to feel much more comfortable with a sex positive psychotherapist who understands this way of life; and it’s not rare for clients to report experiencing judgement from former psychotherapists who are more conservative. So, the community was happy to hear that a sex positive therapist had gone into private practice. I had clients who identified as non-monogamous before I had found an office space, so I had to scramble to find an office quickly.

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

Oh, if the walls of my office could talk! Due to confidentiality, I have to choose an off the clock memory. I think one of my proudest moments was speaking on stage with Janet Hardy, co-author of The Ethical Slut and non-monogamous, iconic forerunner. Her book, published in 1997, paved the way for sex positive educators and psychotherapists like me, with its mission to break down sexual shame in our culture. And now the torch is passed to me, and others like me. Hopefully, my book, Open Deeply: A Guide to Building Conscious, Compassionate Open Relationships, will have similar lasting impact. My mission is to work towards a more conscious, compassionate world. I’m committed to shifting our culture’s zeitgeist from seeing sex as shameful, wrong and needing forceful suppression to seeing sex as healthy, beautiful and worthy of open celebration.

What advice would you give to other leaders about how to create a fantastic work culture?

Although I work alone as a psychotherapist, I’m connected to a larger community of sex positive educators and psychotherapists. We are often silenced on social media because our culture takes issue with sex education. It’s our support of each other that allows us to succeed regardless. So, my advice to other leaders is to befriend benevolent leaders in your field, set an intention to lift each other up, and then follow through. The old school method of crushing the competition is part of dominator culture. There is a better and more loving way to succeed.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

Deepak Chopra’s, The Book of Secrets was a godsend when I was first diagnosed with cancer but didn’t know the stage or whether I would survive. Now, I am healthy and fully recovered. But at the time, that book helped me understand that we are all bigger than our bodies. We are part of a grander whole and if we can cultivate a deeper sense of gratitude and love for Mother Earth while being mindful, we can significantly up our chances of getting through the hardest of times.

Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. From your experience or research, how would you define and describe the state of being mindful?

Being mindful is being aware and present in the current moment. It’s being here now. A mindfulness exercise might be to step outside on a beautiful day. Notice your breath. Notice the breeze and sunlight on your skin. See how the breeze gently moves the leaves on the trees and how the sun glistens through the leaves creating a sort of performance art. And then notice what part of your body knows about this beauty you are witnessing. Maybe it’s your heart. And as you focus on your heart, you may notice a warmth expanding within you. As you notice this warmth expanding from your heart outward, you may notice a smile on your face and a sense of peace from within. This is mindfulness. It’s the practice of noticing everything from within and without in the present moment.

I would describe it as being present in the here and now. This state includes being aware of the sights and sounds around you

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?

In our culture, we tend to be goal oriented, driven, and in our heads. This state tends to lead to a mind that races, ruminates and is critical to the self and others. Concurrently, we often discount the wisdom of our body sensations and our emotions. Mindfulness invites us to reconnect to our full internal compass; our thoughts, body sensations and emotions, working in tandem from a grounded, centered place. Once reconnected to our full internal compass in the here and now, we are able to make better choices for ourselves. Our “yes” is much more likely to be a true yes. We are more likely to notice quickly when someone or something isn’t right for us. This practice is key within non-monogamous relationships so that you don’t agree to an activity that actually isn’t right for you or you are not ready for.

As we continue to practice mindfulness, our thoughts, feelings and sensations become a better team. Overtime, we can handle stress much more easily and regulate our system more effectively. This is crucial when having a difficult conversation within a non-monogamous relationship. Non-monogamy often pokes at any unresolved attachment injuries, especially during disagreements. Therefore, a practice of mindfulness is a game changer.

Ok. Here is the main question of our discussion. 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. 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.

For the purpose of stress relief, I’d suggest coupling mindfulness with resourcing. A resource can be anything that gives you a good feeling, like your pet, a loved one, or an uplifting belief.

First, find the resource that you intend to focus on. For the purpose of this example, let’s imagine it’s your favorite beach vacation spot.

Second, imagine this gorgeous beach in as much detail as you can. Imagine the beautiful blue of the ocean, the sound of the seagulls, the feel of the sand in your toes, and the taste of your drink with the little umbrella off to one side. Sense into all of this as much as you can and please take your time. Allow it to come to life in your mind’s eye.

Third, notice any positive changes in your body. Perhaps some tension has melted away. Your breathing might be slower and deeper, and you might sense a warmth in your core.

Fourth, notice what happens when you focus on these positive changes in your body. As you focus, you may notice some of the positive sensations expanding while tension or pain continues to soften.

Fifth, notice how different you feel now in comparison to when you started. In addition, you may notice that not only has your body calmed down, but your emotions may feel more peaceful, and your thoughts may have become more positive.

This is a somatic psychotherapy exercise used by trauma therapists to help trauma survivors. But it’s a powerful exercise for anyone regardless of your life experiences. This technique can also be used in relationships, regardless of whether you are monogamous or non-monogamous, to calm yourself or your partner, if a heated conversation gets to be too much.

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?

First, learn what your loved ones’ positive resources are. It may be a loved one who has nurtured them, protected them or imparted wisdom to them in the past. It may be a pet or loved one. It might be someone from tv or movies. For instance, Mr. Rodgers is a fav for many. If they become emotionally dysregulated, you can help them ground by discussing these resources with them. Encourage them to create a folder on their phone of quotes and pictures that are calming to them. Or they may have a favorite Instagram page of animals or jokes that help them feel better.

Second, learn what sort of touch, if any, calms them. Sometimes holding someone’s hand, petting their head, or rubbing their back can be more powerful than anything that you might say.

Third, focus on slow, deep breathing, slower on the exhale. Our inhale is associated with action. What do you do when a car almost hits your car? A quick breath in, correct? In contrast, the exhale is associated with calm. Furthermore, deep breathing is associated with the parasympathetic nervous system, a place of calm. So, when we purposefully deep breath, it can often trick the body into thinking that all is well.

Fourth, attempt to get them to notice the here and now. They may be worried about what might happen in the future, and yet, in the present moment, they may be completely safe. According to researchers at Penn State University, only about 8% of the things we worry about actually happen.

Fifth, help them focus on what they are grateful for. Many of us are wired for anxiety. It’s what kept our ancestors alive, right? However, now that this focus is grooved into how we operate, it no longer serves us. And yet, anxious thinking is often our default. Therefore, we have to consciously build a practice of gratitude to override it. Luckily, what fires together wires together in the brain. However, a gratitude practice will feel like work at first. But eventually, it will become the new default behavior as time progresses. And finally, it will become a new identity. Anyone can transform into a grateful person. And that is one of the great secrets to happiness.

In relationships, a gratitude practice that extends to your partner is a key to loving well and having a less anxious relationship. If we are wired for anxiety, this translates to noticing everything that is wrong with our partner. This pattern, of course, simply heightens our anxiety and discontent. A practice of gratitude for our partner is powerful. It a key ingredient is any healthy relationship. It can heighten love, build intimacy and strengthen connection.

These five steps are beautiful ways to offer support to those who you love and care for. And if you use these tools, you may notice that you feel more empowered and have a greater sense of agency during hard times. However, if none of these strategies are helping your loved one, don’t hesitate to bring in a mental health professional for support. Sometimes you can’t do it alone and a psychotherapist or psychiatrist is needed. There is no shame in that. And often, it’s part of self-love to know when you or your loved one needs additional help.

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

Here are a few suggestions:

The Calm app
On Purpose podcast with Jay Shetty
The Tara Brach podcast
Holotropic Breathwork by Stanislav Grof, and
The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer

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

“Walking, I am listening to a deeper way. Suddenly all my ancestors are behind me. Be still, they say. Watch and listen. You are the result of the love of thousands.”

Linda Hogan

Native American Writer

In my personal life, I have seen visions during holotropic and pranayama breathwork meditations. From these experiences, I believe that we are connected to a larger whole that has both a physical and a spiritual plane. As we connect to both planes concurrently using mindfulness, our focus on social justice and spiritual love combine. And from this place, we amplify our ability to be present, to “be love”, and in turn, reach our human potential.

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 would encourage more people to try holotropic or pranayama meditations, practice mindfulness, or if you are bold, even experience a plant medicine journey led by a trusted shaman in a beautiful setting. I’ve heard so many stories of emotional break throughs and rapid growth occurring via these practices and experiences. And I have had my own breathtaking, life changing experiences, as well.

What is the best way our readers can follow you online?

Website http://kateloree.com

Instagram http://instagram.com/opendeeplywithkateloree

Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@opendeeplywithkateloree

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

Twitter http://twitter.com/kateloreelmft

Instagram http://instagram.com/opendeeplywithkateloree

YouTube https://youtube.com/channel/UCSTFAqGYKW3sIUa0tKivbqQ

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

Kate Loree On How To Develop Mindfulness During Stressful Or Uncertain Times was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Emily Washington of Precisely On The 5 Leadership Lessons She…

Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Emily Washington of Precisely On The 5 Leadership Lessons She Learned From Her Experience

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Don’t rely on outside influence to open up doors for you. While there are external influences that can help remove barriers for women in STEM, it’s a two-way street. You have to remove barriers too.

As a part of my series about “Lessons From Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Emily Washington.

Emily joined Precisely with the acquisition of Infogix, where she led product strategy. She is responsible for driving enterprise-level product strategy and roadmaps for Precisely’s data governance, data quality, data prep and MDM capabilities. Emily works closely with customers and engineering teams to drive development, introduction, and adoption of all new products within these spaces.

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

I originally went to college to be an English teacher and a career in technology never crossed my mind. After school I landed a job in Silicon Valley working in customer support for a dot.com. I loved the team, the energy, and fell in love with the technology space. Eventually, I moved back to Chicago, where I’m originally from, and got a job as an executive assistant for global research and development (R&D) for a HR payroll software company. I was passionate about learning software development and how customers use it and my career evolved from there.

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

The most interesting story is my journey here! If you had told me 20 years ago that I’d still be here and be in this type of role, I would’ve thought you were crazy. I am very proud of where I started, where I am today, and every opportunity I’ve landed along the way. I’m excited to continue down this path to see what else I can accomplish.

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 was scheduled to conduct my very first external presentation to a customer to demo a new product we were developing and I was terrified. I ran around practicing my demo to anyone I could find and easily spent over 20 hours practicing. But I still found myself panicking right before the meeting. I went through my presentation without any hiccups but during the demo, the product stopped working. I was mortified! What’s worse, I realized I clicked the wrong link.

After some fumbling, I got back on track, finished the presentation, and thought it went horribly. I was wrong. The customer purchased the new product based on the demo. This taught me that sometimes things are completely outside of our control: sometimes demos don’t work and that’s ok. What’s more important is to trust yourself and your expertise — confidence can go a long way when building relationships!

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

I’ve been with my company, now called Precisely, for nearly 20 years, but, through M&A, I have seen quite a bit of change. I feel lucky to be working for a company that invests in growth and constantly brings in more rockstar talent and capabilities. Learning new things and feeling like I’m helping make a difference motivates me. Throughout my career here, I have directly been a part of acquiring six companies and selling our company three times. And each time, I have been lucky enough to work with fantastic new teams, learn a new market or capabilities, and have had the full support of my leadership as I expand my responsibilities and personal growth.

Precisely is in one of the hottest technology markets with some of the strongest capabilities available. And I get to help the largest organizations in the world implement data integrity, while working with this incredible team. There’s nothing better than that!

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

I’m working on a number of exciting projects! Currently, my favorite one involves taking our current product capabilities to a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model to set our customers up for future growth. Through this work, we are placing a big focus on an easier user experience and enhanced integration to enable non-technical users to be able to better leverage data.

Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Are you currently satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? What specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?

While we’ve made a lot of progress, we still have a lot of work to do. As someone who’s career path took me to the technology industry somewhat by chance, I wish that when I was younger it was better explained that my grades in math and science classes did not mean I was not necessarily cut out for a job in STEM as an adult. I think there’s more we can do as parents and teachers to break down that stigma.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women in STEM or Tech that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts? What would you suggest to address this?

The biggest challenge I think we as women face is perceptions of our confidence. I am highly confident in the technology space I’m in. My female and male peers are too. The difference I see is women walk a fine line between confidence and perceived arrogance or difficulty to work with. Continuing to raise awareness of this stigma helps and surrounding yourself with a support system and mentors that provide positive reinforcement goes a long way.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a woman in STEM or Tech. Can you explain what you mean?

I think there are two big myths surrounding women in STEM. The biggest is men are automatically better than women at math and science. I never considered a career in STEM as a child because I had zero confidence early on in my math and science skills. I saw boys around me acing those classes. I learned the hard way over the years that this is a complete myth. Today, I manage multi-million dollar budgets, develop software pricing models, and understand software code.

The second is that women are not interested in STEM positions. I fully understand and see the gender gaps, but I do believe the interest and demand for women in STEM positions is there. I work with many women in this field who are elevating their careers in this space and I’m lucky to be working for an organization that is very passionate and invests heavily in Women in Technology. Being around this influence is a constant reinforcement of how many brilliant women are in this field.

What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience as a Woman in STEM or Tech” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)

Don’t rely on outside influence to open up doors for you. While there are external influences that can help remove barriers for women in STEM, it’s a two-way street. You have to remove barriers too.

Building confidence is not always easy, but it’s always achievable. I often am in situations where I don’t think I’m capable of something, but once I do it, I feel fearless.

There is no such thing as “I’m not good at math or science.” I got my degree in English and literature partially because I previously believed I wasn’t good at STEM. I have since learned that couldn’t be further from the truth.

It’s okay to admit when you don’t understand something and ask for help. Reaching out and asking for help when you don’t understand something will not make you look “dumb,” in fact, it can open up new opportunities for you.

Celebrate the accomplishments and don’t over-analyze the failures. Focusing on failures or getting so stuck on doing the next thing makes it easy to overlook how far you’ve come. Every step in my career is attributed to both successes and failures, but sometimes I move too fast to reflect.

What advice would you give to other women leaders to help their team to thrive?

It may seem cliché, but show kindness and empathy. I think being in tune to what individuals on the team are going through, whether in their job or personally, supporting them, and removing any roadblocks, helps make everyone more successful.

What advice would you give to other women leaders about the best way to manage a large team?

My biggest piece of advice is to set clear objectives and trust the team to run. Working my way up through the organization, I’m used to being an individual contributor, so I have to constantly remind myself to step back and empower the team to do what they do best.

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?

I am lucky to have incredible support from many individuals over the years to help me get where I am. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of the global head of development at my first job out of college, where I landed the executive assistant role. As a female leading a large engineering and support team, I saw early in my career that women can be in leadership positions in technology. At that time, I didn’t fully understand the disparity in the field and I came to appreciate how critical that was later in my own career. My boss’ encouragement and support to help me grow as I began my career helped give me the confidence and path I’m still on today.

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

I’d like to think I have! While I don’t know the scale in which I’ve been able to do so, for me, it starts with my 12-year old daughter. When I found out I was going to be a parent, I told myself that if I can positively influence her and encourage her to do anything she wants to do, everything else will fall into place. My daughter sees what I do and I’d like to think that’s one way I’m bringing goodness that she will pass to others as she grows up.

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

I think we need more kindness and positivity in our work environment. We always hear stories of “simple acts of kindness” that trigger chain events. I’d love to find a way to bake that concept into the remote work culture. It’s so easy to forget the small things — especially now that so many of us aren’t in a physical office.

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

“Stop being afraid of what could go wrong, and start being excited about what could go right” by Tony Robbins. I have learned that the thing that has gotten in my way more than anything is fear of failure. As soon as I get out of my own way and take risks, I realize how much I can accomplish and how fun it can be.

We are very blessed that 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 with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂

Michelle Obama. I’ve always been in awe of her strength, grace, and intelligence.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this

Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Emily Washington of Precisely On The 5 Leadership Lessons She… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Jenny Gilcrest On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s…

Women In Wellness: Jenny Gilcrest On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Be kind. It’s easy to get angry and frustrated with what’s happening in the world and in day to day situations. You never know what other people are going through and the simple act of being kind to each other can really make a positive difference and support a collective well-being.

As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jenny Gilcrest.

Jenny Gilcrest is an innovative, female leader who is aimed at disrupting what consumers are used to seeing in the pet care and wellness industries. Gilcrest serves as the VP of Marketing for the fast-growing, award-winning pet specialty brand, Skout’s Honor and is one of the company’s founding team members. Through her work with Skout’s Honor, Gilcrest provides a unique perspective on the explosive growth and momentum building in the pet industry and how current trends in wellness are acting as a catalyst for that growth.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?

I have a 20+ year background in Public Relations, Branding and Marketing. Over the years I’ve worked in agencies and as a consultant, helping individuals and companies in all kinds of industries uncover and share their unique stories about their business and passions. About 7 years ago I found a home in my current role at Skout’s Honor — it was the perfect place at the perfect time for me — and as a founding team member I was given the exciting opportunity to help create a brand and vision for the company and watch it flourish from an unknown startup to now a leading brand within the very competitive pet industry. Today I am very proud to have been part of building a brand that is relied upon and known for its life-changing pet products.

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

When starting out, I believed I needed to watch and learn instead of actively participate in business discussions and client interactions. Luckily, I had an incredible female mentor (and boss) who modeled confidence, authenticity and authority — she also put me in situations where I was ‘thrown out of the nest’ abruptly even when I didn’t feel ready yet. That allowed me to trust my own instincts and kicked off my ability to adapt and eventually shine in situations throughout my career that are unexpected and unrehearsed.

Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?

The beauty of working in the pet industry is that pet parents today are more in tune with their pets’ overall well-being than ever before — and better yet, they are actively seeking natural alternatives to traditional medicated options. Our company is known for seeking out and developing the latest technologies that have performed well on the human side — and seeing how they can play out and benefit the lives of pets (animals) and also the people who love them. Our patent-pending topical probiotic grooming and wellness skin care items for pets are the first of their kind to offer a natural, non-medicated approach to treating pets’ most common skin issues (like itching, odor, shedding, hot spots, etc.). The most amazing thing about this to me is that we are effectively offering a holistic and preventative approach for pet parents who are sick of treating their pets with antibiotics and daily medications. Our goal is to offer a better way of life for pets and their people and we’re doing that through the products we make — which feels really good.

Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.

Be kind. It’s easy to get angry and frustrated with what’s happening in the world and in day to day situations. You never know what other people are going through and the simple act of being kind to each other can really make a positive difference and support a collective well-being.
Pay attention to how your mind and body reacts to certain foods, environments and even people! Our natural instincts are a powerful thing and too often overlooked or pushed aside.
Do one thing every day — no matter how small — that makes you feel alive in your body. Whether it’s a short walk, deep breathing, a hot bath, stretching, etc.
Surround yourself with people and things that make you feel happy.
Find a career/company/role that matters beyond just a paycheck.

If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?

Everyone should have an emotional support animal! I have seen this change lives and company culture first hand. It actually makes a difference! Bring your pets to work! 😉

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

Your first reaction and instinct is usually the right one.
It’s OK (and always a good idea) to ask for help.
Be open to change! Just because things have always been done a certain way doesn’t mean there isn’t a better option.
The biggest opportunities for growth will be unexpected and require you to step outside of what you think your job/role is supposed to be.

Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?

Mental health. The last couple of years put us all through the ringer. Some of us came out OK but most of us have some scars because of it. Mental health is connected to everything — your environment, your community, your work, your diet and lifestyle choices.

What is the best way our readers can follow you online?

Skout’s Honor Instagram: @skoutshonor

Skout’s Honor Facebook: @skoutshonorpet

Skout’s Honor Twitter: @skoutshonorpet

Thank you for these fantastic insights!

Women In Wellness: Jenny Gilcrest On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Mindi Huebner On How To Develop Mindfulness During Stressful Or Uncertain Times

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Listen non-judgmentally: Offer a safe and supportive space for the person to share what they’re going through. Avoid giving advice or trying to fix the problem.

As a part of my series about “How To Develop Mindfulness And Serenity During Stressful Or Uncertain Times”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mindi Huebner, Mindset Mastery Coach.

Mindi Huebner is an Intuitive Mindset Mastery Coach, NLP practitioner, a certified Health, Life and Success Coach, and Clinical Hypnotherapist. Helping women challenge their limiting beliefs, embrace their confidence, and reveal the wildly successful humans they are, takes top priority in Mindi’s world. Mindi assists in the important act of rewiring her client’s brains and unlocking their magic so they can create a soul aligned business and extraordinary life.

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?

After 17 successful years in direct sales with the same company, my division closed. This was my moment, I stepped into the online personal development space, and never looked back. I devoured online coaching programs and gathered several certifications. I started as a health and life coach for female entrepreneurs. It didn’t take me long to realize my obsession with habits, beliefs, and the brain…I received more certifications; NLP, Hypnotherapist, Timeline Techniques and shifted into my sweet spot — Mindset Mastery. Now I am privileged to coach successful female entrepreneurs to reveal and release the limiting beliefs that keep them from creating the soul-aligned business they’ve dreamed of.

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

Hands down, it’s the way I’ve developed and grown my intuition and my spiritual practices. I now have a circle of deeply spiritual colleagues and friends who are intuitives, healers, psychics, and more. I read tarot, practice Reiki and tap into my Claircognizance on the regular.

What advice would you give to other leaders about how to create a fantastic work culture?

There are a few key things that leaders can do to create a great work culture:

Focus on communication: Make sure you keep the lines of communication open with your team, encourage and honor feedback. This helps create a more open and collaborative environment.
Promote teamwork: Encourage your team to work together and support one another. Create a sense of community and teamwork.
Celebrate success: Celebrate victories and successes as a team to build morale and encourage collaboration.
Be positive: Be positive and cultivate empowered energy, this will set the tone for your team.
Be flexible: Be willing to adjust and adapt as needed in order to ensure that the work culture is constantly evolving and improving.

Creating a great work culture takes some time and effort, but it’s so worth the outcome.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

ATOMIC HABITS by James Clear! Yes, that’s in all caps, and yes I’m shouting it. It gave me a perspective on achievement that rocked my world. I no longer think in terms of just a goal or outcome, I now find the process to embody the person who…I don’t want to read one book, I want to be a reader. I re-read it every year and reference it constantly. I have rewired my brain to think: habit — process — identity for everything. I love to ask myself and my clients, “Who are you being and who do you want to be?” Run, don’t walk, and get your copy TODAY.

How would you define and describe the state of being mindful?

The state of being mindful is the act of being aware and present in the moment. It is about paying attention to what is happening around you and within you, without judgment. Mindfulness can help you to become more aware of your thoughts, feelings, and actions, and can ultimately help you to make better choices in your life.

Share with our readers a few of the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of becoming mindful.

There are so many benefits of becoming mindful:

Improved focus and concentration

Reduced stress and anxiety

Increased self-awareness

Better decision making skills

Greater clarity of thought

Reduced impulsiveness

Better sleep quality

Improved physical health

What are some of the ways that you can develop mindfulness in uncertain times and integrate it into your daily life?

Some simple steps you can take to start developing and integrating mindfulness include:

Take a few moments each day to sit quietly and focus on your breath. We often forget to breathe, taking shallow breaths instead of deep, chest expanding, or belly expanding ones. Notices how your chest feels right now and inhale the biggest breath you’ve taken all day. Tune in to how that feels, notice your heart rate and the tension in your body.

Pay attention to the sensations/emotions in your body as you go about your day and notice them without judgment. I store stress in my neck and shoulders, as do many other people. When I tune in to the sensations, I can acknowledge them and see if they are sensations I want to keep or shift. It’s okay to feel all the emotions, it makes you human. Mindfulness is presence not pretend happiness.

Take a mindful walk, where you focus on the sights and sounds around you. This is one of my favorite ways to decompress and get present, I love to drink in nature and all the sights and sounds of a bustling city — remember we are looking for presence and awareness.

Putting away your phone and other distractions and simply sitting and being with yourself for a while. This can be challenging, I know — I recently unplugged while on vacation and it was AMAZING. I had several aha moments including embracing the fact that being even more present allows me to be more creative and have more fun.

Take time each day to just be in the moment, appreciate the simple things in life and practice gratitude. Whether you’re grateful for the way the sunlight is streaming through the window, the sound of your pet click-clacking across the floor, or the softness of your favorite sweatshirt; notice, acknowledge, and allow yourself to be enveloped in the moment.

What are five steps that each of us can take to effectively offer support to those around us who are feeling anxious?

Validate their feelings: Let the person know that their feelings are valid and understandable.

Listen non-judgmentally: Offer a safe and supportive space for the person to share what they’re going through. Avoid giving advice or trying to fix the problem.

Acknowledge their courage: Let them know that it takes a lot of courage to face their fears.

Offer encouragement: Encourage them to keep moving forward, even when it feels difficult.

Be there for them: Let them know that you want to be part of their support system.

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

A few great books:

“The Mindfulness Solution” by Ronald D. Siegel

“Wherever You Go, There You Are” by Jon Kabat-Zinn

“The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle

And some other options:

Online mindfulness courses like Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) classes

Mindfulness meditation apps

Guided mindfulness meditation audio recordings

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

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” Maya Angelou

As a lifelong learner, and excellence seeker, this quote is a north star. I am so grateful when I recognize how I can be better and when I’m absolutely doing my best. This isn’t about perfection or arrogance or pretending. It is rooted in knowing who I am and loving the journey of who I get to evolve into.

That’s an easy one! It would be “Rewire your brain”.

This is my zone of genius and guiding people in how to do it and helping them recognize what will open up for them when they do, is magical.

You get to release the limiting beliefs holding you back and keeping you down in your life. Rewiring your brain allows you to start recognizing and fighting for your limitlessness instead of fighting for your limits, which are only perceptions. You are amazing, you have everything you need inside you. Rewiring your brain allows you to step into the next best version of yourself. The icing on the cake is the ripple effect it has…Each person who rewires their brain gets to influence others and teach them — it’s a movement that deserves to take off!

What is the best way our readers can follow you online?

I’m active on Instagram @mindihuebner and LinkedIn, again Mindi Huebner. I’d love for you to grab my free guided meditation at www.rewireyourbrainclub.com.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

Mindi Huebner On How To Develop Mindfulness During Stressful Or Uncertain Times was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Shari Mattingly Bevan On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman…

Female Founders: Shari Mattingly Bevan On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

You can’t be everything in your company — When I was starting out, I believed I could take up every role and cut costs. It backfired badly, and I ended up burned out and unproductive. Whenever you can, delegate everything and focus on your core strengths.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Shari Mattingly Bevan.

Shari Mattingly Bevan is an estate planner who doubles up as a wealth advisor. Bevan has helped clients manage millions of dollars in wealth and with a high degree of success in her career. Bevan’s success has a lot to do with her strong skills in finance. She is a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), and has been practicing for the last 22-years. Besides her proficiency in finance, Bevan is also a trained lawyer. One of her career highlights is helping a lady who had been defrauded $2 million by a close relative. By leveraging her skills and decades of experience, Bevan continues to help clients make the most of their wealth while ensuring that it is done within the confines of set laws and regulations. Besides having a pretty successful career, Bevan is also into philanthropy. Over the years, she has given thousands of dollars to Samaritan Purse, an initiative that helps feed and educate the vulnerable in society. Bevan also believes in the kind treatment of animals and is an active contributor to Greenville County Animal Care, a charity that advocates for the humane treatment of animals.

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 am Shari Mattingly Bevan. I always knew that I wanted to work in the legal field from a young age. I developed my passion for law during my formative years, and I would watch all the legal shows that came on TV. I started my career as a retirement planner and offered various insurance-related services. As I gained more experience in the field, I realized that estate planning was a perfect fit for me. It merged both the areas of law and finance, which I was familiar with and interested in. After completing my law degree, I decided to move to South Carolina and pursue a career as a wealth advisor. The rest, as they say, is history.

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

A lot of interesting things have happened to me since I started. The most interesting one would be realizing that wealth disputes can interfere with wealth generation and growth without proper planning and communication. At one time, I dealt with a $2 million fraud case involving very close relatives. I have also seen cases where family members set out to build wealth together, but it all goes the drain when it comes to managing it in a way that can serve the interests of those involved. This has made me realize that wealth advisors like myself are integral to the delicate balance between wealth creation, propagation, and family ties.

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’m not sure it’s funny, but I assumed that certain time-tested investment strategies will always work the way they should. This shocked me when they failed, and I had to frantically go back to the drawing board and find ways of saving face with the few clients I had acquired at the time. The biggest lesson I learned is that you have to constantly innovate and rely more on real-time data in decision-making. I also learned to always involve my clients in every step. It may sound crazy, but most people who seek wealth advisory services are pretty well-versed on matters of finance. As such, by engaging them closely, you can learn a lot. It becomes a symbiotic relationship where you all learn from each other.

Honestly, I have been helped by so many people in my journey, and I wish there was a way to honor them all. However, one person who I will forever be thankful to is my mom. She has always been a pillar since my childhood days. Even when I was at my lowest points, she would push me to get back and fight for success. This has been instrumental in making me the person I am today. Thanks to mom, I never quite, no matter what. I believe the principles instilled in me in youth have got me where I am today.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?

A McKinsey report from 2019 showed that women tend to be assessed based on past performance in the workplace, while men are evaluated based on their potential going into the future. The report cited this as a reason why fewer women than men get into entry-level management positions in S&P 500 companies, and ultimately, fewer of them make it to become CEOs. I believe the same dynamics play out in the world of entrepreneurship. Founding a company requires capital, and if the owners of capital want to see what a woman has accomplished in the past, then quite expected, there will be fewer women founders than men. I also believe social responsibilities that society puts on women compared to men has a role to play. Society is still largely patriarchal, and once in the family way, a woman has to stay off work more than a man until children are of a certain age. The result is that men have more time to build themselves and look more competitive in the eyes of venture capital than women. It’s a complexity of issues, but luckily, more women are becoming founders against all odds.

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?

I believe it will take collective effort between individuals, society, and the government to help achieve gender parity in the entrepreneurship space. For instance, at an individual level, women have to understand that despite the odds, if you become the best at what you do, you will attract capital. As a society, everyone needs to understand that the more women are able to accomplish their true potential, the better. Imagine that there is a woman somewhere who has an idea that can change society in ways never seen before but can’t access funding due to her gender; it would be a waste, right? At the government level, I believe policies and laws that encourage venture capital firms to fund more women entrepreneurs would go a long way in helping society achieve gender parity.

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

There are lots of reasons but the biggest one is independence. If you are aggressive enough, you will ultimately achieve financial success as a company founder. This means you get to live your life on your own terms, and that’s a beautiful thing. For instance, if you love philanthropy and would love to empower other women to become like you, you can easily do it when you are the boss of your own company.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?

One of the biggest myths about being a founder or entrepreneurship is about reckless risk-taking. There is this notion that a founder is someone who is so obsessed with an idea to the extent that they are willing to lose it all for it. This can’t be further from the truth. Most founders are people who see an opportunity and are smart enough to take a calculated risk to mitigate the risk of loss. If you go all in blindly driven by the myth of reckless belief in an idea, you can easily find yourself homeless and never recover. Things are not always as romanticized in movies.

Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?

I can confidently say that not everyone is cut out to be a founder. Most company founders are people who hate routine and are curious to find out why things work the way they do. They also tend to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, including going without a regular income. If you possess these skills, you are cut out to be a founder. However, if you find that you are comfortable with routine, never care for what happens outside your department, and hate the idea of losing your regular income, then you are likely to be happier working a regular job. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it, though. We can’t all be entrepreneurs.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

You can’t be everything in your company — When I was starting out, I believed I could take up every role and cut costs. It backfired badly, and I ended up burned out and unproductive. Whenever you can, delegate everything and focus on your core strengths.

Work with mentors — When starting out, you always feel that you know everything. This is a recipe for failure. I had this know-it-all attitude when starting and it almost cost me a client due to a very silly mistake. Always work closely with those who have been in your industry longer, and take their advice seriously.

Work with people who share your vision — When I first started my firm, I was only focused on hiring for skills. However, it dawned on me that you need to work with people who also share your vision. This plays a big role in driving momentum towards actualizing whatever goals you set.

Pay no attention to naysayers — When you are just getting into business, you will quickly realize that motivation doesn’t come easy. In my case, I had many people, including friends, who told me to take up a corporate job instead of struggling so hard trying to get clients. I ignored them, and here I am today, a success!

Be ready to change constantly — Unlike when employed, entrepreneurship involves constant change, which can be uncomfortable. In my case, I was constantly unlearning what I had learned in school. However, when I finally changed my mindset to take change as a constant, things got better, and growth came faster.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

Yes. I am involved in multiple philanthropic activities, and I believe that I am making the world a better place in my small way. One initiative closest to my heart is the Greenville County Animal Care. It advocates for the humane treatment of animals, and for me, that’s a big deal. I am also actively involved with Samaritan Purse, an organization involved in feeding the vulnerable in our society, among other courses.

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

Not sure if this cuts it, but that would be to improve the quality of education in the inner cities of major metropolises. There are many kids who would probably change society in a big way, but due to systemic issues that lead to low-quality education, they never amount to much.

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

I would love a private lunch with Elon Musk. The guy has founded multiple companies and they have all attained multi-billion market cap status. I would love to know how he does it and how he manages to stay sane, given how tiresome running a business can be.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

Female Founders: Shari Mattingly Bevan On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Nicole D Vick On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s…

Women In Wellness: Nicole D Vick On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Be careful who you hire, take advice from, and look up to. There are a lot of people that are out there with the sole purpose of taking advantage of new business owners. They often promise unbelievable results in exchange for your hard-earned money. Check references, do your research, and ask lots of questions. Ultimately, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nicole D. Vick.

Nicole D. Vick is an author, public health advocate, educator, community connector, and fashion and beauty maven. She’s leveraged her lived experience, academic training, and professional expertise to engage and inspire future leaders of public health in a variety of settings. She is the author of two books. Her latest, “Push Through: 52 Week of Light in Tough Times” is a guided journal for women who want better for themselves and their communities.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?

I am a native of South Los Angeles. I grew up with my parents and younger brother and had the privilege of spending quite a bit of time with my maternal great grandparents, grandparents, and aunt. I learned a lot from them. They really shaped me into who I am today by exposing me to remnants of Black history. There were tons of old Ebony and Jet magazines in their homes, old photos of them in various settings, awards, books, newspaper clippings, and ceremonial garments. I learned from them that we were so much more than what mass media portrayed us to be. As I got older, I learned that they were Black history. My grandfather was a firefighter and integrated the fire station at Los Angeles International Airport. He’s even featured in a museum.

Professionally I have spent close to 20 years doing public health work at the local level. I love public health so much I also teach it to undergraduate students and have been for the last 14 years.

On top of all of that, I’m a mother of an adult child, an author, a public speaker, creator and host of two video podcasts, a real estate investor, a pop-up shop host, and community activist. I also have a love of nail polish and nail art that has been a source of self-care and mental wellness for me that I am working to share with others.

Someone once called me a multi-hyphenate, and after I Googled the word to learn what it meant, I decided that it was an accurate description of who I am. I have my hands in many different things, but all of it is tied to wellness. My professional work focuses on community wellness and everything else I do is focused on self-care and self-esteem. I feel led to do this work because of my family history and my lived experience.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?

When I first began my freelance career, I watched what other people did and followed their lead. I gave myself a catchy name, joined influencer groups, and followed all the trends. In some instances, following someone else’s lead isn’t a bad thing at all, but in my case, I ended up pigeon-holing myself. It took a while to break from the box that I had put myself in, but I realized it was very important to be myself and not what I thought people wanted me to be. In this era, authenticity is very important to customers.

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

One of the biggest mistakes I made early on was worrying about what other people were doing and lamenting that I wasn’t as popular or successful as they were. The biggest mistake any business owner can make is focusing on what other people are doing. I paid too much attention to how many followers they had and how many products they sold and wondered why I didn’t have their level of success. I had to learn to focus on carving my own niche and doing the work to improve my business. Worrying about what others were doing was a waste of time.

Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?

I never thought I’d be able to share my hobby of polishing my nails with the world in a way that could touch on my professional expertise as a public health practitioner. The concepts of self-care and wellness have become so watered down and commercialized, rendering them meaningless. Everyone talks about self-care, but no one really understands what it means to stop and take the time to create a self-care strategy for themselves. Also, for many people, the ideal self-care strategy is a spa day or a trip to a tropical destination, which is unattainable for so many people. Because of this, people don’t even bother integrating self-care into their lives because they feel like they don’t have the money or the time to do so. Not having a self-care strategy in place sets people up for failure because there’s nowhere to place the stress and anxiety that comes with navigating daily life.

I began polishing my nails and sharing my creations on social media back in 2016. At that time, it was just something that I enjoyed doing. There was no larger purpose or goal back then. I come from a family of fashion and beauty experts, and I’m certain my love for nail polish is an extension of that. My great-grandmother was a licensed cosmetologist and co-owned a beauty salon in South Central Los Angeles back in the 1930s. My aunt had an amazing sense of style and had her own indie makeup brand for a short time. My daughter just finished esthetician school. I see the art that I create with nail polish as an extension of my family.

I recently learned that what I am doing has a deeper meaning and the potential for greater impact. I came across two journal articles that focus on self-care for Black women written by Drs. Paris B. Adkins-Jackson, Jocelyn Turner-Musa, and Charlene Chester. They did a study on 223 black women and found that the role of stress on their health can be reduced by self-care strategies. Self-care for Black women can be the difference between life and death, and if I can play some part in helping women learn to take time for themselves, I believe I will be fulfilling my life’s mission.

Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.

Put yourself first. The most important relationship you will ever have is the one you have with yourself. You are no good to anyone else if your mental and physical health are subpar.
Rest. We have all subscribed to the grind culture. The idea that you always have to be busy in order to be productive was the prevailing thought of the day. I’m so glad we have moved past that way of thinking and have embraced the importance of rest as a self-care strategy.
Allow others to help you. The same grind culture that had us working ourselves to death also made us feel bad if we needed help. We were supposed to be self-sufficient, independent silos. To ask for help was to admit failure. It’s hard to shift from that way of thinking but it’s very important to have a circle of trustworthy friends and family that you can call on for assistance when needed. It’s also good practice to be willing and ready to help others when needed as well so that you’re not always taking from others.
Do the best you can with what you’ve got. Women have an innate ability to make miracles happen with very little resources and time.

If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?

Since I’m a firm believer of social justice and public health principles, the biggest movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most people, would be to lift people out of poverty. The biggest predictor of poor health is poverty; programs like universal basic income, free health care, and a livable wage would do a lot in helping people have a higher standard of living and be happier and healthier.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

There will be times when you have no idea what you’re doing and that’s okay because no one else knows either. When I started, I had to create my own website and edit my own videos because I didn’t have money to pay someone. The upside is that I acquired new skills which is always a good thing. As I got more funding, I was able to pay experts to take of those things for me.
Don’t worry about logos or catchy business names, make sure your plan is solid first. I spent a lot of time picking a name for my brand and years later ended up using my own name as my brand. Logos and catchy names should come after your plan is solid and you have the funding to hire experts to create them for you.
Your brand doesn’t have to be one thing. You are the brand and the force that brings everything together. I have so many business interests: public health, social justice, plus size fashion, nail art and nail care, and economic development. They are very different, but if you notice, all are focused on wellness.
Be careful who you hire, take advice from, and look up to. There are a lot of people that are out there with the sole purpose of taking advantage of new business owners. They often promise unbelievable results in exchange for your hard-earned money. Check references, do your research, and ask lots of questions. Ultimately, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Your friends and family are not your customers, don’t get upset when they don’t buy what you’re selling. Find the people that love your brand and focus on them.

Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?

I’m a vegan and quite passionate about it, but I would say that environmental changes are of most concern to me, particularly because of environmental racism. Issues of climate change, pollution, the global movement of goods, and other environmental issues will be shouldered by communities that are most vulnerable and with less power.

What is the best way our readers can follow you online?

My website is www.nicoledvick.com but I’m most active on Instagram. My main page is @nicoledvick and my nail polish page is @nailedbystylevicksen

Thank you for these fantastic insights!

Women In Wellness: Nicole D Vick On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Elle Ballard of Women of the World Network On The Five Things You Need To Thrive…

Female Founders: Elle Ballard of Women of the World Network On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Start building your business with simple, cost-effective tools, then re-invest in your business and pay yourself. I overspent at the beginning of my business not realizing how many cost-effective tools are available. I also started paying myself later. Start developing a habit of re-investing back into your business and paying yourself a salary early enough.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Elle Ballard.

Elle has built a successful career in marketing, helping companies promote their products nationally and internationally. Elle is a Personal Brand Coach, best-selling Author, Speaker, and Founder of Women of the World Network™. She has been leading different kinds of teams starting with the International oil and gas $3.2 billion crude oil system CPC project where she closely worked with the local government officials, continuing in the direct sales industry, and now expanding and growing Women of the World Network ™ (WOTWN). She has been a featured guest on the following podcasts: Expand Your Fempire, The Art of Feminine Marketing, Voice of America, and others. Elle is an open-minded, conscious, global leader who always striving to grow, overcome, and better herself while listening to her inner voice and trusting herself in the process. Having to start from point zero several times in her life, she knows how challenging the transition can be while maintaining your authenticity and individuality — that is the reason for creating WOTWN. Elle loves authentic women, women of substance and believes in developing a diversity-aligned and happy women leaders who then positively impact future generations. Elle loves coffee, beautiful views, ballroom dancing, and is interested in longevity and holistic health.

I am originally from Kazakhstan and came here 20 years ago. I finished an MBA program in Marketing and worked in marketing at a couple of software companies. I enjoyed the work and I learned a lot of lessons but always wanted to create something that talked to my heart. I wanted to create my own brand that I deeply believed in and that I could build to empower and help others.

When I discovered the power of consistent, daily personal growth, I started wondering how many people are missing out on these daily growth principles that can improve their lives so much more. Coming from a different culture, I had to work with my personal beliefs and mindset to start creating something I truly wanted.

My company was sold and I lost my job and decided this is a great opportunity for me to start my dream project. Women of the World Network™ was launched.

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

When I started Women of the World Network™, I still had another business. That business involved a lot of travel, and I felt overwhelmed with building two businesses. Then, the whole world was faced with the pandemic, economic changes, and people leaving jobs. The whole world was under this pandemic influence. People stopped traveling and countries closed. People were not interested in travel anymore. This was when I left my travel business and decided to focus solely on expanding Women of the World Network™. I find it interesting how external circumstances can push you in the direction you are supposed to go. I was supposed to build my brand and my company.

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 remember I opened a merchant account when I just started my business and did not even get to open and start using it officially. Then, my situation changed and I did not need the services anymore, even though I was still paying for it sometime later. I learned an important lesson — watch my budget and only spend on items that I critically need at the moment. When we are starting our businesses, we get excited about opportunities and can over-commit financially. It is important to re-invest in your business wisely when just starting your business journey.

I am so grateful for so may amazing women business owners that have mentored me, women who are already successful in their businesses. One of my commitments is continued business and personal growth and improvements. I met amazing women leaders who I consult and coach with. I also belong to a few outstanding communities that offer women support, encouragement, and business advice. I am grateful for their continued example of leadership.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?

I love the progress we are making as women but there is still work to be done. I believe one of the things that is holding women back is self-sabotage and lack of mentorship and guidance. When women can see the path and work on eliminating their own limiting beliefs and surround themselves with other women who are doing it — this can help reduce that gap.

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?

Definitely! Women express their voice differently from men and we have to consider that. When we think she does not have an opinion, she is simply not sure if it is safe for her to open up. We have to create more mentorship for women for different experiences. Women with corporate experience might need different support from women who were stay-at -home moms and are now starting a business. In addition, we have to consider cultural differences and beliefs that women have. Just like Daisy Auger-Dominguez mentions in her “Inclusion Revolution” book: “I believe in you! You can never hear it enough”. We have several programs at Women of the World Network™ that help women with mindset, cultural beliefs that might inhibit their growth, and business and professional experiences.

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

I know I am a better mother, leader, and human being because I gave myself permission to follow my mission. We very often do not know what we do not know. Women tend to spend a lot of their lifetime taking care of others: first their kids, then their parents. A lot of women left the workforce during the pandemic to take care of their kids when schools and kindergartens closed.

We need to provide more financial and educational support and resources to women to help them succeed. When she knows she has support and believes that she can accomplish her dreams, she will succeed in whatever her heart desires. She will have the full freedom to create a dream life for herself and others around her. Also, statistically, when women make more money and are more fulfilled, they tend to give back more to the communities they live in and their families.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?

One of the big “myths” is that we can accomplish our mission ourselves. It is simply not possible. We need other people to help us. Founders need to ask for advice and delegate when needed so that they can focus on what they are good at and what they know. In my own experience, having a team of dedicated, diverse women allows me to use their expertise while also supporting them financially in the process. Both parties win.

The other big “myths” is that it will be easy. It is important to recognize it will be a fulfilling and learning experience, but not an easy one. We have to become that person and grow in order to have what we dream about. I love this quote: “Do not let success go to your head and do not let failure go to your heart”.

I think everyone can become a founder. It takes time and discipline to build something meaningful but it is not impossible. We learn the best while we are doing something. It is important to be flexible with situations and people, and with the fact that things sometimes do not turn out the way we plan. But it is an amazing experience to be a founder. As for a regular job, I personally learned some of the most important lessons while having a job and now I am creating a workplace for others. If the person has that awareness about themselves and what exactly they want to accomplish they can then choose which route to take: business ownership or a corporate career.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

Start building your business with simple, cost-effective tools, then re-invest in your business and pay yourself. I overspent at the beginning of my business not realizing how many cost-effective tools are available. I also started paying myself later. Start developing a habit of re-investing back into your business and paying yourself a salary early enough.
Delegate. Start delegating small things to contractors whenever you are ready. This has been an important aspect of my business growth when I started delegating day-to-day tasks to others and focusing on business building and the vision for my business. It is also very important to have people who believe and support your vision fully.
Focus on your end goal and manage your disappointments. Business building is not easy. I compare it to a baby. My business is my baby. I nurture it and invest my time and effort so that it will grow into an amazing empire that will in turn inspire others. When disappointments happen, and they will, I remind myself why I started, why am I doing it, and what matters to me. Once I remind myself of that, I am ready to focus on a solution.
Be flexible. It is never a straight road in business. We make plans and things change, pandemics happen, people change their minds, clients can no longer pay. Whether it is external circumstance or internal, be patient and flexible with yourself and others. I launched a new program that did not reap the results I planned for, but I was able to take the lesson from the situation and start planning a new program with new objectives using my lessons learned.
Learn from others and surround yourself with people who have done it before and succeeded. I listen to the opinion of people who are doing similar things like me and succeeding. I have a few women coaches and mentors and I am part of a couple amazing business women masterminds and communities that provide valuable support for my business growth.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

My mission is to see more multinational, intersectional, minority, immigrant women grow, develop, be happy while being financially free and doing what they love.

I would open a global organization educating kids from poor and under-represented families in USA, as well in Crimea and in the country I am from. I would like to give them access to education and the freedom to create and learn to think outside the box.

Madonna or Irina Hakamada (Russian economist and publicist)

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this!

Female Founders: Elle Ballard of Women of the World Network On The Five Things You Need To Thrive… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Krysta Huber of The Fitness FYX On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help…

Women In Wellness: Krysta Huber of The Fitness FYX On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Unplug. If you’re like me and get wrapped up in your work or a social media scroll, take advantage of the Sleep Timer and Do Not Disturb functions on your phone. It’s a lot easier to put your phone down when you’re not being bombarded with notifications. Bonus — you’ll win some time back that you probably thought you didn’t have which could mean more time for movement, meal prep, reading… and more.

As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Krysta Huber.

Krysta Huber is a certified nutrition coach, personal trainer, and group fitness instructor. Her unique coaching program, The Fitness FYX, blends nutrition, fitness, mindset, and stress management into one holistic approach. Krysta specializes in helping group-fitness lovers lose weight without tons of cardio, hours in the kitchen, or passing up on the foods they love most. Krysta hosts a weekly wellness podcast, called The FYX with Krysta Huber, where she focuses on nutrition tips, goal setting, and a healthy mindset.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?

I found my way into the health and wellness industry in college, although at the time I honestly never thought I’d pursue it full-time. I studied journalism and my 18-year-old self was dead set on becoming a business journalist. After a few internships in newsrooms and in finance, I ultimately landed in finance right after college. It didn’t take long to figure out that I couldn’t sit still behind a desk. Less than two years later, I ditched my business professional attire for athleisure and sneakers. I was living in Charlotte, North Carolina at the time, where I went on to help open and grow a franchise boutique fitness studio. In that first full-time fitness role, I started 1:1 nutrition coaching. It was only a small component of that position, but the more I focused on my own nutrition, the more I recognized what an important — and frankly overlooked — component of wellness it was and continues to be for the majority of people today.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?

That first full-time fitness job was my first experience in working for a startup and there are countless lessons I learned from that role. The biggest? Knowing my worth. A little over a year into helping build and grow that studio, the leadership team presented me with a pay cut. I spent several months contemplating whether I had made a “mistake” in making the leap into fitness full-time and seriously considered going back into finance and Corporate America. I wound up quitting without a firm backup plan and the timing was only a few short months prior to the start of the pandemic — there was no predicting that the fitness industry, economy, and our lives were about to change dramatically. The decision to walk away from that position was the best thing to ever happen to me because it pushed me to get really clear about what I wanted to accomplish with my career, and how I hoped to make an impact on my clients’ lives.

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

While this might sound like a cliché answer, but I’m not a big believer of mistakes. I don’t remember exactly where I heard this from — probably another podcast — but it’s an expression about mistakes that has stuck with me: “A mistake is a mistake only if you make it twice.” Life is really an accumulation of experiences that we’re constantly learning from — as long as we choose to look at it that way.

Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?

When it comes to nutrition, my number one goal is to help people understand HOW to eat — not simply WHAT to eat. Diet culture (especially among women) has just completely confused and manipulated people into believing that certain foods are “good” and others are “bad.” Whether you work with me 1:1 or simply interact with my content, my hope is that your mindset around food shifts to a place of abundance versus restriction. Nothing happens in a vacuum — what we choose to eat is all relative.

Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.

Keep it simple: short-term fixes with 30 different rules on what you can and can’t eat are just calorie restrictions in disguise. Don’t love to cook? Start with protein options that are already prepped and ready to eat, like a rotisserie chicken. It’s one less thing for you to need to prepare.
Consider habit stacking: James Clear’s Atomic Habits is probably my most recommended book among clients. If you want to start a journaling routine, for example, but feel like you can’t commit to it consistently, consider scheduling it before activities you do regularly — when you make your morning coffee, keep your journal nearby. Don’t pour your coffee until you’ve opened your journal.
Start small: A lot of new or potential clients come to me with goals and plans that are a complete 360 from their current lifestyles. Let’s look for the lowest hanging fruit: What are the easiest changes we can make, first? Let’s guarantee our success.
In a workout rut? Get started with something you actually look forward to whether that’s because it’s a new routine, a different environment like a new gym or a new class.
Unplug. If you’re like me and get wrapped up in your work or a social media scroll, take advantage of the Sleep Timer and Do Not Disturb functions on your phone. It’s a lot easier to put your phone down when you’re not being bombarded with notifications. Bonus — you’ll win some time back that you probably thought you didn’t have which could mean more time for movement, meal prep, reading… and more.

If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?

I like to think that my work as a podcaster is already contributing to my overall goal of spreading credible information on health and wellness to as many listeners as possible. More specifically though, when it comes to nutrition, I strongly believe that we need to educate children on nutrition in a much more practical way, starting at a much younger age. I’ve recently started working with a handful of high school athletes to improve their performance through proper nutrition: our conversations have confirmed just how important it is for parents, teachers, educators, social media influencers, etc. to equip kids with actual tools and resources to understand HOW to eat, not simply WHAT to eat. I’d love to see a shift in school health courses away from outdated government guidelines toward hands-on application.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

The world isn’t designed for fat loss — and for that reason, when you have a physical transformation goal, ask for help. There are professionals who genuinely care about their clients, and are committed to sharing smarter tools to reaching your goals.
Planning makes your life easier: Want to buy a house? Making a budget and reviewing expenses are steps we can all agree are worth taking. For some reason, when it comes to exercise and nutrition, similar approaches are met with excuses. Take these same principles and apply them to your health and wellness.
Be clear with your boundaries: You are in control of your own happiness and that starts with your non-negotiables. We spend too much time looking externally for what makes us happy — it’s time to really trust your gut.
Every “yes” is a “no” to another opportunity.
Growth is uncomfortable and our brains are quite literally wired to prefer what’s familiar: it’s easy to think about this in the context of changing career paths or moving to a new city, but the same can be said for nutrition. What worked for you four years ago probably won’t work for you now — and that’s okay, as long as you’re willing to meet new options with an open mind.

Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?

Mental health is extremely important to me — as someone who has lived with seasons of depression and anxiety, I’m committed to being open about my experiences. It’s refreshing and reassuring that mental health is such a big topic because it takes talking about it to normalize it. And in talking about it, we’re all collectively empowering one another to share the resources that have helped us restore and prioritize our mental wellness. Personally, I’ve found support and guidance through therapy, journaling, and a number of books.

What is the best way our readers can follow you online?

Check out my podcast, The FYX with Krysta Huber, on Apple, Spotify or anywhere you listen to your podcasts. Send me a DM on Instagram @thekrystahuber or @thefyx.officialpod — I’d love to hear from you! For more information on my 1:1 nutrition coaching program or to book a complimentary consult, please visit: www.thefitnessfyx.com.

Thank you for these fantastic insights!

Women In Wellness: Krysta Huber of The Fitness FYX On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Disruptors: Feminine Leadership Coach Ela Staniak On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up…

Female Disruptors: Feminine Leadership Coach Ela Staniak On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

A high percentage of women today experience continuous resistance, feeling frustrated or stuck without clarity on how to achieve the next milestone whether it is in their career/business, finances, intimate relationship or wellbeing. Being overlooked, unsupported, unappreciated, struggling to find your voice, getting promoted over, allowing disrespect from the male fraternity. Until you address what’s impacted you in the past you will never achieve the heights of what it is you are standing for!

As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ela Staniak — Founder of Feminine Leaders.

As a Feminine Leadership Coach to female C-Suite & Business Leaders, Ela champions unprecedented results for women ready to break through the perception of the ‘glass ceiling’ and gain their rightful place at the boardroom table or claim their space in their entrepreneurial zone of genius.

Ela spent the last nearly 15 years working with high calibre female leaders internationally in a broad range of industries from government, technology, finance, mining, media, to athletes, millionaires, entrepreneurs specialising in vertical (consciousness) & horizontal (skills and capabilities) behavioural change in female leadership development.

‘Feminine Leaders’ was born out of a passion to empower women to champion their ‘inner game’, reclaim their moxie and feminine leadership qualities to lead and live THE ULTIMATE LIFE personally and professionally.

Ela landed coverage in hundreds of print and broadcast outlets around the world including her 2020 TED Talk “Diversity & Inclusion are logically impossible”.

I was born and grew up in the south of Poland. Growing up with an alcoholic father and a mother who suffered obesity and heart problems was challenging. Losing both of my parents before I turned 15 years of age impacted my life tremendously. Looking at the silver lining in my upbringing this experience propelled me to relocate first to Ireland and then to Australia to do a college degree. Studies in motivational psychology and athletic performance awakened an incredible passion within me to explore the power of human potential. For over a decade I immersed myself in revolving around behavioural change and studied Fitness & Sports Coaching, Wellness Coaching, Neurolinguistics, Hypnotherapy, Leadership & Business Coaching and Intuitive Coaching.

I established a career initially in fitness and wellness specialising in behavioural change and later in feminine leadership coaching. Over the years, I understood that without the right tools to navigate adversity human beings often disconnect/ dissociate/ escape emotionally. I had to disconnect to survive at a young age. Disconnect = lack of self-value. Lack of self-worth continued to impact my health, my relationships and my finances until I embarked on a journey to self-actualisation and with that my LIFE went through a metamorphosis.

I reshaped my body and lost 15kg of body weight. I faced poor leadership and navigated direct and indirect discrimination in the workplaces in three different countries due to my own differences and some of them being speaking English as a second language, being a woman working in male dominated environments, and apparently being way too positive and optimistic for some. I have been called a “fruit cake” before and now I take it as a compliment! I steered through abusive relationships to find what self-love really means. Here’s what my biggest lesson was in life. “Unless you acknowledge what’s impacted you in the past and “do the work” on unconscious beliefs, you will continue repeating destructive patterns”. It wasn’t until I faced my biggest fears, and became a self-aware and well integrated human being that I understood what it truly means to be a leader.

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

There is a negative listening to the word “feminine”, a misconception that feminine is weak, unsubstantial, submissive. That there is no place for feminine in the c-suite and business for masculine tendencies have been predominant in leadership successfully for decades.

In some cases, women have been modelling masculine traits for so long, that now they reject their feminine qualities which they perceive as foreign. DISCONNECTION ALERT LADIES!

The essence of true femininity is powerful and magnetic. Feminine Leadership I believe is an art of ‘owning your presence’. Those leaders who become wholly and completely integrated in all facets of their identity and can strategically draw from masculine and feminine qualities, are the leaders who become incredibly impactful, influential and truly lead by example. These leaders walk the talk and demonstrate the significant difference between DOING leadership vs BEING leadership.

I believe that the world needs more empowered, thriving and confident women at all levels of decision making to assist with finding sustainable solutions to some of the most horrendous and preventable issues we face in our global society.

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 biggest mistake I made in business was putting all of my eggs in one basket! I spent years building my sales funnels, communities and my following mostly on Facebook. In the middle of 2020 due to online hacking I lost access to all my accounts, groups and business page. Just like that, it was all gone. Deleted! I felt that I had failed my community given the years of hard work and trust that I had built were violated overnight.

I am a big believer that “Everything happens for me, for it is my own creation” so I took it a sign to go to the next level of trajectory. I reinvented myself, my business and I rebranded. It was the best and most life-changing decision I could ever make, however it took something to rebuild my business and my identity as a business owner differently. Two of the most important the lessons I learned are: A) Protect your business and your communities with urgency and care B) You must have multiple lead generation strategies to create sustainable income flow in your business. Work smart, not hard.

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?

Absolutely! One of my biggest learnings is this: “Support is your greatest strength and never a weakness”. One of the most profound mentors I have had to date is Sally Anderson — Leadership Coach To The Influencers. Sally has privately coached key influencers nationally and internationally over a 2 decade period: CEO’s, politicians, global influencers, visionaries, celebrities, millionaires, billionaires,. Those looking for ‘sustainable’ leading edge performance.

Sally’s Linkedin Profile is: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallyanderson-leadershipcoachtotheinfluencers/

Sally partnered me in changing my life, took my leadership skills to a completely new dimension and transformed my business from 0–100 in a matter weeks!

If you have a serious calling in life and want to fast forward your results by decades I suggest you invest in one of the BEST leadership coaches on the planet.

I have invested under $200,000 in business mentoring and education in my life, Sally tops any coach I have ever hired, WITHOUT A DOUBT.

This journey is not for faint-hearted, but if you are serious about leading and living your legacy in this lifetime it is beyond worth it!

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?

When I launched ‘Feminine Leaders’ I knew I was challenging the status quo. It was obvious after nearly 15 years of working with women at all levels of leadership in multiple industries that making a sustainable change where Feminine Leadership and its positioning in C-Suite and Business is concerned was going to be a journey which would require resilience while navigating resistance and persistence to stand by my message.

I knew I was challenging decades of leadership structures where masculine tendencies have been predominant. Truth to be told the unconscious bias in our society relating stereotypical roles of men and women in the workplaces and beyond are still present.

Many men and women run confusion on how to work together, support each other and co-create extraordinary outcomes in the modern world where modeling our old workplace and home generational patterns does no longer apply. Vast majority of women are left feeling unsupported, undervalued and unacknowledged.

All that being said I know the world is beyond ready for change. More diversity through female voices I believe will result in more productive equitable outcomes worldwide.

I believe what is happening today in the health & wellness industry is not so positive. The global wellness industry, including spiritual self-care, has grown to $4 trillion. Despite the global market being overflooded with solutions to personal & professional development, weight loss, happiness and health, the effectiveness of these products and services is questionable.

Sustainable results where complete physical and emotional transformation is concerned is elusive. Focusing on treating the symptom of dysfunction keeps people stuck in the same destructive behavioural patterns.

Doing the ‘inner work’ and becoming a powerfully connected human being where all facets of one’s identity: physical, emotional and spiritual are integrated is the key to experiencing real transformation.

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

Stop giving lip service to your spoken word. Results will always remain elusive if you do not transform your relationship with your spoken word.
Stop being so nice, so appropriate, so accommodating to others needs to the deficit of your own — put yourself first and foremost.
Understand what it means to be ‘committed’ — stop selling out to excuses.

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

Oh, I am only getting started! My vision can be articulated in 5 key objectives:

1. Advocate for ending domestic and family violence period

2. Advocate for building legislation in relation to supporting immigrants who experience domestic and family violence in Australia

3. Advocate for mental wellness in all sectors of society

4. Advocate for female representation at the highest levels worldwide

5. Advocate for providing sustainable solutions to the obesity issues we face globally

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

CHALLENGE 1. A high percentage of women today experience continuous resistance, feeling frustrated or stuck without clarity on how to achieve the next milestone whether it is in their career/business, finances, intimate relationship or wellbeing. Being overlooked, unsupported, unappreciated, struggling to find your voice, getting promoted over, allowing disrespect from the male fraternity. Until you address what’s impacted you in the past you will never achieve the heights of what it is you are standing for!

CHALLENGE 2. Women who feel disconnected, “at full capacity” or “out of alignment”
There is a distinct difference between DOING leadership vs. BEING leadership. You are human BEING and not human DOING. When you are connected, you are full of life energy, in a heightened state of awareness, incredibly receptive to receiving insight and assessing your environment. Once you are in alignment you become powerful beyond limitations. When you are guided by your intuition and connected to your feminine essence anxiety, overwhelm and busyness disappear.

CHALLENGE 3. Many women tend to be professional saboteurs when it comes to putting their needs first. They support EVERYONE else but sadly do not support themselves to the same degree. Until you put the oxygen mask on yourself first and address the self-debilitating beliefs that are sabotaging your potential nothing will change. You teach people on how to treat you, so if the standard of how you are treated is not of the standard you deserve you and only you can change this dynamic.

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

“Three Initiates: The Kybalion” is a study of the hermetic philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece. The book presents the Seven Principles of Nature. These principles represent the power of Truth and Knowledge, and thus they will endure forever, no matter are they studied and questioned with the terms of different religions or fields of science. I highly recommend for those people who are wanting to discover the roots of universal knowledge known to humankind.

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

I want my son to grow up in a world where women stand in their power of feminine leadership, where instead of fighting for diversity & inclusion we champion equality and embrace each other as valuable people with unique strengths and talents. I see a world where women find their voice at all levels of leadership, earning their worth and their rightful place at a boardroom table/ or entrepreneurial zone of genius or any personal aspiration. I see a world free of domestic and family violence, where safety and love is available to all people. I dream of our society being free of obesity and instead being healthy, thriving where a pathway to emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing is understood and available.

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

André Gide — ‘You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore’

Navigating adversity only to discover new horizons has been my life’s journey from a young age. Every time I decided to achieve more, to become a better version of myself I had to let go to the old disruptive paradigms. If you truly want to evolve as a leader, I suggest you (1) Fall in love with resistance (2) Embrace uncertainty as your ally and (3) Be willing to lean in when you want to back out…

How can our readers follow you online?

LINKED IN

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ela-staniak-feminine-leadership-coach/

WEBSITE

https://www.elastaniak.com/

INSTAGRAM

https://www.instagram.com/ela_staniak/

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

Female Disruptors: Feminine Leadership Coach Ela Staniak On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Disruptors: Charity Hill of EPIC Entertainment Group On The Three Things You Need To Shake…

Female Disruptors: Charity Hill of EPIC Entertainment Group On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

“Stay nimble” was something we were told by someone very successful, that we adopted as a motto. It was something so simple that I hadn’t considered. And honestly, I am not sure our company would have made it through the pandemic if we hadn’t taken that advice to heart. We work hard to stay lean and nimble as a company so it’s easier to roll with the punches of our ever-changing industry.

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

Charity is an award-winning creative producer and experience architect of immersive attractions and themed entertainment. She is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Epic Entertainment Group — a collective of executive producers, experiential operators, creative designers, and technical builders focused on developing, producing, and operating live events and immersive entertainment experiences.

Paving the way for female leaders of color in the live entertainment space, Charity is known for executive producing some of the most well-known annual attractions in the country, including Dark Harbor and Chill at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, Holiday by the Bay in San Diego, and Dark Horizon in Orlando.

From creative direction to strategic execution, Charity’s entertainment experience spans two decades including film, television, theater, themed entertainment, festivals, haunted attractions, fashion shows, sporting events, and brand activations.

I grew up entertaining on stage and in front of the camera. I realized early on that I wanted to be the creator of my own entertainment and not the performer of someone else’s. I studied Marketing in college and became one of the founding members of USC Spectrum, an on-campus production company made up of faculty and students who booked and produced all the entertainment coming onto campus. From world-renowned thought-provokers like Iyanla Vanzant to up and coming artists, I found fulfilment in shaping young minds through engaging entertainment. It was then that I realized education could be entertaining. That was really my first taste of being a producer. From there, I went on to work for WET (Water Entertainment Technology) Inc. — the company behind the Bellagio water feature. It was there that I noticed a gap that I would eventually seek to fill; one that married destination attractions and themed entertainment with live immersive events. I honed my skills producing hundreds of large-scale public events in a myriad of genres at the legendary Queen Mary in Long Beach before my business partner and I launched Epic Entertainment Group in 2016.

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

I like to think that I am creating a disruption in people’s perceptive parameters through culture-forward, themed entertainment. I thrive in immersive storytelling that celebrates the traditions of other nations, and work to show the world how uniquely symbiotic we all are as a race.

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, there are so many mistakes I have made along the way! One that stands out was when I was still getting my feet wet in production. I was producing a private concert series in West Hollywood and had the opportunity to bring in Eddie Van Halen to perform a few songs. Without thinking, I jumped at the chance without considering the budget implications of what his rider might include. I found myself scrambling to meet his needs and having to navigate what could have been a very sticky situation. He was wonderful and ended up springing for the cost to crane in his own piano into the space, but it could have been a total disaster. I was saved by a very seasoned veteran who just found my scrambling amusing. I can tell you, I’ve never booked another artist without first redlining the rider.

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?

One of my mentors in storytelling came while I was attending the University of Southern California. Working as a founding member of USC Spectrum, we booked and produced the entertainment series of artists, musicians, poets, and speakers on Campus and one of them was Ice-T. Later I was able to tour Europe with him along with his rock band, Body Count. Being an early adopter of disruption, he taught me that some controversy can be good if it will provoke out-of-the-box thinking. I found it so amusing that he turned his rebel rap persona into a heavy metal movement through storytelling. Being able to enjoy the vantage point of his impact from the stage looking out over a sea of nearly 100,000 people was magnetic. It sparked something in me — the need to become a thought-provoking disrupter in my own way. Equally, growing up in Minneapolis, I had the privilege of working with Prince starting at a young age. Being exposed to such early adopters of disruption has definitely made an impact on how and what I produce from a creative perspective.

I think that disruption can be monumental when it is clever, and well thought out with a clear and concise positive intention. However, disruption for the sake of disruption can be reckless and very damaging. For instance, if I want to shed positive light on cultural differences, I might juxtapose two cultural celebrations in one event to highlight their beauty and show similarities in their origins to invoke a better understanding of both. Conversely, if I drop a foreign cultural celebration into the middle of a differing community without a narrative, it may be seen as obtuse or offensive. It will certainly disrupt, but not necessarily in a positive way.

Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each. As a partner in a start-up, we made sure to seek out the advice of other successful entrepreneurs. The three best words of advice we have been given along the way are:

“Stay nimble” was something we were told by someone very successful, that we adopted as a motto. It was something so simple that I hadn’t considered. And honestly, I am not sure our company would have made it through the pandemic if we hadn’t taken that advice to heart. We work hard to stay lean and nimble as a company so it’s easier to roll with the punches of our ever-changing industry.
“Never take no for an answer”. Some of our largest clients are the ones who first told us “no”. As a creator, it’s easy to get caught up in the rejection of our ideas, but I think spending my early years pounding the pavement as a performer, I learned to let rejection roll right off my back. It has been proven to serve me well in my career to this day.
“Your team is your commodity”. For us, our team really is the secret sauce. Our work culture celebrates our team members. We don’t operate in a hierarchy; we are a collective. We learned very quickly that a fun positive work-hard-play-harder environment with little parameters and a great deal of trust promotes greater creativity, over-achievement, and efficiency. It’s the sweet spot for our team to thrive.

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

I am not sure I will ever be done. Ha! But my next project is with an iconic brand, Hershey. I can’t say much about it at this time, but I am so honored to have been chosen to shake things up with them this fall. Stay tuned.

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

Well, quite simply put, when a man is a disrupter, he is seen as an innovator and when a woman is a disrupter, she is often seen as disruptive.

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

I don’t. I wish I had more time to read and soak up podcast chats. Time is something that I am always chasing, my most precious commodity. The few moments I have to myself, I usually tend to take advantage of the silence.

I have spent most of my life trying to tear down stereotypes of who I am as a woman, and that of a woman of color. If I didn’t see myself represented, I would push myself into the center of it for sport. I guess I have always been a disrupter. For example, when I was growing up, I never saw women, let alone women of color on a golf course. So, I took up golf and became the youngest woman of color to have a whole-in-one plaque on the wall of Robinson Ranch clubhouse. I spend many days in war rooms across the country as “the only” — the only woman, the only person of color, but I stand boldly in it. If I could impart any advice to young women, it would be tear down those walls one by one by standing boldly in it. Ignore those parameters set upon you by society and go out and get it. You can be ANYTHING you want to be. #sobeit.

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

“If you are standing still, you are moving backwards.” I think that we only have this one precious life, and too little time to live it. I have always had this feeling of responsibility to lead the collective whole to connectivity. However big or small, if I can share something that changes the trajectory of where someone is headed, then I am contributing in a positive way to bettering humankind. There are a lot of people in this world, and a lot of experiences left to create. I believe shared experiences are what we will measure life by in the end, so if I am standing still too long, I am missing it.

How can our readers follow you online?

Visit www.epicentertainmentgroup.com for our latest projects. On Instagram, you can follow my work @epicentertainmentgroup and my travel antics @1worldwithcharity.

@epicentgrp on Twitter and Facebook and @Epic-Entertainment-Group on Linkedin

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

Female Disruptors: Charity Hill of EPIC Entertainment Group On The Three Things You Need To Shake… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.