Women In Wellness: Zehra Murhty of Belfiore Herbal On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
There are two: the first being skin and scalp awareness for overall health, along with rejecting mass marketed chemically produced products. The second would be sourcing ingredients and manufacturing correctly to help those less fortunate (farmers, etc).
As a part of my series about women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Zehra Murhty of Belfiore Herbal.
Although Belfiore Herbal officially was founded in early 2020, the company was in the works for years beforehand. It’s founder, Zehra Murthy, is a brilliant woman that has been growing and experimenting with the home-grown lavender from her backyard. She began creating one-of-a-kind skincare that was a hit among her family and friends, and would eventually become her business.
The odds of launching a successful business at what would unknowingly be the very start of a global pandemic is not an easy task for any. For Zehra, who is an older woman, it was even more of a challenge. Still, she continued to work hard, striving for the business to launch.
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 was born in 1949 in India. I am the oldest of seven children — I have 5 brothers and one youngest sister. My father passed away when I was 13, and since then I was my mothers helper and assistant. We were and still are a very close knit family. I always wanted to learn a lot; I loved to study and work, and always wanted to learn something new. In my curiosity in human and plant development, I studied biology then decided to focus on cell biology and genetics.
I joined UCSD in 1979 as a research scientist and worked on cell and molecular biology along with genetics. I started Belfiore Herbal in 2020 — I had lots of interest in plants and herbs. From 2018–2019, I started to grow lots of lavender and rosemary and started to research scientific papers on the healthcare benefits of these plants. My interest and inspiration to develop skin and hair care products using my own herbs when I started to look and read all the ingredients in these products. Most of them have petroleum based chemicals and synthetic chemicals & in my genetics research, I know how dangerous these chemicals are. As a second inspiration, I wanted to give back to society by using my knowledge of science and plants to make something that would be simple, affordable and work for all skin types to keep their skin truly healthy. My 3rd inspiration is involving my family to make Belifore Hebral a growing family business — we all love to work together.
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?
Lesson Learned: How and when to put your foot down.
When I had first started to work in science, I was working long, long hours. Since I enjoyed science I didn’t mind working 12–14 hours a day and producing lots of results, but after a year or so I noticed my work was not appreciated, and instead the directors demanded more and more out of me. That’s when I learned to put your foot down and work in the allotted time to keep a family life balance.
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?
Biggest Mistake when first starting: ‘Columbia Cosmetics Story’- Before starting Belfiore Herbal, we were cheated by one of the contract manufacturers charging us enormous fees for testing, then not holding up the agreement and not providing proper results. Our lesson learned is to properly research who we work with.
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?
Belfiore Herbal skin care products are formulated to keep skin healthy at the cellular level, that means keeping every cell in our skin well nourished and healthy to produce lots of collagen and hyaluronic acid to keep our skin well hydrated, free of dark spots and wrinkles. Actually, healthy skin is beautiful skin that brings out or gives self-confidence which can help change the world. We focus on using botanical (vegan) ingredients that are only derived from nature in our formulas. This decreases the amount of chemicals someone will put on their skin.
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.
● Here are my 5 lifestyle tweaks;
○ Each morning I give thanks to god for blessings (this is mine, but gratitude overall is important) ○ Meditation for self confidence and mental health
○ Dedicated, consistent exercise for physical health
○ Always allowing time for family and friends, keeping the connections strong. Not canceling plans last minute
○ Being patient and listening well.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
There are two: the first being skin and scalp awareness for overall health, along with rejecting mass marketed chemically produced products. The second would be sourcing ingredients and manufacturing correctly to help those less fortunate (farmers, etc).
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
● Here are the 5 things I wish someone told me
○ Be patient, the money will not come overnight
○ Stick to what you know and your expertise and focus on this.
○ Involve the whole family, everyone brings some experience
○ Manage your investments carefully
○ There is a whole world of B2B out there, go to some trade shows!
Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Dearest to me is Mental Health, very simply because without a healthy mind one cannot live a truly complete and fulfilling life. Mental health is part of overall health. We already stand on only using vegan ingredients and rejecting animal derived products like retinol or hyaluronic acid.
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
The best way for readers to follow our work is the blog on our website
(https://www.belfioreherbal.com/blogs/lifestyle) or our social media channels (@belfioreherbal on instagram).
Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.
Women In Wellness: Author Beth Shaw On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Give up sugar — A diet high in refined sugars can lead to all sorts of health issues like lower immunity, digestive issues, obesity and more serious problems like Type 2 diabetes or heart disease. As the leading cause of inflammation, giving up sugar will increase your overall health by strengthening your immune system, improving sleep quality, and increasing energy levels.
As a part of my series about women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Beth Shaw.
Beth Shaw is the author of four best-selling books on health and wellness. A pioneer in the Wellness, Yoga & Fitness space in North America, Beth is the CEO and Founder of YogaFit Training Systems Worldwide Inc the global mind-body education school, YogaFit.
Beth is a go-to yoga/mindfulness expert in the media and has been featured in numerous fitness, business, and consumer publications Beth is a frequent speaker at universities, conferences, and Fortune 500 Corporations. Beth educates others on Health & Mindfulness in the workplace and conscious business.
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 was stranded in Istanbul Turkey doing a YogaFit Training on 9/11 — the experience taught me that life is short and that we should take time in life to make a positive contribution to the planet as that’s what I believe we are here to do. The experience also taught me to be present in the moment and SURRENDER to what is and give up what we cannot control.
Also taking groups of people to India every year to the birthplace of yoga Rishikesh has shown me that when we have expectations in life we often get disappointed, I have learned from taking thousands of people to India every year that life gives us the energy that we give it, I have watched people who had expectations get very disappointed and people who have a positive attitude have a very positive experience while traveling abroad.
Additionally I have learned from traveling to Saudi Arabia and Japan that we must act in accordance with what the local cultures are and adopt a mindset of going with the flow and learning that cultural differences are real and need to be respected.
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 I made when first starting was to not hire a proper business trained COO to handle all business operations so that I could focus on presenting, writing and creating content. Not having a well trained business person was a mistake. I have since spent three years gaining Harvard Business School Alumni status by participating in the Harvard OPM program, I have also joined several business organizations like EO, WPO and done the Goldman Sacks 10k Small Business Program
Also in the early days of starting, I was not strategic — I have since learned to be that person
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 am the founder and CEO of the largest Yoga Mind Body school in the world, YogaFit — We have transformed millions of lives in 25 years — teaching people to take control of the health on every level — We have taught over 250,000 teachers who then share the gifts of yoga and mind body health with many others — We have a robust community service program that gives people a chance to take yoga who normally would not — We have instigated over 3 million hours of community service work teaching yoga to those who are disadvantaged. ADD LINKS TO YOGAFIT COMMUNITY SERVICE
I also host the radio show MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY on Voice America — we cover all topics related to mental and physical health and we have over 30,000 listeners a month. Guests include Dr Pam Peeke, Dr Edward Group, Dr Nick Perricone, Dr Patrick Porter and many others
We empower listeners with simple tools to get their health back on track.
Here are some links to episodes of Make America Healthy
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.
Give up sugar — A diet high in refined sugars can lead to all sorts of health issues like lower immunity, digestive issues, obesity and more serious problems like Type 2 diabetes or heart disease. As the leading cause of inflammation, giving up sugar will increase your overall health by strengthening your immune system, improving sleep quality, and increasing energy levels.
Give up Gluten — As a common allergen, gluten negatively affects the body by exacerbating arthritis, producing brain fog, inducing bloating, and causing gut issues. Not considered to be nutrient dense, eliminating foods with gluten from your diet will prove to be an essential lifestyle change you didn’t know you needed.
Drink more water — More than half adults in the United States don’t drink enough water. It is recommended that adults drink at least 64 ounces of water throughout their day. By increasing your water intake, you will improve brain function and physical performance by increasing energy and relieving fatigue. Drinking enough water will flush out any toxins in the body, promoting weight loss and improving skin complexion.
Exercise 30 min every day — It’s no secret that there are numerous health benefits to working out. By incorporating at least 30 minutes of exercise into your day you will notice a reduction in stress and fatigue, improved cognitive function, an increase in productivity and a greater self confidence.
Try intermittent fasting — There is a reason why more and more people are trying intermittent fasting to optimize their health goals. Interested in learning more I invited renowned anti-aging doctor, Nick Perricone, onto my radio show Make America Healthy as he went over the vast benefits intermittent fasting has on countering aging and aiding weight loss. When performed correctly, intermittent fasting can regulate insulin and hormone levels throughout the body so you can burn more fat and extrude more waste. Here is a link to my show featuring Dr. Perricone
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
The entire world should practice yoga and meditation — also everyone should try plant medicine and connect with the divine source of energy.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
Get a mentor
Join a professional organization
Take a business course for small business owners
Learn to think BIGGER
Hire people smarter than you
Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Mental health is my biggest passion now, we are in a dire mental health crisis and people need self directed tools. People need to be empowered to take control of their own physical and mental health.
What is the best way our readers can follow you online?
Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Eveline Buchatskiy of airSlate On The 5 Leadership Lessons She Learned From Her Experience
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Be mission-driven. That’s a must. People have choices, so why would they work for anyone without a mission that actually moves the world forward in a meaningful way?
As a part of our series about “Lessons From Inspirational Women in STEM”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Eveline Buchatskiy.
Eveline leads special projects at airSlate, including managing the partner go-to-market programs, as well as corporate and content marketing initiatives. She has worked with fast-growing startups for over 10 years, initially as CEO of a cleantech startup and then as an investor at a seed fund and accelerators, including as Techstars Director for their Boston accelerator. Eveline received a BS in Chemical Engineering from University of California — Berkeley, a master’s in engineering from University at Buffalo, and an Executive MBA from INSEAD.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I was always passionate about my studies, particularly science. My high school Chemistry teacher in Brazil saw my drive and took interest in the girl that managed to be top of her class. I also worked my way to the top of my Physics and Math classes. But my Chemistry teacher encouraged me to pursue a degree in Chemical Engineering, and that ultimately launched my career trajectory.
I spent the first 10 years of my career as an engineer in the industrial gases industry before moving to Ukraine where the tech talent was prominent. Kyiv was completely new to me at the time, but I was able to make connections right away. My introduction into the tech startup world was with a deep tech company, and I haven’t left the industry since. After moving beyond that role, I launched a startup accelerator that primarily focused on the digital space. Today, I’m the VP of Special Projects at airSlate, a SaaS company, but what that really means is I’m involved all throughout the company.
My love for tech continues decades later because of the talented, innovative people and the ambitious solutions we’re able to share with the public. Not to mention the fact that I still feel a strong connection to that young student who fell in love with science and engineering — my nerdy roots run deep.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began at your company?
I don’t know if I would call it interesting as much as surreal. airSlate has a large R&D office in Kyiv, Ukraine, with over 800 people. On February 24, 2022, the lives of these people changed drastically. At 5 AM Kyiv time, I found myself in Boston, going down a spreadsheet of all these people and putting check marks to indicate that I had contacted them to wake them up, one by one, with the news: Russia had declared war against Ukraine, they needed to pack and leave the country. For the following two weeks, I did not sleep (yes, I found it to be biologically possible), working on the evacuation of all of them, together with their spouses, children, extended families, dogs, cats, turtles, all together over 3,000 people in the span of two weeks. We had to make logistics, lodging, and emmigration arrangements, all the while having to predict where the next bombing would strike and how to avoid it. We also had to find cash to pay for all of this because no one would take other forms of payment. All our employees are safe, relatively speaking considering the circumstances, and we have adjusted to normal business productivity despite all the challenges they continue to face daily, for over 120 days of war thus far.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. 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?
During my first engagement as CEO, I was managing a high-tech ultracapacitor company. This electrical component had many applications, from electrical vehicles to wind turbines, from scooters to mobile phones. We ended up falling in love with one client: Ferrari Formula 1 racing cars. It was cool to tell everyone we were going to be at the next Grand Prix. We were in Bologna, Italy, where they had the wind tunnel tests. There was so much glamor throughout the whole experience and of course I had my nails in bright red for all serious meetings. In reality, it almost killed the company. Ferrari had a very specific set of requirements which made us change the whole production line just for them. Yet, how many of these cars are out there in the races? Two! You can’t build a large business out of a handful of high-performing units for a cool Formula 1 client.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
airSlate’s modus operandi is to empower teams to digitize workflows of any complexity through no-code technology. We are the only company on the market with a full suite of digital transformation solutions in this space. Our solutions are integrated so customers can combine them or upgrade their existing processes without a hitch. We’re also the largest document workflow platform with over 100 million users.
We recently celebrated becoming a unicorn (reaching a $1 billion+ valuation) as airSlate became the first portfolio company for the newly launched UiPath Ventures initiative. It’s an exciting time for all of us at airSlate. We’re continuing to unlock new opportunities along the way to helping SMBs become automated organizations.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
The beauty of tech is that we’re always working on something new. airSlate’s latest round of funding backed by G Squared and UiPath is the catalyst for new projects that will accelerate our growth. More specifically, we’re working on expanding airSlate’s mid-market and enterprise customer base, opening new go-to-market channels and developing new products, as well as onboarding new technical talent to support with all of these efforts. Every day provides something different!
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Are you currently satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? What specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?
I believe more female representation is needed to change the status quo of women in STEM. We need more role models and mentors embracing future generations. Young girls and women should be able to see STEM as an approachable field and environment — it should feel relatable, which happens when we can see ourselves in a particular role. We can also empower young girls to take an interest in STEM from an early age with their toys and activities and the power of their educators. I feel fortunate to have had educators and mentors along the way who have guided me toward a rewarding career despite a few twists and turns.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women in STEM that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts? What would you suggest to address this?
Unconscious bias is one of the biggest challenges for women in STEM. Despite having advanced degrees in Engineering and Business, people still question whether I am technical or analytical enough to be leading in my role. I was in a meeting not too long ago with a branding agency I was planning on hiring, but then I was asked if we could bring a decision-maker into the conversation. They didn’t realize I was that person!
The more we interact with female leaders in STEM, the less likely these unconscious biases are to occur. Women in all fields, including tech, need to keep sharing our stories to inspire and encourage future talent.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a woman in STEM. Can you explain what you mean?
None of us spend our days dwelling on what our work environment would look like if we had perfectly equal conditions and opportunities. In reality, like any man in STEM, we women spend the vast majority of our time thinking of roadmaps, objectives and key results, KPIs, growing and nurturing our teams, acquiring new skills, building products, services, and experiences that create value for people. We also spend time mentoring up and coming talent so they have a more accelerated path towards their goals. And yes, time allowed, we advocate for some changes either explicitly through activism or subtly, by choosing to bring value to companies and teams that share our vision for such an equal world.
What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience as a Woman in STEM or Tech” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
Be human. That goes a long way. From putting yourself in your team’s shoes during the lows, to having a genuine desire to help them grow, to celebrating the highs, everyone wants to be around a leader that is above all a good human being.
Be inspiring. As a woman, you jumped through many hoops and yes, you still made it. It’s the leader’s job to continuously show optimism and to exceed expectations with a vision that will make people put all their bets on your game.
Be ambitious. For you and your team. Goals should be set such that everyone should feel at least slightly uncomfortable with the vision, even better if we all feel like there are a million butterflies in our stomach.
Be unique. In short, don’t be boring and lean into your unique story. Create memorable experiences for the people around you.
Be mission-driven. That’s a must. People have choices, so why would they work for anyone without a mission that actually moves the world forward in a meaningful way?
What advice would you give to other women leaders to help their team to thrive?
Tech can be a demanding industry, especially in the startup space. But remind yourself and your teams that it’s rewarding when you’re passionate about what you do and the solutions you’re building together. Have your sights set on a better future, and nothing can get in your way.
What advice would you give to other women leaders about the best way to manage a large team?
The only way to effectively manage a large team is to empower direct reports and nurture a culture of accountability at all levels of the organization. I always tell my team that the best way to get promoted is to make yourself replaceable by building a team that can run without you. This philosophy forces you to work hard to raise the confidence and skill set of your team, and to put in place the right processes for everyone to take ownership of their results at a much deeper level. Your team members should feel you trust they have what it takes to make the right decisions. It’s equally important to clearly communicate and get the buy-in on the vision for the business and how that translates into what is expected from each member of the team.
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?
That is very true. While there are a handful of people that helped me navigate forks in the road of my professional journey, my parents’ support may have had the most impact on me. You see, I am the second youngest in a family of 15 children, and the first person to go to college. However, everyone in my family — my siblings, my parents and grandparents — were all entrepreneurial in their own right. My parents worked hard to provide opportunities for me to grow, but they didn’t fully understand my obsession with education.
My mom understood that a degree in engineering most likely meant I would be working for someone else, which wasn’t exactly her dream for me. She was supportive, but I still had to pave my own path without a clear example to model. She also helped me understand that above all, I value a civic-minded life and a career that enables me to give back or advance the public wellbeing in some way, shape or form.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
One of our ongoing focuses is ensuring safety for our community in Ukraine. In 2014, airSlate opened the doors to our office in Kyiv, and we’ve continued to welcome many colleagues in Ukraine since then. The war is incredibly close to our airSlaters and we’ve used our platform to call for contributions that will make an immediate impact. Three of the organizations we’re proud to donate to and support are Nova Ukraine, Razom and Project C.U.R.E.
As an organization, we have provided around $2 million in humanitarian efforts for our Ukrainian team members and their families. We are also happy to share all that we know and our personal experiences from the ground to help others offer much-needed support to those in Ukraine.
If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I would love to create a “magic wand” that unlocks human potential at scale. During my years as an investor, I lived through these magical moments of removing barriers for entrepreneurs that went on to achieve incredible things. Sometimes even small actions such as an intro to a co-founder became the catalyst to life-changing results. There is abundance of talent within most people, which may be restricted by lack of access to capital, opportunity, education, network, or just plain freedom. I often fantasize about a movement that would ensure each individual is able to fully realize their potential. I would start with unlimited access to education.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Chance only favors the prepared mind, said Louis Pasteur. I love the combination of discipline (always do your homework!) with serendipity (luck matters) of this quote. There were many times in my life when it looked like I was at the right place at the right time. In reality, it was a bit of luck and lots of planning. One good example was when I met Cecile Drucker, daughter of the legendary management guru Peter Drucker. For no obvious reason, for six months we worked diligently on a concept to match tech talent in Eastern Europe with new money in that region to create a world-class startup ecosystem. We designed an accelerator without even realizing that the model had just been launched in Silicon Valley. We were a small team of enthusiasts with a very strong vision, no funding, and no real chance of executing on what we knew could be a transformative project. One day I got a call asking if I knew anything about accelerators. Yes I did! I had a full business plan. When can I start?, I asked. And that marked the beginning of my venture investment career.
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?
The world is hungry for leadership in the public sector. After a series of unfortunate events of historical proportion ranging from a global pandemic to war in Europe, a select group of women stand out by their strong principled leadership with grace: Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. I would love to have a girls night out with these honorable ladies to discuss their secret sauce and how we can spread such leadership style across the globe. If I must pick one person only, I would have brunch with Angela Merkel. For all these years, I admired her pragmatism that led Germany’s economy growth by 34% — 15 percentage points more than its nearest EU rival, France. But I have some unresolved business with her. I think she completely miscalculated the relationship with Russia and Germany’s energy dependence. Was being a woman a factor? Was she hoping that graceful (almost motherly) diplomacy through economic ties would tame an aggressive bear? It’s puzzling to me. I would love to find out.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Female Disruptors: Amy Bachof Measures for Justice On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Shrink the change. This is from the Heath brothers’ book Switch. When people face a daunting task and their instinct is to avoid it, you’ve got to break down the task. Shrink the change. In other words: Make the change small enough that they can’t help but score a victory.
As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Amy Bach.
Amy Bach has been the Chief Executive Officer of Measures for Justice since 2011. She founded the organization as a follow-up to her acclaimed book, Ordinary Injustice: How America Holds Court, which won the 2010 Robert F. Kennedy Book Award. In June 2011, Echoing Green, a premier seed investor for social entrepreneurs, selected Amy as a Fellow out of 3,000 candidates worldwide to support the launch of Measures for Justice. Following that, she was named a Draper Richards Kaplan Social Entrepreneur. For her work on Ordinary Injustice, Amy received a Soros Media Fellowship, a special J. Anthony Lukas citation, and a Radcliffe Fellowship at Harvard University. Amy was a Knight Foundation Journalism Fellow at Yale Law School and is a graduate of Stanford Law School. In 2012, she taught Criminal Law during the spring semester at the University of Buffalo Law School as a Visiting Professor. In 2019, she won the Academy of Criminal Justice Science’s Leadership and Innovation Award and the Charles Bronfman Prize. Amy lives in Rochester, NY, where the organization is based.
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 went to law school, clerked for a federal judge, and then spent eight years writing a book about criminal trial courts in America. I saw how legal professionals could make the same mistakes over and over. And not realize that anything is missing. Like the public defender who pleaded 48 people guilty in a little over a day. And barely knew their names, much less their cases. Or the prosecutor who had no idea he had not prosecuted a domestic violence case in 21 years. My idea was to measure the delivery of basic legal services. So that everyone could see patterns and then improve their systems. To reach into the heart of courts across America and ask: How are we doing? So that counties could have a yardstick to see how they compare. And the tools to reshape our judicial system via data and hard conversations with communities.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
Pretty much everything! When we got started a little over ten years ago, almost no one was doing this work. No one was talking about the importance of data or performance measurement. It was too hard, it couldn’t be done, don’t even try. That was the message out there at the time. But we pressed on because it was so obvious to me that we can’t change what we can’t see. And we were seeing nothing.
Fast forward a decade and the culture has changed. We’ve been leading this movement to upend how justice gets done in this country by bringing to the table transparency and accountability via data. We’ve worked to develop national data standards and measures. We’ve unlocked 1/3rd of the country’s data in more than 1200 counties. And now we’re bringing new data platforms to police departments and DA offices that depend on real, sustained collaboration between these agencies and departments and the people they serve. When data and collaboration are the centerpiece of how criminal justice gets carried out, transparency and accountability become the norm. Which amounts to more than disruption–it’s a revolution.
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 day I had a meeting in a room with a judge who was supposedly really into data. We showed him some of the initial data that suggested his county had fared quite well with few racial disparities.
“You can’t compare counties,” said the judge.
“Why not?”
“It’s not possible,” he said.
“Don’t all the counties in the state have the same laws? Why can’t you compare two counties?”
“One county is an apple and one’s an orange.”
“Well why can’t you compare an apple and an orange? One is orange and bumpy and one is red and smooth.”
“But I don’t want a tomato in my fruit salad.”
I don’t remember what he said next. I ran over to try and shake his hand. He looked down at my hand. He left me hanging. His legal assistant looked at me with disgust.
What I didn’t understand at the time was how little prepared everyone was for publicly comparable data. But his saying he didn’t want a tomato in his fruit salad really became a metaphor in my head for: Get out of my state.
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?
So many people have helped me. I am indebted to many of our Board members who guided us and helped us grow. But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our Board Chair who died this year. Ed Schallert was chair of the Debevoise & Plimpton’s Litigation Department. He clerked for Thurgood Marshall. He gave me a lot of faith that when things were hard, they were just the growing pains every organization has to go through. And he did it in a way that didn’t make me feel judged. At his memorial service I learned that I was not the only one — there were a dozen or so people at his firm who said he mentored them and did it in a funny, honest way. I hope to pass that on one 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?
That is a great question. Social media might be a good example. It’s obviously made it possible for many more people to tell their stories. And create relationships with each other. But the relationships are often superficial, and the lack of depth there can and has led to a lot of isolation and loneliness — feelings Hannah Arendt calls the preconditions for tyranny. People need a public square where they can have real interactions. And be drawn into real conversations over facts. That is why I love our work so much: we bring data and facts to places that are often tinderboxed or fractured. People have hard conversations and set data driven goals that generate accountability.
Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
Shrink the change. This is from the Heath brothers’ book Switch. When people face a daunting task and their instinct is to avoid it, you’ve got to break down the task. Shrink the change. In other words: Make the change small enough that they can’t help but score a victory.
“I am in charge of the butter.” This quote comes from a story one of my board members told me. It’s about a politician who once bragged relentlessly about everything he was in charge of while attending some dinner. But when he asked a waiter for butter, the waiter wouldn’t give it to him. “I am in charge of the butter,” the waiter said. Which just goes to prove that the guy who seems like he has no power can always block you. So don’t be a jerk.
Get a bookkeeper. When we first began I tried to write all the checks myself and it would take forever. I got a bookkeeper and an accountant. It’s a metaphor: You need to have your house in order to be creative. It’s true for the whole organization, really.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
You’re right, we are just getting started. We plan to bring our newest data platform, Commons, to a large portion of the population. What Commons does is publish recent data people really want alongside policy goals set by local law enforcement and the public they serve. These goals are shared and tracked in service of real transparency and accountability. Which we anticipate will lead to greater demands nationwide for more of same. Which will necessarily lead to better infrastructure, mandates, and legislation to make live data streams just a regular part of how justice gets done in this country. That is the vision.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
Women have to create tracks and then be willing to jump from track to track. I have a large number of women in my organization who are the breadwinners for their families–as spouses or single moms. One woman on my team was writing to me while on a plane to her grandfather’s funeral about a work document, saying she felt better working than not. This is our reality: We multitask more. We love what we do. And trust we will get it all done at the same time.
Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?
I always think about Simple Justice by Richard Kluger. It tells the story of Brown v. Board of Education that saw the US Supreme Court reverse a long-standing precedent of separate but equal held in Plessy v. Ferguson. How did this monumental change occur in such a glacially paced court? The NAACP used data in its early strategies to show separate is not equal–e.g., how much money Black teachers were paid compared to white teachers. This paved the way to Brown and primed the court to rely on data to make its decisions. So that in the end, the Court zeroed in on data from the “the doll tests,” which demonstrated the psychological effects of segregation on African-American children, to make its choice. Incremental change paved the way for lasting change. And all of it hinged on reliable data.
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’m lucky to be able to say, honestly, that the movement Measures for Justice has already started to make the criminal justice system fully transparent, accountable, and accessible stands to change millions of lives over time.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
There is a very famous saying from Pirkei Avot (Ethics of our Fathers): “You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” This incremental approach means that the goal cannot be reached in one generation. Each generation will improve the world as much as it can. Then the mission must be passed on to the next generation, until the goal is reached. It’s arrogant to think otherwise.
How can our readers follow you online?
None of what I do is about me–it’s about the work. So follow us here, here, and here.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Women In Wellness: Dr Angelina Posteovof IBI Healthcare Institute On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Move around as much as you can — walking, taking the stairs rather than the elevator, etc. Set small activity goals for yourself each day and increase your goals as you can
As a part of my series about women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Angelina Posteov.
Dr. Angelina Posteov, MD is a triple-board certified cosmetic surgeon and the founder of Surgicare Arts & Aesthetics and co-founder of IBI Healthcare Institute. She received her undergraduate degree from Ohio State University, attended medical school at Ross University, ranking in the top five percent of her class, and completed her residency at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Angelina and her family reside in the Atlanta, Georgia area.
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 grew up with my family in Russia and then when I was 15 years old we moved to the United States. When we arrived in the US I, like all the other members of my family, did not speak English. It was a major challenge to navigate my way through college and medical school with very limited guidance and the language barrier but I never gave up.
My command of the English language improved as I completed my four years of undergraduate education, four years of medical school, five years of residency in general surgery, and a two-year fellowship.
During that time, I met and married my husband who is also a surgeon. We desired to open a private practice that would allow us to use our skills and knowledge while employing the best techniques, surgeries, or medications to do what was best for the patient.
Often, when working for a hospital or large practice, the options for patient treatment are dictated by an entity such as a board, an administration, or a large insurance company. This can sometimes “tie our hands” as surgeons and doctors and we are unable to treat the patient the way we feel would be best for their situation. As doctors we are not trained to be told what to do, we are trained to heal people and make critical decisions that could be life or death in nature.
We moved to Georgia and opened our practice together where we had the freedom to put patient well-being first.
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 think the way I met my husband and business partner is one of the most interesting stories of my career.
We were both surgical residents at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio but he was a year ahead of me in his residency. I saw him around and knew he was in the program but we were never really in the same proximity to speak or interact.
About halfway through my second year of residency, we began working together in the critical care unit. He was in his third year of residency and the Senior Resident with me being the Junior Resident. One day while running morning rounds, (which is the time when all the residents and students move from room to room and visit each patient to make plans for the day) there was an incident that kind of put him on the map for me.
There was this one guy in the group that was saying something that made absolutely no sense to me. I began to get irritated and eventually I got mad (It usually takes a lot to make me mad but he succeeded to make me mad that morning) I quickly turned around to get away from this guy and at the same time began saying “a few choice words” under my breath in Russian. The only problem with that was I had completely forgotten that the Senior Resident, my now husband, spoke Russian! He busted out laughing!
We continued to have rotations together but we were also both busy with our own responsibilities, he in the operating room and me running the unit. There was a core group of us that would hang out sometimes after work and we were both involved in this group and became friends.
A few years later we began dating, and then we got married and then opened our practice together. I guess long story short, I not only found an appropriate business partner but I also found a husband and a friend.
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?
We have learned many lessons since we first started our practice and we faced many challenges. As doctors and surgeons, we understood medicine and how to navigate large trauma centers, perform surgeries and take care of sick patients. But all of our years in school and experience working with people in the medical field never prepared us to start and run our own business.
Most of our challenges starting out were related to running the business side of things. I think the biggest mistake we made when we were starting is not investing more in the real estate side of the business when prices were much lower. (offices and surgical center locations)
We were both just coming out of residency and we could not afford to purchase exactly what we wanted and of course, everything increased in price and now we are paying for that.
The lesson learned is do not procrastinate. If you think it is the right thing for your business, find investors and continue pushing forward.
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?
Having our own practice, we can treat patients based on what is best for them and are not limited by constraints imposed by a hospital or medical practice. IBI Healthcare Institute consists of a state-of-the-art surgical center, a weight loss/bariatric surgery division, and a cosmetic surgery practice that all work together and can provide patients with an individualized plan and a continuity of patient care not found elsewhere.
For instance, an obese patient may undergo bariatric surgery or a weight loss procedure and lose a significant amount of weight. This loss of weight improves their health and possibly eliminates a weight-related illness they suffered from such as type 2 diabetes. This patient has also received personalized nutrition education, guidance, and support to effectively make lifestyle changes that will help them maintain their health in the future. This patient then passes this mindset and learning experience on to their friends and family who hopefully will live healthier lifestyles.
This same patient, after losing a great deal of weight, may be left with loose sagging skin that can cause medical issues and/or create emotional anxiety. The next step in their continuous plan of care would be to address this excess skin at our Surgicare Arts & Aesthetics division. Cosmetic surgery eliminates the loose skin and the patient is not only pleased with the aesthetic results but the rewarding physical benefits. They can now move around freely; maybe something as simple as playing with their kids on the playground. We continue to support these patients to help them maintain their health and their weight loss indefinitely.
Watching these patients progress and achieve these changes and knowing that we played a small part in helping them get there, makes all of the hard work and hours we put in each day as doctors worth it.
We also have a non-profit organization that helps patients who have no access to medical care, finances, or insurance. By helping these patients and performing what are sometimes life-saving surgeries, we hope they in turn will pay it forward and help someone else. By working together, each doing what we are able to help others, we can make a big difference and it will go a long way in making the world a better place.
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.
Wake up early and make a plan for your day
Practice intermittent fasting
Move around as much as you can — walking, taking the stairs rather than the elevator, etc. Set small activity goals for yourself each day and increase your goals as you can
Be proud of all your achievements big and small
Drink more water
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
As a doctor and a surgeon, I would like to see more responsibility and stricter regulation of ingredients in the food products that are marketed to the American people.
Our Nation’s current obesity epidemic is partly fueled by the increase in additives and unhealthy ingredients that are contained in processed and pre-packaged food. Cancer and other health issues can be directly tied to food additives or the way foods are grown or harvested. The United States has the highest rate of cancer in the world.
The regulations in Europe regarding food additives are much stricter than in the United States and only additives that are proven safe are allowed in Europe. There are also strict regulations regarding genetically modified foods.
Many food additives that are contained in products sold in the United States are illegal in Europe and so companies that sell the same product in both markets alter the ingredients according to the market. The version that is sold in Europe does not include dangerous chemicals, color agents, or artificial flavors. Why are there not the same standards in the United States?
Generally, processed foods are less expensive to buy than whole or healthy foods. Research has proven that obesity levels are elevated among individuals in lower income brackets.
I would like all Americans to have access to healthy foods that are free from dangerous cancer and obesity-causing agents.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
I wish someone had told me about college scholarships. With no guidance and my lack of English, I did not know about scholarships.
I wish someone would have helped me become financially educated. Planning for retirement early, etc.
I wish I would have understood the benefits of securing real estate for the business sooner rather than later.
Take time to take business and/or marketing classes. They will be useful in any field.
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 would have to say mental health, especially the mental health of women, and finding a balance in your life that includes time for yourself.
As women, we feel we have to take care of everyone and everything but we rarely even “pencil in” time for ourselves. Living an unbalanced life full of stress can lead to many serious health conditions including high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and can contribute to obesity.
Be deliberate in scheduling time for yourself. Maybe it is as simple as 10 minutes of yoga every day guided by Youtube or taking a nice peaceful walk.
It may be a challenge at first and you may have to adjust your plan a few times before you find what works for you. Most of us women need to adjust our thinking to prioritize ourselves and our well-being because we are so accustomed to being last.
Taking time to invest in your own wellbeing will help alleviate stress and benefit your health and wellness long-term. It can be the difference between managing through your life and enjoying your life.
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
You can take a look at my cosmetic surgery website www.surgicarearts.com and from there you can find the links to follow me on other social media platforms.
From there you can also learn about the line of skincare products that I have developed and find videos and articles that cover a variety of subjects.
Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.
