Day: November 28, 2022

Female Disruptors: Kelly Oriard and Callie Christensen of Slumberkins On The Three Things You Need…

Female Disruptors: Kelly Oriard and Callie Christensen of Slumberkins On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadice

Trust Yourself: Lean into your gut and intuition. Similar to being a parent, as founders of a company, treat this as your child and always trust your gut and intuition when it comes to decision making, but always remember to take advantage of the knowledge other people have.

As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kelly Oriard and Callie Christensen.

Kelly Oriard and Callie Christensen are best friends, co-founders and co-CEO’s of Slumberkins, a children’s education and emotional health brand. Kelly holds a dual master’s degree in Marriage & Family Therapy and School Counseling. Slumberkins is at the forefront of brand building as they expand their characters and stories across new mediums, most recently an Apple preschool series produced by The Jim Henson Company, now available on Apple TV+.

As a therapist, school counselor, and mother, Kelly has been passionate about changing how we support mental and emotional well-being for children and families. As the author behind the character storylines at Slumberkins, Kelly is changing the way children and families can access the content and strategies, usually found in a family therapy session, in a fun, easy-to-use way that creates healing and brings meaningful moments of connection that make a lifelong impact on the emotional health of children.

Callie holds a master’s in teaching elementary education and special education. As a mother and educator turned entrepreneur, she’s on a mission to use her educational background to create an accessible, meaningful, and purposeful brand that is useful in every home and school to help support families and communities on their journeys of emotional health.

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?

We have been best friends for over 20 years. Playing sports together in high school, we are both very competitive and went on to play at the collegiate level while diving into our careers as an educator and a school counselor. We both thought we would retire as educators until we were on maternity leave together and had the time to think about the need we were both seeing for children to have more early emotional learning before they entered the school systems. What we saw was emotional wellness really works best when implemented first in the home environment between the primary caregiver and child. With that in mind, we came up with Slumberkins as a side hustle that we built from a $200-loan borrowed from our family. We hand-sewed the first characters in the line and started selling at local craft fairs around town, each accompanied with a therapeutic storyline and positive affirmation. We found a real need for this type of intentional product and a growing community that helped the brand take off. In 2017, we had an appearance on ABC’s Shark Tank and while we didn’t get an investment, it did help us continue to grow our community — now more than 1 million strong — and pushed us to keep building the brand which we believe in so much. Now we are continuing to expand into new verticals like entertainment and have grown into one of the leading children’s emotional learning brands on the market.

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

Being co-CEOs and co-founders of a leading children’s education brand, we are making strides by making it easier for caregivers to support the overall emotional wellness and social-emotional learning of their children which supports systemic intervention. We use therapeutic tools and resources, such as affirmations and storyline to create a deeper connection with meaningful moments integrated into all of our product offerings. Not only do people remember the world of Slumberkins, but they feel the learning or change they want to enact in their lives, which speaks to the power of our company. While there are of course a lot of wonderful preschool education companies and products out there, we’re pioneering making social-emotional learning accessible in this broad way, from experts in the field who are parents ourselves.

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?

Because we had built the brand with our own products and self-published books, when we realized we wanted to bring the creatures to life as puppets, we figured we would just do it ourselves… with no experience in film, puppetry, scriptwriting. Our team started calling it the ‘Rogue Puppet Show’ because it was the little passion project within the core passion project that had grown into Slumberkins. We thought we could compete with the best in the business with inspiration from The Muppets and Labrinth, but quickly learned that that was something best left to the masters! As with many things along our story, a bit of Slumberkins magic landed us at just the right place with the president of children’s programming for the Jim Henson Company and the rest, as they say, is history. Our co-production of the Slumberkins series is now streaming on Apple TV+. It’s truly a dream come true.

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?

We were fortunate enough to meet several people along the way to help support us in our startup. Our first-ever investor was a man named Adam Merrino, who worked at Morgan Stanley. He helped us in the early stages of Slumberkins before we even knew what profits and losses were. He took a bet on us by taking the time to learn about our core mission with Slumberkins, what we were doing with our characters and affirmations and helped us make more informed business decisions to help get us off the ground.

Through our first manufacturer in 2017, we were introduced to the founder of Build-A-Bear, Maxine Clark. We had a strong connection with Maxine from the get-go because of the obvious connection between education and plush toys. Maxine was instrumental in the development of our own plush toys and acted as a trusted advisor to Slumberkins as we fine-tuned our products.

Through professional networks, we met Shawn Dennis in 2019, who had experience with American Girl Doll and Goldie Blocks and really helped push our brand to the next level from a brand perspective and consider the needs of the consumer and how to create the best experience possible for them.

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?

As a category-defining brand, we thrive in the world of disruption. We are changing the way people look at emotional learning when it comes to their children and how we can better move things forward with the technology and resources that we already have.

We started out selling our products at local farmers’ markets and crafts fairs and now we are expanding our business into television and other major markets to help reach kids more easily.

Since Kelly has a background as a family therapist who studied systems thinking, it’s very much part of what we do in the products and how we operate. When we are adaptive, it really stands the test of time where you’re the perfect balance of being rigid and malleable at the same time. Disruption and change of systems is the most natural thing to happen. Once you have stability, you will have disruption. It’s not necessarily good or bad, it just will happen. It’s what you learn from that determines your strength moving forward.

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

Trust Your Intuition: In the early days of fundraising, multiple investors and advisors (all men, by the way) questioned our decision to be co-CEOs. It made us do the hard work in establishing our roles in the company, establishing trust, and building a united front. We are co-CEOs, and since this is a partnership, we have treated it as the same as we do with any partnership, like a marriage. In order to keep our relationship healthy and strong, together we see a family therapist. We each have a lane and area of expertise and a team that we consult with to make decisions.
Trust Yourself: Lean into your gut and intuition. Similar to being a parent, as founders of a company, treat this as your child and always trust your gut and intuition when it comes to decision making, but always remember to take advantage of the knowledge other people have.
As opportunities grow, learn the power of saying no. You can’t do it ALL. Learn how to properly sequence and prioritize your day to day and long term strategy

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

Slumberkins is continuing to rapidly expand across entertainment, content, publishing, music, school curriculum and more. We recently released a show with Apple TV+ which is really a dream come true. It’s a dream to expand the brand and help bring emotional wellness to the forefront for as many kids and families as possible.

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

A big challenge that we as women disruptors face is an unconscious bias that people think when they hear the term “female business owners.” We have met with a lot of people who get really excited about us but it’s a smaller pool of investors who are willing to back us — until they see the impact the brand has on children and families.

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

We love Untamed and We Can Do Hard Things podcasts by Glennon Doyle. Glennon is very in line with the practice of trusting your gut and inner wisdom, which has spoken a lot to us in our journey with Slumberkins. She is such an advocate for making space for conversations about mental and emotional health.

Additionally, IntraConnected by Dan Siegle has had a huge impact on our thinking. We are huge fans of his research and work around the study of the mind, the potential of connection between ourselves, each other and how that can change everything. He was an inspiration to Kelly in interpersonal neurobiology and as an incredibly well-respected thought leader.

You are both people 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.

Our mission has always been to see social-emotional learning become an intentional part of the early childhood experience. Slumberkins provides digestible and therapeutic tools to normalize conversations about big feelings.

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

“Que será será’, whatever will be will be. Accepting what is and striving for what’s next is a wonderful place to be. Don’t let worry or let fear stop you. We never know what’s going to happen.

How can our readers follow you online?

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slumberkins/?hl=en

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@slumberkins_?utm_medium=social&utm_source=ig+linktree&utm_campaign=follow+us+on+tik+tok+%F0%9F%8E%A5

Twitter: https://twitter.com/slumberkins?lang=en

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

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

Female Disruptors: Kelly Oriard and Callie Christensen of Slumberkins On The Three Things You Need… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Pamela Hill-Grossman of Facial Aesthetics On The Five Things You Need To Thrive…

Female Founders: Pamela Hill-Grossman of Facial Aesthetics On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadice

It takes hard work. — When I started, I worked from 8am-8pm (or even longer). You put in long days, and you barely see traction in the beginning. Stay the course. If you were expecting it to be easier, change your mindset. And if you expect it to get easier, change your mindset. The truth is it doesn’t get easier. You just get better and more efficient at doing hard work and making hard decisions.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Pamela Hill-Grossman RN, CANS of Facial Aesthetics.

Founder of Facial Aesthetics, the first medical spa in Colorado, Pamela Hill-Grossman RN, CANS, developed a business model that would serve a true need for professional skin care. As an accomplished educator and business woman, Pamela reflects on her early days of founding Facial Aesthetics and all that she has learned over the course of the last 30 years in business.

Every start has a story, and my story as the founder of the first medical spa in Colorado, Facial Aesthetics, really starts with what drove me to become a nurse. And the story is this…

I was getting ready to graduate high school and had no idea what I wanted to do. I vividly remember my father saying, “be a teacher or a nurse, and you’ll always have a job.” I didn’t want to be a teacher at the time, but I did know I wanted to find a job out of college, so I chose to attend nursing college. I felt my personality aligned to the compassion and drive it took to work in nursing.

After earning my degree, I went to work in the operating room (OR). I got married and welcomed my first child in 1981. A few years later, I found myself in a similar place as I did after high school — this time, divorced, a single mom, but the same drive and determination to do something I loved, not only for myself, but for my daughter now, too. I went back to the OR. I worked alongside a man with the sharpest skills, and most incredible patient care in the plastic surgery specialty across the nation, Dr. John A. Grossman. As fate would have it, that man would become my husband, and we’d build a business that I’d put my blood, sweat and tears into. Dr. Grossman believed I was always meant to be an entrepreneur…and deep down inside, I knew it, too.

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

If you told me that after I opened a medical spa I’d go on to be an author, develop two skin care lines, and create an institute for aesthetic education, I’m not sure I’d believe you — but let me tell you this story that involves an employee of many years ago and the lesson I learned about myself and employee relationships. Early on, we hired a patient care coordinator who was a real nice woman — so grateful for the job and who really counted on her hours to make ends meet at home. While working for us, her mother died. As the only child, this employee did not have family support, nor enough money to pay for a proper funeral for her mother. As a small business owner, you feel responsible for your employees, and you want to help them in any way you can, if you can. In this case, Facial Aesthetics ended up paying for the funeral of this employee’s mother. You know saying it out loud, it’s a little peculiar, but it was then that I really realized how important employees become. You treat them like family. I think sometimes people don’t believe how much they mean to the companies they work for. For some, it is just a job, but for others, it’s a real career where meaningful relationships are made and that appreciation for one another is reciprocated. Some may wonder if she still works for us today…she does not. She left within a few short months after her mother’s passing. Interestingly, I wouldn’t trade that decision for a second because of the lesson it taught me about the culture of the team and the importance of getting to know your employees and caring for them like you do your own family.

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?

In a business where you’re treating patients all day, especially in something as up close and personal as their skin, you treat some of their most private concerns. We had a gentleman come in one day to the clinic to remove skin tags on his abdomen. Nothing a hyfrecator couldn’t fix. I had him wait in the treatment room while I went to get the machine to perform treatment. Upon my return, there he was. All of him. He wasn’t wearing any clothes, which was a complete surprise to me considering his treatment didn’t require the need for him to disrobe completely. He thought that was the protocol. It was not. I learned in the funniest of ways how setting expectations and providing specific instructions to patients is a very important step during treatment. Communicate clearly. And if things go a little sideways… know you are the one to put things back on track.

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?

Someone who has really helped me to be successful at building my aesthetics business is my husband, and world-renowned plastic surgeon, Dr. Grossman. He was my mentor, but he was also my hype-person. He coached me, he’d tell me what I needed to hear, not what I wanted to hear, and he never stopped believing in me.

If you’re just starting in business, you’ll quickly learn that things don’t always go right. And if you’ve been in business for a long time, you’ll already know this little fact. Back in the day when we were injecting bovine collagen, we’d occasionally have a vascular event. I remember the first time this happened in my career. I was a wreck. I was so upset. Sharing it with Dr. Grossman, I’ll never forget the words out of his mouth. He said: “get over it or get out of it”. In other words: do your best, but don’t get so emotionally caught up in it that you can’t take care of your patient. Stepping away emotionally, allows you step in intellectually. If you can’t step away from the emotional part of it, you’ll lose your perspective and ability to properly take care of your patient. And this isn’t just true for healthcare. I learned quickly that it isn’t about me. It’s about my patient (or the customer, or whatever your case may be). It’s the next level of professionalism. It’s your ability to set aside your emotions and focus on who’s in front of you. When things don’t go right — be professional. He taught me this. And this is something that I teach to every single one of my providers, because preparedness is key and so is a patient-first attitude in every situation, especially in aesthetics.

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

I think it’s a few things. The first is money. Simply securing the funds to start up the business; and not knowing where to go to secure those funds and to find the help. It’s out there and women need to educate themselves on what is available. The second is self-doubt and fear of failure. If you are timid and unsure of yourself, no one is going to believe in you. You must believe in yourself first. Third, I believe there is still a level of presumption around men vs. women. Whether its men are more like x and women are more like z — so their actions or beliefs yield certain results. You see, you start to embody those beliefs, which if negative, can be very dispiriting. Luckily for me, I was told: “You can do this. You can be successful.” I think a lot of women are told they’re not strong enough, or they’ll never make it because they aren’t enough of a risk taker. It’s so important for women to surround themselves with people who will build them up rather than break them down. It’s digging deep and having the grit to not stop until it’s exactly how you want it to be.

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?

If the obstacle is startup money, know there is an increasing amount of support in entrepreneurship, which I love to see. Charitable institutions, stakeholders, giving programs and other agencies donate money every year to fund the needs of females to live their dreams of entrepreneurship. Apply for them. Don’t wait for someone else to do it for you. They won’t. Learning about and utilizing the many resources available helps to grow more female founded companies.

If the obstacles are self-doubt, fear or failure or comparison — I encourage you to find your circle. Especially in a time with heavy emphasis on social media and being able to connect with people without ever having met them. Be careful about how you interpret their lives and their journeys as an entrepreneur. If they don’t show you struggles, they’re not being honest. Use your social tools wisely. Surround yourself with a network of women who build you up whether it’s in your area or across the nation within your industry.

For all of you women with a dream, don’t lose your grit. Be willing to ignore the naysayers and have the drive to go on. Don’t back down to building your dreams. Dreams aren’t just for sleep. They are meant to be lived and achieved.

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?

Because of women’s issues. Women are passionate and communicative. They are better able to address and solve issues they are passionate about. Women are connected to daily life and making things better in the now. They are natural managers. While their potential is great, the daily responsibilities of women can sometimes throw up a roadblock — but the roadblock is only an obstacle, not an end.

Women have so much to offer. They have brilliant ideas, especially as it relates to finding efficiencies for everyday life. Examples of these female founded products are: Spanx, beauty products, Rent the Runway, and among the most important…the dishwasher. Women are clever, clear, and kind. These qualities lead to their ability to not only lead but succeed.

Women need to believe in themselves. They are smart, analytical, confident, creative, profound, determined, and compassionate. They’re thinkers, learners, and problem solvers. They’re never too good to learn, even at the highest level. Women have guts.

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

When people hear you founded your own company they think “she has it all — it must be so easy for her.” No. That’s not the way it rolls for founders. Most of the time I went without a paycheck so I could pay my employees. People assume when they see lots of customers, or how busy your business is, that every dollar spent there goes right into your bank account. That is a huge misconception of our role in the company. As a founder, it can take some time to see personal profit. And that’s ok. That’s usually normal.

Another myth is if you’re a founder, you must be a genius. No. I have the humility to disagree. You don’t have to know everything as a founder but know that others may see or expect that of you. The most important thing is that some of my greatest successes has been to surround myself with people that are smarter than I am, and that have different strengths than I do. I think female founders are good at checking their ego and not letting it get in the way of their success.

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

I do not believe that everyone is cut out to be a founder. There are certain people that are content to be an employee, and those people are integral to every business. They come to work every day and make your business go. They do not inhabit that drive or ambition to develop a new company — they’re happiness comes from someplace else. Using a sports team analogy, they’re contentment comes from being part of the team. They don’t need to be named one of the captains.

I think the qualities of a founder are vision, grit, determination, and motivation, to name a few. It’s having a dream and executing on that dream. For me, founding a company fueled an inner fire. It was my will to create something that I knew would make life better for others or cause positive change in some way or another. The reasons you become a founder are almost esoteric in a way. You’ll encounter plenty of times and reasons to give up. If you take the risks, put in the work, communicate clearly and never give up — you’re likely to be successful.

Let’s not forget failure and mistakes…they’re going to happen, and you can’t be afraid of them. They’re part of the journey. Women are good at being introspective — learning from their mistakes rather than beat themselves up for what has failed.

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.)

It takes hard work. — When I started, I worked from 8am-8pm (or even longer). You put in long days, and you barely see traction in the beginning. Stay the course. If you were expecting it to be easier, change your mindset. And if you expect it to get easier, change your mindset. The truth is it doesn’t get easier. You just get better and more efficient at doing hard work and making hard decisions.
Get comfortable with worry. Tears. Sleepless nights. I would worry about payroll, products ordered, if patients liked their results. I would think of things like: were the employees happy? Was I smart enough? I never questioned my ambition or grit, but I worried (that’s just me though, I’m a worrier). It’s par for the course. Find ways to manage your worry, but know it’s bound to happen, and it’s ok.
You’ll meet some of the best people you’ll ever know. Isn’t this the truth. You meet people who give you sage advice, who provide direction and have your best interest at heart. You’ll meet and share best practices with other entrepreneurs. You’ll expand your network of not just friends, but professionals.
Surprises will happen. Things will happen that you never imagined would. New business ventures, product line extensions, new offerings, employee departures, and even family ties within the company. I always dreamed for my daughter to follow me in the business, and my dream came true. Today my daughter is the president of Facial Aesthetics, and it is a true honor to work with her. Life surprises you. You surprise yourself. Starting a company presents new challenges every day. It keeps you on your toes and you will never be bored. No two days are the same. Embrace the surprises.
You’ll never stop learning — And if you do, your time as an entrepreneur will be short. Learning is what opens the doors to everything. Learning about every aspect of the business from devices to industry insights, to finances, and marketing has provided me a unique skill set to expand by business. I got an “MBA” on the job. I ended up becoming a teacher (can you believe it?) and created my own training institute. I wrote a 13-book compendium about results driven skin care procedures that has been folded into the aesthetics bible written by Milady, now known as Cengage Learning. It’s amazing where keeping an open mind will take you.

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

Giving back is so important to me. My husband and I, as well as Facial Aesthetics, are very involved in many initiatives that give back all year long. Whether it’s for the children of Ukraine through Unicef, the Marshall Fires first responders in Colorado, the Food Bank of the Rockies, women’s shelters of Denver, the American Melanoma Foundation, and many others, giving back to our community is woven into the fabric of our company. Giving back and Integrity are two of our core values at Facial Aesthetics; and I can only hope that our employees embody these two values everyday — professionally and personally. Our communities have shown us such great support and love, and we can only hope to share our time, talent, and treasures by giving back to those in need within our communities.

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.

If I could inspire a movement, it would be one of understanding your fellow man or woman. Less hate and deadly conflict. I strongly believe that we can live in a world with more resolution, communication, faith, understanding and kindness. Why can’t we try to understand first and be judgmental second? Why is there so much killing for no reason? Killing of young children?

My vision or movement would be to see the value of the difference in others. What causes hate is the failure to understand each other. Understanding and appreciating the differences in each other is the way to a better world. Regardless of color, religion, or political views, we need to be more open minded. I believe in the opportunity for young women and men to belong to something bigger than themselves. The opportunity to be more than they might be without this journey.

I believe this requires service in some capacity. A program that can help young people discover the skills, capabilities, and potential in themselves and how to serve society in a positive way. It’s that intrapersonal part of the journey — the true ability to connect, accept, and appreciate each other. This is what we are missing in our country. Guns are not the answer. Violence is not the answer. We need to be given an opportunity to learn about each other and make decisions about life while interacting with someone who is very different.

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

I think if I had to choose just one at the current moment, I would choose Dr. Anthony Fauci. I’d love to have a real talk with him. There is no doubt that he’s gone through a tough time in his position, especially during the pandemic — mentally, physically, and emotionally. But he has come out on the other side, and I think his career, influence, and direction over a country like ours could not have been easy, and that his story would be important.

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

Female Founders: Pamela Hill-Grossman of Facial Aesthetics On The Five Things You Need To Thrive… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Disruptors: Sherri Turpin of ZP Better Together On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up…

Female Disruptors: Sherri Turpin of ZP Better Together On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadice

Really there are two words: People first. At the end of the day, most especially when it comes to disruptive change, all leaders must prioritize people, their team in particular, above all else. My grandmother embodied this and I have tried to instill that throughout my career journey. I am reminded every day how fortunate I am to have such a committed team alongside me at ZP, especially in our united fight to ensure communication equity for the deaf and hard of hearing community. As a leader you definitely have to keep your eye on the business goals and tasks at hand but without the support and buy-in of your team, without them knowing you first value them as people, none of it is really possible.

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

A bold purpose-driven leader, Sherri Turpin is CEO of ZP Better Together (ZP), a leading provider of innovative communications solutions, including video relay technology and interpretation services for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Proficient in American Sign Language, Sherri is a member of Fortune’s CEO Initiative; a signatory to CEO Action, the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance workplace diversity and inclusion; and was named a 2022 Best CEO honoree by the Austin Business Journal. With Sherri as CEO, ZP has been named a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” the past three consecutive years; has established innovative technology partnerships with top brands like Apple and Meta; and continues to boldly lead the “Total Access” advocacy campaign, pushing federal policy and congressional leaders, the public, and business community to step up and join her in the fight to ensure full and equal communications access for the deaf and hard of hearing community.

I grew up in a small town in Texas. To say my career journey has been the farthest thing from a straight line is a huge understatement. But in so many ways, my non-linear path is the very thing that has made me a far better, more empathetic leader. And, I would not change a single twist or turn. Technology has always been a constant in my career from my days at Earthlink to my work with private investment firm Kinderhook Industries. However, if you told me in my 20s or 30s that I would be leading major DEI and social impact initiatives and critical advocacy work, fighting every day for equal communications access for the deaf and hard of hearing community, I am pretty certain I would not have believed you. Now, though, looking back on all of this, I firmly believe a lot of this was my leadership destiny. With ZP and the deaf community I absolutely believe that I have found a true home not only to continually test and challenge my own leadership, but to have the opportunity to create a better, more inclusive world.

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

This is a great question and there is no short answer. The work I am doing alongside the entire ZP team of employees and sign language interpreters, and many community leaders is disruptive on multiple levels.

First, more generally, the deaf and hard of hearing community is still overlooked and underrepresented in so many fundamental ways throughout our world. Our work to prioritize the deaf community, to put the deaf community front and center and on equal footing with the hearing community, especially when it comes to technological innovation and everyday communications, should in no way be considered disruptive simply because it’s unique or asking for equitable access. Our work should in no way be considered disruptive when it is simply advocating for long overdue modernization of the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Video Relay System (VRS) program along with its structure, pricing and, importantly, how our nation and leaders think about and approach such a critical service. Unfortunately, today it still is. At its core, the work ZP is doing every day is essentially helping to disrupt decades and decades of societal biases and discrimination against deaf and hard of hearing people and their signed languages.

Most hearing people just do not have a good understanding of what deaf people face. I know I didn’t before I was named ZP’s CEO. The communications inequities for the deaf community, even on a fundamental everyday level, are beyond unacceptable in today’s golden age of technology. How is it possible today that a deaf person needs two phone numbers, one for texting and a second for video calls? How is it acceptable that E9–1–1 emergency services do not geo-locate a deaf person the same way they can hearing people? Why can’t a deaf person easily jump onto an impromptu Zoom meeting or job interview? To help educate the public, congressional and policy leaders, and the business community, we developed this What If video to literally place hearing people in the shoes of a deaf person and very directly convey the inequities.

We have been working diligently to address and change all of this. One of the most important initiatives I am leading with ZP and several prominent deaf leaders right now is our ongoing work with “Total Access,” a nationwide advocacy campaign. Simply put, this is some of the most disruptive and important work that I have ever done. What I am trying to do is essentially disrupt decades and decades of outdated telecommunications infrastructure, to help modernize a critical program, to democratize communication access for the deaf community, to change old thinking, to ensure that deaf and hard of hearing individuals have the same fundamental right to 21st century communications that the hearing community takes for granted every day.

Central to all of this is the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). For the past several years, I have been asking the FCC to step up and invest in the deaf community, specifically to deliver on the telecommunications “functional equivalency” that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) promised more than 30 years ago. Currently, the FCC supports what is called the Video Relay Services (VRS), a critical communication service for the deaf community, by funding the providers of such services. Every few years, the FCC revisits and sets those provider rates; however, this past summer, the FCC issued a one-year extension on making any new rate decision. This was the third rate extension on a decision that was supposed to have been made in July 2021. As a result, VRS providers like ZP are operating on 2017 pricing, annual rising labor costs year over year and now one of the worst inflations in the past 40 years. Add to this the fact that over the past decade VRS rates have been cut by nearly 50%. This is hardly a recipe for a thriving marketplace where the consumer — in this case the deaf consumer — benefits from steady innovation, healthy industry competition and expanding consumer choice. Quite the opposite.

As a longtime technology executive, I know that the actual solution to fix this is not hard. In fact, I have made a “Community Investment” proposal to the FCC outlining how this can be done and without any substantial increase in FCC funding. We just need the FCC to step up, work with us, and invest in the deaf community. I do want to note that we are very pleased that the FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel committed to making a decision on the VRS program rates by or before July 2023 and we remain hopeful it could be sooner. It is long past time to close the gross inequity gaps and deliver to the deaf community the true functional equivalency that the ADA promised decades ago.

All of this is what I am working every day to disrupt and, while it is no easy task, I am as committed as ever to do as much as I possibly can to change this. I am pushing the FCC. Why? The FCC has the power for the first time ever to fulfill the ADA’s promise to the deaf community. I have gone to Capitol Hill to address congressional and policy leaders who have the power to help change this. I have spoken about this at major conferences such as SXSW. Also, the hearing public can help change this by joining our Total Access campaign. I continue to speak out about this in national media outlets like The Authority so that I can educate as many people as possible about the gross inequities that still exist, the old thinking and approaches that must change, and the program modernization that is so needed. It is 2022, not 1922. It is so long past time for change.

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

I will share one that I have shared before — it’s quite good. Soon after I was named CEO of ZP, I knew how important it would be for me — a hearing person — to learn American Sign Language. I committed to doing so, worked with a certified ASL instructor and, while I am not yet fully fluent in ASL, I have made very good progress through the years and am now proficient. But, at one of my very first employee meetings at ZP, I unknowingly ended up using the wrong sign for a word — not just any wrong sign — let’s just say a very colorful, not-so-G-rated sign. While those employees were so forgiving of my error, they have certainly never let me forget the faux pas. And I too will never forget that. While we all still get a few laughs out of this story it reinforced for me how important learning and respecting ASL and deaf culture would be to my leadership and that it was something that was going to take a substantial and long-term commitment on my part to do it right. I have never taken that for granted.

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?

My grandmother, her kindness and her values have always been a constant guiding force for me. She was one of the most loving, giving people I have ever known, always putting people first. As a young girl and young woman, I always knew that whatever I did I wanted to try and emulate my grandmother. I knew that if I did that I would always be a better leader.

Also, Chris Michalik, founder of Kinderhook Industries, a leading New York-based private investment firm, has been a significant mentor for me and a second critical guiding force in my career and leadership. Almost two decades ago we met and we had a great immediate connection. Chris essentially opened the doors for me to the private investment industry. This was an industry I had never really planned on entering but Chris believed in me and advocated for my leadership. Some of my greatest leadership learnings have come from my time in private investment and working alongside Chris and his team. It was private investment that led me to ZP which is without question the most rewarding leadership challenge of my career. ZP is where I have grown the most as a social impact leader and I have Chris largely to thank for that. Chris and I are so closely aligned and exactly where it matters most. He shares my tenacity, my never-give-up approach and ZP’s steadfast commitment to the deaf community and our ongoing fight for what’s right. Without Chris, navigating this part of my leadership journey — the most difficult and challenging of my career — would have been nearly impossible.

Anyone who knows me knows that I like to move very very fast and that the words “no” and “can’t” are completely missing from my vocabulary. I am just not a huge believer in the old adage that says not to fix something if it isn’t broken. I think that brings a status quo mindset and culture which can be detrimental to your organization. I believe that you really cannot have good leadership without continual disruption. I am always looking at how and why we are doing what we are doing and always trying to find ways we can do better, ways we can provide more innovative products and improved services for our customers. It’s continual improvement for me. Never static, never status quo. I just don’t know how you can be a great leader in today’s world without a steady commitment to disruption. It’s very rare that I ever view disruption as bad. Disruption is really a means to a very good end. I know that when I am disrupting, when ZP is disrupting we are innovating, we are leading and ultimately, we are delivering game-changing products and services to our customers.

I will say that if your team does not understand the why of your disruption — if they do not understand the end reason as to why you are disrupting — then this is where your leadership will be challenged and your disruption can very easily be perceived as bad. Disruptive leaders must ensure that their employees, their customers and their partners have the vision behind the disruptive change you are seeking. If they only see the disruption and not the bigger vision that is driving it, your leadership will fall far short.

The best example I can give you of positive disruption is the work I am doing now to push the FCC to change decades-old thinking and outdated infrastructure in our VRS industry that simply is not delivering equal telecommunications access or the best 21st century technologies to deaf and hard of hearing individuals. If I am successful in this work and the FCC implements the solution that I have proposed, I firmly believe that for the first time ever, the promise of true functional equivalency in telecommunications for the deaf community will have been achieved

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

Really there are two words: People first. At the end of the day, most especially when it comes to disruptive change, all leaders must prioritize people, their team in particular, above all else. My grandmother embodied this and I have tried to instill that throughout my career journey. I am reminded every day how fortunate I am to have such a committed team alongside me at ZP, especially in our united fight to ensure communication equity for the deaf and hard of hearing community. As a leader you definitely have to keep your eye on the business goals and tasks at hand but without the support and buy-in of your team, without them knowing you first value them as people, none of it is really possible.

A few years ago, as part of crisis and contingency planning we were doing, ZP devised and launched a pilot program allowing sign language interpreters to work from home. This was quite game-changing as it really had not been done before. And, a bit ironically, we did this before the COVID-19 global pandemic. The reason I wanted to do this crisis and contingency planning was to ensure that we always put our customers first and that we also put our interpreters first in our service equation. I wanted to ensure that regardless of the crisis that ZP might face we had the best contingency plans possible firmly in place to ensure as best we possibly could that our services were uninterrupted for deaf and hard of hearing individuals and that our interpreters could also safely and efficiently do their jobs in servicing the deaf community. People first was central to all of this and the resulting innovation that ultimately came from it became invaluable during a global pandemic, far beyond our wildest imagination.

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

If we are successful on our “Total Access” campaign and our fight to ensure communications equity for the deaf community — if we can get the FCC to step up — then the shaking up for good that we can do together is nearly endless. We can then very aggressively invest in R&D and bring new innovative technologies and services to market — we can then significantly increase the choices and options the deaf community has for their everyday communications — choices and options that have been closed to them for decades. Honestly, if we succeed with “Total Access,” a whole new world of 21st technology opens up for the deaf community, a world that goes far beyond the status quo. This is the world I know is possible. As I have said before, it is more than past time to modernize this program’s infrastructure for the deaf and hard of hearing community and fully ensure their fundamental human right to communications access. This is the world I won’t stop fighting for.

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

I still see a double standard applied today where women disruptors are generally judged very differently — far less positively — than our male counterparts. It is sad to say but we still fight the negative stereotypes associated with bold, strong and decisive female leadership. We are hardly rewarded for it, or worse, diminished, sidelined and passed over because of it. This is quite unfathomable to me and it is so past time for this to change.

It’s changing but I also believe that some women still consciously or subconsciously buy into this premise or just don’t want to try and fight it. While I do not blame them it does create somewhat of a domino effect that prevents too many strong brilliant women leaders from advancing in the workplace. I have been incredibly fortunate to have had great mentors who have not only supported but encouraged my bold leadership style. And, when I needed to lean into them they were right there for me. I do recognize, though, that not all women have this support structure and that we still have a long way to go for our workplaces and society as a whole to embrace versus punish female disruptors.

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

Many things and many people have influenced my thinking and my leadership over the years. There is a lot in Sheryl Sandberg’s book, Lean In, that resonates with me personally, most especially the parts about believing in yourself, finding your voice and speaking up. I know that her book does not resonate with everyone the same way and that gender equality in the workplace is not only up to us as women. It’s just not that simple and, without question, businesses themselves must commit to change. This is a big part of the reason that I have been a signatory to CEO Action, the largest CEO-driven business commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

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. 🙂

Inspiring a movement is exactly what I am trying to do with our work with the “Total Access” campaign. I am trying to inspire others to join me in this fight. Deaf people need to know exactly what is on the table right now with the FCC. It impacts their fundamental right to full and equal access to communications. Hearing people need to know too. They need to be allies in this. We need more people, more business leaders too, to join us and to stand up and let the FCC know that they are on board. If we are successful together we really will change the world.

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

There are two that really resonate with me right now, especially as I face one of my toughest leadership challenges in our work to modernize the nation’s TRS VRS program and services for the deaf and hard of hearing communities.

“I want to be in the arena. I want to be brave with my life. And when we make the choice to dare greatly, we sign up to get our asses kicked. We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both. Not at the same time.” — Brene Brown

“A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” — Rosalyn Carter former First Lady of the United States

Both quotes reassure me, inspire me to stay on my path, to keep standing up for the right thing, no matter how tough it can be on any given day. Both quotes fuel my innate sense of tenacity. They remind me how damaging the status quo can be. They reinforce the “why” of our work to help provide true functional equivalency to the deaf community. I simply will not give up on this.

How can our readers follow you online?

LinkedIn is probably the best — https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherri-turpin-b969399

Twitter @turpin_sherri

And also through ZP — our website @ https://www.zvrs and on Instagram @zvrs

Photo Credit: Photos by Tate Tullier

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

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

Women Of The C-Suite: Andrea Gilman of Banyan On The Five Things You Need To Succeed As A Senior…

Women Of The C-Suite: Andrea Gilman of Banyan On The Five Things You Need To Succeed As A Senior Executive

An Interview With Candice Georgiadice

Be prepared to roll up your sleeves and jump in from day one. Startups are not long-established, over staffed corporations. That’s a motivator and actually quite fun.

As a part of our interview series called “Women Of The C-Suite”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Andrea Gilman of Banyan.

Andrea serves as Banyan’s Chief Marketing Officer and also leads Banyan’s culture and belonging initiatives. She previously spent 20 years as an executive at Mastercard in new product development and marketing roles. Andrea currently advises several fintech start-ups and tests her growth mindset by learning how to golf.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! 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’ve had an extensive career in payments, primarily focused on delivering transformative value to both merchants and banks. While an SVP at Mastercard, I led teams to deliver a global set of capabilities for SMBs to become digitally enabled, and also pioneered first-to-market B2B real-time payment applications that provided merchants a more seamless, data-rich payment experience. I saw the power that attaching data to payments could have in opening up more relevant and fruitful experiences. I joined Banyan as CMO in 2022 because the opportunity to work with smart teams and build an item-level data network to benefit consumers, merchants and banks was incredibly exciting to me.

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

When leading marketing at a startup, you need to conceive big ideas and build company-wide support and buy-in to achieve those concepts. It is critical to focus on the really big and important initiatives that will have the greatest impact on customers. By embracing difficult challenges and removing the clutter, we can identify opportunities that will truly benefit the bottom line of the merchants and banks we are working for. At Banyan, we constantly gather customer feedback and determine which use cases they deem most valuable. Some of the questions we ask ourselves are “Where exactly will access to item-level data allow them to create better experiences for their customers?” or “How can this drive preference and top-line growth?” This process is how we identified the problem with expense reporting as it relates to business travel. We were told that searching for receipts, tracking past expenses and filling out expense reports was a very bad use of company time. From there, we began to explore how Banyan’s ability to provide item-level data can solve this problem and increase efficiencies around expense reporting and improve the customer experience.

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?

One of the first events I tackled at Banyan was planning our activities at Money 20/20. Initially we planned on hosting a large dinner event, but it was hard to get a night-long commitment from event attendees. We decided to pivot to a cocktail party event which delivered a fabulous turn out and led to many valuable conversations with prospects and existing clients. This experience taught me that it is key to create opportunities for connection that are not only meaningful, but also convenient. This is especially true at a crowded event like Money 20/20.

Early in my career I was lucky to have a manager who became my advocate. As any good mentor should, he alerted me to any missteps and taught me how to lean into my strengths. This guidance helped me secure my first senior management position. He forced me out of my comfort zone and really pushed me to achieve things I never thought possible, such as delivering a new company wide strategy and presenting it to the board within the first few months of a new role. He was a true believer in servant leadership and really took the time to understand how and where I wanted to grow. It was clear he genuinely cared about all the people on his team. When one person fell ill, he made it a point to visit them in the hospital several times to provide encouragement. This mentor taught me the power of helping people by pushing them to achieve and exceed their potential.

Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader?

At Banyan, there are so many opportunities that our technology and solutions can unlock, so the real challenge is remaining laser-focused on projects that will deliver maximum success for our clients. It really comes down to ruthless prioritization. One of the most important things that a leader can do is make decisions about strategy — not only about what we’re going to do, but also what initiatives we are going to shelve because they are not going to be the best performer at the moment.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Most of our readers — in fact, most people — think they have a pretty good idea of what a CEO or executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what an executive does that is different from the responsibilities of the other leaders?

Being an executive is about defining priorities and ensuring everyone in the company is in sync from initial concept, to strategy and straight through to execution. I also think it’s important for executives to be able to shift seamlessly between teams depending on what a situation calls for. Sure, I lead the marketing group, but I also spend significant time with the leadership team. And, when I’m in the room with leadership, I’m fully engaged with that team, working together to solve our collective challenge rather than staying in my marketing cocoon. When you fully understand your colleagues’ goals and objectives, you can provide meaningful contributions to your company beyond simply your “defined role.”

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

One big myth about being a marketing leader is that your only job is to manage vendors and spend money. It goes well beyond those things. It is critically important that marketers have the ability to create a compelling narrative and connect with people on a human level. It’s not simply crafting a compelling story — it is identifying what is special about your products and your company and then conveying those truths in an engaging fashion.

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

While it’s assumed that men will naturally pursue a seat at the table, women need to actively decide that they want a seat at the table, when they want that seat and then go pursue it on a timeline that best suits them, and oftentimes, their family. Women are expected to play a leading role on diversity committees, and others in the company may not understand the amount of work that goes into these initiatives. What’s more, this type of work is not always rewarded or compensated appropriately, despite its importance. For a short while at Banyan, I was the only senior executive on our DEIB committee and it was also clear that we needed more male representation. I discussed this with our CEO. Fortunately, he made an immediate decision to join the committee himself and he has been truly engaged in this work with the team.

What is the most striking difference between your actual job and how you thought the job would be?

The most striking difference is scope, especially moving from a larger company to a startup. At a startup, you have to wear so many more hats. You need to be focused on top-down strategy in one moment and ready to roll up your sleeves on something granular the next moment. The depth and breadth of the role across the different dimensions is much bigger than I thought it would be, but I’m also having a ton more fun than I anticipated.

Is everyone cut out to be an executive? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful executive and what type of person should avoid aspiring to be an executive? Can you explain what you mean?

The first trait is being able to make a lot of decisions effectively and quickly. The number of decisions that I need to make on a daily basis is rather high. And, as an executive, people expect you to have an answer on the ready. It’s okay to say, “Let me consider this and I’ll get back to you,” but you can’t say that every time. So it’s really important to know which decisions must be made quickly, which ones will benefit from a bit more time and which ones you need to socialize. Another key trait is the ability to inspire people to be their best selves and to bring their utmost effort to work every day. This is especially acute in a culture of remote work. It is critical to connect with and motivate teams at every turn. Of course, the primary focus must be on the customer — what it is that keeps them up at night and how you can help them advance the performance of their business.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

Be prepared to roll up your sleeves and jump in from day one. Startups are not long-established, over staffed corporations. That’s a motivator and actually quite fun.
Invest in your colleagues. The extent to which you invest in your colleagues determines how much they’ll invest in you and the company. This cannot be overstated.
Stories are powerful, especially in a technology company. Start identifying your company’s unique offerings and begin building your story bank as soon as you can. This will allow you to communicate the power of your solutions and help you connect with customers in a meaningful way.
Marketing and company culture go hand in hand. Marketing is how your brand is perceived externally, and culture is really about your internal story and mission. Both need to be authentic and synergistic.
The value of meaningful work is a virtuous circle. It’s so important for each of us to find meaning and value in the work we are doing. When this dynamic is in place, anything is possible.

I spent five years on the board of Girls Inc. Westchester, a non-profit that works to educate girls ages 5-18 and gives them access to resources that help them be more confident and empowered. At Girls Inc., girls learn to value their whole selves, discover and develop their inherent strengths, and receive thesupport they need to navigate the challenges they face. I’ve seen Girls Inc. truly transform young people’s lives. The girls that go through the program are so poised, and most go on to do amazing things. Investing in our youth, especially those who do not have access to the resources they need, has the ability to bring the most amount of good for all and inspire them to improve upon the systems they inherited.

Brian Chesky, the CEO of Airbnb. First off, he’s an amazing storyteller, and he fully embraces the power of a great story. He’s also done so many powerful things from a marketing perspective that really connect with people on an emotional level. I love the OMG! Category that features a collection of the most interesting and quirky homes on Airbnb. I also love how that company overcomes challenges. One example is the way they improved relationships with local governments. Also, Airbnb has an exemplary focus on its customer. After people complained about hidden fees, Chesky led Airbnb’s efforts to introduce a new policy that improved transparency and created more trust. I admire the way he innovates, collaborates and communicates.

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

Women Of The C-Suite: Andrea Gilman of Banyan On The Five Things You Need To Succeed As A Senior… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Thriving As A Woman In a Male-Dominated Industry: Jennifer McMahon Patronski of Structural Concepts…

Thriving As A Woman In a Male-Dominated Industry: Jennifer McMahon Patronski of Structural Concepts On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman In a Male-Dominated Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadice

Be comfortable with stepping outside of the proverbial box — This might mean do not let fear or doubt keep you from going after a goal or trying something new. We grow most when we push outside of our comfort zone.

In the United States in 2022, fields such as Aircraft piloting, Agriculture, Architecture, Construction, Finance, and Information technology, are still male-dominated industries. For a woman who is working in a male-dominated environment, what exactly does it take to thrive and succeed? In this interview series, we are talking to successful women who work in a Male-Dominated Industry who can share their stories and experiences about navigating work and life as strong women in a male-dominated industry. As a part of this series, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Jennifer McMahon Patronski.

Jennifer McMahon Patronski joined Structural Concepts, Inc. in 2012, rising to the position of firm principal three short years later. In January 2020, Jennifer became full owner of the firm. She has worked in the field of structural engineering for 25 years, during which she’s amassed experience across multiple market sectors in the Midwest, East Coast, and Southwest regions. Her experience is based in building design and, with her current position, has transitioned toward Industrial, Civil Infrastructure, and Bridges. When she’s not working, Jennifer enjoys spending quality time with her husband, Chris, and their four children, Sam, Bowen, Max, and Archer, whose support has been invaluable to her career success.

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 and raised in Tucson, Arizona in a close knit, hard-working, middle class family. I’m finding out now that it was a bit of an idyllic childhood. I have one older sister, Shannon, and we were very close in age and were often together, whether it be with friend groups, school, or sports. I think the most influential part of my childhood was the time we spent as a family on the softball field …or the countless hours pitching to my dad in the backyard! (Thanks, Dad ❤) We have many great memories, travel tales, and life-long friendships that came from those days. And, softball was a major stepping stone for both my sister and me for college and beyond.

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

I attribute my choice in career path partly to my maternal grandfather who was a civil engineer in Arizona for many years (there were some genes), but mostly to my high school Physics teacher, Mr. Lockwood. Near the end of my junior year, Mr. Lockwood asked me what I planned to study in college. I shared that I planned to follow an aunt that was (still is!) a role model into the Accounting and Finance world. He suggested, “Have you ever considered engineering?” …And here I am!

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?

Positive Mindset — Being able to see the proverbial open window when a door closes — and being able to see the opportunities that fall into our laps all the time. I believe “the universe” is constantly giving us opportunities, we just have to be open to pursuing them. I have had to leave two wonderful and valued career opportunities because I moved cross-country following major family / personal events. Both times I was saddened and nervous, but accepting and open to change. Both resulted in fantastic opportunities to grow, to learn, and to work with new mentors and colleagues. My move back to Arizona came at a time when I needed to “re-write” my plan for my and my kids’ futures, and though I was uncertain, I chose to view the change as an opportunity. I was given a great work opportunity at SCI which has grown into something far bigger than I ever expected!
Eagerness to Learn — From a technical perspective, engineering is all about continued learning. Materials, technology, methodologies are constantly advancing in the engineering field, and engineers have to be willing to learn constantly to stay relevant. I have always loved the science of engineering and learning more about it. From a business and management perspective, I have found even more value (and maybe more challenge!) in learning that promotes intra- and interpersonal growth and improvement. By becoming more self-aware and studying my strengths and weaknesses, as well as by staying willing and eager to learn from mentors and peers (shoutout to my local Women Presidents Organization chapter!) I’ve been able to bolster everything from my emotional intelligence to my management style, and there is still much more to learn! The more we learn about human nature and human interaction, the better we, as leaders, can encourage and harness the best from our colleagues, our employees, …and ourselves!
Drive — I learned the value of hardwork and perseverance through competitive athletics. I was never a “blue-chipper”; I didn’t have this massive underlying talent. But I did learn that practice, focus, positive thinking, and persistence brought me to a level where I could compete successfully and laid the foundation for the self confidence that comes from that challenging success.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Can you help articulate a few of the biggest obstacles or challenges you’ve had to overcome while working in a male-dominated industry?

Finding my voice and having my voice heard. As a female in the engineering and construction industries, I believe I have always been seen — often because I was the sole woman in a room and hard to miss — and I have typically been treated with courtesy and civility, however, gaining respect for my technical knowledge and professional approach was the real challenge. As a woman, being louder than the men in the room did not help me be heard and it did not suit my personality. Spending the time to find my personal leadership style and define my career and company goals gave me poise and confidence which was reflected in my interaction with others, and that is where I have gained the most respect.

Can you share a few of the things you have done to gain acceptance among your male peers and the general work community? What did your female co-workers do? Can you share some stories or examples?

I think in times when I felt tentative or unsure about my acceptance with an individual, I have asked for their opinion or advice. I have found that showing the person from whom you are trying to gain acceptance that you value them allows them to be more open to you, regardless of your respective roles.

Early in my career, I found that asking questions was a bit of an olive branch to, say, a construction site supervisor — typically an older male — when having to endure inspections by a young and green female engineer. More recently, when I became a Principal in our firm, and one of my mentors became one of my employees, letting him know his opinions and advice were still valued by me helped to bridge a potentially awkward transition.

What do you think male-oriented organizations can do to enhance their recruiting efforts to attract more women?

Investing in early exposure and support opportunities. I think a great example is the grassroots efforts you are seeing through STEM programs in primary and secondary education and other similar avenues. The increase in the number of females pursuing STEM careers shows that it works!

Ok thank you for all of that. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your opinion and experience, what are the “Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman In a Male-Dominated Industry?” (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. A Role Model: Sometimes, a dream or vision needs a bit of inspiration in order to bud. One of my first role models was my aunt Margaret who is 13 years older than me, and played more of a big sister role to my sister and me. We watched her go away to college, excel in a finance graduate program at ASU, and then embrace this “whirlwind” career with an international mining corporation. She entered as an accountant at the age of 22, lived and worked all over the world with her family, and retired as a Vice President at the age of 56. While her model was informal and really organic for me, I always had a “tangible” vision of a female in a powerful career path. I think it normalized, in my perception, the concept of “male-dominated” careers into something unrelated to gender, and more related to striving for your own idea of success.

2. A Support System: Male professionals think very differently than female professionals, and that is a good thing! Diversity is beneficial; it can, however, be very isolating. Having an industry association, mentor / career coach, or peer-advisory group is a good way to gain perspective, advice, and accountability. For me, finding a peer-group of other female leaders as I have in the Women Presidents Organization has been invaluable, especially as I have advanced into ownership. Being around other women in leadership positions has helped me to grow into my role as a leader and employer. I have been able to explore that role in a safe and kind space; one that allows vulnerability and reflection with a female perspective.

3. 4. And 5. The Ability to be Comfortably Uncomfortable: I think being able to be uncomfortable and move through that discomfort really rounds out the final three things for me.

Be comfortable with being different — Lean into your differences and uniqueness. Accept that others’ inexperience or ignorance can result in awkward moments, and respond with grace.

Be comfortable with stepping outside of the proverbial box — This might mean do not let fear or doubt keep you from going after a goal or trying something new. We grow most when we push outside of our comfort zone.

Be comfortable sharing and receiving ideas and opinions that may differ from the “norm” — No idea or question should be dismissed outright. Be comfortable sharing your ideas, even if they are against the grain. Remain open to all points of view. We never know where the next great idea will come from!

If you had a close woman friend who came to you with a choice of entering a field that is male-dominated or female-dominated, what would you advise her? Would you advise a woman friend to start a career in a field or industry that’s traditionally been mostly men? Can you explain what you mean?

I would absolutely encourage women to start a career in a male-dominated industry. First and foremost, passion and skill has no gender. If you love it and you are good at it, dive in and do it!

Secondly, I believe a female perspective in a male-dominated industry can bring huge value that may not otherwise be there. For instance, my generation of female leaders understands the challenges of “working -parents” better than our male predecessors, and sometimes better than our high-achieving male colleagues.

Have you seen things change for women working in male-dominated industries, over the past ten years? How do you anticipate that it might improve in the future? Can you please explain what you mean?

Specific to my field, the number of women choosing engineering as a career has increased significantly, with women in leadership roles within the engineering community increasing as well. I attribute much of that increase to the women-focused STEM programs and support programs at the high school level and university level. Women supporting women works!

I have always wanted to meet Morgan Freeman. I am certainly not a movie aficionado, however I have always enjoyed the characters he has portrayed; and he has hosted or narrated a number of history, science, and theology documentaries that are interesting to me (“The Story of God” and “Through the Wormhole” are two of my favorites.) Additionally, I think I would find value in his perspective: from his growing up in a pivotal time in US civil rights history to the myriad of experience and exposure he has likely been afforded as a celebrity. Beyond that, through news and through social media, I perceive him to enjoy life, share his good fortune, and appreciate expanding his mind. I imagine he would have some interesting and deep conversations to share.

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

Thriving As A Woman In a Male-Dominated Industry: Jennifer McMahon Patronski of Structural Concepts… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.