Women In Wellness: Dr Jennifer Berman of Womens Wellness Center On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That…

Women In Wellness: Dr Jennifer Berman of Womens Wellness Center On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Being physically active for just 30 minutes a day can have tremendous benefits for your overall health. Not only does exercise help to improve your cardiovascular health and reduce your risk of chronic diseases, but it also boosts your mood and helps you to sleep better at night.

As a part of my series about women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Jennifer Berman of Womens Wellness Center.

Dr. Berman founded and created The Berman Women’s Wellness Center in Beverly Hills as a comprehensive, multidisciplinary State of the Art Center dedicated solely to women and wellness. Today, Dr. Berman focuses on her patients in the Center and continues to serve as a recurring expert for the media.

She is featured regularly on The Dr. Phil Show, The Today Show and Good Morning America and co-hosted the CBS Emmy award-winning television show, The Doctors as well as Discovery Health’s TV Guide award-winning show, Berman & Berman. Dr. Berman is not only a credible and relatable authority in the field of female sexual and menopausal health, but her message, commitment, voice and vision are impacting women across all generations and creating positive change for women and girls today.

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

I am a Urologist, researcher, and television personality. I have been working in the field of sexual health for over 25 years. I started my career at UCLA, studying human sexuality. I quickly realized that there was a lot of taboo surrounding the topic of sex, and I decided to use my platform to start discussions about controversial topics in an effort to educate and make a difference. I believe that open dialogue is essential to normalizing these discussions and making progress. Over the years, I have gained a large following, and I use my platform to continue the conversation about sexual health. I am committed to helping both men and women live their best lives by providing accurate information and promoting open dialogue.

I am passionate about empowering women to take control of their sexual and reproductive health. This commitment is evident in everything I do — from being featured on award-winning television shows to speaking with patients every day. My voice and vision are making a positive impact on women across all generations, and I am proud to be leading the charge for change. To further serve men and women, I started my own company and practice. I am excited to create a space that treats various needs and expand my services to all. I am excited to change the conversation around female sexual and menopausal health — one patient at a time. In addition to traditional medical services, my company provides patient education, support groups, and other resources to help women feel informed and empowered about their health. I am committed to creating a safe and welcoming space for all patients, regardless of their age, race, or gender identity. By providing comprehensive care and services, I hope to help more women feel confident and comfortable discussing their sexual and reproductive health needs.

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?

Being a female in a male dominated industry can be extremely intimidating and creates an additional layer of doubt. Not only am I a women in this industry I am also talking about taboo topics that most men are too afraid to talk about, this caused many people to want to silence my practice but I remained confident in what I was doing for women in relation to sexual health and menopause. I have been able to connect with various companies such as Bio-Te, BTL Aesthetics and Inmode Aesthetics to offer the best technology and greatest results to my patients.

I find it interesting how the conversations of sexual health are changing and I am excited for what is to come. Not only sexual health treatments but also technological advances that help with urinary incontinence, weightloss and body contouring. These changes help make people’s lives better and give them back a sense of control. It is my goal to help as many women as possible feel comfortable in their own skin and love themselves at any age. We all deserve to feel beautiful, sexy and confident no matter what our age is!

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

When I first started my medical practice, I made the mistake of underestimating the popularity of my treatments and having a small team for a large number of patients. In order to deal with this, I spent time investing in my team, the best nurses and patient coordinators. I also spent a lot of time and effort investing in marketing, from social media to interviews/podcasts to traditional marketing efforts. As a result of these investments, my practice has grown significantly and I am now able to provide the best possible care to my patients. My advice for anyone starting a medical practice is to invest in your team and marketing from the start, so that you can build a successful practice that meets the needs of your patients.

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. Being physically active for just 30 minutes a day can have tremendous benefits for your overall health. Not only does exercise help to improve your cardiovascular health and reduce your risk of chronic diseases, but it also boosts your mood and helps you to sleep better at night.
  2. Drinking plenty of water is another simple lifestyle change that can have a profound impact on your health. Water helps to flush out toxins, carry nutrients to your cells, and keep your body hydrated and functioning properly.
  3. Taking time out of your busy day to relax and de-stress is important for maintaining your mental health. Whether you enjoy reading, listening to music, or spending time in nature, make sure to schedule some time each day to unwind.
  4. Routine check-ups with your doctor are essential for catching potential health problems early on. By making small changes to your lifestyle, you can journey towards wellbeing and live a healthier life.
  5. It’s important to listen to your body. If you’re feeling run down or under the weather, take a rest. Don’t push yourself harder than you need to.

These 5 lifestyle tweaks are just a few small steps on the long road to wellbeing, but they are important ones nonetheless.

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

In my practice, I see patients of all genders struggling with a wide range of issues related to sexual health. I feel privileged to be able to help my patients navigate these difficult conversations and find solutions that work for them. My hope is that by continuing to start these conversations, we can break down the stigma surrounding sexual health and make progress towards a more open and inclusive society.

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

As a young doctor, there are many things that I wish someone had told me before I started my career.

One of the most important things is to invest in your team. A good team will be essential to your success, and it is important to find people that you can trust.

Another thing that I wish I had known is to invest in marketing, both digital and traditional. Marketing is crucial for building a successful practice, and it is important to reach as many potential patients as possible. Additionally, I wish I had known the importance of creating relationships with patients that will last throughout your career. These relationships are essential for providing quality care, and they can also be a source of referrals.

I also wish someone had told me to persevere through taboo topics. There are many taboo topics in medicine, but it is important to discuss them openly in order to provide the best care possible.

Finally, do not limit yourself when it comes to technology. There will be many advances in medical technology and you need to be able to adapt to change.

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 something that is often overlooked, but it is so important. Your mental health affects everything from your mood to your physical health. If you’re not mentally healthy, it can be very difficult to live a happy and fulfilling life. I’ve seen firsthand how mental health issues can Affect people’s lives, and that’s why I’m so passionate about helping people to improve their mental health. I believe that everyone deserves to feel good on the inside so that they can look and feel their best on the outside. I treat each of my patients with compassion and understanding, and I take the time to get to know them so that I can help them in the best way possible. If you’re struggling with your mental health, I encourage you to seek help. There are many resources available, and you don’t have to go through this alone. With the right help, you can improve your mental health and live the life you deserve.

What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?

You can follow me on my instagram @jenbermanmd

Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.


Women In Wellness: Dr Jennifer Berman of Womens Wellness Center 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.

Female Disruptors: Tristan Thibodeau of Wild Womn Haus On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up…

Female Disruptors: Tristan Thibodeau of Wild Womn Haus On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

“Slow down to speed up” — Your best ideas come when you are still. Whenever you feel “stuck” or ‘stagnant,” slow down your mind to receive the clarity and creativity that you need to catapult you forward.

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

Tristan Thibodeau is a sought-after Brand Strategist and fierce CEO behind the leading brand and marketing agency Wild Womn Haus. In 2021, Thibodeau burst onto the scene with her intuitive approach to brand-building, garnering her the recognition of thousands of online entrepreneurs. Since then, she’s used her signature 8-step strategy to support the growth of high-profile brands such as beauty educator and TikTok Influencer Megan Lavallie and national cosmetic company Sedona Lace.

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?

The short story is that I became an entrepreneur to avoid being an employee. Anytime that I felt I was being limited by an organization’s hierarchy, I would immediately rebel.

The long story is that I have always felt an inner calling to create a meaningful impact in the world. Knowing this about myself, I became my own boss in 2016 when I opened my first business at the age of 23. From then on, I was hooked by the creative and financial freedom that entrepreneurship provided me.

I’ve since scaled businesses and pivoted specialties, ideal clients, price points, and even entire industries as I searched for a career that would fulfill my need for greater impact. Then, the pandemic happened. And like many of us, my need for fulfillment hit critical mass and I was forced into a period of deep self-reflection.

While half-panicking about my next steps and half-lit up by the excitement of all that was possible, I had time to evaluate how my knowledge, talents, and skills could collide in a single profession. Little did I know that this period of self-reflection would develop into a key piece of the signature brand-building process that I use with my clients today.

Within a few weeks, I discovered my edge. I had a talent for positioning, storytelling, and community-building, and was a natural creative. All of which are the pillars of brand-building and marketing.

Fast-forward through thousands of hours of self-education, mentorship, and of course, imperfect action, I created my signature 8-step process for brand development. And in February of 2022, I launched the Wild Womn Haus agency where my team and I use this process to help female-founded brands push beyond what they believe is possible for their businesses.

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

In today’s world of trends, carbon copies, filters, and overly-hyped content, being an industry “rebel” is an asset. Unfortunately, very few people know how to extract and amplify the magic that these disruptors bring to the table.

Our society may claim that they “love a good rebel”, but the reality is that when presented with a true visionary, most people get intimidated and try to control what they don’t understand. However, the work that I do as a brand strategist is quite the opposite. I lean into the boldness that innovators bring to the table, because I know they probably haven’t received the support they need to make their impact.

Therefore, I take a radically different approach to brand-building than most strategists. I’m not interested in helping you “look like that brand you’re obsessed with on TikTok or Instagram.” If you want to recreate what’s already been done in your industry, I’m not your girl.

The value I offer as a brand strategist revolves around identifying your unique edge. I want to discover what you have that no one else can replicate because it is intrinsic to who you are as a leader. Then, I help you package your “it factor” into a brand that drives your business forward and helps you reach your goals. Because let’s be honest, if you’re in my world you probably have some pretty epic ones, right?

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

Let me preface by saying that I’m a Gemini, and I tend to be a little airy and clumsy at times. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to make a guest appearance on live television where I was asked to do a demo for the station’s “healthy lifestyle” segment. Through the nerves and excitement, I got a little tongue-tied and fumbled my words. I laughed it off and made a joke to the newscaster, but I was still extremely embarrassed. It was definitely one of those, “welp, guess I flubbed that incredible experience” moments.

But after my friends and family had the opportunity to give me their feedback, I realized that not a single person mentioned my slip-up. It was almost as if they didn’t even notice! This made me realize that we are always going to be our worst critics and instead of focusing on what we did wrong, we get to celebrate ourselves for our courage! It’s also healthy to laugh at yourself and enjoy the adrenaline of trying something new!

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 had very few official mentors in my career as an entrepreneur. But what I can say is that I have dozens of friends who are also female business owners that always step in as my mentor when I need support.

I’ve learned countless leadership lessons from these women, but one story that stands out goes back to 2015 when I was going through a rough patch with my mental and physical health. After sharing my struggles with a friend, she invited me to a women’s retreat where I experienced what true “sisterhood” felt like. That may sound cliché, but it’s true!

I learned to open up and share my challenges with other women and in doing so, realized that community is absolutely essential to creating success and fulfillment in all areas of life.

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?

I love this question because it highlights an important distinction between “creating change” VS “creating noise”.

For example, Lady Gaga’s brand “Haus Laboratories” shakes up the status quo with a story about celebrating our differences and using makeup to emphasize what makes us unique. In an industry fueled by trends, Gaga compels her audience to be disruptive and use her products to define for themselves what beauty looks like.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, there are many personal brands (let’s not name names) in the beauty space that use their celebrity to spew drama and chaos. In effect, their content is still technically causing disruption by making headlines in tabloids and social media. However, this type of disruption only adds to the noise of the online space and denigrates the integrity of the beauty industry as a whole.

At the end of the day, the value of being an industry disruptor will be reflected in the maturity, ethics, awareness, and intentions of the brand at play. Disruption is a beautiful way to create change, but without intentionality, can easily become pointless noise.

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

“Slow down to speed up”

– Your best ideas come when you are still. Whenever you feel “stuck” or ‘stagnant,” slow down your mind to receive the clarity and creativity that you need to catapult you forward.

“Get your hands dirty”

– The more willing you are to fall down, the more likely you are to succeed. So, experiment with life. Try new things. Explore. Meet new people.

“What story are you telling yourself?”

– Nothing in life is inherently true, and the stories we tell ourselves create our reality. Make sure that you are telling yourself empowering stories.

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

Well, what’s the fun in serving all the tea the second you sit down at the table?

In all seriousness, my work is ever-evolving. I am always finding new and exciting ways to shake things up.

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

I recently went through the journey of choosing motherhood or choosing to be childless. Because of the mass implications on practically every area of my life, this decision was (hands down) the hardest choice I have ever had to make.

I read books, listened to podcasts, prayed, and talked to practically every woman I knew who was a mother, as well as the women who chose a child-free life. What I experienced was a slew of comments such as “a baby will make you just as happy as a career”, or “you’re definitely going to regret not having kids”.

Well, what if I know in my heart of hearts that the life of a mother isn’t for me? Does that make me broken or under-developed? This is a special form of guilt and shame that women disruptors carry that I don’t believe men have to experience.

Women’s reproductive bodies have been policed for ages, and the biggest challenge women disruptors face is the cultural expectation to set aside their goals and ambitions in order to give birth.

Through grappling with the guilt and shame, I’ve learned to powerfully claim the life that I want for myself. My work lights my entire soul on fire, and I am perfectly happy if the life that I birth into the world are brands that uplift everyone they touch.

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

Honestly, anything by Marty Neumeier and Seth Godin. I absolutely love the way Godin’s marketing brain works, and how Neumeier makes branding so intuitive. Some of my favorite titles from these two are “This is Marketing” by Godin, and “Scramble” by Neumeier.

I also absolutely love books on wealth consciousness and money mindset. Learning to live in a state of abundance has transformed my entire life. Some classics would be “A Happy Pocket Full of Money” by Gikandi.

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’d petition for a culture that rewards self-expression, individuality, and community. This may be the hippy/bi-sexual/rebel in me, but there is nothing more beautiful than a person who is proud to be unique. My movement would inspire a culture of celebration, and an environment where creativity was more heavily rewarded.

I also want to inspire a movement that brings the siesta to America. Because I think we all need more sleep, right?

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

“Be a woman of confidence, not cockiness. Know your boundaries, and set no limits. Speak your kindness and turn your back to conformed groups. The only way to be a woman of change in this world is to walk what you talk and set your own soul free first.”

  • Nikki Rowe

Whenever I read this quote, it reminds me that I have to go first if I want change to happen. In love, in life, in business, I get the honor to go first and create the first ripple.

How can our readers follow you online?

To learn more about the Wild Womn Haus agency, our brand and marketing services, as well as dozens of free resources for building your brand, head to wildwomnhaus.com.

I also love to connect with fellow wild womn entrepreneurs on social media, so you can find me on Instagram and TikTok @tristan.wildwomnhaus!

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


Female Disruptors: Tristan Thibodeau of Wild Womn Haus On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Disruptors: Jenny Alberti of Introvert On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your…

Female Disruptors: Jenny Alberti of Introvert On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Fail fast and often. Fear of failure has plagued me my whole life. I’ve been afraid of what failure means to me. During my entrepreneurial journey I have come to the understanding that failure is a necessary component of success. I had many failed launches and ideas that didn’t work out. Each failure brought with it data to analyze and with that data, I was able to refine and iterate. Failing often also eliminated options so the direction I was meant to go became more clear. You are always one step closer to a big success with each failure that you come across.

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

Jenny is the CEO of Introvert, She Wrote Publishing and co-founder of the Women Writing Intentionally Collective. After fulfilling her childhood dream of publishing a book, becoming a 2x International bestselling author was the icing on the cake. As an Introvert, Jenny found that the marketing strategies dominating the online entrepreneurial space were challenging and a barrier to success. She believes that remaining in alignment with and celebrating who we are at our core is essential to fulfillment in business and life. It is her predominant intent to help amplify the voices of all women who are here to make an epic impact on the world.

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 almost walked away from my business and my dreams. In 2021, I had a meeting with my mastermind coach that forever changed the trajectory of my business and my life.

In that meeting, I expressed how frustrated I was at the lack of success I was having acquiring new clients for my coaching business. He asked if I was using the program’s script and following the strategy of sending 100 cold direct messages on social media. When I explained no and that I couldn’t do that because it wasn’t in alignment with who I was, he said 7 impactful words. Those words were “Maybe you should rethink being a coach”. I closed my laptop, folded my arms on top of it, laid my head down and started sobbing. It felt like the whole world just collapsed into a dark abyss and my dreams went down with it.

As an introvert, it wasn’t just that it was draining for me to start and carry-on conversations at that rapid rate, but also, I was using a script provided in the program. A script that hundreds of other coaches who joined the mastermind used. The thought of me sending a script to hundreds of people each week made me want to jump out of my skin. Authenticity is important to me. It is one of my core values and this method of “prospecting” gave me anxiety.

For nearly an hour my body lay motionless on top of my laptop, even though my mind was moving at a rapid pace all over the place. I started planning what to say to my most recent boss to get my job back and I wondered how I would begin to explain to my partner that I just wasn’t cut out to be an entrepreneur. I thought about all of the money I invested and the bills that were accumulating. I asked myself “What is wrong with you, why can’t you just do what they tell you to do!?” This was rock bottom on my entrepreneurial journey.

But as my head rested on top of my laptop and the tears continued to fall, I decided I must advocate for every other introverted female entrepreneur that may quit because the marketing strategies and tactics taught to them aren’t in alignment with who they are.

A few months later, I contributed to my first multi-author book and leveraged it to grow my coaching business. I quickly recognized that it had never been easier to find clients and I didn’t have to do any of the strategies that made me feel anxious and uncomfortable. I knew that becoming a published author could bring success to women who want to build an impactful business but don’t want to betray who they are to do so.

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

For generations society has favored the extroverted personality. We have been led to believe that the most successful people are those who are loud, talkative, and enjoy the spotlight. The marketing strategies being taught to online entrepreneurs follow the same belief. We are changing how people view marketing their business. By removing the narrative of gregarious means successful and emboldening women to embrace their unique traits, we are disrupting the online marketing industry and providing a platform for the quieter, more reserved entrepreneurs to get massive visibility on their terms. Simply put, we are helping visionary women become published authors and leverage their books to grow their businesses in a way that feels good. Introvert, She Wrote Publishing is launching a multi-author book September 23rd, 2022 titled Quiet & Badass: Visionary Women Embracing Their Uniqueness To Create Epic Impact.

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?

Looking back on my first business, I started a digital marketing business for boutique fitness studios because I bought an online course and the advice was: “Go where the money is, not where your passion is”. I wanted out of my regular 9–5 career, which was in boutique fitness. I literally started my own business doing the same thing I wanted to get away from! I had the business 7 months before I shut it down to pursue my passions.

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

I have had the privilege of being part of many great coaching programs and blessed to have many brilliant individuals contribute to my growth on this journey. From accountability partners that bloomed into trusted friendships, to incredible clients in which I had the honor of learning their genius, people have mentored me without them even knowing it. I consider myself very lucky to constantly have people around me who encourage me to become the next best version of myself.

That said, I would be remiss if I did not mention one of the biggest sources of guidance & support for me, my co-founder in the Women Writing Intentionally Collective, Tracey Rampling Brown. Tracey and I first bonded over shared experiences and wanting to provide better solutions for women in the Indie publishing industry. I will never forget the first call I ever had with her. She provided me with so many revelations. I remember getting off the call and thinking “Wow! I should have paid her for that”. We have since developed a strong relationship where we provide each other with honest feedback and challenge each other frequently. Opposite sides of the same coin, we are continuously helping each other evolve, thus our vision for what is possible continues to evolve.

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

When the status quo is keeping people from advancing. I believe that disrupting an industry is positive. For example, the changes we are seeing in the publishing industry, less relying on traditional publishing houses and more Indie publishers and people self publishing allows more stories to be out in the world. Traditional publishing houses have been the gatekeeper for a long time. They tell people what stories are and are not worthy, and take a lot of the creativity out of the hands of the creatives. Gone are the days of needing to be picked up by a traditional publishing company in order to become a published author, and this is a disruption that I believe is positive.

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. Run your own race. When I first pivoted my business from digital marketing to coaching women, I joined a mastermind. I quickly took note of all the other female coaches that were in the program with me, how long they had their business and how successful I perceived them as. It was on a coaching call that someone else said to our coach, “I see everyone else in this program sharing all their wins, and I feel like I am behind”. The coach said to him, “Run your own race, don’t look left and right. It doesn’t matter where anyone else is at because they are running a different race than you. You are the only one running your race, no one else.” I’ll never forget it, because it felt like he was speaking right to me even though I wasn’t the one who brought it up on the call. This interaction completely changed my perspective. I realized I don’t know everyone’s unique situation to even think to compare where I am to where they are. I have held that bit of advice close to me on my journey and have even shared this story with clients who’ve needed it.

2. If you wait until it’s perfect, you waited too long. A common personality trait of an introvert is wanting things to be just right. No, Perfect! I have learned that if you wait to get things perfect before putting them out into the world, it means you have missed out on opportunities. Nothing should ever be perfect the first time, done will beat perfect every single time. You could miss out on connections, money, and valuable feedback and even worse, maybe you never take action at all because you were waiting for it to be perfect first.

3. Fail fast and often. Fear of failure has plagued me my whole life. I’ve been afraid of what failure means to me. During my entrepreneurial journey I have come to the understanding that failure is a necessary component of success. I had many failed launches and ideas that didn’t work out. Each failure brought with it data to analyze and with that data, I was able to refine and iterate. Failing often also eliminated options so the direction I was meant to go became more clear. You are always one step closer to a big success with each failure that you come across.

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

Many of the secrets to success in the publishing industry are being kept secret by gatekeepers who provide the what, but not the how to their own authors. The Women Writing Intentionally Collective is committed to providing community members with all of the secrets that will empower them to write, publish and monetize their books. We are not afraid of sharing what we know and bringing in experts to provide even more support.

We are creating a safe platform for women to share their stories, knowledge and truth without fear of judgment, criticism, or betrayal. By coming together in the genuine spirit of collaboration, we provide opportunities for growth, healing and transformation that benefits ALL women, authors and readers alike.

We are choosing collaboration over competition. The more women we can help publish their books whether they publish with us, other publishers or on their own, the better off the world will be.

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

Disruptors have big visions for themselve, for others, and for the world. Being visible is a massive and necessary component in being able to create real change and shake up the status quo. Unfortunately, most women have a fear of visibility, and for good reason. Fear and trauma has been imprinted in our generational DNA.

Think about it, what have we seen happen to women who have stood up, been visible, and spoken their truth? Historically, they have been punished, humiliated, and physically harmed. Being seen, heard, visible and disrupting industries is quite literally something that women are not supposed to do. I can’t possibly think of any bigger challenge for women than having to heal and overcome this fear.

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

Susan Cain’s, Quiet, made everything about my introverted personality make sense. I felt seen and understood. I finally knew for a fact that there was nothing wrong with me. I was just introverted. Her stories were similar to my own and resonated deeply. Often while reading I found myself resting the book on my lap as memories popped into my head of times in my life when someone was questioning why I was being quiet, or telling me I wasn’t assertive enough. It felt like at the completion of each chapter, I was awarded a puzzle piece that brought so much clarity to the experiences I had in life and why I had them. Until reading this book, I saw being introverted as a disadvantage. That perspective flipped when I read Cain’s, Manifesto For Introverts. The last line of the manifesto is a quote by Mahatma Gandhi, “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”. I credit this book with giving me the permission to simply be myself and the confidence to contribute what I am meant to contribute to the world.

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. 🙂

There is so much shame around women making money for their gifts. I would love there to be a movement centered around women making lots of money from their writing. So often I hear a gifted female writer say that “The money isn’t important, it’s how many people are impacted that matters”. While impact is absolutely important, I don’t want to continue to see women settle for not making money as if that is how it should be. No, you should share your gift of writing with the world- uplift, inspire and also make loads of money from it. I would love to remove the shame, normalize and celebrate women writers of all kinds making money. We need more support in general for women writers.

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

A couple of years ago my mom and I started reading and listening to Abraham Hicks. As a matter of fact we still text each other links to videos that seem to be helpful and timely. There is a particular quote that instantly felt important, for both me and my mom, “You can’t get there from here.”.

We tend to focus our attention and energy on what we don’t want in our life and wonder when we are going to have the things we do want instead. The reason we aren’t seeing the things we want is because we can’t focus on the people, things, and situations we don’t want and expect the things that we do want to show up. I remember this quote any time I catch myself giving energy to the things I do not want in my life. This quote recalibrates my energy so that I can shift back into focusing on what I want and align my thoughts with them.

Having this quote in my back pocket has helped me course correct as needed throughout my personal and entrepreneurial journey. It reminds me to keep my eye on the prize.

How can our readers follow you online?

Instagram: www.instagram.com/_jennyalberti/

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenwritingintentionally

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


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

Female Founders: Lee Rubin Of Confetti On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman…

Female Founders: Lee Rubin Of Confetti On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Everything is going to be much harder than you anticipate it to be, so be prepared to see this journey not just as a professional one, but as one that will challenge you mentally, spiritually, emotionally, physically, etc.

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

Lee Rubin is the co-founder and CEO at Confetti. Lee is a visionary culture leader with a decade of experience in B2B sales. She’s one of the world’s experts on remote event planning. Under her leadership, Confetti scaled from $0 to $12m in annual revenue within 2 years using only $2.5m in funding. She leads a team of 60 people who support a customer base of over 4,000 unique paying companies. On Confetti you can discover, plan and book experiences that improve culture — anything from team building and wellness to soft-skill development workshops and DE&I programs. Her hope is that Confetti not only offers a place for people to easily and quickly book these experiences, but to be a vehicle that changes the relationship people have with their jobs and the people we work with by making it more meaningful.

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 wanted to be an entrepreneur from a very young age. There seems to be no shortage of problems that this world needs us to solve and I knew I just needed to find one of them to ‘call my own’.

When I was part of the team at ZocDoc I saw how much money the company was investing in culture. The problem was that events are really complicated to plan and often the responsibility is left on one random person’s shoulders. The team found it super time consuming to come up with ideas and start reaching out to unresponsive vendors. They usually resorted to going to the bar which wasn’t really building strong, professional and authentic relationships with one another.

Eventually I thought “It would be really cool if there was one website that helped you find these activities to do with your team and book it really easily”. I left ZocDoc and did just that. I built a cute little website at first on Wix.com that had a variety of team building activities. Confetti started for the in-person world, pre-COVID so most of our experiences took place inside the offices of our customers.

At the time we had everything from in-office portable laser tag to puppy parties. I started networking and helping dozens of companies put together fun experiences. But shortly into my new career I realized something that is now core to our DNA — If I let any vendor advertise on the website some are going to be good and some are not going to be great. And for experiences that are less than amazing, it’s a waste of an opportunity to truly connect your team with one another (a privilege we take very seriously).

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

The best thing in terms of building this company was finding my co-founder, Eyal Hakim.

When you’re building a company at a very young age, or at any age if you’re doing it for the first time, you don’t know what the right answer is for the challenges that you are dealing with. You don’t know what you don’t know. When I first started Confetti, the bad advice I heeded was that your equity and the ownership you have within the company should be guarded with your life. I took that advice seriously and tried to build Confetti using external developers for essentially the first two years. And after pouring my life savings into it, I realized I was getting nowhere. I didn’t know how to build a tech company myself and I knew I needed to find a technical co-founder.

I interviewed over 100 people before I found Eyal. By the time that we had met, I had about five different potential co-founders that I was actively at the finish line with. They had finished their assignments and we had conducted several interviews. Then I met Eyal and I really liked him from day one. He said that he had another offer on the table himself and that he needed us to make a decision potentially within the next three days, which I thought was super tight to shake hands with someone you barely know. So, we spent a lot of time together over those three days and I finally felt comfortable. Largely driven by our seamless communication. I did have these other prospects that I spent more time with, but I weirdly didn’t have as much confidence as I did with Eyal. We negotiated the terms of our partnership and shook hands in his car and five years later, we are still co-founders. It’s an important story for people to know because he is my second half in this company and I wouldn’t want to do this journey with anyone else. Not many people know this, but the biggest reason why companies fail is co-founder blow-ups. Not competition. Not a lack of funding. But ultimately the people that you’re working with are not getting along.

I’m so glad that I interviewed so many people during my process that once I met Eyal, it was easy to know and feel that this was the right decision.

Ok ok and sprinkle a bit of luck 🙂

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?

It has to be a time from the Confetti stone ages. We’ll call it Before Eyal, or BE. I was working with a freelance developer. I had no idea how to even communicate my ideas to him. When I was waiting for updates, he would tell me that the code is being deployed. Every time I spoke to him he would tell me that “the code is still being deployed.” I had no idea what he meant when he’d tell me this, yet it was almost all he’d ever say to me.I was thinking there was a heavy amount of data and software that needed to be downloaded and that it takes forever and he was just stringing me along and I never got a finished product from him. That’s also when I decided I really needed a true partner. It wasn’t until Eyal joined me that I fully understood what this meant. Now I know- thanks to Eyal- that Confetti’s code is deployed in just about 5 minutes today. If I’d tried to accomplish what Eyal and I have done in regards to our platform’s sophistication with any of the freelance developers I’d worked with previously, I’d still be waiting for the code to be deployed.

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?

There are two people. One of them is a guy called Jonathan Messika, who is the Vice President of Product at Promo.com. He was the first person that I ever really shared the idea of Confetti with and that I wanted to be an entrepreneur. He just said “you should go for it”. He was an entrepreneur at the time too. It’s easier said than done, but he pushed me, encouraged me and was there for me every step of the way. He answered all of my questions; he eased many of my fears. He let me work out of his office for a long time without collecting any rent from me, paying for one too many lunches along the way and I’m forever indebted to him for all his help during those transformative first few years.

The other person is Itamar Mula who is co-founder at a company called Acumen. He helped me as a technical adviser reviewing the resumes of the many people that were interviewing for that co-founder position. He reviewed the codes from the assigners (including Eyal’s!) and was a sounding board for all my complaints and worries. I’m forever grateful for him too. He was such an integral part in me getting to Eyal and confirming that he was the right person for me. I’ll also share that when Eyal and I met over those first few months of getting to know each other, I had trust issues. We went to work together at Itamar’s house. He told me that I needed to trust my partner and having that sit down conversation was the day that I decided to put the bad advice I’d been given previously aside. It’s served me super well to give out that trust.

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 have mixed feelings on this question, and the broader conversation that it stems from.

On the one hand, in my own experience as an entrepreneur in the tech industry, it seems pretty apparent that there is still a poor representation of females not only in my position, but in positions of influence within startups or the gatekeepers that breathe life into ideas like Confetti through investment. I know that it’s something close to ¾ of all VC firms don’t have a female partner and female founders still receive less than 3% of venture capital investments. It’s puzzling to me. Especially when you consider the research done at Harvard that shows VC firms with more female hires have been able to see 10% more profitable exits for their portfolio companies.

But I think often when we have these conversations, we lose the forest for the trees a bit. I’m definitely guilty of it. I battle with the idea of whether we will see the boy’s club dynamic that’s so common across a vast majority of society ever be dismantled. However, it’s undeniable to dismiss that there’s been significant progress in what women as a whole, across multiple generations, have been able to accomplish. One of the many crazy stats I remember hearing during the pandemic was that women accounted for 60% of all college students by the end of 2021. In the same way I think we shouldn’t accept a lack of equality as zero progress, I think so many of the steps forward taken by women will bear exponential fruit in the future. I think secondary education is a great predictor of the roles women will hold in society in the future. I don’t think it’s my job, or any other woman’s job to achieve equality for all women before we die. But I think I feel some type of responsibility to push the rock a little bit further up the hill.

I also struggle with my own interpretation of what equality means or looks like for women. As a woman, there’s parts of me that wants to be seen and treated no differently than my male counterparts. On the other hand, we’re not the same, and therefore not equal and never will be. So why should we be trying to construct a system that will treat women like men? I don’t think the answer to how to treat working women who want to be working mothers is to disenfranchise them. But I do think there needs to be an acknowledgement of the mental, physical, and emotional tole that women go through when becoming a mother. After so many years of a broken system, I wouldn’t mind seeing an overcorrection for how we treat our working moms.

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 be comfortable having really deep conversations with those founders and the people you want to do business with and support them. I think that we need to do a better job not just optimizing for money — our time and life is such an incredible currency and such a scarce resource, we should lead with empathy and humanity in business.

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 some of the biggest headwinds women face within the traditional corporate career track are dealt with head on when we choose the entrepreneur route. You hear so many stories from women (young and old) that harp on not feeling heard in a meeting, or having credit taken for something they developed. As a founder, you are placing yourself in a position where the trajectory of the entire company is a result of your ideas and intuition. That’s a really rewarding feeling and the empowerment that comes with it is something that I think is unique in building your own business. I think there’s a level of pride that is only reached when you’ve taken a situation into your own hands. But at the end of the day, I think these struggles are something that anybody might face, regardless of gender.

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

There are lots of misconceptions out there revolving around starting your own business. And clearing up these misconceptions isn’t easy, especially when the make-6-figures-in-30-days influencers romanticize the life of “being your own boss” to sell their class.

So many people try to sell entrepreneurship as a get-rich-quick scheme and money talks. And, honestly, it’s easy to believe if you’re only focusing on the financial success stories, like Steve Jobs or Bill Gates. Most startups aren’t profitable for many many years. The initial cash flow coming in isn’t (and shouldn’t) go into your pocket. It goes back into the business.

But successful entrepreneurs aren’t in it just for the money; they’re in it to create something special.

Starting a company exposes you to challenges you’ve never faced and roles you may not have experience in, like accounting or marketing. You’re suddenly the CEO, accountant, recruiter, HR and developer all at the same time. You’re conducting market research, creating investor pitches, finding customers, and networking your butt off.

If that’s not what you anticipate, you’re on a fast track for disappointment.

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 everyone is cut out to be a founder and some people go into entrepreneurship for the wrong reasons. Even founders who made the jump question whether it was the right decision and deal with pretty paralyzing mental health issues and deep imposter syndrome. It’s not easy at all.

I think to succeed though you need to develop a deep connection to the impact that you want to make and there needs to be a fuel that keeps you going that isn’t just purely based on money. You need to be agile, you need to be willing to change yourself, to listen and you need to be a true leader that can inspire change in other people. Most people hate and avoid change — you simply can’t be that kind of person as a founder.

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.)

Everything is going to be much harder than you anticipate it to be, so be prepared to see this journey not just as a professional one, but as one that will challenge you mentally, spiritually, emotionally, physically, etc.

You’re going to have a million good ideas in your life, stay extremely focused on building that “one thing” very well and look at each project as something that should contribute to making that one thing move forward and be careful of distractions.

Surround yourself with good people. Because this journey is already hard AF and it sucks to work with @$$holes. If they don’t align with your values, don’t work with them.

Any C-Suite person should be good enough to be the CEO of your company. You should be able to trust them with their departments fully, but also be smart, flexible and capable enough to run the entire company. Ask yourself, if they were the CEO would you join their startup?

The most complex part of this journey is working with other people. We’re all so complex and different, yet we’re all so similar…So become exceptional at managing, leading, inspiring, etc.

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

So many people look forward to Fridays and dread Mondays, and that’s such a terrible way to live. A lot of people don’t like their jobs and Confetti wants to change the relationship that people have with their jobs. We want to help companies create deeper meaning between the people colleagues and improve the work that they’re doing. If people like their team members, they communicate better — and if people enjoy their time together they’ll succeed more and solve problems better, faster.

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.

There are so many things that this world needs right now, whether it’s work that goes towards the climate change crisis or providing more clean water and food to those who are starving.

There are, however, only certain things that I can do within my control and if I can inspire a movement that can bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, it’s improving the relationship that people have with their co-workers and their jobs. I choose to believe that the consciousness of the planet will improve as a result.

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 had to choose one, it would be Brené Brown who has a podcast ‘Dare to Lead’ which I follow religiously. She talks about many of the things that are missing from the workplace and guests include genuine culture shifters that are building a more just world and that requires very daring leadership. I think she just checks all the boxes in terms of what this world needs right now.

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


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

Modern Fashion: Sean Coutts of Pas Une Marque On The 5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion

Modern Fashion: Sean Coutts of Pas Une Marque On The 5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion Brand Today

An Interview With Candice Georgiadice

You must know why you are taking this route. Selling clothing & making money is just no longer enough. Being successful in the fashion industry requires making a product that speaks to its why and leaves customers with a feeling that is intangible.

Many in the fashion industry have been making huge pivots in their business models. Many have turned away from the fast fashion trend. Many have been focusing on fashion that also makes a social impact. Many have turned to sustainable and ethical sourcing. Many have turned to hi tech manufacturing. Many have turned to subscription models. What are the other trends that we will see in the fashion industry? What does it take to lead a successful fashion brand today?

In our series called, “5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion Brand Today” we are talking to successful leaders of fashion brands who can talk about the Future of Fashion and the 5 things it takes to lead a successful fashion brand in our “new normal.”

As a part of this series I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Sean Coutts of Pas Une Marque.

Pas Une Marque or PUM as they are often referred to uses traditional French inspired tailoring techniques in their street wear garments, this enables them to offer pieces that you can wear throughout the day and into those long nights boasting durability in stylish wear. Pas Une Marque’s say’s its aesthetic, ‘Is a fusion between lux and street wear, a perfect equilibrium of comfort and elegance. Pas Une Marque re-interprets timeless environments of a luxurious midnight in Paris or a romance sparked in the Metropolitan’ and if you take a look at the pieces this brand stocks you can see this definition come to life. There is something special about this brand, you can see the quality in the designs as well as the fabrics and this is how you separate your self from the rest to join that small group of elite brands.

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 childhood “backstory”?

I was born in Miami, Florida and have lived there for 11 years, then I moved to Lima, Peru where I have lived another 9 years.

Can you tell us the story about what led you to this career path?

Since moving to the United Kingdom for University I had a huge cultural shock especially to the way fashion was praised and worn. This inspired me to begin consuming fashion pieces and worrying more about my own personal style. Since then, I have developed a particular interest in fashion, and always found it something particularly special.

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

The most interesting story is when we had our first ‘campaign’. Back then, I used to travel with a couple of samples in my luggage but our pieces where very basic and generic, with our logo slapped on. We managed to connect with a well-known club promoter in Miami and he told us to come out to the club. There he told us how much he liked the brand and that he knew a lot of cool places to shoot in Miami. He said: I’ll help you guys out, but under one condition — If I’m the model. So, of course we went ahead and to our surprise we found out he was super close to the owner of the Versace Mansion (a cultural heritage site, and Gianni Versace’s former home). Next thing we knew, we were pulling up at the Versace Mansion with the samples and models, and the rest is history.

You are a successful business leader. Which three-character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

Persistence, Self-motivation, and Determination.

Persistence — I have been let down multiple times throughout my career, and nowadays I feel like being let down is good if and only if you don’t let it get too your head. There always be people who don’t share your vision but that doesn’t mean you should give up or change it. It just means that they don’t agree with you, and that’s ok, each person is entitled to their own opinion upon any matter. What isn’t ok is giving up just because of rejection, because sadly you could be right next to your next big break.

Self-motivation — You must view motivation as your food and water — without it is hard to survive. Then you must realize that it is up to you to ‘hydrate’ and ‘eat’. Everyone is super focused on their own life, and it is important to grasp focus on yours, if you can’t motivate yourself then why should someone share with you, your vision?

Determination — Nothing good comes easy is probably the best motto to live by. Nothing will ever fall on your lap, unless you’re winning the lotto — and the probabilities of that are very slim. So best bet is to work like there is competition working 10 times harder, and slowly your wins will speak for themselves.

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

I think that Pas Une Marque stand’s out because it is invested more in the why. With this, I mean that we are interested in telling a story through clothing, one that evolves around questioning and discovering the unknown. The product comes second. Of course, we strive for top notch quality in everything we do, and our most loyal customers know that — but the true core of Pas Une Marque is it’s why.

Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story of how that was relevant to you in your life?

I think the best life lesson quote is what comes up fast will come back down just as fast. This has always been incredibly relevant in my life because I have learnt to really enjoy the journey and view situations more in the long-term than short.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Do you see any fascinating developments emerging over the next few years in the fashion industry that you are excited about? Can you tell us about that?

I believe that the technological shifts in the fashion industry have been incredible such as the introduction of NFTs through fashion. However, what I find even more fascinating is the fact that there is a never-ending appeal on the vintage, as if the new is no longer relevant. This appraisal means that the future of fashion will always tends to look back in time.

Can you share how your brand is helping to bring goodness to the world?

Pas Une Marque is always trying to be much more than just a brand. Currently, we are donating one tree for every order placed on our webstore and this is the start of our path to reach carbon neutrality by 2025.

Can you share with our readers about the ethical standards you use when you choose where to source materials?

We are involved in the entire sourcing aspect of the brand, from the raw material all the way to the final product. That means — we visit the farms where the cotton is planted and work with professionals that test the quality of the cotton which will be used in our pieces. Then, our continue involvement in the cut and sew process ensures that workers are receiving appropriate compensation, with balanced work hours, and are treated honestly.

Fast fashion has an advantage, that it is affordable for most people, but it also has the drawback that it does not last very long and is therefore not very sustainable. What are your thoughts about this? How does your company address this question?

We are not interested in making affordable clothing because of the huge environmental impact this entails. We are instead intending on creating intricate pieces that will last a lifetime. This makes our entire research and development process very lengthy, but it allows us to ensure that all details from our pieces are the best quality possible.

Thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview.

What are your “5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion Brand”. Please share a story or example for each.

  1. Imagination — When creating pieces and making an impact in others you must make sure to be unique and not let any pre-existing paradigms affect you in your creative process. Imagination plays a very important role since you have to truly think outside the box.
  2. Courage — A Fashion Brand, is no easy task — and even though it may seem like it from afar it really involves and intricate array of problems, and outcomes one would never expect. Courage is fundamental because it helps one know that nothing is given or certain in fashion. What may work for some, may not necessarily work for you. That’s why it’s important to have strength and venture into the unknown, knowing that nothing is set in stone.
  3. Perseverance — You mustn’t allow anything / anyone to let you down even at the hardest of times. That person who probably doesn’t believe in you is likely not someone who has made much of his/her life. As a rule of thumb, only listen to those who are in a better position than you, or somewhere were you want to be. On the contrary, continue to row even if you are against the current, eventually someone will share your belief and will support what you are making, there is no such thing as being too late.
  4. Support — With support everything is easier, and less stressful — be it your partner, or parents, or siblings support is the key to gain the proper motivation to really exploit your full potential. Surely, if your brand and idea are so good that they will be part of fashion history — someone in your inner surrounding will find it amazing as well.
  5. Why — You must know why you are taking this route. Selling clothing & making money is just no longer enough. Being successful in the fashion industry requires making a product that speaks to its why and leaves customers with a feeling that is intangible.

Every industry constantly evolves and seeks improvement. How do you think the fashion industry can improve itself? Can you give an example?

I think the fashion industry can improve itself by being more open to newcomers. Even though nowadays it is ‘easier’ than ever, the industry itself is very narrow-minded and does not easily cave in especially when it comes to the newbies.

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

I would start a movement that helps people question and develop critical thinking. I believe many of us are guided through so many different directions that is seems almost impossible not to be influenced. For that reason, standing back and seeing situations as a third party is fundamental because as we grow, and mature we need to be able to form our own decisions wisely and that the only way to make the world truly and singularly a better place.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

You can follow our brand on Instagram @pasunemarque


Modern Fashion: Sean Coutts of Pas Une Marque On The 5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Shobha Dhadda of Eisai On The 5 Leadership Lessons She…

Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Shobha Dhadda of Eisai On The 5 Leadership Lessons She Learned From Her Experience

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Interest in STEM is socially influenced from an early age by parents, teachers, and even your peers. Girls are socially programmed to play with dolls rather than cars. I am very grateful that my parents encouraged me to just learn and absorb everything, from science to liberal arts. I naturally gravitated towards clinical development research because it gave me the opportunity to make an impact in the lives of patients and their families. I believe there is continued need for a transformation in our society.

As a part of our series about “Lessons From Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Shobha Dhadda.

Shobha Dhadda is Senior Vice President, Biostatistics and Clinical Development Operations, Neurology Business Group, Biostatistics Neurology, at Eisai Inc., responsible for leading statistical and operational strategies in clinical research. Her group is responsible for study design, data management, trial conduct and data analyses of global multi-center clinical trials and observational studies. With more than 25 years of experience working in pharmaceutical Industry covering a variety of therapeutic areas including Alzheimer’s, she has been successful in getting drugs approved in areas of epilepsy, sleep, infectious diseases and transplant.

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 raised in India and moved to the United States for graduate school. With a lifelong interest in math, I chose statistics for my academic journey. My desire to make a positive impact in the lives of others led me to a career in the pharmaceutical industry. Here, my mathematical expertise was pivotal in designing clinical studies, analyzing data, interpreting the results, and shaping the clinical development research towards scientific innovation.

With more than 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry, I currently lead multiple functions: Biostatistics, Statistical programming, Data Science, Data Management, Project Management, Clinical Operations, outsourcing, Medical Writing, Clinical Data systems and data operations for the Neurology therapeutic area at Eisai Inc.

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

With my extensive background in statistics, I brought the use of machine learning algorithms into clinical trials at Eisai. These algorithms allow us to hone in on the hidden patterns in the data and improve predictive power of outcomes.

Due to their novelty, machine learning algorithms have a limited adoption in pharmaceutical industry thus far. Another obstacle to overcome was the legacy server-based systems architecture at Eisai. I secured alignment and influenced the technology development to bring about a secured internal cloud computing leveraging AWS. As a result of this 24-month journey of infrastructure development, building the Data Science team and delivery of models that significantly outperform traditional models, Data Science and Machine learning are a component of clinical development plans at Eisai. With limited use, ML algorithms have already been used for disease staging, risk prediction, disease decline modeling, precision medicine etc.

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?

For me personally, I don’t really have a funny mistake to share. My advice has always been if you make a mistake, own it and work to ensure it does not happen again.

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

Driven by its human health care (hhc) mission, Eisai aims to advance the understanding of brain health and to ultimately bring forward innovative disease-modifying solutions that can help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) before they start. At Eisai, we give our first thoughts to patients and their families. In fact, everyone at Eisai spends at least two to three days each year directly interacting with patients and learning about their experiences. It is a very valuable program that allows us to understand why we do what we do.

We are on a mission to prevent and even reverse Alzheimer’s disease. We have been dedicated to Alzheimer’s research for four decades. Our rich pipeline includes a wide scope of investigational compounds and diagnostic methods being researched in AD. In addition, we are exploring novel therapies designed to address clinical symptoms such as cognition and sleep-wake rhythm disorder.

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

I am currently part of the team overseeing Eisai’s clinical trials in AD. AD — one of the most common causes of dementia — is a growing global health challenge that has an enormous impact on patients and family members, health care systems, and society at large. In fact, in 2021, there were an estimated 6.2 million Americans aged 65 and older living with AD. There is so much more we can do in terms of finding disease modifying treatments, finding treatments to help with the side effects of the disease and to help caregivers in managing the quality of life for these patients as well as caregivers. I have a deep personal empathy for AD patients and their families, and this drives my commitment to seek new solutions to this complicated disease state.

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?

Did you know that women comprise one third of STEM workforce and much smaller percent of STEM C-suite? At Eisai, women continue to break that barrier. More than 60 percent of my group is women, with many in a leadership role. We have a highly motivated, passionate and productive group at Eisai, that is working hard to make a difference in the lives of millions. However, we need to ensure more women consider STEM and realize its potential. I believe that every company should have a mentorship program in place, to give opportunities to young aspiring women. Having strong mentors in place helps with breaking down the barriers; in thinking through a problem; in getting or seeking more opportunities for growth, and in accelerating confidence in oneself with each incremental success. Based on my personal experience, education and the right mentorship can do wonders to a persons’ career.

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

Assertiveness is the biggest challenge others perceive of women in STEM. Women leaders need to be assertive to lead a large team, without fear of any backlash. They should be able to challenge the status quo and communicate clearly with firm backing from their management. This requires a cultural transformation at corporations. Values at Eisai groom strong confident women who then have leadership opportunities across the organization.

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

Interest in STEM is socially influenced from an early age by parents, teachers, and even your peers. Girls are socially programmed to play with dolls rather than cars. I am very grateful that my parents encouraged me to just learn and absorb everything, from science to liberal arts. I naturally gravitated towards clinical development research because it gave me the opportunity to make an impact in the lives of patients and their families. I believe there is continued need for a transformation in our society.

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.)

Over the last decade, women have been increasingly pursuing STEM as their career choice with some making to leadership roles. For accelerating this change, my five leadership recommendations are:

  • Commitment: I firmly believe in the quote that “Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration”
  • Determination: Mindset that nothing is impossible is truly an asset
  • Persistence: If one door closes, try another
  • Multi-tasking: Balancing rapid growth in STEM as well as leadership with numerous priorities makes this a critical asset
  • Passion: Last but the most important, make sure you are working on something for which you are willing to go the extra distance

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

Develop, share, and align on your vision with the team and set clear achievable goals. Provide opportunities for growth and tools to succeed to each team member. To become an effective leader, it is important to understand the challenges each department faces and ensure objective discussion on differing opinions. Engaged, excited, confident, and effective team will always be on the lookout for new opportunities and challenges.

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

Becoming a strong leader is a process that requires mentoring by management, by other leaders and the organization. It is most important to hire people who have the growth potential, are team players and have a positive can-do attitude. Make sure the entire group is aligned on the vision, objectives, and deliverables for the group. Give the leaders as well as individual contributors immersive experiences by assigning responsibilities that would deepen and broaden their expertise over time.

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?

There are many important people in my life that have helped me along this journey. First, I have to start with my parents, who are progressive thinkers who allowed me to come to the United States alone at a time when most Indian parents would prioritize marriage over education or a career for girls/woman. Dr. Lynn Kramer, Chief Clinical Officer of Neurology at Eisai, taught me to think about clinical trials pragmatically, which helped me to implement solutions that are scientifically sound and operationally efficient. When joining as the head of Biostatistics at Eisai, I never expected my role to expand to its current state. This expansion allowed me to implement numerous end to end clinical trial innovations. For example, we developed the first innovative Bayesian design clinical trial in Alzheimer’s disease area. Although, it was a complex design including numerous operational challenges, my statistics background and operational experience helped me in implementing this design successfully. We are at the forefront of the industry in innovative clinical trial designs, digital transformations, in risk-based monitoring, and in implementing DCT approaches.

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

Eisai’s Global CEO Naito is a visionary. At the core of our ecosystem is the Eisai Universal Platform. The ecosystem is designed to advances solutions, including drugs that rely on various data and digital tools, and deliver them to “The People” in the most appropriate way.

His vision is to have other industries utilize the solutions and information created by the Eisai Universal Platform, and to build an ecosystem that increases the contribution to “The People”

Our goal through his leadership is to evolve into the hhc philosophy + ecosystem (hhceco) to help “The People” realize their fullest life from times of health to the end. As an employee, I have implemented this approach through my everyday tasks, and I have worked to ensure my colleagues do the same.

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

If I could inspire or influence a movement, I would want to ensure every girl in the world is educated and I would like to start a mentorship program to help them on their individual journey. The COVID pandemic has robbed so many girls in poor nations around the world of their education and childhood. I believe education is the best tool for success. And a Strong mentorship program will help them in applying that knowledge confidently. I couldn’t have made it if I didn’t have mentors who believed in my vision and gave me the opportunities and tools to realize it. Education and mentorship will open up many doors and help them become confident, independent and contribute to the growth of their nation and the world.

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

One of the key motivations in my life has been the philosophy in Bhagwat Geeta (Hindu spiritual book) ,”Karam kar phal ki Chinta math kar.” This means, “Do your duty or work, without thinking about results. If you are doing good karma or good work, favorable results will follow.”

I truly believe in this approach, and it may sound Cliché, if you relentlessly pursue your vision, one step at a time, you will ultimately achieve your goal! I have many examples that I can share. One example that comes to mind is Decentralized clinical trials (DCT). This is an approach to clinical trials where you implement clinical assessments at a patient’s home or virtually, rather than at a hospital or private clinic. This can truly minimize patient and caregiver burden, especially for a chronic disease like Alzheimer’s where patients have to undergo many visits and assessments each month. In the last 10 years, we have implemented extensive digital transformations at Eisai, with Electronic Data Capture systems, electronic capture of assessments via tablets, smartphones, smartwatches, etc. Before COVID, there were lot of barriers, including Regulatory approvals and a reluctance from the sites to embrace this approach. Obviously, COVID was an unfortunate pandemic, however, it did trigger lot of innovations. Uptake and acceptance of the DCT approach suddenly became a reality. Now it has become easier to implement DCT enablers like eConsent, home health care, remote assessments, telehealth, remote monitoring, etc. The entire pharma industry is now moving towards some form of DCT.

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

I would love to meet former First Lady, Michelle Obama. She has become an inspiration to so many women. She initiated a program “Let Girls Learn” to help millions of girls who do not have access to a quality education. During her husband’s Presidency, she hosted at the White House several dinners to support mentoring programs for young girls. Mrs. Obama spoke at the “Power of Educated Girl” panel encouraging girls to compete with boys and that no boy was worth giving up their education. If every girl was given the opportunities that I was given because of my progressive parents and the numerous generous mentors, our world will be a much better place!

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


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

Women In Wellness: Tracee Dunblazier of Dunblazier Arts & GoTracee Publishing On The Five Lifestyle…

Women In Wellness: Tracee Dunblazier of Dunblazier Arts & GoTracee Publishing On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Learn how to pay attention to your money and banking accounts every day. I wish I’d had more experience with money and financial tools starting from my first job at age thirteen. Kids need to start learning about the responsibilities of money and the banking systems available to them as they become adults. Things like simple accounting, banking policies, and credit scores learned from a young age can really change a person’s relationship to money in general.

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

Tracee Dunblazier GC-C, is a Los Angeles-based grief counselor, spiritual empath, shaman, and 22-time international award-winning author and publisher (GoTracee Pub). As a multi-sensitive, Tracee’s blend of intuitive information combined with different modalities, has provided the opportunity for thousands to achieve deep healing and cultivate the success and peace they seek in their lives. As President of the Coalition of Visionary Resources, the trade organization for the Mind, Body, Spirit Industry — Tracee manages the COVR Visionary Awards program and educational opportunities for MBS businesses, and her book Transformative Grief: An Ancient Ritual of Healing for Modern Times (Red Feather Mind Body Spirit, 2023) comes out in February.

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 psychic and empathic with many paranormal experiences from early childhood. I was multi-spirited (one body, many spirits) and grew up with an altered awareness of the world we live in, different from the experiences of most of my friends. Information I was grateful for on all levels. I learned to accept the truth about people and circumstances so that I could find resolutions that worked. It is this radical acceptance on which I have built my set of wellness philosophies.

As I began to work in the healing industry, it became apparent to me that grief was the through line between all traumas and their healing journeys. Any transition requires transformative grief to make the necessary adjustments that create new beginnings, new circumstances, and new joy.

I have had a thirty-year career in the wellness field, working within mediumship and spiritualism to grief counseling and life-coaching — it has been more fulfilling than anything I could have thought to create for myself. I arrived here by following the path spirit laid out for me.

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?

Oh my, there are so many! The one thing about working with folks in transition or crisis — it is never boring. Recently, while working on a new book about crystals, this story reawakened in my memory, about a young man who struggled to find peace, but first he needed to overcome the entity that had been plaguing him for months! Here’s an excerpt from Your Crystal Allies: The 12 Best Gems & Minerals for Healing Trauma & Navigating Change.

“I didn’t seem to have a reaction to or fear of lower vibrational entities like demons, discarnates, or other dense constructs created by humanity over the millennia. Somehow, I felt inoculated to them; I was unconsciously well versed in dealing with their presence. As a child, I’d had many demon-generated psychic attacks, and naturally developed the tools to repel, absolve, or transform them — all techniques that rendered them powerless in my world.

However, it’s one thing to be chatting with your own critters in waking and sleeping dreams, but another, entirely, to have other-worldly beings speaking to you from across the table, which was happening daily with the client work I was doing. One evening, in particular, a long-time client of mine who was also working as a psychic reader, called on me to take a session with a client with whom she was working. He was haunted, and she was unnerved. She requested permission from both of us, to be present at this young man’s session and he and I agreed.

As I remember, it was a cool fall evening and shortly after 6 p.m. when they arrived. The living room to my small 1930s bungalow was quaint, with an L-shaped set of plush, cushy, salmon-colored couches and a coffee table — not to mention a life-sized stuffed bear I had recently purchase from FAO Schwartz, which took the place of a chair in the corner of the room. My client, happily, sat on the floor (backed up against the bear). Her client was to my left on the smaller-of-the-two couches; we’ll call him Joseph. He was covered in many tattoos that didn’t seem to have any connection or symmetry (which, in itself, told a story), and his spirit was in knots. It was clear that drugs and alcohol were a part of his personal struggle.

He had spent a significant amount of time trying to address his feelings of powerlessness by working in witchcraft and spirit conjuring, which isn’t a necessarily an issue, if you know what you are doing. However, when one grapples with their own hopelessness, they tend to attract entities and spirits that amplify their powerlessness, which is what was going on here. Joseph sat on the couch, catty-cornered to me, and told me of an entity that had been with him for months. He couldn’t sleep or eat, and he was at his wits’ end.

At the time, I had a large Self-Healed Smoky Cathedral Quartz Crystal, sitting on my altar, and another master-healer Self-Healed Clear Quartz in my hand. As we spoke, I could see a large snake-like entity wrapped around him. Joseph was pleading for my compassion and help. All the while, this critter was up to no good, seething and hissing. About twenty minutes in, Joseph started to visibly cry; he got up from his seat and fell to his knees in front of me, placing his weeping face on my lap. The session had gone from strange to stranger: I glanced over at my client, and she was sound-asleep, nuzzled peacefully up to the bear.

As Joseph whimpered and wailed, the entity that accompanied him was saying, “I am going to get inside you. You have no power. Let me in.”

I could hear it plain as day. While my following words addressed the grieving man on his knees, I was responding in my mind simultaneously to the critter directly with a forceful, “NO!”

“Joseph, this entity is manipulating you through your emotion, within your grief you will find your power.”

The entity was hoping to manipulate me through my empathy and pride, by getting Joseph to genuflect in submission and to appear broken.

While my client was still secure in her powernap, this scenario continued for about fifteen minutes. It ended when I told the critter it had no power in this place, and I commanded Joseph to get up off his knees and sit in his space — to take authority over his body and his energy. It must have sounded like I was scolding him, calling him by his full name, as I said it, it was like he woke up from a long sleep, slightly disoriented and looking around the room.

He felt refreshed and a bit confused. I explained to him that the entity had come to show him the meaning of power and authority by requiring him to claim it. I also told him, for now, the entity had departed — but he would surely be watching and waiting for another opportunity to be given influence in Joseph’s life. He was the only one who could access the origin of the attached entity. At this point, my client was sheepishly awake and wondering what happened. We wrapped up the session and said good night. I never heard from Joseph again.”

The take-away for me, was that we always have power in any situation, and sometimes that power is in the psychic realms. We have more force using our minds and communicating telepathically than we do with our bodies in the physical dimension. Any athlete will tell you that their athleticism begins in the mind first, then the body. When you claim this as a part of your belief system, your spirit will show you how to implement it in your life, in any situation, to bring about positive results.

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?

Interestingly, I do not believe in mistakes, I believe in process. Everything in life is a process of learning and doing — a series of boundaries to be set with ourselves and others. So, the answer to this question is about setting boundaries, and about navigating personal relationships with clients. As spiritualists, the relationship between us and our clients is a little different than a doctor-patient relationship, certainly more relaxed with no oversite or protocols built into the business. It is something that every healer must navigate for themselves.

People naturally gravitate towards practitioners on a friendly basis, rather than solely professional as you would address a doctor or priest, and yet to some degree, we are both. At the beginning of my career, I had a few clients who decided they wanted to be my “friend” and began including me in social events, and other friendly interactions. What was not clear to me at the time was that these folks didn’t have personal boundaries and were unconsciously looking to have me in their life and space for many other reasons pertaining to the work I do, rather than solely to be my friend. I was everything from a safety net, cheerleader, champion, and platonic date to fake-family. Essentially, many times, doing my work for free.

Today, every one of the clients who declared their offer of friendship, eventually withdrew it at the first sight of a misunderstanding. The work I do requires a different level of connection, which is personal, so the learning curve of cultivating the detachment required was somewhat challenging. For me, navigating a person’s underlying agenda (hidden even from them), is certainly part of my general job description, but finding a way to address it within the healing relationship, in a compassionate and clear way was the key.

In my grief-counseling business, the therapeutic relationship is built in, and often those folks want nothing to do with you once your work has completed. You remind them of one of the most difficult times in their lives. However, working as a psychic, medium, or spiritualist, the lines of energetic and emotional intimacy can be misconstrued if solid boundaries, deep understanding, and clear communication is not in place. This has been the most fulfilling part of my business, to cultivate mastery in understanding the situation at hand and setting the perfect boundaries in a beautiful way.

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

All aspects of my business align with supporting people who are navigating change, whether it be self-discovery or grief and loss. My goal has been to break down the shroud of shame surrounding grief and the illusion of weakness that is often misconstrued. Grief is transformative and one of the most powerful tools we have to cause a real shift in consciousness and prosperity for us on all levels. My book Transformative Grief: An Ancient Ritual of Healing for Modern Times, addresses many types of scenarios from everyday frustrations to profound life-changing circumstances that ignite the fires of transition and the cooling rain of grief.

When you do spiritual work, you access your souls blueprint for your life and uncover you true strengths and transition an outdated feelings, beliefs, ideal, and behaviors that do not favor a positive move forward. I work with folks in many ways, including one-on-one sessions, group sessions, webinars, keynote speeches, my podcast “CHAT-Cast”, and of course my many writings including the Demon Slayer’s Handbook Series.

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. Practice self-honesty: Everyday we learn something new about ourselves — whether it be the true origin of an inner conflict, the acknowledgement of a desire, the recognition of something we could have done differently, or the realization of trauma triggers we carry. Our culture systematically supports our denial or obfuscation of these valuable insights because they are often presented through grief. Culturally, we are taught that grief, sorrow, anxiety, or depression are mental weaknesses, and true strength is not allowing them. This unfortunate belief system could not be further from the truth and prohibits your ability to be honest.
    For example: Sheila, after finally getting out of an emotionally abusive relationship, told herself that it wasn’t that bad, they just weren’t a match, and because of this subtle, self-dishonesty, sabotaged every future relationship she sought to engage, by controlling as much as possible. When Sheila finally grieved the realities of her abusive relationship and forgave herself for participation, she naturally made different choices in partners and had a more authentic relationship with them, fostering emotional trust and intimacy.
  2. Food as Medicine: The most valuable thing we can do for ourselves is embrace the idea that the food we put in our body is also medicine. Learning to listen to our body as a guide to diet and nutrition is a powerful skill. Our physical bodies communicate with us about our specific needs all the time. Just as the element of pain communicates when there is an issue, and how to repair or resolve it; our intuitive impressions of the pictures or colors of the foods that would most benefit us, or the information we intuitively come across at a specific point in time, is the best way to serve the nutritional needs of our physique.
    Our body communicates information through cravings. For many months in a row, I had been waking up about an hour after falling asleep, hungry, and craving popcorn and other crunchy carbohydrates. As I began to research the nutritional properties and the emotional and spiritual connections to the foods I was craving; I asked my body what it needed and why. Within a few days, I had the insight that I’d been eating mainly protein at night, and it was igniting my energy and metabolism, and prohibiting sleep. Instead, I could have a protein and vegetable meal in midday, and by eating carbohydrates in the afternoon or eve (as the last meal of the day) they would breakdown in my body several hours later and produce tryptophan which is helpful for deeper sleep. (This had been the opposite for most of my life, but now seemed like an appropriate shift in habit.) Since beginning this new food ritual, I have slept through the night, and had more energy in the morning and rest of the day.
  3. Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness is the practice of non-reactive self-awareness. While preforming menial tasks, you allow thoughts and emotions to flow effortlessly without reacting or responding to them, but simply becoming aware of their presence and feeling them. When you recognize what you think and believe, or let your emotions rise to the surface for expression without judgement, you are better able to understand your mental, spiritual, and emotional motivations for the choices you make, clearing the way for powerful self-awareness.
    My favorite mindfulness practice is while doing the dishes in the morning or evening. I let my left brain focus on the action of dishwashing, while my right brain brings up images of the day or images that are of value to my current circumstances. These subtle pictures are always accompanied by emotional vibrations that may not be deep enough for a show of grief but are pertinent to understanding what I want and need or how to move forward in a situation. These quiet mindfulness sessions bring about the elusive but precise insights necessary to make sense of my circumstances and innovate my thinking and behavior. You cannot change what you do not understand.
  4. Practice Kindness: Practicing kindness can be anything from offering a smile, kind word, an unexpected gift or note of encouragement, opening the door, and helping in the moment when you see something needs to be done. Kindnesses are the little things we do for the people we know or don’t know that provide compassion, levity, joy, nonjudgement, and mercy.
    In the old days, when I had lots of time and inspiration, I loved to offer kindnesses. One morning, on a little day-cation, I’d gone to the family-owned coffee shop of the small town where I was visiting. A man came in for his morning coffee and already seemed to be struggling with his day. I saw him, but he did not see me. I spied his name and company on the patch of his uniform and decided to send flowers to his place of business that afternoon from anonymous. Another coffee shop experience was spending two-hours talking to someone about spirituality.
    Today, I spend most of my inspiration in my podcast and article and book writings but seek to be conscientious of these things on a daily basis: thinking about what I say before it comes out of my mouth, showing compassion and patience to people who are rude and angry, or at least smiling and looking someone directly in the eye, to let them know I see them. There are hundreds of ways to show acknowledgement, compassion, and kindness — you never know how life-changing it may be for the person on whom your generous spirit lands.
  5. Living Radical Acceptance: Living Radical Acceptance is the combination of all the dynamics I’ve mentioned above: self-honesty, self-trust, intuition, self-awareness, accepting things as they are, and releasing oneself from criticism. When you give yourself permission to see the truth and accept everything as it is in the moment, you are never more powerful. You now possess the freedom to make choices that can effect real change in your life.
    Bill was going along, day-in-and-day-out, overriding his discontent at his job. Each day, pretending that it would get better, all the while his emotions only became more bitter. Finally, after receiving a poor job review from a supervisor with whom he did not agree about most things, he became emotionally inflamed and stormed out of the meeting. Shortly thereafter he received a phone call requesting that he not return.
    If Bill had been willing to accept the relationship with the supervisor as it was, or his disgruntled feelings about the job, in general, he could have sought counsel about how to find a common ground or new work all together. This would have allowed for a planned change or a strategized transition in which he could have felt safe and acknowledged. Now, he’d put himself in the position to contend with a forced life-alteration.

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 have started a community and membership program called “Living Radical Acceptance” for people who want to find new and innovative paths to self-acceptance and self-awareness. If we can learn to not judge or criticize ourselves, it will ultimately help us to find more acceptance, tolerance, and compassion for others. #livingradicalacceptance

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

This is unique question for me. When I really consider it, I had all the information I needed or would have accepted at any different point of growth, personally or in my business. However, there are great pieces of advice I received over the years and before I began my business. Here are a few of those:

Learn to take care of your body and understand your biorhythms. This turned out to be one of the most important things I could do for myself. Listening to my body and emotional cycles as a younger person, helped me to be a successful businessperson. I have had the same creative process since I was in high school, but at the time I thought I was a procrastinator. I always left projects to the last minute. Now, as a successful author, I understand that all the time I spend contemplating the project is the energy amassing and collating, preparing for the download into the physical world. Now that I have had a lot of experience with my process, I know what I need and can plan and meet deadlines easily.

Understand that other people may not see things as you do. I was born multi-spirited (many souls, one body). Each of the additional souls I carried for more than half my life were Black, Brown, and Asian. Of course, this is how we may differentiate cultural reference today, however, when these discarnate spirits lived over the last 1000 years; they allowed me to see through their eyes, despite my current day whiteness and cultural environment. Somehow, while my mother probably couldn’t conceptualize this, she saw my affinity and genuine connection to all people, and knew it was a unique perspective and not one she’d ever seen, so completely. She pulled me aside one day and told me that it was important I understood other people may not see things as I do. She didn’t tell me that to deter my own beliefs and behaviors in any way, in fact, she didn’t say how our outlooks may differ; she only wanted to prepare me for opposition in beliefs, and racism in general (without actually saying that).

Learn how to pay attention to your money and banking accounts every day. I wish I’d had more experience with money and financial tools starting from my first job at age thirteen. Kids need to start learning about the responsibilities of money and the banking systems available to them as they become adults. Things like simple accounting, banking policies, and credit scores learned from a young age can really change a person’s relationship to money in general.

Learn how to how to manage your credit. When you understand the credit system, you can better navigate your financial landscape, and be financially prepared when something unexpected happens. I once took an accounting course and the teacher asked if there was anyone in the class who had financed the start of their business on credit cards? I was the only one in the class who raised their hand. The teacher then said, “You should never do that, but you can bet this young lady is going to be a success.” It, indeed, changed how I related to money, and my willingness to commit to something and believe in my ability to get it done.

Do not feel obligated to do things as others do. Go at your own pace and be consistent. Everybody has their own rhythm and way of learning, and this must be respected. Spiritually speaking, the patterns we carry are purposeful and help us navigate the world and find our balance in it. I have always struggled doing things as others do, and the more I tried, the more I felt isolated and became frustrated. However, every time I listen to my instinct, and go with the natural flow of learning and accomplishing, things come together smoothly and in perfect timing.

Trust natural timing. I just finished an article that I intended to write three years ago. I sat down and knocked it out in one day. The topic of the article, a haunted restaurant that unfortunately closed in 2020. As fate would have it, nothing could have changed that from happening. However, they have now filed an application to receive cultural and historical preservation landmark status and could really use the advocacy my article feature will promote. Everything happens in right timing. Read the article here: https://traceedunblazier.com/haunted-midnights-in-los-angeles/

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

It is vital that we become aware of all these topics and ways we can contribute to the solutions they offer to our world. In my own life, I recycle and try to consume less, eat less meat, and research environmental changes so that I can speak about them accurately, but mental health education is my life’s work.

I believe that all mental health issues are spiritual health issues first. The more you understand about the multi-dimensional world in which we live, and can learn to navigate your own intuition, recognize spiritual patterns, and transform outdated habits, beliefs, and ideals, the more inclusive the world will become for all of us.

What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?

https://TraceeDunblazier.com

https://BeASlayer.com

FB: https://www.facebook.com/TraceeDunblazier

IG: @gotracee

Twitter: @traceedunblazie

YouTube: @gotracee

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracee-dunblazier-721bb8a/

Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.


Women In Wellness: Tracee Dunblazier of Dunblazier Arts & GoTracee Publishing On The Five Lifestyle… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Amgen’s Dr Primal Kaur On The 5 Leadership Lessons She…

Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Amgen’s Dr Primal Kaur On The 5 Leadership Lessons She Learned From Her Experience

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Don’t be afraid to speak up. It’s important to state what you stand for without fearing the consequences of doing so, because it can have a valuable impact on the trajectory of the program or the project you’re working on.

As a part of our series about “Lessons From Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Primal Kaur.

Primal Kaur, MD, MBA, is currently vice president, Inflammation therapeutic area chair and therapeutic area head global development at Amgen. Since joining Amgen in 2008, Primal has progressively taken on roles of increasing responsibility within clinical development, medical affairs and enterprise portfolio leadership.

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 knew I wanted to be a doctor from a very young age — partly because I have always loved and enjoyed learning about science, but also because of my experience growing up with severe asthma. As a child in India, I remember missing out on school and playground time as well as days spent in bed because of asthma flare-ups. This ongoing struggle helped inspire me to pursue a career in medicine and give back to others like me who are living with chronic inflammatory diseases.

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

During my time at Amgen, I’ve had the privilege to see multiple medicines go from clinical development to the hands of physicians. These stories are all unique and carry with them a significant sense of pride. Last year, I was especially excited to help work on a medicine for people living with severe asthma.

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?

When we first started working remotely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, I received a call from a senior executive at Amgen and I didn’t pick up the phone because I didn’t recognize the number and thought it was spam. I get a lot of spam phone calls, so it was understandable. Turns out, it wasn’t! I got another call from a number I did recognize, and it was a colleague letting me know, someone had been trying to reach me, but I wasn’t picking up! Lesson learned: don’t assume every unknown number is a robocall.

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

Amgen is a true believer in science and innovation. The company’s science-based approach continues to inspire me, even after more than 10 years of working here. I’ve also seen firsthand how much Amgen values its people, through the many opportunities I’ve been provided with to grow and expand in my role and career. I embraced the company for its scientific focus and the company, in turn, has embraced me for all that I bring to the table.

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

While there are several projects that I’m excited about, there’s one that stands out from the rest — the severe asthma medicine I helped bring to patients last year. It’s so rewarding to bring more options to people living with such debilitating diseases, like severe asthma. We’re also continuing to explore and unlock options for other inflammatory diseases.

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?

No, I’m not satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM and think we have more work to do on that front. Having spent the first few decades of my life living in a third world country, I think one of the most pressing needs is ensuring women and girls everywhere have access to quality STEM education. When provided with the proper resources and opportunities, women can do anything — the sky is the limit! A great example of how the Amgen Foundation is helping close the gap is through its $30 million commitment to LabXchange, an online science education platform that provides users with access to high-quality science education resources at no cost. This is just one way the Amgen Foundation is working to ensure learners of all ages everywhere have access to world-class science education.

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

There’s a common misconception that men are better at STEM subjects, like math and science, than women — and that really needs to change. I think the first step is acknowledging the issue and, from there, coming together as a society to change the narrative that women aren’t good enough. I feel strongly that we can each do our part and contribute to leading this change. I try to do my part by serving as a mentor to other aspiring female scientists and doctors, showing them what a potential STEM career could look like, through Amgen’s “Women Empowered to be Exceptional” (WE2) group mentoring program.

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

As I mentioned, one of the biggest myths is that women are not “naturally inclined” to enjoy or be good at STEM subjects. But women have been pioneering in this space for many, many years! These false perceptions are holding us back by discouraging women and girls from pursuing a career in STEM industries.

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.)

Organized, analytic thinking is a critical problem-solving tool. When faced with an issue, I always try to take a step back and think through the overall implications for the program, the organization, and the patients we’re serving to ground myself and develop an action plan. It’s not always easy, but it’s something I’ve learned over time from my various leadership positions at Amgen.

Don’t be afraid to speak up. It’s important to state what you stand for without fearing the consequences of doing so, because it can have a valuable impact on the trajectory of the program or the project you’re working on.

Promote diversity and inclusion. In my experience, diverse teams are more likely to innovate, and problem solve so, when I’m building a team, I always try to include a variety of cultures, backgrounds, and experiences to bring to the table.

Learn from your mistakes. Mistakes happen but learning from your failures and viewing them as positive experiences can help increase your confidence, improve your skills, and advance your personal and professional development.

Be aspirational. The sky is the limit for your own career growth. Set your goals high and be prepared to do what you need to do to achieve them!

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

Based on my experience, I would encourage other women leaders to take their time when it comes to attracting the right talent and, once they’ve built their team, they should make the effort to cherish and retain their talent. That includes giving your team room to grow and shine and embracing them for who they are and all that they bring to the table. Without a great team, you would cease to be a leader.

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

When you’re managing a larger team, it can be challenging to connect with each person but it’s critical that you do so. Showing your team that you’re there for them will help create a mutual relationship founded on trust and respect. This will also empower each person to perform at their best and contribute to the successes of the company overall. It’s an investment of time and effort that will ultimately help you in the long run.

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?

Many people have selflessly helped me and provided me with the courage to do what I needed to throughout my career. When I first moved to the United States, I was looking for internship (or externship) or opportunities to improve my CV and apply for residency training. I was unsuccessful until I called a program director named Martin J Glynn, MD. He told me that one of the criteria to get into that program was to know someone in the hospital — to which I said, “Dr. Glynn, if I knew someone, I wouldn’t be calling you.” My directness paid off because not only did he sponsor me to do an externship at the hospital, but he offered me a residency in internal medicine after three months. He continued to mentor me throughout my residency and helped me get into the rheumatology fellowship as well. I’m so thankful for him.

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

If I’m successful in my job, then we are able to bring new medicine options to patients in need. As a child, I always aspired to help others like me living with asthma. I get excited every time one of our medicines is approved. I’ve also had the opportunity to give back to the scientific community by volunteering in the clinics at UCLA and working closely with the residents, medical students, and fellows. Serving as a mentor for future generations has also been very rewarding for me in helping others grow in their careers.

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

When I retire, I would like to work to improve the U.S. education system and help ensure more students transition from high school to college, leveraging the models that have worked in other countries. I’m not an education expert but my two teenaged sons are going through this right now so it’s top of mind for me. I can see how challenging it can be for some students to continue their education after high school and this transition is a very important element of our future growth as a country. I would love the opportunity to make a difference here.

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

My favorite life quote is, “if you don’t ask, you don’t get.” I often repeat this quote back to myself, as well as to my sons, to have the courage to speak up and express what it is that you need — whether its funding for a project, additional resources, clarification on an assignment, etc. if you don’t ask, you’ll never know!

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

I would like to meet Dr. Anthony Fauci. He is a fantastic researcher and scientist — not to mention the editor of the textbook I studied in medical school — so I have a lot of respect for him, but I also admire him for his resilience, professionalism, and transparency.

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


Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Amgen’s Dr Primal Kaur On The 5 Leadership Lessons She… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Toni Webb of SUN Behavioral Health Lexington: 5 Things Anyone Can Do To Optimize Their Mental…

Toni Webb of SUN Behavioral Health Lexington: 5 Things Anyone Can Do To Optimize Their Mental Wellness

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Be your own best-friend. Shouldn’t we try to take ourselves out to dinner or buy a new game or outfit to make ourselves feel better? Doing this allows you to start loving yourself and feeling a sense of worthiness without expecting or wanting someone else to do it.

As a part of my series about the “5 Things Anyone Can Do To Optimize Their Mental Wellness”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Toni Webb.

Toni Webb, MSW, LCSW is the Director of Outpatient Services for SUN Behavioral Health in Lexington, Ky. She received her Bachelor of Sociology from East Carolina Univ. with a concentration in Law and Society in 2001, and Master of Social Work from the Univ. of Ky. in 2012 after more than 10 years in the social work profession. Webb has held both inpatient and outpatient positions working with a variety of professions and clinical disciplines.

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

I was born in Akron, Ohio and raised by a large Italian and Polish family that offered plenty of conversation. In the 5th grade, I moved to North Carolina — moving away from family and adjusting to a new environment was challenging, but also exciting as I got to learn about different environments, cultures and building new friendships. I think this was the root of my interest into social work — I was always the kid who was “friends with everyone” and never really fell into any specific group setting. With that, I had a diverse palate, and it was comfortable to me. My continued career interests were in community, working with people and finding ways to help them have a better quality of life.

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

That’s a hard one as I have so many. One story I feel really shaped who I am today is when I was applying to the VA Medical Center in Lexington where I just finished a year internship that I absolutely loved. It was my dream job at the time to continue working for the VA. They posted a few open social work positions and I thought, having just completed an internship, I was a shoo-in for one of the postings. I applied and didn’t get the job — I was heartbroken. I applied again when another posting came out, and again, I wasn’t selected as a candidate.

I remember reaching out to some of my previous colleagues about what I could do to strengthen my interview skills or resume, and I ended up talking with the person who was the Chief of Social Work at that time. She told me that if I wanted a job at the VA, “to be persistent and you will get one”. I wasn’t sure what to do with that immediately, however it led me to be more direct in my approach and not to be afraid to ask others for help in the process.

I pursued other opportunities that were presented to me, however continued to apply to the VA. Finally — after 10 applications — I received a call and was offered a position. I became a supervisor two years later. I learned how to be persistent and to go for goals I thought were unreachable. I worked through negative self-talk with a therapist, and ultimately, learned how to pay my experiences forward to both the staff/clinicians that work under me and with the patients I serve.

Can you share a story with us about the most humorous mistake you made when you first were starting. What lesson or take-away did you learn from that?

I’m not sure how humorous this might be, but in hindsight as I picture it, I laugh. In undergrad when learning about family systems, working with families, etc., I was taught to respect a family’s environment if I was ever in their home. I had that drilled into my head as to not disrespect a family due to different socioeconomic backgrounds. We were taught to sometimes not dress up and to be more casual when working with families pending their demographics.

So, here I am fresh out of undergrad and working with different families in their homes. I remember being in a home that was infested with roaches — it was difficult for me to go there, but I was practicing my learned skill of trying to be comfortable in a client’s home. I was sitting with the family and writing and developing goals with them with one being — better home conditions, due to children being in the home. When I was writing down the goal, a roach fell directly on my hand. I wanted to scream, but I maintained the most calming demeanor, simply brushed the roach of my hand and said, “so I see we might have a roach infestation.” I was so embarrassed with how those words came out.

It turned out, the family had a plan in place in trying to control the roaches, but it was difficult due to the cost. Front line work can be difficult, but what I have learned is that most families are aware of their issues/barriers and generally want to work on them if they can.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful toward who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I have had so many mentors in my life and I hope this will continue — I could probably write a book on each one and what they have offered me.

One mentor that really stands out is Otto Kaak, M.D, Professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Social Work at the University of Ky. I was fortunate to be invited to a clinical group by my clinical supervisor at the time, Christy Leaver, LCSW, who had worked with him and they were strong colleagues and friends.

Dr. Kaak has since passed, but his mentorship didn’t end with his passing as he left me with a gift and the opportunity to continue his reflection with other clinicians/students I work with. When staffing with him one day on a case I was working on, I was all over the place with my detail, while thinking I had enough to make a decision on a diagnosis. I remember Dr. Kaak sitting back in his chair with his hands in front of him and his fingers touching one another — he was listening deeply to the case overview and reflecting. When I asked the group for advice on how to proceed, he simply said, “you don’t have enough information”. It was such a simple phrase; I was trying to figure out what to do with this patient, throwing out lots of scattered details and, at times, making assumptions when he was right, I simply didn’t have enough information.

Dr. Kaak taught me early in my career to not be afraid to ask questions from all angles and to take time when doing so. His candor was exactly what I needed to hear. It shaped my skill set and I often get feedback from patients saying, “thank you for taking time to hear me”.

What advice would you suggest to your colleagues in your industry to thrive and avoid burnout?

I am a big advocate of self-care and teach this daily with my staff and with myself. My advice is to be kind to yourself — we can only do so much in one day and in each day — there are domains that include oneself, family, work, being in the community, personal health and achievement. We can’t be at our best with patients and work if we are not giving ourselves enough time to do everything else. It’s a balance and, when you learn it well and practice it well, you will thrive in this industry.

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

I’m a big fan of Simon Sinek and actively apply his methods of leadership. One quote that resonates is “Leadership is not a rank or a position to be attained. Leadership is a service to be given”. I encourage you to read his book, Leaders Eat Last, to gain insight on the role of being a leader and the responsibility that comes with protecting your team. If the reader can relate, they will naturally create a fantastic work culture. If they don’t, leadership was not their calling.

Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. Mental health is often looked at in binary terms; those who are healthy and those who have mental illness. The truth, however, is that mental wellness is a huge spectrum. Even those who are “mentally healthy” can still improve their mental wellness. From your experience or research, what are five steps that each of us can take to improve or optimize our mental wellness. Can you please share a story or example for each.

Here are the top goals I like to work on with patients when developing a self-care regimen to help with mental wellness.

  1. Pay more attention to the present moment (mindfulness). When you are home with family, be at home with family. When you in a work meeting, be present and engage in the topic at hand. If you are at the spa, enjoy it.
  2. Don’t believe everything you think. We can self-sabotage all day long! Instead, I recommend to patients to give themselves a visual of their strengths, and to keep the visual in common areas where they can see them daily. These can be small affirmations written on post-its, pictures of themselves when they felt good in a certain outfit, art or crafts they made and were proud of, fun décor that reminds them of a vacation, anything that will deter negative thoughts from snowballing out of control.
  3. Be part of a community. I love this one! Staying connected, especially during challenging times, allows us to feel a sense of security and belonging.
  4. Be your own best-friend. Shouldn’t we try to take ourselves out to dinner or buy a new game or outfit to make ourselves feel better? Doing this allows you to start loving yourself and feeling a sense of worthiness without expecting or wanting someone else to do it.
  5. Give yourself permission to have a bad day. I use this one a lot when working with patients. Life can get so busy with work, family, errands — we can’t expect to have “great days” every-day. I hear often from patients that they feel guilty not getting things done around the house or work projects not getting done in time. We have to learn to be “OK” with just stopping and letting ourselves rest. I often recommend for patients to learn to schedule this into their week when they start to feel the pressure of life. I’ve had some patients who even write time on their calendar to pause, and they look forward to enjoying the time so they can regroup.

How about teens and pre-teens. Are there any specific new ideas you would suggest for teens and pre-teens to optimize their mental wellness?

Our teens and pre-teens these days love technology and they are great at it. With tech advancements, we now have mental health platforms that accommodate the love of technology — telehealth, apps, virtual groups, etc. When I am working with this age group, I like to encourage working towards a plan that the teen feels comfortable with — I have found that when patients like a particular tool, their motivation for treatment is more successful.

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

That’s a hard question as there are so many books that have done that!

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

Of course, a self-help movement of some sort! Maybe the “Be in Community Movement” …a movement that brings conversation to the table on any topic of choice. A place for safe conversation with no judgment.

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

I use this one all the time, though have no idea who said it — “Surround yourself with those who will support your needs, not detour them.” I just love it!

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

As part of my self-care regimen, I don’t use social media other than LinkedIn. Anyone is welcome to reach out to me there — https://www.linkedin.com/in/toni-webb-84ab9090/.

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


Toni Webb of SUN Behavioral Health Lexington: 5 Things Anyone Can Do To Optimize Their Mental… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Dr Rachel Fresco of Biociden On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support…

Women In Wellness: Dr Rachel Fresco of Biociden On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Spending time in nature for me is so essential, relaxing our overworked nervous system, and connecting to the beauty around us. Stress is such a significant factor. Try turning off the phone, so you are really present, and take a few deep cleansing breaths.

As a part of my series about women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Rachel Fresco.

Dr. Rachel Fresco is the founder and CEO of Biocidin Botanicals, located adjacent to Silicon Valley on the Monterey Bay. Her company has been delivering innovative botanical formulas to health care professionals since 1989. These cutting-edge formulations are utilized as key support in the most challenging clinical presentations. Her focus in product development has been addressing concerns relating to GI health, Lyme disease, Autism Spectrum Disorders, as well as oral care and systemic infections. The flagship formula Biocidin®. is recommended by noted authors, clinics and laboratories worldwide.

University-based research and published studies on her formulas include Borreliosis, pathogenic biofilms, and immune response in elite athletes. Other ongoing clinical trials include SIBO, H. pylori, periodontal disease, mycotoxins, and other topics.

Dr. Fresco lectures at medical conferences both in the US and internationally, in addition to appearing on many podcasts and online summits relating to health and wellness. She “walks the talk” empowering and inspiring others to lead healthy

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?

Looking back to my childhood, I was fascinated with medicine, asking my dad endless questions while he worked as a pharmacist in his drugstore. I enjoyed helping customers coming in with finding the right products. I also loved to dig up sassafras roots in the forest and make tea or pick wild berries and miners’ lettuce. Once I was determined to collect the nectar out of honeysuckle blossoms, I spent the entire day squeezing out the blossoms and got about a teaspoon full of nectar. It was delicious!

When I was in my late teens, I had an interest in learning about other cultures, particularly Asian art and philosophy, and found myself studying Buddhism and Taoism in college. But the main impetus to study medicine myself came in 1981 when I was suddenly faced with a serious health challenge — a class 4 PAP smear. The doctors said it would require surgery to remove my cervix. At the time, I was enrolled in a massage class, and I told my teacher about the issue. He suggested I go and see Dr. Wha Ja Kim, a well-respected acupuncturist. So, although I had never experienced acupuncture, and it was relatively new to the western world at that time, I figured it was worth a try.

Dr. Kim took my pulse on both wrists, looked at my tongue, and gave her diagnosis, “blood stagnation in the lower burner.” “No problem,” she said, “come twice a week for six weeks, then get another PAP test.”

So, I went in for the treatments. She performed a practice called cupping that uses suction to pull out toxins, along with acupuncture. After six weeks, I went back to the clinic and got a PAP, and it was normal.

When I told the surgeon I wanted to cancel the scheduled surgery, he couldn’t believe it and ordered another PAP from his office. It was also negative. He said he had never seen this kind of remission before, and I explained that I had gotten acupuncture. Instead of being happy that I had found a method that worked to reverse the condition, he got angry and told me to get out of his office. I was floored and left in disbelief. It made me want to be able to help more people, particularly women, using acupuncture, so I enrolled at Five Branches University to study Traditional Chinese Medicine.

After getting my degree and passing the California state boards, I worked at a Chinese Herb company as a technical consultant to practitioners, teaching practitioners how to use the herbal formulas. I was also practicing veterinary acupuncture and learned about other treatments such as homeopathy and western herbal formulations. Through that work, I learned about other herbs that were very effective as broad-spectrum agents, outside of the Chinese ones I had studied in acupuncture school, and that they were often successful in really difficult infections.

At the same time, the AIDS epidemic had just begun, and doctors were looking for potential treatments for opportunistic infections, especially GI disorders. I offered the herbal formula I had been using, and the doctors were getting great results, and the word spread.

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?

As I mentioned, a few doctors were starting to use the Biocidin herbal formula at clinics in San Francisco, and one doctor had sent a sample (without my knowledge) to Great Smokies Diagnostic Labs, now called Genova Diagnostics, to see if it would be a candidate treatment for yeast and bacterial species commonly seen on a Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis. On that panel, both drug therapies and natural agents are tested to see if the bacteria or yeast are sensitive to it and then could be prescribed for the patient.

One afternoon in 1990, I got a phone call from the director of the lab, Dr. Martin Lee. I’ll never forget the conversation where he said to me, “I don’t know who you are or what this is, but it kills everything!” He told me he wanted to include it on the list of candidate treatments and to send him a dozen bottles to use in testing. Suddenly many doctors were seeing this formula show up on the patient test results, and it was the most Highly Sensitive agent. He told me to find a name for it that sounded medical, so that’s how Biocidin was born and became popular among integrative and functional medicine practitioners.

Over a six-year period, 250,000+ patient tests were run where the Biocidin formula was the most effective agent. So, although I had never planned to have a botanical products company, I suddenly had to take the necessary steps to produce the formula and create the companion products and protocols to go along with it.

I believe the main lesson for me is to maintain your motivation to help others and keep following your intuition, stay aligned with your passion, and continue to grow and learn. Then things will fall into place.

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

One of my biggest mistakes was not diversifying my efforts. When after six years, Great Smokies could no longer include Biocidin on the CDSA panel, sales dropped precipitously, and I had to get to work getting the word out in other ways. But this was also a blessing, as I learned more about sales and marketing and started to lecture at medical conferences to raise the visibility of our research. This also gave me confidence that our success was not only a gift but also a manifestation of our hard work and efforts.

When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?

Having access to broad-spectrum botanicals has given both doctors and patients the ability to avoid using potentially harmful agents that can harm the good flora in our GI tract. Biocidin actually increases the beneficial strains while “weeding the garden,” so to speak. This clinically effective and evidence-based approach, backed by research, has helped to substantiate the benefits of botanical medicine. Our research and education have contributed to the understanding of gut health and the microbiome and the complex topic of biofilms and chronic infections.

I think we’re also making an impact by taking these broadly acting and biofilm-busting agents and applying them to things we use every day. A recent example is our toothpaste and mouth rinse. They are a true breakthrough in oral care. We even created the term “Dentaceutical” to describe these natural formulations that impact oral health and ultimately support whole-body wellness.

Dentists and hygienists are so excited to see the improved outcomes in their patients, including a reduction in plaque and reduced inflammation in the gums –I think that’s something to smile about.

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.

Diet is, of course, top of the list. Eating a healthy and preferably an organic diet rich in phytonutrients and free from pesticides, GMOs, sugars, and inflammatory ingredients is key. My mom had swelling and pain in her joints for years. I told her to try cutting out gluten, but she never listened until she finally got a lab test showing gluten sensitivity. When she cut wheat out, her joint pain “miraculously” disappeared.

Toxins in our homes and bodies are a huge factor in our health. I can’t stress enough the importance of stopping use of all chemically scented products like laundry detergent, dryer sheets, and body products like deodorant and cologne. Any product that contains perfume or fragrance on the label is toxic. Worst of all, room and carpet sprays and plug-in type “air fresheners.” Many of these chemicals, combined with phthalates to carry the scents, cause endocrine system disruption, including fertility issues, respiratory distress, and immune system burden, leading to serious consequences. If you go to EWG.org, you can look up the dangers of commonly used cosmetics. Fortunately, unscented products or products using plant-based ingredients like essential oils are now readily available. Read the label. Something might say “natural” but then has fragrance in the ingredient list. Often, I have to take a cab or Uber from the airport to a conference, and when I see the driver has a hanging air freshener, I let them know. I told one guy about lowered sperm health associated with them. He pulled over to a gas station and threw it out! He had been trying to conceive with his wife and took this news to heart.

Spending time in nature for me is so essential, relaxing our overworked nervous system, and connecting to the beauty around us. Stress is such a significant factor. Try turning off the phone, so you are really present, and take a few deep cleansing breaths.

I take a walk morning and evening down a forest trail to the ocean. I love getting to know the deer, osprey, and owls, seeing a bunny dart into the brush. It always lifts my mood. If I have to be in a city environment, I go outside to a park or just even say hi to a squirrel or admire a pretty tree.

Breathwork or focused breathing like Wim Hof or Pranayama, or even just slow, intentional breath, is so vital to every system in our body. And the psychological, spiritual, and emotional benefits are huge. I have participated in Holotropic breathwork retreats with Dr. Stanislav Grof, and practice and study the techniques of David Elliot, whose book Healing I highly recommend.

In one breathwork retreat, a man was able to feel and connect with grief he had not processed about his father’s death, and afterward, he looked so much brighter and more energetic. He even moved differently. Unexpressed emotional energy trapped in our body is a type of stress that also needs our attention. Having a facilitator or therapist trained in this work will provide a safe container to process and integrate the experience.

Of course, movement is also a pillar of health, so finding a regimen that works for your body and is fun is important. I love dance and working with my horses. Stretching, Pilates, yoga, and hiking are all ways I like to get to exercise.

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

Use natural products, eat clean food, learn how to use nature’s medicine chest, and find a good functional and integrative medicine practitioner to help keep track of your health.

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

It’s not only related to my professional life, but certainly asking for help, not being afraid to be seen, standing up for myself if people are out of line, and not trying to caretake or fix others, and loving, appreciating, and accepting myself come to mind as key points. I’m sure I’m not the only person that looks back at certain situations or relationships and goes, “what the ___was I thinking?” But these are the life lessons that we got to learn from (hopefully) and no longer are encountering. Overall, I’m extremely grateful and happy with the level of success Biocidin Botanicals has reached, and I feel like it’s still just the beginning.

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

These are all important areas but taking care of the environment and sustainability are key for me. We worked for two years to find a 100% recyclable tube for our Dentalcidin toothpaste. This saved thousands of pounds of plastic from going to landfills. If I could wave a magic wand, I’d eliminate all single-use plastics.

What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?

You can visit our website at www.biocidin.com, and we are also on Instagram and Facebook. We have wonderful articles, webinars, and great customer service and clinical education teams to support both consumers and health professionals.

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


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