Month: May 2022

Female Disruptors: Dr Zeenia Kaul of ReHeva Biosciences On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

You can’t be successful without failure. In science, nine out of 10 lab experiments may fail, but that one successful experiment propels you forward — and keeps you going.

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

Zeenia Kaul, Ph.D., M.B.A., is the Co-founder, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of ReHeva Biosciences. A molecular and cell biologist with 11 years of experience in oncology, Zeenia is paving the way for 100 percent naturally-derived drugs to help people live longer and healthier with cancer. Born in India, raised in Japan, educated in Australia, and fluent in multiple languages, Zeenia founded ReHeva in 2016, and today the biopharmaceutical startup’s cancer-fighting drug, RH324, is in FDA Phase 1 Trial.

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?

My company, ReHeva Biosciences, is based on more than 20 years of research conducted by my parents, Dr. Renu Wadhwa and Dr. Sunil Kaul. They’re both acclaimed molecular biologists. Growing up, I saw my parents’ devotion to their research — over time, a small discovery led to 15 years of study, which resulted in the identification of a unique seed line from a common plant that would be selective in killing cancer cells while leaving the normal cells alone.

I remember being dragged to lab after school and helping my parents with chores — like washing glassware, photocopying research articles, and cataloging reagents — and accompanying them to research conferences during school breaks. At the time, I never understood why my parents took a school-going girl to aging and cancer conferences.

Then, my parents had an opportunity to do a year-long sabbatical in Sydney, Australia. I was being exposed to yet another education system, making new friends, and learning the Aussie accent. Little did I know I would later return to the same lab to pursue my graduate studies.

All this time, I was able to watch my parents’ friends solve big problems with such humility. Witnessing this had a huge impact on my life.

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

Our goal at ReHeva is to transform cancer treatment into disease management, much like asthma and heart disease today. We do not accept the current narrative that harmful side effects and brief remission periods are an inevitable part of cancer treatments.

Since 2016, our team of clinicians and scientists has been working to uncover and develop naturally-occurring botanical agents to treat and manage major diseases. I’ll try not to get too technical, but our transformative approach targets multiple tissues and mechanisms of action through a multi-target and multi-component, complex, botanically-derived agents. Cancer patients currently don’t have access to naturally derived drugs that are safe, effective, and affordable — and we are incredibly proud to address this unmet need.

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 started ReHeva with my co-founder Bill Diffenderffer based on 15 years of peer-reviewed research on natural cancer treatment by my parents. Intrigued by the possibilities of that research, we decided: “Let’s find out if this works on people.”

Having just finished my MBA and a cancer research fellowship, I was waiting to start a consulting job, and Bill was teaching entrepreneurship at The Ohio State University.

Neither one of us had any idea what that eight-word sentence actually involved. Since so much research had already been done, we thought the process of bringing to market a human cancer treatment would be relatively simple. Four million dollars and five years later, Bill and I anticipate needing $25 million and five more years just to “find out if it works on people.”

When we tell professionals about what we thought when we first started, they laugh at how naïve we were.

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

I’ve been fortunate to have many mentors who have helped me along my journey.

First and foremost is my mother, Dr. Renu Wadhwa. When I was a young girl, my parents moved from India to Japan, and my mother had to start over in Japanese society, which is male-dominated. She paved her own way, earning a second Ph.D., and never gave up on establishing herself as a leader in the field. Her relentless positivity, and the ability to “pick up crumbs and make something of them,” has had a huge impact on my life.

My Ph.D. supervisor, Dr. Roger Reddel, has also been a significant influence. He was a family friend before becoming my mentor, so I had the pleasure of seeing his serious side in the lab, but also witnessing him at home and 100 percent dedicated to being a husband and father. Roger showed me that you can be on the cutting edge and an expert, but also have a healthy balance between work and family life. He runs a leading research center with passion, humility, a drive to serve, and always a huge smile on his face.

Finally, my business partner Bill Diffenderffer has taught me so much about entrepreneurship and recognizing the possibilities. I met Bill during my fellowship and while working on my MBA at The Ohio State University. I took Bill’s class on entrepreneurship, and we connected on my cancer research as his wife’s Stage 3C ovarian cancer was recurring. Bill’s entrepreneurial experience and mentorship has helped propel ReHeva forward in ways I could not have imagined. His Zen mindset and “bring-your-best-self-every-day” attitude is something I strive for in my day-to-day.

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?

Disruption of an industry is great if you are the entrepreneur doing the disruption, but not so great if you are being disrupted. Disruption is, by its nature, a double-edged sword. The key question is whether there is a net gain for the community being served.

Cancer treatment has recently been disrupted by the advancement and discoveries made in targeted- and immuno-therapies. A huge amount of the R&D resources devoted to cancer are now focused in this direction. However, these amazing drugs are only available to a subset of cancer patients, and their response to these treatments is still variable. Further, resistance to this therapy, along with its short-term efficacy and cost, are huge burdens to the patients and the healthcare industry. Given the devastating realities of cancer, there is a need for disruptive improvements. Yet, the burdens that result from these disruptions make it a two-edged sword.

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

1. You can’t be successful without failure. In science, nine out of 10 lab experiments may fail, but that one successful experiment propels you forward — and keeps you going.
2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. The journey of being an entrepreneur is very similar to that of a scientist — there is no “rule book,” there aren’t always clear answers, and you figure it out as you go. I am not the most connected person out there, but I’m not afraid to find capable people to help with various parts of my journey.
3. Put your trust in others from the get-go. Some people say you have to earn their trust, but I operate from a different perspective: “I am working with you because I believe you are the best. You have my utmost trust until you prove me otherwise.”

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

It’s a really exciting time as our lead compound, RH324, just started enrolling and dosing patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer in our Phase 1 Safety Trial at University Hospitals in Cleveland.

In addition to the pharmaceutical side of things, we are working on some big innovations in controlled environment agriculture. With botanical-based drugs, there is a huge opportunity to leverage the science of agriculture. We can control how plants are grown and deliver optimum plants for future clinical use on a much larger scale. ReHeva is based in Ohio, which has a big agriculture focus, so I see enormous potential to develop botanical-based drugs through controlled environment agriculture — and bring them to market.

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

Even though my journey as an entrepreneur has been relatively short, I am fortunate to have a supportive group of mentors and collaborators and an audience that has allowed me to voice my opinions and make decisions. Still, we find it hard to attract healthcare investors’ attention. We believe that is because we are developing something they haven’t seen before — a 100 percent natural treatment for cancer. Yet, some of our “invisibility” may be because I’m a woman disruptor. I have also been helped by some successful women because I am a woman. At the end of the day, I choose to see the positive and not the negative.

Starting a company and working your way through a highly-regulated industry like pharmaceuticals is not easy. You have to be both persistent and delusional! When setbacks happen, you take 30 seconds to mourn, cry, and crawl under the bed — then come back up to solve the problem and move on. This is the truth of a disruptor’s life, and I experience it routinely.

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

During an internship at Novartis in Japan, I was given the book “Magic Cancer Bullet: How a Tiny Orange Pill May Rewrite Medical History,” by Dr. Daniel Vasella. It described the journey of Dr. Vasella and the team at Novartis discovering and developing the revolutionary cancer drug Gleevec.

After reading this book, I knew I wanted to be the CEO of a pharmaceutical company. I was fascinated by the journey of drug development and the passion those working in pharmaceuticals have for discovery, research, and creating innovative drugs that can impact the lives of thousands of patients.

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 truly feel very passionate about education. Not necessarily how people are educated, but more about ensuring students have diverse experiences. I never sufficiently appreciated meeting so many brilliant minds, and having the opportunity to travel to different countries across the globe with my parents to attend workshops, experiencing the courses they taught, and hearing about world-changing research. I was also fortunate to have this simple and minimalist way of life at a young and very impressionable age. I would love to find a way for more children to have this diverse set of experiences, as they have been instrumental to the way I approach leading ReHeva.

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

“Curiosity to learn and keep discovering is the new way of life. Failure is the new success.”

One thing I have learned through my own experience — and constantly share with my four-year-old-son — is to be curious. We would not be here if Bill and I weren’t curious, and determined, to find out whether the drug my parents accidently discovered 15 years ago would be efficacious as a cancer treatment. I honestly didn’t know what I was signing up for, but the drive to figure it out has played a huge role in keeping us going.

How can our readers follow you online?

You can learn more about ReHeva Biosciences on our website, rehevabiosciences.com. We can also connect on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/zeeniakaul.

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

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Female Disruptors: Dr Zeenia Kaul of ReHeva Biosciences 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.

Women In Wellness: Kelley Wolf of FLOW-Finding Love Over Worry On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Be a good friend: Schedule this into your life. Reach out to people. Be the planner. Make effort. Remember a birthday. Send a text. We need connection more than ever and it doesn’t happen without your help.

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

Kelley Wolf is a life and personal development coach. She is the author of FLOW-Finding Love Over Worry and is the host of the FLOW podcast. Kelley lives in Vancouver with her husband, actor Scott Wolf and their three kids.

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?

Just a girl from Arkansas…no…there is no “just” in my backstory or any woman’s story for that matter. I am a life and personal development coach with a background in Clinical Psychology. I did grow up in Arkansas, I went to high school in Cambridge, England and have since moved over 20 times. I am currently living in Vancouver, Canada where my husband is filming his television series. I recently wrote my first book to answer the biggest issue we seem to be facing, worry. We are as worried as we have ever been, and my life’s work is how to tackle worry so worry doesn’t tackle you.

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?

I don’t really have one lightening story from the past 12 years, but I have a collection of stories that come from the people I have met and worked with. I met my best friend in a Marie Calendar’s parking lot while waiting for a work meeting to begin. Her name is Libby Moore, and she wrote the forward for my book. The wild thing about that meeting is Libby was Chief of Staff to Oprah Winfrey for 11 years. Libby is so special and so important to me and the only reason we crossed paths was because we decided to be open and inclusive. The main takeaway I have is to leave the door open. Smile at people. Ask people to join your table. I have worked with hundreds of people in very intimate setting and the one overriding truth is we all want to fit in, to be included and to have a seat at the table. If you have a seat to offer, offer it.

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?

Pacing. Pacing is the biggest mistake I made. When you start a career that you love, you think you have to work harder than everyone else. You can fall into a scarcity mentality. In my case, I worked so hard and said yes so often that I began to burn out after a couple of years. In my industry, we are the asset. As a coach, if I can’t get on the call, I don’t get paid. Over time, I learned how to work smarter, not harder. Writing my book, which took focus and time, was how I answered the question of time scarcity. If I cannot take the call or take the job, I can offer you my book. My book has all the tips and tricks I have learned and taught over the last 12 years.

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 believe we are more worried than we have ever been. The research supports this, and I didn’t even need the research to see how much fear people are experiencing. Clients, friends and family have all talked to me about the toll the last two years has taken on them. We have lived through a collective trauma and there is no map for how to navigate the world moving forward. As much as I hate to say this, I believe we are going to face more hardships. The world is changing, and we need tools to navigate so we don’t lose our way. My work is all about simple and easy tools that every human can use to avoid falling into a worry trap. Worry is a trap. It is a place we can stay for far too long and often we do not realize we have been lost in worry. Worry is invasive and corrosive to our happiness. FLOW -Finding Love Over Worry is the technique I created to offer an alternative to fear and worry. It is a recipe for joyful living, and it works.

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.

1. Observe: Sounds simple but man do we resist this. Start the practice of observing your thoughts. Are your thoughts riddled with worry, judgment and fear? They are thoughts. You can challenge your thoughts.

2. Move: Moving your body is more important than ever. I have a disorder called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and I live in chronic pain. I am the first person to understand how hard it is to move. I do not move for vanity; I move for sanity. Movement is the fastest way to release dopamine and get your mind back to a place of joy.

3. Munch: This seems obvious, but you would be amazed at how many people will call me in distress and I ask if they have eaten and they say, “Yes, a banana and a coffee!” and it is 5pm! We need nourishment. We need good food to fuel our body. Again, this isn’t vanity, this is sanity.

4. Meditation: Not your momma’s mediation! My meditation offerings take into account the way we live today. My suggestion is to simply say the tasks you are doing while you are doing them. For instance, “Wash the hair” while you are washing your hair or to observe things while you move through the day, a pen, a book, a table. The reason this works is it gives your mind a clean slate to not go into future tripping or nostalgia.

5. Be a good friend: Schedule this into your life. Reach out to people. Be the planner. Make effort. Remember a birthday. Send a text. We need connection more than ever and it doesn’t happen without your help.

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 would require schools to do meditation in the morning and at the end of the day. Learning how to master your mind may be the most crucial gift on earth. If you can get a handle on the clutter that swirls through your mind, you can handle hardships much better. We are all suffering in different ways, but I believe the children are getting the brunt of the world’s chaos. They are looking to us for tools and I believe meditation is a tool that is free, easy and can happen for anyone at any time.

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

1. Go slow: When we slow down, we can see more of the process. When we slow down, problems seem manageable. Slowness is mastery, not stupidity.
2. Find a Mentor: I stumbled a lot through my early career, and I would have benefited immensely from a mentor. Most of my colleagues are happy to mentor someone who is eager and willing to do the work. Just ask.
3. You may change your mind: You may want to pivot and shift in your career. This is not a sign of failure; it is a sign of growth. It is okay to shift, especially when something is not working for you.
4. Pay yourself first: We have all heard this before and boy is it true. Understanding finances is crucial, especially for women in my field. We do not take business classes in the helping fields and that is to our detriment. Take a basic finance class and ask for help.
5. You deserve to be here: I am sure I am not alone in suffering through imposter syndrome. Please remember that you belong at the table. Be assertive. Be bold. Be willing to get it wrong. Take your place and do not apologize.

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

Gosh, all of them. I would have said the environment because let’s face it, if the planet dies, so do we. However, at this moment, I will say mental health, especially children and teens. I have encountered shocking rises in suicide attempts and my own children have been suffering mental health issues through the last two years. I believe we need to put an enormous amount of focus on the younger generations so they can have the strength to show up for the planet.

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

I am most active on Instagram @kelleywolf

My website is www.flowbykelleywolf.com

You can email me at kelley@flowbykelleywolf

My Book is available on Amazon- FLOW-Finding Love Over Worry- A recipe for Living Joyfully

Thank you for these fantastic insights!

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Women In Wellness: Kelley Wolf of FLOW-Finding Love Over Worry On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Kiele-Jael Stanton On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Shift to focus on your energy system. Your energy system is the primary system in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and it rules the body and all other systems: digestive, nervous, circulatory, urinary, lymphatic, endocrine, muscular, skeletal, reproductive, and respiratory. You need energy to get all other systems to respond and function properly. Doing this simple shift to focus on the energy system as a whole will help you understand your body’s health from a holistic point of view.

As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kiele-Jael Stanton.

Kiele-Jael Stanton aka The Sensual Chef is a certified Health-Supportive Chef, Sensual Culinary Guide, and the founder of Kiele Jael Wellness. Kiele’s approach takes a new spin on traditional food wisdom, where she combines her love of food education, cooking, wellness, self-love, and sensuality, into one delicious experience that teaches women how to take care of themselves through nourishment.

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 started my business in the culinary, health, and wellness worlds because I saw a need for the type of work that I do. I noticed that there weren’t many chefs that taught holistic healing, self-reliance, and culinary skills all in one. My business came about due to my own past experiences where I focused on root-cause healing, sensuality, and slowing down in order to bring myself back into alignment.

I was born and raised on the beautiful island of Guam. I was always fascinated with food because I had always loved the feelings I got while cooking. It is also the central aspect of my island roots. Cooking, to me, sparked curiosity, showed immense skill and was a language of love. I moved to Brooklyn, NY from Guam in 2000 right after high school to attend Pratt Institute. I graduated in 2004 with a communications design degree and immediately got a job in the fashion industry designing handbags and accessories. I worked as a handbag and accessories designer for 15 years. It was a fun, adventurous, lucrative career where I worked really hard and hardly ever had time for play. My life revolved around work. I traveled 6 months out of the year, and created new collections constantly. I suffered from overwhelm, burnout and fatigue often; needless to say it was a high-stress environment, and I embodied the hustle lifestyle fully. My self-care routine was non-existent and my idea of health was skipping breakfast, eating a low calorie salad at 2pm, and working on the weekends.

In 2008, everything changed. I suffered from metal poisoning that left me sick and in need of some self-care, self-love, and nourishment prioritization. The metal poisoning left me with rashes and lesions from head to toe, epilectic twitching, damage to my nervous system and digestive system, and a sense of feeling ill 24/7. Doctors had no idea what was wrong with me and only gave me different steroid medication that suppressed my symptoms but made me more ill. After 7 months, multiple biopsies, and no answers, I finally discovered the thing that was poisoning me — my braces. Months prior I decided to get braces to straighten my teeth, not knowing that I was allergic to nickel, which was 15% of the brace system in my mouth. I immediately got them out and decided I needed to try something different. I was feeling limited and agitated that I couldn’t rely on myself to heal. Turning my negative into a positive, I decided to focus on that and found health-supportive cooking.

I got off all prescription medications and learned everything that I could about food and healing. Within a year I was 100% healed, and proud I did it naturally. My inflammation went away, my skin was glowing, and my digestive and nervous systems finally healed. One of the biggest takeaways that I learned from this experience was how crucial it was to not only eat certain foods, but that cooking was an integral part of the process in my healing journey. Cooking gave me confidence, intuition, and helped me feel connected to my food and myself even more. I was so thrilled with my results that I wanted to learn more so I could help others discover this power. I saw the need to help women who suffered from illness, confusion, burnout, stress, and overwhelm and wanted to share the benefits of connecting back to themselves through a simple daily tradition that we all need to do: cook.

I decided that I wanted to learn more, and instead of opting for a basic health coaching or nutrition certification, I got the certification and training I longed for from a health-supportive culinary school. There, they educated their students in whole food education and nutritional cooking centered around healing. After my training was over, I went on to study with an eastern medicine mentor and expanded my education in Traditional Chinese Medicine, focused on healing foods and cooking. The one thing that I loved to focus on was how to connect to your nourishment in deep, sensual ways. I realized how disconnected I was from my body where I wasn’t prioritizing my health or nourishment at all. I loved how learning about ancient food wisdom and the energetics of cooking helped me connect to myself in ways that were meaningful and practical. I couldn’t wait to share this with the world.

While still working full-time in fashion, I began part-time cheffing for women’s retreats and working in high-end NYC restaurants on the side. I then became a private chef, taught in-home cooking classes and hosted culinary events in NYC. Although it was fun cooking for events and teaching classes, it wasn’t sustainable for long-term impact. I wanted to create a company that focused on educating women for a lifetime healing and sensual nourishment. The purpose was to teach holistic health from a sensual approach that educates women how to heal for life and cook with pleasure. That’s when in 2018, The Sensual Chef emerged, and Kiele Jael Wellness was created. Through my experience, I saw a need for women to connect to their health through food and cooking, in deeper, tangible, meaningful ways that focused on root-cause healing as a lifestyle.

And now, through my programs, coaching, and online courses, I have helped hundreds of women improve their relationships with food, and become passionate and confident about cooking, to see it as a meditative process. They have been able to mitigate symptoms and even heal illnesses like type 2 diabetes, Hashimoto’s, adenomyosis, PCOS, arthritis, and hormonal imbalances. It’s such rewarding work and I feel honored to touch women’s lives in this way. It’s my mission, passion, and purpose in this lifetime.

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?

The most interesting story that has happened to me since I started my career is seeing the evolution of sensual cooking and how it has helped so many women. It constantly amazes me that it’s growing and becoming more accepted in society every day. The main takeaway that I received from this experience is that if you truly believe in something, you know it could work, and show up every day, it will flourish and blossom.

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?

The biggest mistake that I have made was not listening to my gut and intuition when it came to big business decisions. For example, at the beginning of my career, I listened to a business coach and public relations group that told me to not incorporate sensuality into my work. They said it would be too confusing for people and they weren’t ready for it. That was back in 2018/2019. But I knew deep down that, even if women didn’t know it yet, this was exactly what they were craving in the kitchen and would make the biggest impact. So after about four months of taking their advice, which felt deeply wrong, I decided to make sensuality the main focus of my work. Since then I’ve followed my gut, worked really hard to get my messaging right, and now the sensuality aspect is what is sought after and actually sets me apart from other health-driven chefs and health coaches around the world. I’ve perfected my craft and expertise with sensuality at the forefront of my purpose, and based on my clients’ transformation, it works and they love it. So, the moral of the story is to follow your gut and listen to your intuition.

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?

My methods focus on root-cause healing and helping women learn the proper skills to help them heal naturally, nourish themselves with confidence, and take responsibility for their health. It’s not about eating to be healthy, it’s about cooking to heal. There’s a difference.

Remember there is no one diet and no one way of eating for everyone. We all have individual nourishment needs and it’s been my goal to teach women how to eat, cook, and live with balance. To me, if everyone learned this knowledge, we’d be in a much more peaceful, healthy, and vibrant place in our health. We’d also be filled with less anxiety, chaos, and confusion, and more self-love, compassion, and groundedness.

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.

1. Shift to focus on your energy system. Your energy system is the primary system in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and it rules the body and all other systems: digestive, nervous, circulatory, urinary, lymphatic, endocrine, muscular, skeletal, reproductive, and respiratory. You need energy to get all other systems to respond and function properly. Doing this simple shift to focus on the energy system as a whole will help you understand your body’s health from a holistic point of view.
2. Before you start to cook, take the time to ground yourself in your kitchen space. This is especially helpful for individuals with high anxiety, who are workaholics, and constantly “don’t have time” for anything, especially cooking. Try doing a quick deep breathing exercise in your kitchen, set the intention to slow down, relax, and nourish yourself. Reframing the brain to include nourishment as self-love takes practice. If you practice this daily, you’ll feel more calm, confident, and more likely to enjoy your cooking.
3. Revive your kitchen with new accessories. I recommend investing in five pieces. The first is a beautiful and sturdy cutting board that won’t slip on your countertop and is larger in size. Second is a well-made chef’s knife which is imperative to feeling confident and safe while you prep. Whether you use a German-style chef’s knife or a Japanese chef’s knife, it’s your personal preference. Just make sure it’s sharp and you get it sharpened every six months to a year. A bench scraper (or pastry scraper) is an amazing tool to scrape up any food bits off of your cutting board. I recommend getting a set of kitchen towels to keep on you to wipe your hands, clean up your cutting board, and use while you cook. In my opinion, you can never have enough. Lastly, a set of glass nesting prep bowls are necessary to stay organized and enjoy the mise en place. These are the five pieces that you need to have the perfect prep space set up for you. Having the right accessories will make your experience feel less chaotic and more enjoyable.
4. Follow your cycle. The truth is women are cyclical. So, in a way, we’re somewhat predictable, if you know yourself well. I recommend following your cycle and getting to know it deeply. Take the time to understand how long your phases are, and how to listen to what your body is telling you, so that you nourish it well during each phase. This is important for hormone balance, mental health, and emotional stability. For your follicular phase, eat flax seeds, avocado, and green vegetables. For your ovulation, eat berries, pumpkin seeds, and fermented foods like kimchi. For your luteal phase, eat sunflower seeds, broccoli, red raspberry leaf tea and sweet potato. For your menstrual phase, have soups, sesame seeds, and nettle tea.
5. My number one tip is that it’s never too late to start prioritizing yourself and your health. Self-love doesn’t have an expiration date. Sacrificing yourself is not sexy, admirable, or inspiring, and quite literally the opposite. So prioritize yourself daily. ‘Fill up your cup’ so you can feel good about being there for others. I would say the number number one tip for women who want to get started on this journey is to start looking at food not just as basic fuel, but as sensual, energetic matter. Whole, natural food has the ability to heal us in deep ways. It’s important to shift your mindset to not just focus on food as basic fuel, but as an abundance of flavor, texture, nourishment, and energy. By doing that it affects us on deep, emotional levels that help us make better decisions, digest well, feel good, and thrive in our daily lives. This shift is subtle, powerful, and extremely important.

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

An annual global Sensual Wellness Seminar held in all the different continents to promote connection to health, nature, and each other. I would love to have different professionals teach seminars to help people take control of their health, become more connected to themselves, nature, and to focus on healing in sensual ways. These workshops would be very practical, such as how to organize and create a community garden, how to teach children to help in the kitchen, and how to focus on healing throughout the seasons in sustainable, practical ways.

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

Here are my top five things that I wish someone told me before I started. First is that being an industry disruptor will be a difficult, long road. But if you love what you do, it’ll be fun and adventurous! When you’re creating something from scratch, focus on the long term, not the short term. Don’t focus on time, failures, and rejections. Focus on the small wins and celebrate every day! Secondly, just start now. It’s better to start before you’re ready, because there is no better time than the present moment. This is the mantra for life. Third, anything is possible if you just show up. You can create whatever your heart desires. Fourth, is that it’s important to be your work, not just do your work. This is the best way to know that your methods are clear, they work, and to feel confident about your mission. Be your mission. Lastly, to be fully present in everything you do. Focus on being grounded and using your senses has been an integral part of my journey personally and professionally.

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 especially passionate about sustainability, environmental, and mental health. No waste cooking is something I teach in my courses and programs. There are a lot of simple ways to use up all of your food, starting with only purchasing what you need when you go grocery shopping, choosing local foods and products, properly storing your food, and maximizing each food as much as possible using different cooking methods plus creating variety and flavor combinations. Having a sustainable mindset in the kitchen contributes to environmental changes and helps with our carbon footprints. You will naturally have less waste and use less trash. One of my priorities in creating the sensual cooking methods was to help with mental health as well. My methods promote a calming, meditational practice. All my clients say that my programs feel like a “break from life’s chaos” and are their “me time.” It helps them alleviate their stress and anxiety around cooking and brings them to a calmer, collected place.

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

Readers can take my quiz, “What’s Your Nourishment Style?” and join my community. You can also find me on Instagram @_thesensualchef

Thank you for these fantastic insights!

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Women In Wellness: Kiele-Jael Stanton 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: Helene Lerner of WomenWorking On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

DON’T QUIT BEFORE THE MIRACLE. Keep on keeping on, even when you are down and out, frustrated or want success before it happens. Just keep taking the next right action.

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

Helene Lerner is the founder of WomenWorking.com. She is a prolific author, independent public television host, Emmy award-winning executive producer, and workplace consultant. She is an influencer on social media with over 19 million followers.

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?

When I started my company, Creative Expansions, Inc. several decades ago, I remember interviewing a high-level woman in government. When I asked her, ‘did you ever imagine you’d be where you are today?’ her answer to me was that “if I knew what was involved, I probably would never have made the move.” Of course, she was referring to the challenges, frustrations, etc. That wasn’t true for me. In my 20s I was obese, and I found a group of people who helped me take the weight off and keep it off. Group support was key to my growth and ultimately my business success. It kept me going in the roughest of times and made me stronger. I could conquer the 20th NO, because I knew deep down that what I was selling made a difference. The mission of my multi-media company is to empower women and girls. I truly believe that together we can do what we cannot do alone.

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

About 10 years ago my social media went viral. For our website, womenworking.com we had interviewed several celebrities and asked them to publicize their articles on their social media — that might have accounted for some of the increase, but I truly believe that I had been asking from a deep place within me to be used in a greater way; I am a spiritual person and it seemed that the world needed every bit of resourcefulness from its citizens. That week, I returned from a long weekend, and my 11,000 followers had grown to 5,000,000 on Facebook — I was amazed, to say the least! Being a smart businesswoman, I told my staff that we were going to create content based on what people were asking for — and that is what we did. We’ve since grown our following to 19 million, and in the last quarter of 2021,we were the number 1 page on Facebook.

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?

A Fortune 500 company had agreed to sponsor one of my early television shows, and I received a check for a very large amount of money from them. About two days later, I received another check for the same amount. Of course, I returned it promptly…but on second thought, maybe I should have taken my friends for a long vacation to Tahiti! Just kidding…on a serious note, people know they can trust me — what you see is what you get. They count on my integrity.

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?

Early on there was a terrific leader, Barbara Cowden of State Farm, who has since retired. She was responsible for supporting many of my shows — she believed in the work we were doing to empower women and girls. She also introduced me to C-Suite leaders at her company. I consider her a sponsor of mine. Barbara had this idea of taking our television forums directly to her company, and we created events for employees that were truly special. Subsequently, I have been hosting similar events for other Fortune 500 companies for over a decade. Truly powerful sessions — in the last two years they have been virtual.

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. 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?

Since Covid, women are rethinking what they want from work. We have seen women exiting corporations — with the stress of childcare and eldercare. However, many are staying and figuring it out how to make it all work, and advance. Women are an important part of the talent pool, and there is a war on talent now.

Corporations need to rethink what is necessary in terms of travel, meetings, being on site, or working from home. FLEXIBILITY is key. And many corporations have come back to headquarters in a hybrid way.

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 do think that owning and running your own business is an alternative to working for someone else. I originally started out in the corporate workplace and worked my way up the ranks of the New York Times. But I had a deep desire to empower women and girls and to start a multimedia company. After my first and only son was born, I had a choice to go back to my corporate job, or not. I tortured myself with that decision the week before I was to report back after maternity leave. Golden handcuffs won out, and I decided to go back to the newspaper. However, something happened which I did not expect. I walked into the building in a trance-like state and did not go to my office, instead went to HR and resigned! And the rest is history. My heart won out!

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

I think the biggest myth for me was that if I worked from home/having a home office that I would get the best of both worlds. Do my dream job and see my young son more. However, what I found is that to run my business efficiently, I had to hire someone to help. For him to see me at home and working wasn’t easy — he wanted to play with Mommy. There is no perfect way of integrating work and life. Ellen Galinsky, the founder of Families and Work Institute talks about “navigating work/life. One day you give more at work, and other times more at home. What women need to do, me included, is to “give up the guilt.” We just can’t be things to all people. OUR BEST IS GOOD ENOUGH!

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?

No, I don’t think that everyone is cut out to be a founder, but I do think everyone is cut out to be a leader. In fact, the challenges we are all facing in this world makes it necessary for us to step up. I have a new book out, Confidence Booster: How to Boost Confidence, Set Boundaries and Practice Self-Care in the Changing Work World. Here is what I say about leadership.

“A strong woman knows that fear is part of the journey. But her commitment to making a difference is greater.

Her motto: being of service trumps fear.” I encourage people to ask themselves: Why not me? Who knows better?

I support women to pick their issue and speak up now!

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “3 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

DON’T QUIT BEFORE THE MIRACLE. Keep on keeping on, even when you are down and out, frustrated or want success before it happens. Just keep taking the next right action.

MAKE BUSINESS FRIENDS. Especially these days after Covid, conversations are getting deeper and more courageous. Even though there is competition, which is sometimes fierce, we are all in this together. People remember you because of your kindness. Listen beyond their words. (Everyone wants to be heard and listened to). They want to do business with people like that.

GIVE MORE THAN YOU GET. Go to each sales meeting with a full heart. Don’t just think of the sale, think of how you can have impact in more ways than one. How can I make a difference in the life of your prospect, not just professionally. I look at my mission statement each morning, and I say it to myself. Here is part of it: “I empower people to be their higher selves, and they in turn, empower others. I am richly rewarded in all ways for the work I do which is part of my spiritual destiny.” Good luck and God Bless!

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

I try to do that every day with our 19 million followers — there is so much negativity around. In our books, website, and social media, we offer practical information and inspiration.

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.

It is already here. Good Deeds Day….A terrific business started by women in Israel.

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 have met Oprah briefly, but I would love to sit down with her. We are very much aligned.

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

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

Female Founders: Mandy Gleason of Replica Surfaces On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Find mentors early so that you don’t have to go it alone. You can learn before you make mistakes. Clarity.FM is an online search engine for small business owners to find experts in areas of small business. It’s a great way to find mentors in all areas. I’ve used it for accounting, legal, wholesale, and plastics engineering advice. You can also establish longer relationships if you click with someone.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mandy Gleason, founder and CEO of Replica Surfaces.

Before launching Replica Surfaces in 2018, Mandy lived many different lives. From a young entrepreneur in grade school, to a television actor, to a resident physician, Mandy realized that she needed to trace her roots back to her entrepreneurial spirit and create something completely new. After inventing a specialized box opener (of all things), Mandy struggled with taking photos of her prototype and after trying to source photo backdrops, she realized there wasn’t a product out there accessible for small business owners and content creators to take high-quality product shots — so she decided to create one along with the mission to help educate and inspire anyone from hobbyists to entrepreneurs to become their most successful selves.

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?

My career path as a founder truly came about unexpectedly. I was working as a resident physician and looking up to these doctors who I would soon be working alongside, and I realized that most were unhappy in their careers. So after self-reflecting, I realized I needed to forge a side income stream so that I could take a job I enjoyed rather than settle for one that paid enough to cover my student loans. Don’t even get me started on how massive my student loans were!

A close friend of mine owned an e-commerce business and inspired me to get started with my own venture. So, I invented a specialized box opener, of all things! In the process of trying to photograph my prototype, I struggled with poor lighting and unflattering countertops. I tried my best to find an affordable, easily accessible photo backdrop, and I simply couldn’t find anything!

I knew there were other creators out there like myself that didn’t have a background in photography and I wanted to come up with a solution…That’s when the idea sparked for Replica Surfaces.

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

Our most recent product is the Replica Studio. It’s a platform on a tripod that’s height adjustable and you can move it around to find the best light. You can attach any of our Surfaces to create a wall or table effect anywhere in your home. I spent so much time coming up with every feature imaginable that I thought would make the perfect in-home studio. It was important to me to identify the features that would matter to our customers — that was key.

When I was using the prototype, I realized, after all that work thinking of each necessary feature, I accidentally designed an extra two-in-one component! The handle to push the studio around doubles as a light-diffuser holder. It was a happy accident that resulted in a dual-purpose feature on something I’d already worked so hard to meticulously put features into. Founders face new challenges every day, so it was awesome to have a feature fall into my lap!

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?

From the start, I knew I wanted Replica Surfaces to be more than just a product, rather a community of small business owners and creators. So when we launched our Instagram account, we made it a point to reach out personally to each individual follower to thank them and also see what kinds of things they wanted to see from us.

My husband, Adam, offered to help us manage a huge influx of followers. After sending well over 20 DMs to new Replica Surfaces followers, he realized he had been sending them from his personal Instagram account! We had a laugh about it. So, if you were one of our early followers, you received a message from a random guy instead of our brand!

It made me learn that even the most talented and caring people can make mistakes. It happens! You just have to laugh and move on!

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?

My digital marketer was really the first person who took a chance on Replica Surfaces when we were very small. We were only a couple months into selling live on the website. He worked with a lot of big brands, nothing as small as us. I reached out to him probably 10 times and the persistence paid off. When we were finally able to connect, he was really impressed with the customer focus, strong community, and education we were providing that he decided to take a chance on us.

He ended up doing our digital marketing for free for the first two months just to prove that it was something that would work for us and he’s now been our digital marketer for 3 years. He’s really become a mentor to our brand and our business and I’m very grateful he took a chance on a small company because he really saw something in us.

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 think that one of the big reasons is that starting a business is a scary thing! I didn’t even think of creating a product or being a founder as something I was capable of. I didn’t even know where to start. It was really because I met a friend who had an e-commerce company and demystified the process.

My friend was talented, but so am I! It showed me that if he could do it, I could do it too! So I feel like the more women see those examples in their life, the more it feels possible.

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?

We need to share more of their stories! The more we share about women founders, the more the process will become demystified. Like I said before, it can feel really scary if you don’t have those examples to look to, but if stories are shared, it will feel more attainable and perhaps more women will take that leap. And they’re out there! We just have to be talking about them.

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 think, as women, we play a lot of different roles in life, but we often feel defined by just one role. We have a career, we’re caretakers, we’re spouses, we’re friends, and the list goes on… I believe that what should define us is the sum of all the roles we play.

Sometimes we need something outside of those roles that is purely our own. Becoming a founder becomes a very personal role that is all about you. It’s an amazing outlet for your own creativity and skills that allows you to share something valuable with the world. It’s also something you get to watch grow which is such a massive reward that can be hard to find elsewhere. And it’s so gratifying.

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

Number one is that you set your own hours. You technically do, but that doesn’t mean we get all this free time to not put in the work. There’s a joke that founders say, “I was sick of working a 9–5 so now I work 24/7” and there’s a lot of truth to that. We can set the time of day we want to work, and we can be flexible. We can take days off, but that might mean we have to work weekends to make up for it. Over time, founders can achieve more free time, but only if we create a team and systems that make that possible.

Another big myth is that it’s too risky. Sure, it can be. But you can start lean, you can be scrappy and smart. You don’t need to invest a ton of money in the beginning. For example, Replica launched as a Kickstarter campaign. Kickstarter is an amazing way to fund your startup costs. It works by pre-selling your product to customers who want to be part of exciting products before anyone else knows they exist. You basically get a startup loan from a couple hundred people rather than a bank. All you have to do is send them the product when it’s done. You can also make gradual improvements and spend more over time. I did our graphic design for the first year and I am hardly a graphic designer. Eventually, I was able to hire someone much more talented to take our brand look to the next level. You also don’t immediately have to quit your job. In fact, I strongly recommend not doing that! You can work on your business on the weekends or in the evenings, which is what I did. You don’t have to remove your safety net until your business is fully supporting you.

The last “myth” I’ll mention is that people will understand your product or business immediately and lavish you with praise for your idea. The truth is, people often think you’re crazy at first, then they think you’re lucky once you’re a success. Lots of people didn’t understand Replica Surfaces at first. Looking back, I and think that was a sign that I was onto something. If you get a similar response when you share your idea with friends, co-workers, or even prospective manufacturers, consider it a sign that you’re tapping into a market that isn’t there yet and you may be on the verge of something big.

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?

Number one thing that comes to mind for traits that make a successful founder is being a good listener — it’ll help you learn about new opportunities. Listening to your customers — what they’re asking for, what they’re liking and disliking, how they’re engaging with you. Listening to successful friends or other entrepreneurs — they’ve been there before; trust me you can learn a lot from them. You can avoid making mistakes just by listening to their stories. That doesn’t mean you have to follow their advice. Just listen actively and think “could I apply this lesson to what I’m doing?” or “would I enjoy the opportunity they’re finding success with?”

Another one is humility. You’re going to work incredibly hard as a founder, and you should feel good about all the successful moments along the way. But it’s so important to listen to experts and ask for help. You’re going to have to be a jack of all trades, but there will always be people with more experience than you in certain areas of your business and you will need their help.

You must, and this is crucial, be internally motivated. Your entire life has become a blank slate and you’re going to have to be in control. You’re going to have to be able to create your own structure because no one else is going to tell you what it is you’re going to have to do. You have to be a visionary. You must ask yourself what are you working toward? What is your goal and how are you going to build your business to make those visions possible? Then create steps yourself to achieve those goals and visions you set for yourself. It’s a process that consistently needs refinement. Without an understanding of where you want to end up and what you eventually want your day to look like, you won’t be able to decide which opportunities to pursue and where to spend your time.

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.)

1. If someone doesn’t totally get your product, you’re probably on the right track. If you believe in it, give it a go.

2. Start lean, so if it doesn’t work, it’s okay and you’ll pivot.

3. Find mentors early so that you don’t have to go it alone. You can learn before you make mistakes. Clarity.FM is an online search engine for small business owners to find experts in areas of small business. It’s a great way to find mentors in all areas. I’ve used it for accounting, legal, wholesale, and plastics engineering advice. You can also establish longer relationships if you click with someone.

4. Customer criticism is ALWAYS going to hurt. As a founder, you pour everything into it. Anytime you hear a customer is upset, it’s going to stab you in the heart. But feedback does make everyone’s experience better in the long run. As you start to scale up your business, the first thing you should do is hire someone to manage your customer service. Customer service is such an important part of the customer experience that it’s worth hiring a dedicated customer service agent. The agent will also report back to you on customer feedback so you can learn from it while reducing that heart-stabbing feeling!

5. Competitive knockoffs are going to come into the sphere, and they’re going to bother you because you did it first. But they are a sign that you’re going in the right direction. So use it as affirmation and motivation that you are making something great and other people see that!

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

When I started Replica Surfaces, I knew right away we were more than just a tool for small business owners, bloggers and entrepreneurs. I knew I could use my expertise to give educational resources to those aspiring to be successful in small businesses. I found such joy in doing what I do, that I wanted to share it with the world, in hopes that I could help others find their joy too.

I’m able to bring education, efficacy, and experience to other small business owners. I’m able to provide small businesses with the resources to achieve their goals. And as they do that, their lives improve and the lives around them improve.

One small business at a time, Replica Surfaces is making the world a better and more joyful place. And that’s an incredible feeling.

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.

The Replica VIP group is already a movement of that sort. We have over 13,000 members in the group already and it is an incredibly supportive place where members help each other to get better and achieve their photography and business goals.

I would encourage every small business owner to join this group. Whether or not they’re a Replica Surfaces customer, it’s a group where all small business owners can bounce ideas off each other and help one another grow.

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.

If I could sit down with anyone it would without a doubt be Josh Silverman, the CEO of Etsy. With how many small business owners are on Etsy and how important photography is for those businesses, I feel like Etsy and Replica Surfaces are just a match. I feel like a partnership with Etsy and Replica Surfaces would help sellers grow to new heights.

Plus, Josh is just such an amazing CEO and person, I would love the chance to listen and learn everything I can from him!

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

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

Female Founders: Jennifer Steiner of ‘Lightfully Behavioral Health’ On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Your kids will be so proud of you. Throughout my career, I’ve felt intervals of guilt for being a working mom. Recently I asked my daughter if she remembered the day I picked her up from school and another mother asked me if I were the nanny. My daughter said “yes, and I used to brag about you all the time. I thought it was really cool to have a mom that’s a CEO.”

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

Jennifer has a history of excellence in healthcare delivery and a proven track record of success. During the last decade, Jennifer has been actively creating positive change in mental health on a national scale. She is passionate about improving the standards of care in mental health by maintaining an intense focus on clinical quality, fostering collaboration and accountability, and facilitating innovation.

Jennifer holds an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and earned her undergraduate degree in liberal arts from The Colorado College.

She lives in Santa Barbara with her family, including her golden retriever, Mochi. She enjoys running, yoga, learning and the beautiful California shoreline. Jennifer is also the founder of “Lead Like a CHIQ”, a movement she created that promotes the power of authentically female leadership.

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 have been in healthcare services my entire career. I was an anthropology major in college, and quickly realized there wasn’t a huge demand for anthropologists!

I fell into a job at a skilled nursing company, where I worked for 13 years. My mentor at the time told me that if I wanted to get further in seniority, I needed business training. So, I went back to school to earn my MBA while working full time. I had two children and a third on the way, so it was a very challenging time for me.

I’m so glad I went to business school. I learned a lot and I stretched myself out of my comfort zone. And, it led me to the next phase in my career. For a brief time, I worked for a real estate investment trust that was investing in health care companies. This role forced me to face the things I was most intimated by, including finance. It was challenging and interesting but I quickly learned that I was not fulfilled. To “fill my cup”, I needed to be closer to the delivery of care.

Next, I worked for DaVita, the world’s largest dialysis company. I was given the chance to operate a large division with operations spanning from California to Oregon. I learned two key lessons. The first was the importance of culture and creating a consistent care experience for clients across all locations. The second was the importance of data-driven operations to measure lots of metrics and hold people accountable.

A few years later, I was recruited to my first CEO job for a company that treated adolescents suffering from mental health conditions. At the time, the ACA had just passed, and care was limited to people who could pay out of pocket. Mental health care for adolescents wasn’t talked about much. In fact, some of my friends and colleagues thought I worked for a nonprofit!

Then, I went to work for an eating disorder company where I learned about insurance-based mental health care. That job led me to the concept of Lightfully Behavioral Health. I saw a hole in the market. There wasn’t a national company out there that was solely specialized in mid-acuity, general mental health care (treating things like depression, anxiety and trauma.)

I’d say the theme is that throughout my career, I have been inspired by opportunities to serve vulnerable populations. We all find ourselves at points in our lives when we (or our family members) are in the hands of a health care provider when we are really suffering. It’s an honor to be there for people when they need us most.

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

I started Lightfully Behavioral Health to address an exploding need in the market. In light of the abundance of research about the impact of Covid on Americans’ mental health, I feel constant affirmation that we’re in the right place at the right time.

Everyone that I tell about Lightfully — from the grocery store clerk to the auto mechanic to my primary care doctor — confirms the need for primary mental health care by sharing a personal story of a friend or family member’s struggle. I often hear “It’s so wonderful what you’re doing. It’s incredible needed.”

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?

One of Lightfully’s values is wabi sabi which is to appreciate the beauty and concept of imperfection. At Lightfully, we celebrate the fact that we all make mistakes. We know that an environment of psychological safety is essential for building a culture where innovation happens. If we feel like we have to be perfect all the time, we won’t try new things.

In fact, we have a tradition on our monthly all-company call where I share a mistake I made. Most recently, I shared a story about when I was doing a presentation on Zoom to our leadership team. I thought my camera was off — but it wasn’t! As it turns out, my children were making breakfast in the kitchen behind me throughout the entire call!

I’m glad that I made this mistake, and I’m glad I shared it with the team. We’re all living this balance of working from home, and we don’t need to pretend that we don’t have real lives in the background.

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?

So many people!

Vicki Kroviak, founder and CEO of Acorn Health, has been incredibly successful in building several healthcare companies. She has inspired me by demonstrating that strong women can build companies and have wonderful outcomes.

Vicki is a friend and a member of Lightfully’s board of directors. She has been a sounding board, a deliverer of affirmation, a challenger when necessary, and a supporter. It’s a reciprocal relationship that’s really meaningful to me.

As I was embarking on starting the company, there were many times when I felt afraid. I questioned my own capabilities, and I wondered which path to take. Vicki supported me by frequently reminding me of my capabilities and helping me zoom out to see the big picture.

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?

As a woman growing up in business, I often felt like a misfit among management teams. Not necessarily because of my gender, but because of my inherent characteristics. I was not naturally aggressive, directive, combative, or forceful. My management style is much more collaborative, empathetic, and supportive. At work, I felt like I had to make an impossible choice: either emulate these different male characteristics to progress or remain authentic to my own style and risk being passed over.

Women who have grown up in these kind of traditional business settings may question whether they have what it takes to lead. They may look and act differently from the leaders around them. We were taught you to be emotionless, directive and know-it-all to be a good leader. I believe this is why women don’t envision themselves as leaders. They face a real conflict in how they show up.

As a CEO, I encourage all styles of leadership. There are many versions of great leaders, including women leaders or leaders who adopt a female style.

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?

Broadening our understanding of what makes a great leader is paramount.

Brene Brown is leading the charge by introducing this concept of vulnerability in leadership that would have seemed crazy 10 years ago. We’re on the right path now.

We’re studying and publishing articles and research findings that demonstrate the true efficacy of diverse leadership styles. It’s one thing to say that women are great leaders. It’s a far more powerful thing to actually provide data to support that assertion.

Studies show that companies with women on their board of directors perform better than those without.

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?

Women build fantastic companies. We deliver shareholder value. We also build talent, create inspiring cultures, deliver quality products and services, and pioneer innovation.

The thing getting in the way is our lack of belief in our own capabilities. Out with the imposter syndrome!

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

I would like to dispel the myth of imposter syndrome. There’s evidence that women suffer from imposter syndrome at a much higher rate than men. Some studies indicate that even talking about imposter syndrome is holding women back. We need to dispel this myth that women can’t really lead, and their success is an accident. We need to dispel the myth that there are cultural norms that are prohibiting women from being successful in founding companies.

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?

Not everyone is cut out to be a founder. People who have an appetite for risk, comfort with wabi sabi, above average courage and a deep reserve of grit are more likely to be cut out to be a founder than those who seek safety in their day-to-day work.

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.)

1. Culture eats strategy for breakfast. When you create an inspiring culture, people are drawn to it. We’ve poured our hearts into building an authentic culture at Lightfully, and people can see and feel that. People know when things are staged and when they’re genuine.

2. Every day is a roller coaster. Literally. Everything is so personal. This company is my baby, so the highs feel higher, and the lows feel lower.

3. Take care of yourself. Taking time for self-care is more important in this environment than any other environment I’ve worked in. If we allowed ourselves, we could literally work 24 hours a day because there’s so much to be done. That approach leads to burnout, and I’ve had to be deliberate about creating boundaries and forcing myself to disconnect.

4. Starting your own company feels great! I feel profound gratitude every day. I wish someone had told me that an opportunity to start a company was possible and within reach. I didn’t take the step to be a founder for many years because I didn’t believe it was possible. I didn’t think I had what it took. Now that I’m in it, I think why didn’t I do this 10 years ago?

5. Your kids will be so proud of you. Throughout my career, I’ve felt intervals of guilt for being a working mom. Recently I asked my daughter if she remembered the day I picked her up from school and another mother asked me if I were the nanny. My daughter said “yes, and I used to brag about you all the time. I thought it was really cool to have a mom that’s a CEO.”

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

Creating a place that provides access to mental health care that helps people is making the world a better place.

I find great joy in growing leaders. I believe I’ve inspired many women to expand in their careers. I’ve given them opportunities, supported them in their growth, and encouraged them to be authentic leaders.

Someone wrote me this note: “I never thought I could be a leader until I met you. You opened my eyes to what a leader could be.” I’m proud that my success gave her a picture of what’s possible.

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.

Leaders come in all shapes sizes colors personality types. We all have inherent leadership characteristics for whatever we choose to lead — your family, your child’s PTA, your faith-based organization, or your company. I’d like to inspire people, build their confidence, and give them the courage to make changes in the world.

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.

Oprah. It’s always been Oprah. She lives in my town, and I’d love to take her to lunch!

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

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Female Founders: Jennifer Steiner of Lightfully Behavioral Health On The Five Things You Need To… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Expect the unexpected: The cannabis industry is still in its infancy stage, and with that comes a lot of excitement, and unexpected surprises when it comes to laws, regulations, science, and everything else involved with running a business in this space. Like Franny herself always says, “This is not business as usual.”

As a part of my series about strong women leaders in the cannabis industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sondra Hellund.

Sondra Hellund is the Owner/Operator of Franny’s Farmacy in Charlotte, NC. As the first Franny’s Farmacy female franchise owner, Sondra takes pride in leading by example and empowering her team to achieve new heights both personally and professionally. Her dedication and commitment to bringing the vertically-integrated, locally-sourced Franny’s Farmacy brand and its offering to the people of Charlotte is embedded in her team of highly-trained bud-tenders and staff. The dispensary serves as a wellness destination for Charlotteans to gather, connect, learn, feel inspired, and experience the very best in hemp-wellness.

A Charlotte local for the past 25 years, Sondra refers to the city as the first place to ever feel like home. After experiencing several Franny’s Farmacy Dispensaries for herself, the heart-led leader took it upon herself to lift the veil on a top-tier hemp-wellness dispensary that her city and its community deserved and needed, and could be proud of.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the “backstory” about what brought you to the cannabis industry?

I came into the cannabis industry in the most organic way possible. I came into the industry as a customer. My partner, Anthony, was a customer of Franny’s Farmacy in another location. I live in Charlotte, NC where, at the time, there wasn’t a Franny’s Farmacy.

He was visiting and mentioned that he was out of gummies and said to me, “let’s run to Franny’s!”

“A what?”, I replied.

The rest is history. I’d like to say it took a ton of agonizing research, but as soon as I heard woman-helmed, organic, and vertically-integrated, and right after I met Franny herself, I knew it was the right move.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

The most interesting thing is not so much a story but an experience. We are located in a very vibrant, “hot,” if you will, part of Charlotte, North Carolina alongside high-end, upscale stores and restaurants.

From the start, we wanted to create a dispensary that cultivated an experience that was just as beautiful, elegant, and welcoming. Frequently women will open the front door of the dispensary, step one foot in, look briefly from side to side, and then back out as if to leave. I catch them every time and ask, “What store are you looking for?”

Their reply is always, “The CBD store…”

The interesting insight from these experiences and stories are about the general public’s perception of how a Hemp and CBD dispensary should look. The general assumption is that it might smell smokey and not have a look and feel similar to that of a reviving health and wellness destination. There are still lots of minds, opinions, and assumptions to education and persuade out there, and that’s what my team and I are committed to at Franny’s Farmacy of Charlotte; educate, educate, educate. Education is key to unveiling what this plant is all about, and the impact it can have on the health and wellness each of us is trying to achieve for whatever reason it may be.

The lesson learned here is that a lot of what lies ahead of me in this business is going to involve providing safe access to quality products, and continuous education for both my team and our community here in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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?

This was truly a rookie mistake. My team and I were sponsoring a TopGolf tournament in late March. It had been a chilly week and, as I recall, cloudy all week. The weather surprised us all on the day of the event with beautiful sunshine and 60 degree temperatures.

We had a great time, the weather was beautiful, and the event was great. While unpacking some extra boxes at the dispensary, I noticed that 25 jars of CBD Gummies turned into soup! Now, this may not sound funny to some, but all I could do at that moment was laugh. The only other alternative was to get upset, angry, or cry, and I wasn’t going to let that happen!

I can’t tell you how many times I have kindly reminded customers, “Please don’t leave your gummies in the car on a warm day,” and share that story. What I learned from this is to not take every little thing too seriously, even if it means learning the hard way from time to time.

Do you have a funny story about how someone you knew reacted when they first heard you were getting into the cannabis industry?

The most comical reaction to me becoming a part of the cannabis industry was hands down when I heard my then 17 year old son say, “Mom’s decided to be a drug dealer.” He was very intrigued with the idea for about two weeks. For the record, this was also during the same time he was binge watching Breaking Bad.

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?

It’s really difficult to point to one person and say, “That person, they helped me the most.” I would never be able to do that, and for that I’m grateful. I’ve had so many mentors along the way; some I knew about, some I didn’t. I’ve been lucky to have been surrounded by such talented and supportive people from different fields and backgrounds.

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

Yes! Franny’s has several new products launching and Franny’s Farmacy of Charlotte is incredibly excited to have them available to our customers. I want my customers to stay knowledgeable and informed about their health and wellness so that we stay strong as a community. That’s just one part of the Franny difference. When we are in your community, you will know because we care.

Ok. Thank you for all that. Let’s now jump to the main core of our interview. Despite great progress that has been made we still have a lot more work to do to achieve gender parity in this industry. According to this report in Entrepreneur, less than 25 percent of cannabis businesses are run by women. In your opinion or experience, what 3 things can be done by a)individuals b)companies and/or c) society to support greater gender parity moving forward?

Collectively, all three of the entities listed must continually highlight the successes of women across all fields, and particularly in agriculture and cannabis. There are so many amazing women in this field doing extraordinary things and I don’t just say that because my company is helmed by one of those trailblazers.

In addition, I believe it’s up to us, women, to step up and self-promote our successes. We have a responsibility to put ourselves in the game.

You are a “Cannabis Insider”. If you had to advise someone about 5 non intuitive things one should know to succeed in the cannabis industry, what would you say? Can you please give a story or an example for each.

1) Legislation: You can wrap a light rail train in a decal of a huge bottle of Jack Daniels, but you can’t advertise CBD at a rail-stop. As a retailer, sometimes you can’t take debit cards because the banks don’t allow it. The list of examples of how the current legislation makes it difficult to operate as an everyday business is endless. For the pure-bread entrepreneur, sometimes these challenges can add a bit of spice and make the journey a little bit more fun and interesting.

2) Misconceptions need to be addressed daily: Until I planted both feet into the industry as a dispensary owner, I did not realize how much of my role would involve breaking down the perception of cannabis, hemp, CBD, Delta-8 THC, Delta-9 THC, etc… For such an amazing little plant, the misconceptions are endless.

3) Education is ongoing: The opportunity to learn something new in this industry is endless. I find myself learning something new every single day, and passing it along to our community, customers, and team on an ongoing basis.

4) Participating in this industry can be transformative: The joy one can bring to people’s lives is immense.

What we do impacts people on so many levels. I’ve seen it happen in such great ways here in Charlotte.

5) Expect the unexpected: The cannabis industry is still in its infancy stage, and with that comes a lot of excitement, and unexpected surprises when it comes to laws, regulations, science, and everything else involved with running a business in this space. Like Franny herself always says, “This is not business as usual.”

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the cannabis industry?

1) The opportunities that will arise in the Mid-Atlantic states for this industry if and when the Federal Government legalizes cannabis

2) The transformative, life-changing opportunities that cannabis holds for the medical field, especially in the area of mental health

3) I’m curious to see if more and more charities will decide to break free of social norms and decide to take donations that come from the cannabis industry

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

• As a dispensary owner, there are always political, regulatory, and legal concerns because these affect the way I do business everyday. Legislation bleeds into everything we do one way or another. I believe I not only speak for myself, but for all the leaders in the cannabis industry when I say this, but this industry needs more effective regulations across the board.
• Regulations that ensures safer products for everyone are a must. At the moment, companies can still get away with cutting corners to increase their profit margins while posing a greater risk to consumer safety. This needs to be addressed as soon as possible if the general public wants to see better quality, safer products on the market.

– The cannabis industry needs GMP specific to our industry. There needs to be safe handling of ingredients, traceability, protocols for recalls, and product safety. These are the things that will ultimately help break the stigmas and negative connotations surrounding this miraculous plant that we’re working with.

What are your thoughts about federal legalization of cannabis? If you could speak to your Senator, what would be your most persuasive argument regarding why they should or should not pursue federal legalization?

I’m all for federal legalization as long as it’s accomplished correctly and fairly. At the end of the day, cannabis legalization at the federal level is what a majority of the people want in this country and that’s what they should have.

Today, cigarettes are legal, but they are heavily regulated, highly taxed, and they are somewhat socially marginalized. Would you like cannabis to have a similar status to cigarettes or different? Can you explain?

There is no comparison. This is like comparing apples to oranges. Cigarettes have been killing people for decades. For starters, when cannabis is inhaled, it does not have the same impact on the lungs that tobacco has. So why should they be grouped into the same category? In addition, Hemp and CBD are revolutionizing how people take care of their health and wellness. I don’t think people are adding tobacco products into their daily wellness regiments to look and feel better.

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

“Your best teacher is your last mistake.” This has been my favorite quote for a long time. It helped me a lot; to learn from what I perceived to be failure and to try to take something positive from it. However, after a while, it came to a point where it almost felt punishing.

I recently heard this quote by Abraham Lincoln, “When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion.”

Call it basic, but it works for me in every situation life throws at me, especially in business.

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

I’m going to refer back to good ‘ole Abe, “When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion.” If I could get anything to catch on, it would be that.

Wouldn’t it be just so lovely to live in a world where the Golden Rule was actually a rule?

Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you only continued success!

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Wisdom From The Women Leading The Cannabis Industry, With Sondra Hellund of Franny’s Farmacy was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Julie Livingston of WantLeverage Communications On How to Use LinkedIn To Dramatically Improve Your Business,

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Generate New Business Leads: LinkedIn has a variety of worthwhile service upgrades that are enormously helpful in identifying new business leads and building out one’s database. I use Sales Navigator which allows you to find the names of key decision makers at prospect companies. It’s literally like opening a vault of insights and information. Being able to search by title such as Chief Executive Officer or Chief Marketing Officer is a huge time saver and has allowed me to increase the number of qualified new business leads with whom I stay in touch by publishing LinkedIn articles and sending InMail.

As part of my series of interviews about “How to Use LinkedIn To Dramatically Improve Your Business”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Julie Livingston.

Julie Livingston is president, WantLeverage Communications, a New York City-based public relations and integrated marketing consultancy. She specializes in elevating “under the radar” C-suite leaders and companies, raising their public profile, promoting their thought leadership and competitive advantage. A LinkedIn content strategist, she helps C-Suite leaders to amplify their brand messages, increase followers and deepen audience engagement.

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’ve worked in the fields of public relations and marketing for more than 30 years, including strategic communications planning, placing executives in the news, content development, securing strategic partnerships and speaking engagements in a variety of industries. My corporate experience includes staff positions for Fortune 500 companies — Liz Claiborne, Scholastic — as well as for smaller, entrepreneurial enterprises in consumer products, technology, healthcare, associations and education marketing. I’ve always been inclined toward entrepreneurship and launched WantLeverage Communications in 2014, a full service PR and integrated marketing consultancy specializing in elevating “under the radar” C-suite executives and companies. Early on, I immersed myself in social media and specifically, LinkedIn, as I saw how fast it was developing into an important business networking and business development platform. Almost immediately after I started posting PR and marketing content regularly, I shared stories of my work and experiences as an entrepreneur. People commented on the quality of my posts and how the value I delivered, that my content was having a direct impact on their marketing choices.

Leveraging the power of LinkedIn has attracted clients to my PR and marketing consulting business, and now I’m helping C-suite leaders and companies on this vital social media platform- to deepen engagement with their key stakeholders through strategic communications and relationship building. Today, social media platforms such as LinkedIn provide a rich opportunity to tell one’s brand story using real time messaging. LinkedIn is another valuable resource in my ever expanding PR and integrated marketing toolbox, along with media and content placement and social media, forming strategic partnerships and more, on which to build one’s personal or company reputation.

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

In 2010, I was developing programs for social influencers and had to jumpstart my knowledge and fluency in social media. It was exciting but also overwhelming and I kept getting tripped up, by the nuances of each platform, especially on Twitter. At the time, I was a volunteer leader for New York Women in Communications, a professional organization and was leading a committee of young professionals and mid-career women. I approached one of the younger women and asked her if she’d consider mentoring me on Twitter. She smiled and asked “Me, mentor you?”alluding to my senior level experience. “What can I possibly teach you?” I assured her that we could learn from each other, that our experience levels didn’t matter. It was our openness to learning and sharing We created a reverse mentoring relationship, where she mentored me in social media and I mentored her about finding the right career path. When we started, we’d meet at her office where I would learn the ins and outs of Twitter by looking over her shoulder. It was mutually beneficial — we enjoyed helping and learning from one another, and realized that our age or professional status didn’t matter. Later, I introduced a more formal reverse mentoring program to New York Women In Communications and later spoke about the benefits on Fox News.

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 posting on LinkedIn for a client and thought I had signed out of her account. Unfortunately, I didn’t double check that I signed out. It turned out that I inadvertently posted a lengthy comment on her as her, and not me! Soonafter, she sent me a text message asking, “Did you just comment on my LinkedIn account as me, because it sounds as if I’m complimenting myself” It was embarrassing but also comical, and we both laughed about it.

After that experience, I learned to slow down and check things twice after each step in the content posting process. The nature of social media is to provide short, bite size commentary. Slowing down my process helps to ensure that a) I’m in the right account, b) that the layout and spacing of each post is correct and easily scannable (the reason I use bullet points), c) that there is a “call to action” message at the end to encourage audience engagement, and d) that the hashtags used are highly followed.

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

There’s no question that LinkedIn, which now has almost 740 million users, including 55 million registered companies, is the go-to social media platform on which to increase valuable business contacts, connections and build relationships with key audiences.

As a public relations and marketing professional, I recommend LinkedIn as a primary platform on which my clients should raise their visibility and build their thought leadership so they get noticed and engaged by potential clients, strategic partners, job talent and journalists who are looking for sources and subject matter experts. This is particularly critical for C-suite executives, as they are “the” brand ambassadors

who must lead the way for a company’s digital transformation and digital presence.

Leveraging my PR and marketing experience, I manage the LinkedIn strategy and content for a number of C-suite executives. After working with one CEO at a management consulting firm for a year, I’ve watched her engagement and views steadily rise. To date, there have been numerous positive business outcomes, including contact made by a colleague with whom the CEO hadn’t spoken to in a decade. Reading the CEO’s regular postings reignited that relationship. After seeing my client’s content on topics that matter to her business, she reached out to schedule a meeting. In fact, her company was grappling with an issue similar to one described in a LinkedIn post I composed. This resulted in an initial six figure contract for my client’s company.

Let’s talk about LinkedIn specifically, now. Can you share 5 ways to leverage LinkedIn to dramatically improve your business? Please share a story or example for each.

If you want to improve your business and raise your professional or company visibility in the marketplace, LinkedIn is the ideal platform on which to tell your brand story, attract new followers and build relationships. Although it may not instantly affect the bottom line, like other sales oriented social platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, the more active you are on LinkedIn, the more successful you will be in generating new business leads and promoting your competitive advantage over time. From my extensive experience on the platform, here are 5 ways to leverage LinkedIn to dramatically build your business:

1. Promote Products, Services: Because you can create and control the content and messaging, LinkedIn is an incredibly powerful marketing platform on which you can promote key brand messages. For the VP at a consulting firm who leads a new practice area, we’ve been developing content that illustrates the benefits of a new service offering. We’ve crafted this narrative in a very easy to read, bullet pointed format, using clever graphics and hashtags so target customers can locate the content. Using a tone that is casual and approachable, we cite real problems and challenges that companies face in their daily work and how they can be addressed and solved.
   A few weeks in, my client was contacted by a colleague in his network who wrote, “I didn’t realize that you offered this service, and that’s just what our company is in need of right now.” They are currently negotiating a contract.
2. Attract New Talent During The Great Resignation: Organizations are only as good as their people. With The Great Resignation raging on, and the ability of employees to work from anywhere, US employers continue to face a highly competitive talent pool. When it comes to job posting or job search, LinkedIn is the place to be. It’s estimated that at any one time there are 15 million job openings advertised and 49 million individuals use the platform to search for jobs each week(source:LinkedIn).That’s why I encourage clients to share stories about their unique company culture, employee satisfaction, and team collaboration on a regular basis. One of my clients, a technology CEO, does this consistently, sharing stories about employee benefits and perks, snapshots which illustrate the company’s progressive culture and why it’s actually a fun and satisfying place to work. This stream of content has helped to brand herself as a culture maven. She not only sends LinkedIn In mails to prospective employees and contractors but has a steady stream of interested individuals reaching out to her.
3. Elevate Thought Leadership: Experienced leaders have a unique opportunity to promote their thought leadership on LinkedIn by posting and publishing articles. This establishes you as a subject matter or industry expert and reinforces your organization’s competitive advantage. Your brand or company name becomes more well-regarded and remembered. Once your perspectives on industry issues are noticed by a bigger audience, there’s the potential they will unleash a slew of additional marketing opportunities. A client, the CEO of an investment house, was contacted more than once to appear as a guest on multiple podcasts and be featured in articles because of his compelling thought leadership. This led to potential clients reaching out to his company for representation.
4. Generate New Business Leads: LinkedIn has a variety of worthwhile service upgrades that are enormously helpful in identifying new business leads and building out one’s database. I use Sales Navigator which allows you to find the names of key decision makers at prospect companies. It’s literally like opening a vault of insights and information. Being able to search by title such as Chief Executive Officer or Chief Marketing Officer is a huge time saver and has allowed me to increase the number of qualified new business leads with whom I stay in touch by publishing LinkedIn articles and sending InMail.
5. Exponentially Grow Your Network: The amazing thing about developing a solid presence on LinkedIn is that it makes it easy to expand your business network. I’ve met so many individuals outside of my sphere because they’ve commented on my posts or I’ve identified them as a qualified lead and started a conversation via the Inmail feature, which allows for experimentation in fostering new contacts. I’m proud that in working the platform over time, I’ve built a strong following — people who opt in to follow my posts — as well as connections -contacts with whom I have a 1st degree connection to. Interestingly, when I started my PR and marketing consultancy, I was focused on consumer products, but after diving in and using LinkedIn, I was able to branch out in other more lucrative areas.

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

If I could inspire a movement, I’d start a foundation that would educate young people about financial independence and online entrepreneurship. Teaching young people about managing their money and finances from an early age, and mentoring them to set up online businesses. would provide them with confidence, resources and the foundation for success later in life. I’d love to see that happen.

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

If I had my wish, I’d love to have a private breakfast or lunch with Brené Brown, the noted research professor, lecturer and author. I’m consistently drawn to her content and motivated by her incredible insights and wisdom about people and organizational behavior.

Thank you so much for these great insights. This was very enlightening!

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Julie Livingston of WantLeverage Communications On How to Use LinkedIn To Dramatically Improve Your… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Amanda Young of Sunshine and Rainbows Podcast On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Establish a routine: for someone with bipolar, routines are essential to my well-being and keeping my manic/depressive episodes fewer. When my routine gets thrown off or I’m unable to control my surroundings within reason, I without a doubt am at risk of slipping into a depressive state.

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

Amanda Young is a Mental Health Advocate, Author and Podcast Host whose personal mission is to help eliminate the stigma of brain illnesses by educating people on what depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress and bipolar actually are. She starts important conversations on her social media platforms and podcast by encouraging others to speak up and seek help. Amanda is a firm believer that her brain health conditions, and her unique voice are her superpowers. The ability to feel in extremes gives her empathy not everyone has — allowing her to continue helping others find their voice.

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?

Thank you so much for having me! My story really starts in my mid-twenties when I was laid off from my dream job of working with Killer Whales and truly thought my life was over. Through lots of mistakes, therapy and eventual mental health diagnosis’ I was able to turn that setback into a true set up for something incredible in my life. I can confidently say that if it wasn’t for that devastating phone call in April 2019, I really wouldn’t have become the woman I am 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?

While it might not be the most interesting thing to some, I am still so honored to have had the chance to represent the Bipolar community on World Bipolar Day by partnering with The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in an

Instagram live. It was so incredible to hear others’ stories and share my own in the process. I learned yet again that I’m not alone and that there’s an entire community full of brave and resilient people.

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?

I can honestly say that the biggest mistake I made starting out was trying to be like “everyone else” within my niche. It didn’t work, because they already existed… The world doesn’t want a ton of the same thing, they’re looking for exactly what makes you unique and special. Once I decided to own what made me different, I found that my community grew exponentially because I was showcasing what I uniquely had to offer.

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 pride myself on being a fierce and strong voice within the mental health space. By speaking up about my own challenges with getting properly diagnosed, I am helping others feel less alone in their own journeys. I hope to continue educating the world on what it truly looks like to live with a mental illness AND thrive within society.

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.

1. Establish a routine: for someone with bipolar, routines are essential to my well-being and keeping my manic/depressive episodes fewer. When my routine gets thrown off or I’m unable to control my surroundings within reason, I without a doubt am at risk of slipping into a depressive state.
2. Go to sleep on the same day you woke up: again, a huge thing with being bipolar is sleep regulation. If I wake up on Monday morning, I need to go to bed again Monday night before 12a. By keeping my sleep patterns regular, I’m able to let my brain and body fall into a natural routine — it is a key thing for my health.
3. Give myself grace: with having bipolar disorder, even though I can try my hardest to stay in a stable state, there are moments I can swing into a manic phase or depressive episode. During the moments when I can feel either creeping closer, I remember to give myself and my body grace. Clearly, my body is trying to tell me something, so I try to listen. If I spend too much in a manic phase, I keep my receipts and am not ashamed to return things once it’s passed. If I’ve lost touch with friends during a depressive episode, I humbly reach back out to establish contact and explain why I was so distant. By giving myself grace, I’ve learned to love my mind and body for how strong it is by consistently protecting me.
4. Schedule self-care: routines are my thing — you’ve caught that, right? When I feel like a depressive phase is coming close, I’ll help future me by writing little love notes to my mind. I’ll also write in my planner reminders to brush my teeth, take a shower, eat lunch, etc. to make sure I’m still taking care of myself.
5. Speak it outloud: finally, I share what’s going on inside my brain. While it might be scary to open up about an intrusive thought, the moment I speak it outloud the fear loses its grip on me. By sharing with trusted friends, loved ones and family, I’m able to help myself by learning I’m not alone and have people who love me.

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

Wow. The sky’s the limit when it comes to my dreams within the mental health space. Someday, I would love to speak with employers on how to best support their employees and care for everyone’s mental health. The world is so burnt out right now, and no amount of pizza parties or HR training on lunch breaks will solve that without real conversations and actions.

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

1. Failing is good — that means you’re learning… Your setbacks can truly become setups for something better
2. BE YOURSELF — because literally everyone else is already taken
3. Don’t let society put you in a box — flip the script and create your own molds
4. Not everyone is going to like you — that’s ok!!!!!!!
5. You don’t need to reach everyone — focus on one. If you reach just one person with your unique message, then your purpose is fulfilled.

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

While they all hold incredibly important roles within my life, mental health is such a priority to me. I truly wouldn’t be

where I am now as a human if it wasn’t for the battles I went through in order to find a proper diagnosis for my mental illnesses. My entire life was crumbling around me, and even though I cared about all those important issues, I realized I wasn’t physically able to begin helping others until I chose to help myself. It seems counterintuitive, but you really do need to fill your own cup before trying to fill others’. By focusing on my mental health and finding a state of healthy and safe Amanda, I am now able to turn my focus to others and their needs.

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

You can find me everywhere online at @that_manda_girl and my website thatmandagirl.com

Thank you for these fantastic insights!

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Women In Wellness: Amanda Young of Sunshine and Rainbows Podcast On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.