Month: November 2022

Dean Schwartz of BudClub: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis or…

Dean Schwartz of BudClub: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis or CBD Business

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

I wish I understood the really tough challenge of trying to activate customers and getting them to buy. Selling a home grow kit is like convincing someone to take a cooking class. It’s something you think about doing one day but it’s hard to convince a person to commit. It’s just easier to go to nice restaurants rather than learning how to cook great food.

As part of my series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis Business” I had the pleasure of interviewing Dean Schwartz.

Dean Schwartz is a classically-trained brand strategist and marketing innovation consultant who works with both established and emerging consumer, healthcare, and technology companies.

Dean started his career in consumer advertising working for top global agencies where he drove global brand strategy and campaign development for leading consumer brands. He helped create numerous award-winning advertising campaigns including

“Aleve, All Day Strong All Day Long”, “Tough Actin Tinactin”, “Crest, Healthy Smiles for Life” and the Nyquil morning-after litany.

In 2000, Dean moved into strategic consulting helping companies transform their science into highly differentiated products and brands that customers love. Dean has expertise across all aspects of branding and innovation including research and strategy, product ideation and design, positioning and claims development, branding and packaging, website and advertising development (broadcast, digital, mobile, social, HCP, and trade).

More recently, Dean has changed his professional efforts to focus on his personal passion which is cannabis cultivation. His personal mission is to help the world learn how to grow high, quality organic cannabis. He has developed the BudClub kit, a super easy 3 step organic home grow system for “dummies”. It’s designed to teach beginners how to grow big, beautiful buds so they never have to pay for quality cannabis again.

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

Sure. I’ve been lucky to have a 40 year career in marketing and advertising working with healthcare and pharmaceutical companies. I own my own marketing agency. But I’m not a big medicine guy. I’ve always been into eating healthy and living a healthy lifestyle.. So I wanted to start a new business that’s more personally connected to my values and beliefs. I decided to focus on home cultivation of cannabis because I believe people, especially medical users shouldn’t have to pay dispensary prices for cannabis that’s inferior quality and less healthy than home grown weed. Research shows that over 50% of cannabis users want to grow their own cannabis but only 4% actually do. The reason they don’t home grow is that they don’t know how and they’re concerned they’ll screw it up. I launched the BudClub kit to fulfill my personal mission which is to teach the world how to home grow big beautiful organic cannabis buds so they never have to pay for cannabis again. I designed the kit for Home Grow Dummies so it’s easy to use and foolproof. It’s the only kit that comes with seeds, and components for growing and harvest.

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

I have run my own marketing and advertising company for the last 20 years. And I’ve managed and executed multi-million dollar TV and digital campaigns for large consumer products companies with very well know brands. But I never had a full appreciation for the pressure that clients feel until I started BudClub and started investing my own money, It’s particularly difficult when you’re launching a new business…which means you’re investing your own money in a business that produces no revenue. It’s even scarier when you start having to invest in paid advertising and social media. This has taught me a lot. I’ve learned about the importance of generating sales, and not just visibility in the marketplace. This means every tactic must be viewed and judged based on ROI. And, I’ve learned to be a lot smarter and more targeted about the way I spend marketing dollars…again making sure that every investment delivers to the bottom line.

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 I first started the business I ordered a grow tent in order to start growing. The kit arrived in a very large box. Fast forward a couple of years and the grow tent is still sitting in an unopened box. To be honest, I just couldn’t deal with the complexity and hassle of setting up the tent. Which led to my first big lesson…that most people are intimidated by the cannabis growing process. And so while they’re interested in trying to home grow they need a simple, low cost system that will enable them to succeed. Thus, the BudClub kit was born…

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

We’re about to launch our “Give one/Get One” holiday promotion bundle. It’s all about helping people grow together and discover the joy of home growing. We’re selling a complete 5 gallon bundle that includes a grow kit, harvest kit and seeds. And we’re giving away a second 5 gallon bundle kit for free so friends and family can grow together.

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?

Yes, I am very grateful to Treena, a personal coach I worked with when I started the business. She helped me understand the importance of being centered and focusing on the values that matter to me. I came to understand the joy that comes when you combine the work you do with the values and beliefs that define you as a person. The BudClub business lets me combine my love of marketing with my passion for helping others live healthy, more satisfying lives. I love what I’m doing now and believe I’m helping to improve the planet.

This industry is young, dynamic and creative. Does your company use any clever and innovative marketing strategies that you think large legacy companies should consider adopting?

We are a young company and we’re just getting started. We have a lot to learn. Though I’m lucky to have extensive experience as a marketing and advertising consultant. So I’m in a great position to apply marketing best practices to growing my business. The big thing I’m focused on is creating an omni channel presence by combining PR, paid advertising and SEO behind a simple focused message. And, we’re offering extremely high value product bundle promotions to activate the 50% of cannabis users who are interested in growing their own.

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

It’s exciting to see this huge industry come out of the darkness and form right in front of our eyes. The market is still in the early stages so it’s ripe for new ideas and product innovation. It’s exciting to be in an industry that helps people live healthier, happier lives. I’ve seen the difference that cannabis makes to people in physical and emotional pain.

My biggest concern is all the restrictions on cannabis marketing and advertising which make it much harder to build awareness and interest in products. I’ve created and deployed multi-million dollar advertising campaigns for powerful pharmaceuticals products with severe side effects in TV and other media with no restrictions. Yet, I can’t do the same thing for the magical and incredibly safe cannabis plant. It’s insane. I’m also concerned about Big Agriculture swooping in to dominate the cannabis industry.

Can you share your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis Business”? Please share a story or example for each.

I have 4 wishes:

Just how regulated cannabis marketing is and what a challenge it is to break through to customers.
How much fun it is to work in the business. The people are awesome and the process is a kick.
I wish I understood the economics of an eCommerce business and the high cost of acquiring a customer.
I wish I understood the really tough challenge of trying to activate customers and getting them to buy. Selling a home grow kit is like convincing someone to take a cooking class. It’s something you think about doing one day but it’s hard to convince a person to commit. It’s just easier to go to nice restaurants rather than learning how to cook great food.

What advice would you give to other CEOs or founders to help their employees to thrive?

Not sure I’m in a good position to give advice. This is still a young business and there’s a lot I need to learn. Honestly, I should be getting advice and not giving it now.

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. 🙂

The movement I want to inspire is a Home Grow Revolution. My personal mission is to teach the world to home grow cannabis. Home grown weed is healthier, stronger and more flavorful. It’s also a whole lot cheaper than buying in a dispensary. And, for people who use medical cannabis, home growing lets them have a steady, reliable supply of the chemovar they need for mental or physical relief. It’s absolutely crazy for people…especially now during challenging times…to be dependent on expensive dispensary weed that inferior to home grown product.

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

I’m just getting active on social media. People can join the BudClub community on our Instagram page.

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

Dean Schwartz of BudClub: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis or… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Alexandra Janelli of Modrn Sanctuary PA On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will…

Women In Wellness: Alexandra Janelli of Modrn Sanctuary PA On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Learn more about anger. The feeling verse reaction of it. They are two different things. When we listen to our anger it can be a big clue into what we want and then moving toward a solution to find it.

As a part of my series about women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Alexandra Janelli, hypnotherapist, life coach and founder of Modrn Sanctuary PA.

Alexandra Janelli, the founder of Modrn Sanctuary PA, is a premier health and wellness entrepreneur, hypnotherapists and coach who has worked with Academy Award Nominee actors, singers, athletes, and high-level professionals. After graduating from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute, Alexandra founded her private hypnotherapy practice Theta Spring Hypnosis. She opened the critically acclaimed Modrn Sanctuary, the flagship luxury wellness center in Manhattan, in 2016 and Modrn Sanctuary PA in Philadelphia in November of 2022. Alexandra is married with two children and lives in downtown Philly.

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

I started my career in Environmental Consulting back in 2003. During that time I started to also explore alternative therapies to help me with TMJ and cuticle picking. Within two sessions of hypnosis I felt like my life had changed drastically in comparison to the years I spent in conventional talk therapy.

In 2009 I moved to Chicago with my partner and decided to go back to school for hypnotherapy, as it had impacted my life in such a monumental way. In 2010 I started practicing in Chicago and helping several Kellogg MBA students overcome blocks. In 2012 I moved back to NYC where I launched my career as a Hypnotherapist and worked hard to being Hypnosis to the forefront of the alternative therapy space as a viable option for creating some deeper and meaningful changes. During that time I was able to work with a variety of clients from kids to adults, professional to students and from smoking to anxiety and stress. My passion lead me to focus my skills in the area of anxiety and fear-based stress management hypnosis.

In 2015 I made the decision to continue my path in the wellness-sphere by exploring Halotherapy (Himalayan Salt Room Treatments), which resulted in the curation of what is now Modrn Sanctuary New York — a 15 treatment room oasis all surrounding a large Himalayan salt room. From alternative therapies such as crystal healing and reiki to Botox and micro-needling, Modrn Sanctuary soon became a beloved staple in the Manhattan community due to its unique offers, styling but approachable décor, and unique experiences. In 2022 I made the decision to move the business to Philadelphia and have loved growing the brand. From private practices, to marketing and program curation, I have experienced it all!

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?

One word wraps it all up-COVID. Did anyone ever think this would happen? No insurance policy, class, legal counsel or government entity could possibly have prepared me for this education/experience.

When COVID hit I was living in Philadelphia with a baby. The stress that the pandemic cause and slew of unknowns urged a wait-wait, but hurry mentality. I worried about my employees, rent, clients and of course, my health. What were we to do when our business was centered around helping people, and we had to close.

Navigating the pandemic, required the participation of creativity, community, faith (in the sense of knowing everything would work out the way it was supposed to), along with a ton of tears and coping mechanisms.

Without driveling too much into the story, I was amazed at what a community of people can do when their passions align and everyone works together toward the same goal.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I am not sure that I would call it a mistake, but if I could do it again I am not sure I would have done a Himalayan salt room or taken over a space so large.

With that said, I think there was much to be gained and some of the hardest lessons (difficult clients, the things that blindside you on a Tuesday morning- like floods in your office) truly teach you that nothing is unrealistic, everything has a solution, and at the end of the day, it too will pass.

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?

It appears that almost every day I turn on the news to hear a story about a mass shooting. Guns. Ugh. But is it the guns or is that the presenting issue? I believe it’s the presenting issue that is underlain by a mental health epidemic. People are unhappy. They are scared. They are angry. We have become a reactive culture and have lost our way. People have no idea who they are and tend to feel, in comparison to social media posts, that they are not good-enough.

I feel my work as a hypnotist and wellness-preneur is to help people find home within. To learn who you are, what you like, what you don’t like, what are your core belief systems and also rules you live by. The goal is not to never feel stress or always be happy. The goal is to learn how to move through stress and have good coping mechanisms that can shift those emotions and make them more tolerable. This can be in a facial- looking in the mirror after and feeling just a bit more beautiful. Post massage- feeling more relaxed and less pain. A hypnosis session- by finding an old belief system that no longer serves a purpose and changing it for another.

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. You are not meant to be happy all the time. Constantly searching to be eternally happy will leave you consistently disappointed.

2. If you do want to be happier look at the simple math equation of your ratio of Reality to Expectation. How often is your expectation leading to disappointment compared to reality.

3. Learn emotional tolerance. How can you become more comfortable with your emotions. Feel them. We have lost our ability to feel so we can THINK.

4. Learn more about anger. The feeling verse reaction of it. They are two different things. When we listen to our anger it can be a big clue into what we want and then moving toward a solution to find it.

5. Change starts with awareness. Then it’s a choice of what you want to do.

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

I would like start a movement about solution-focused communication and emotional shifts to help you move through stress states quickly. We have as a society lost the ability to RESPECT others and listen. It all comes down to communication.

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

1. Trust your gut

2. Always rely on your own data

3. Not every opportunity is worth your energy

4. At the end of the day no one will ever care as much as you

5. Don’t be greedy

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

Mental Health. The pain people are experiencing is real and no school is teaching coping mechanisms to shift it.

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

Website: www.modrnsanctuarypa.com

Instagram: @alexandrajanelli @modrnsanctuary

LinkedIn: alexandrajanelli

Facebook: ModrnSanctuary

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

Women In Wellness: Alexandra Janelli of Modrn Sanctuary PA On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Tom Regan of Root & Bloom: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis or…

Tom Regan of Root & Bloom: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis or CBD Business

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Growing cultivation is incredibly hard. When you jump into the cannabis industry, you are a farmer now. People might not think of what they are doing as farming because they might be indoors, and might be using hydroponics, but it’s still farming. If our plants get sick or don’t grow as expected, that’s a farming issue. I had to shift my mindset to understand the different challenges and opportunities involved when a business is built around farming.

As part of my series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis Business” I had the pleasure of interviewing Tom Regan.

Tom Regan is CEO of Root & Bloom, a Massachusetts-based cultivator, extractor, and manufacturer of craft cannabis products. Beginning his career in tech startups and then Cisco Systems, Tom developed a passion for building teams and growing companies. This passion eventually led Tom to transition to the cannabis industry, where he learned the businesses inside and out.

A pioneer in his field, Tom took the Colorado cannabis company Mindful from growing and extracting to distributing and retailing. His knowledge and enthusiasm for the industry led him to become a consultant for aspiring growers. After selling Mindful to a large national cannabis company, Tom joined Root & Bloom, a Massachusetts-based cannabis startup. His strategic vision is positioning the newly-established company for success, and his passion for the industry, process, and people are helping Root & Bloom put its stamp on the market as the purveyor of the finest cannabis products available.

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

I have a background in high tech and spent the beginning of my career at high tech startups, then went on to become a director at Cisco. I traveled around the world and had a lot of responsibility, but I came to a point where I wanted to get out on my own. I left Cisco and started my own software company. As I worked as an entrepreneur, one of my former colleagues had invested in cannabis in Colorado, and that company was struggling operationally. He convinced me to visit the business, take a look and see what they were doing. I fell in love with the business model after visiting this company.

When you are at a big company like Cisco, it can be hard to leave the comfort of that. I had a great career in tech, thanks to the great people and companies I got to work with. Had I not left Cisco and tried something on my own with the software startup, I might not have been open to getting into the cannabis industry. I’m so grateful to have had all these opportunities.

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

The most interesting part of joining Root & Bloom is witnessing how many extremely talented people we have been able to attract to our organization. We’ve been able to convince cannabis industry veterans to leave Colorado and move to Massachusetts, and we’ve been able to get some Mass.-based business superstars to leave high paying jobs and take a chance on our startup. The quality and the passion of the people we’ve been able to bring into Root & Bloom is so exciting, and I’m wowed by their commitment at all levels.

The lesson I learned from this is that attracting the best people comes down to culture. If your business doesn’t have a great culture, you can’t get the best people. You can lure people in with money, but you won’t get the passion that way. If you create a culture of independent thinking and accountability, plus caring, you can’t go wrong!

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 first dipped my toe into the world of cannabis in 2014, when my former colleague invited me into his Colorado-based business. I had certainly been exposed to cannabis in my life, but not extensively at that point. I had never been involved in a grow. Right after I started at Mindful, I volunteered to participate in a grow, because I really wanted to learn about the process. I understood the manufacturing piece, but I didn’t know as much about the farming aspect. So, I suited up, went out on the grow with William, one of our folks that worked there, and…well, I learned something important. I didn’t realize that you wouldn’t get high if you just touched the plant, so I spent that day clinging to the walls trying not to come in contact with the plants. I thought if I touched the crystals I would get high. I didn’t realize that you had to combust the material to activate it. The growers I know will still remind me of it to this day, chuckling about how I was creeping along the sidewalls, worried that I would get impaired at work.

From this experience, I learned the importance of humility. At Cisco, I managed big projects and lots of resources but at the Colorado cannabis startup, I was the dumbest person in that grove for a long time. I learned that when you don’t know what’s going on, and you are surrounded by people who know more than you, you are best off asking a lot of questions and listening to those people.

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

We’ve got a couple of really exciting things going on at Root & Bloom right now. We are on the cusp of bringing our own flower to market. Also, we are working on bringing a bunch of interesting brands to the Massachusetts market. These brands have unique products and nothing comparable is available to consumers in the Commonwealth right now. We’re very excited about the products we are bringing to the public.

As for how this will help people, I learned early on that the cannabis plant is medicine. The more variants and permutations of that plant that you can present to people, the better opportunities they have to take advantage of the plant’s benefits. Many people use cannabis to manage pain, anxiety, or other issues, and it makes a real difference in their lives. The new flower that we are about to bring to the market is among the best available in Massachusetts, and we will deliver it at a fair price. We are going to bring a differentiated product to Massachusetts consumers that is high quality, but not high priced.

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?

So many people have helped me along the way that it would be hard to name them all. I’ve been very fortunate that I haven’t had to update my resume in more than 20 years. The reason for that is there has always been someone who helped me take the next step in my career. I’ve had so many great mentors in my professional life and I’m extremely grateful for that.

Early in my career, I worked with a wonderful gentleman, and he really helped me lay the foundation for my professional growth. He not only taught me how to be a leader, but he showed me the importance of being a compassionate leader, while also demanding results and getting the best from people. I modeled my leadership style after him, and I certainly think about his advice regularly.

This industry is young, dynamic and creative. Does your company use any clever and innovative marketing strategies that you think large legacy companies should consider adopting?

Something really important for the cannabis industry is to acknowledge and pay homage to the people who paved the way for this industry. The people who went to jail, the people who gave up everything to get this industry to the point of being accepted and normalized deserve to be remembered. I’m proud that our marketing team doesn’t shy away from the history of cannabis. It’s important to understand the word, “legacy.” The Root & Bloom marketing staff has made it a point of acknowledging the role of the others who came before us in today’s cannabis industry. I see a lot of the big cannabis companies ignoring that history and trying to sterilize the industry a bit. Companies positioning themselves as “the Apple store of the cannabis industry,” really ignore the very recent past. I don’t like that. Today’s cannabis industry needs to acknowledge the legacy of what the industry has been for the last 100 years, as well as where we are today, and where we are going.

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

There’s so much to be excited about in the cannabis industry. First, I love the technology and the transformation. It’s amazing and thrilling to see people taking the plant and using IP to make it more than just a bud. Human ingenuity, chemistry, and physics can transform the plant. There are thousands of business models within cannabis that haven’t even been tapped yet. There’s so much potential.

The second thing that excites me about the cannabis industry is the people. Root & Bloom, and many others in the business, have attracted a lot of people to this industry who have been marginalized by society. Brilliant people who weren’t given a shot, but are getting an opportunity in the cannabis industry. The expertise these folks bring to the industry is going to take us to places that we can’t imagine.

The third exciting thing about being in the cannabis industry is that we are really experiencing the cutting edge of a dynamically emerging and evolving business. I love it. I enjoy being a part of something that hasn’t been done before. Technology and systems for the industry are still evolving. The industry is ahead of the support structure and a lot of the peripherals, and it’s exciting to see those elements developing. It reminds me of the early microelectronics business in the 1970s and 80s before microchips came out. People started by making their own boards and sharing them with each other until eventually, that evolved. Seeing that kind of innovation happening in the cannabis industry is thrilling and feels like watching history unfold.

In terms of my concerns, the industry is still emerging and the public narrative hasn’t fully evolved. I think operators like us must be open, honest, and work to change public perception. It’s a huge opportunity, but it does concern me. Across the nation, there are pockets of understanding, but we still have a ways to go. It’s our responsibility to educate the public about what the opportunities are for this business but also what some of the challenges for society might be.

Another concern is that a lot of the peripheral industries are funding and banking. For example, we don’t have a federal construct to do banking and it really creates challenges for businesses to grow and access capital.

My last concern is something that I think about all the time, and is extremely important to me: How do we attract more talent? How do we get a woman who is working at Oracle to come in and share her talents in the cannabis industry? Or someone from Kraft Foods? Or someone who has worked at a really small business that might have expertise and ideas that could help us grow? I’d like to see wider participation in cannabis across all kinds of people in society. That will only make us stronger.

Can you share your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis Business”? Please share a story or example for each.

I’ve learned so much along the way, it’s been a great experience. Here are the top five things I’ve learned:

Number one: Growing cultivation is incredibly hard. When you jump into the cannabis industry, you are a farmer now. People might not think of what they are doing as farming because they might be indoors, and might be using hydroponics, but it’s still farming. If our plants get sick or don’t grow as expected, that’s a farming issue. I had to shift my mindset to understand the different challenges and opportunities involved when a business is built around farming.

Number two: Planning is important, but as soon as that plan is done, you should be thinking about the next plan. In cannabis, I learned demand creation is important, but it’s more important to pay attention to supply. Supply is an even greater challenge. You have to pay more attention to planning with regard to supply because there is more potential for challenges there.

Number three: The regulatory component of the cannabis business is way more complex and dynamic than you would expect. The industry is new and developing. For example in Colorado, they created a great model for regulating the industry, and it was the first in the nation this had taken place. Massachusetts and many other states copied the blueprint and tried to learn from Colorado’s experience. That being said, in Colorado you could come into work on Monday and find that the regulatory body changed a regulation on Sunday, and you had 24 hours to comply. They’d be closing a loophole that someone was exploiting. The challenge was that fixing it often meant that our business had to scramble to comply. Compliance could be costly or disruptive to the business, and it was hard to anticipate when these challenges might arise.

Number four: There is room at the table for people from different aspects of society in the cannabis industry. Diversity of thought and experience is extremely important. I learned this very quickly while working in the industry. We’ve had people who weren’t from cannabis-based businesses who have incredibly valuable skills and insights. We found amazing people who were in the restaurant business, liquor industry, high-tech, etc. These folks brought ideas and knowledge that really helped us succeed.

Number five: If you build the right team, you are going to be fine. You are only as good as the people on your team. You can talk about business models or money when it comes to what determines success, but, really, it’s the people. One of my big lessons was when you build a team, a little conflict is good. It’s OK to bring together divergent viewpoints. It has to be managed, but understandably, it can’t be chaos. If the team understands what their common interests are, and everyone treats each other with respect, a little conflict can be productive.

What advice would you give to other CEOs or founders to help their employees to thrive?

That’s a great question. The first thing is to understand that it’s OK to fail. Failing is not the problem. If you want to try something innovative or unconventional, you should take a risk! Bring new ideas, start small, and if it works, double down on it.

Another really important piece of advice for CEOs is to have humility. If you think you are infallible, or if you think the best ideas have to come from you, you are cooked. The greatest ideas come from every area of the company, and listening is a big part of being a CEO. You won’t succeed if everything is top-down only. I understand the urge to be the center of everything, but you’ll be missing out on untapped resources if you are the only person contributing new ideas.

Act locally. A lot of us, and I’m guilty of it, think someone else will organize a movement locally. Ben Franklin, as a young man, created these societies, and they would problem solve different issues impacting the community. For example, they invented the first fire department and they formed a library. They listened to concerns to address local needs and found ways to solve problems. Now we have all these big organizations, NGOs, etc. But people don’t act locally as much as they should. It doesn’t take a conference in Aspen to solve all our problems. I’d love to see a movement that encourages people to act locally and problem solve with their fellow citizens at a local level.

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

Tom Regan of Root & Bloom: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis or… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Ann-Carol Pence of Aurora Theatre On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and…

Female Founders: Ann-Carol Pence of Aurora Theatre On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Things will get better. I’ve been through tough times, and my younger self was tempted to give up on several occasions. I would love the chance to go back and let her know things will get better. Despite what you are going through, even though you can’t see an end, it will get better.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ann-Carol Pence.

Ann-Carol Pence is the Co-Founder and Producing Artistic Director of Aurora Theatre. Under her guidance, the theatre company has become the largest arts organization in Gwinnett County and one of the fastest growing professional theaters in the state of Georgia. As a proud citizen of Gwinnett, Ann-Carol is most proud of Aurora Theatre winning the first ever Pinnacle Award for Large Non-Profit, and the first ever Moxie Award (for woman-led businesses).

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?

Thanks for having me.

I was born, raised, and went to college in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Growing up, my parents — both teachers — provided me with a lot of music experiences. I started playing piano in kindergarten, got my first job at a church when I was 12, and played piano for all my high school musicals. From a young age, I learned that musicals were the ultimate form of collaboration in theatre, and I’ve had opportunities to use that lesson to this day.

After college in 1987, I didn’t want a traditional job, so I packed up everything I owned and moved to Atlanta to take a leap of faith and bet on myself. In 1997, Anthony Rodriguez and I founded Aurora Theatre. I was passionate about musicals, and when we founded the company, often the attention to music felt like an afterthought. I wanted music to be at the heart of storytelling. I wanted to be an artist who created a bridge between music and storytelling. Through the shows we’ve produced over the years, we have been able to marry great storytelling and live music. In 2007, we relocated our company to Lawrenceville, and we’ve been here ever since.

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

The story of my experience at Aurora has been all about personal relationships. These wonderful one-on-one transformative interactions with people have changed my life for the better. Whether it was Clyde and Sandra Strickland attending a show and through a personal interaction becoming the lead sponsor of our incredible Grand Stage or a short meeting with a developer turning into a lifelong friendship. One of the stories I love telling is what happened when Anthony and I first took over the theatre, we visited all the downtown businesses in Duluth. We were excited about everything the future held until our first meeting as new founders. We went in to meet with a graphic design company (now called Rock, Paper Scissors) and during our first meeting, they said, “You owe us money!” It was not an ideal first impression. Rather than become discouraged and quit, we started a pattern of leaning in to challenges. We built a personal relationship. The meeting started with a small business looking to have a debt paid, and ended with building a bridge, engaging founding board members and forging a relationship that has endured to this day. In fact, when we moved to Lawrenceville in 2007, so did they. Years later, their daughter Amanda Sutt has taken over the company and they handle all our graphic design. I am proud that Aurora builds relationships, friendships and lifelong arts ambassadors.

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?

While this is not a story about when I first started, this is a story that reminds me of our early lessons. My leadership has always centered around: “Work Hard. Play Hard.” Authority that comes through a place of love creates the type of loyalty that has produced long time staff members, some of whom have been with us 20 years. We always find opportunities for laughter. This leadership style paid off recently. COVID kept us out of action for almost two years, and in that time, it is easy to become rusty. In March of 2021, while producing our first Broadway musical post-pandemic, I received 2 different versions of the score to the Roger and Hammerstein classic Cinderella. During our sites probe rehearsal (when actors sing through the show with the band), the orchestra was playing from a totally different score than I was. Different version of the songs. Different keys. It was a mess. We had to stop for almost every song. For some leaders, they would have had a meltdown. Worse yet, for some orchestras, they would have walked off the job. Although I was highly embarrassed, we spent the rehearsal in laughter. That leadership paid off when I needed it from my team. Everyone makes mistakes, but how we respond to others in crisis is the grace we receive in return.

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

My greatest mentor was Barbara Howard. When we first started, no one knew who we were and we needed a lot of business mentorship. It was difficult trying to convince audiences to come to an old hardware store to see a show by some people they did not know. It meant the world to us that Barabra and her husband Henry and their entire neighborhood came to every show. They believed in us. As time went on, she joined the board and really became a powerful mentor to me. She was one of those rare people who would have just the right word of encouragement or advice at the right time. She would call me on the phone for no reason but to say, “I believe in you.” She was there with me through some of my most difficult moments in leadership. When we broke ground on the LAC (Lawrenceville Arts Center) in 2019, she was there and that was one of the last pictures we took together. She has passed away later that year, but I still think about her wisdom and belief in me. In a powerful way, she still impacts me to this very day.

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

A statistic says, “When men have 50% of the skills necessary for a job they apply, but only when women have 100% of the skills do they apply for a job.” As women, we have to be courageous. We have to change the narrative, “I may not know everything, but I will surround myself with smart, skilled people who will help fill in those gaps.” Over my career, I’ve had the honor of learning from all types of people. Some are experienced mentors, and some are the younger people on my staff. The key is that I’m always willing to learn and gain insight from anyone anywhere. I now embrace that I can learn and be a leader at the same time. Those ideas are not mutually exclusive. I’ve been telling women for years to be bold. But it wasn’t until Anthony, who has been my partner for more than 26 years, was recruited to a new job as Executive Director of the HUB404 Conservancy that I had to walk the walk. I had to find the courage I had been preaching all these years. It is so much more important than just me. We, as women, have to take the reins and lead because there is a whole generation of women right behind us watching. It is not enough for me to simply say that women should be courageous, I have to demonstrate courage.

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?

Ultimately, we have to be aware of our individual biases and make sure we are treating women equally. In order for Aurora and any small business to succeed, I need to be given the types of opportunities in leadership that my male counterparts have been afforded. We need foundational investment at the same rate as my male counterparts. Compare the attribute “He is a go-getter” to “She is aggressive and loud.” I should be given the same opportunities as others.

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

Women should become business founders because we have different dreams and passions that can transform the world. If we were only led by male leaders, it limits our societal perspectives and our worldviews. We need women with unique visions to create future forward companies to impact the world. It extends to culture too. We need to support minority owned business visionaries too. Let’s commit to creating a future with ALL of us in mind. That is what creating community means.

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

People believe being a boss is easy. Most people only see the public side. The aspects of the jobs where I get to be interviewed or attend huge events are the smallest part of the job that may look like fun. Being a founder is one of the hardest jobs in the world because:

1. You have to convince others that what you are doing is necessary. The first question you’ll get when starting something new is, why? I have to constantly articulate the importance of having a professional regional theatre in our community. Arts is the catalyst for community building. Look at Lawrenceville. A town that in 2004 had an abandoned livery stable on its main street now is home to the largest work/play community in Gwinnett County.

2. You have to remain true to your vision “the method and the madness.” Others will denounce your approach, the use of resources, your vision, your motives, especially if you are younger. Critics question you every step of the way. Starting something new means trying something bold.

3. You have to require people to be open to change. Few people enjoy change, but change is the key to innovation. We often say, “We’ve always done it this way.” By hiring a wide range of staff members (different cultures, ages, educational backgrounds, abilities), by engaging diverse advisors for your board of directors, it gives us the opportunity to break tradition and do something new.

As arts leaders, we have to do our work with very few resources. Only 50% of our budget comes from ticket sales. That means we, as a charity, look for individual, business, government donations to provide the meaningful work that transforms our community.

4. You must articulate your dream so your team will get on board despite the odds. Your staff has to be willing to walk with you despite long hours, and limited finances. In the non-profit sector, we are never able to pay our staffs to the level they deserve. Our staff comes to work every day in hope of making an impossible dream come true.

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?

Is everyone cut out to be a founder? No. That being said, I would never discourage any person from starting their own company. If you are considering beginning your own business, you need be relentless, optimistic, resilient and confident. At the same time, if you are a woman, please be prepared that many people see confidence as hubris. It is essential to overcome that perception. I admit I am competitive. I don’t like to lose (especially when it comes to my favorite sports teams), but that is what being resilient looks like. I won’t stop until I achieve; that’s how I’m wired. It’s that attitude that has allowed Anthony and me to make Aurora Theatre a regional powerhouse.

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

1. Things will get better. I’ve been through tough times, and my younger self was tempted to give up on several occasions. I would love the chance to go back and let her know things will get better. Despite what you are going through, even though you can’t see an end, it will get better.

2. Value loyalty. People come into our lives promising big things, but it is those people who are with you when things get tough. Those are the people you need to invest in. Those are the people that will be with you until the end. Those are the people you want to build your dream with.

3. Trust yourself. Over the years, people have told me that I need to change one thing or the other about who I am as a person. Fit in. Be quiet. Be more palatable. Don’t do it. It ultimately make things harder. The journey I am on is full of constant challenges, but I promise it will be worth it. Being true to myself pays off time and time again.

4. Love people who are different than you. Creating a space that welcomes every single person to the table will be the key to success.

5. Listen to others. Some of the best advice I have gotten comes from unexpected places. Always be ready to listen and implement good advice regardless of the source.

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

No matter who walks into our theatre, I want people to see themselves. I remember going to New York at 22 years old. Sitting in that theatre, I looked up onto the stage and saw my first female conductor. I was overcome with emotion, and that moment changed my life. No matter who you are, if you sit in a theatre and see someone on stage who looks like you, it will change your life. I want to see a women President in my lifetime. If we, as Americans, could see a woman holding the most powerful leadership position in the world, the nation will change its perspective in the same way mine was all those years ago.

I wanted to build a theatre that when a visitor walks in, be they an actor, a designer, a volunteer or a patron, they instantly feel like there is a place for them. I want each person to feel welcome and understood. We don’t always succeed. We all have individual biases we have to confront daily, but we can constantly improve. I fail, apologize, dust myself off, and wake up the next day to try again. I will continue to do that until the day I turn in my keys.

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.

I want radical acceptance. Creating spaces where everyone feels welcome.

At an artistic level, I want to see music directors be nominated for a Tony Award for our work in the industry. We were awarded Tony’s in the 50’s and our award was eliminated. It’s time to bring back that position as a reward for a job well done.

On a national level, we as artists and arts advocates must demand a Secretary of the Arts that works at national level to change investment in the arts at the rates our Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Transportation, and Secretary of Education do. We need a cabinet position.

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 want to someday meet Oprah Winfrey. She is a big picture thinker. She began her talk show when I was a teenager. I would record every episode on the VCR because she inspired me so much. I read most of the books in her book club. With all of Oprah’s struggles, setbacks and challenges, she remained unflinchingly optimistic. She has literally changed the world. From Africa to Atlanta, when she truly believes in something, she puts everything she has into it, investment, energy, and time and she uses her influence in grand ways. Despite her success, she still finds a way to be vulnerable. She shares herself, flaws and all, to the world. Oprah reminds me that we all have the potential for greatness if we are resilient. And she shines the light on others, so that others may shine just as brightly.

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

Female Founders: Ann-Carol Pence of Aurora Theatre On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Solopreneur Amanda Melissa: Five Ways To Leverage Instagram To Dramatically Improve Your Business

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Build relationships with your target audience and referral partners — I’ve found great clients by finding referral partners on Instagram. Of course, I network with my target audience but I find that most people forget to network with referral partner online.

As a part of our series about How To Leverage Instagram To Grow Your Business, I had the pleasure of interviewing Amanda Melissa.

Amanda helps mission-driven women entrepreneurs who are seeking more impact and sales with a simple content strategy to attract their dream clients. She has 7 years of marketing experience working with Fortune 500 companies, content creators, and local businesses. Her 3 step process to a simple content strategy is identifying your message, target audience, and conducting market research.

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 graduated college with a BA in Communications Studies and a Business minor. Then I worked at “KB Home” in their marketing department and at “Essex Property Trust.” I also worked with several small local businesses on their email, podcast, and social media content. I love everything about content, from the research, to planning and creating it.

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

Honestly, I love meeting other women experts in the online world. I think it’s so cool that we can work with other businesses across the world and collab on a project together. I believe we truly live in a unique time, and it’s so important to be grateful for being allowed to work with people from all over the world. Although, thinking about it now, I recently posted on my Instagram stories how crazy it is that most of my clients are from the east coast when I am on the west coast. If we were in 2000, I think I might only serve local clients.

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 think the funniest mistake was not starting an email list sooner. I have a background in marketing and I always knew it was essential but it truly has been a game changer in business. And this is why I also offer email marketing, because it’s literally another revenue for your business to drive sales and you don’t even know what you are missing until you start using it.

Ok. Let’s now move to the main focus of our discussion. For the benefit of our readers, can you explain why you are an authority about Social Media Marketing?

I have over 7 years of marketing experience. I went to college to study marketing and I learned the fundamentals about influence but it wasn’t until I worked in corporate that I learned how to implement social media marketing. And this is why so many people need help with it because, there are a lot of experts who are good at knowing the algorithms but what drives sales on social media is your story, message, and expertise and the people who truly understand their audience and how they are different are the ones that see results and not because they posted at 12pm which is the time Instagram told them to publish content. This is why I’m an expert, because I believe that algorithms aren’t the answer but more importantly it’s the relationships we build on their that drive results. I am an example of this because I’ve been working from home since 2020 and I have been able to drive sales to be at home with my daughter from social media. My clients have literally went from in person businesses to driving $30k in revenue in 30 days.

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

Instagram has definitely been the most effective for me to grow my business, but I will say that I also drive clients from LinkedIn and TikTok. I have converted clients from FB groups too, but not as much as from my Instagram account. My experience is that you have to find which platform you enjoy and which platform you ideal client is on.

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

Define your brand — how are you unique that your competitors, what is unique about your process, what are your values, and what do you offer that no one else offers. It’s important to understand your brand so that you can clearly communicate it to your team members and audience.
Define your target audience — this is more than demographics. What do you target audience believe to be true about your product or service? What mindset is holding them back from buying from you? You have to define who you want to attract so that when you work with a social media marketer or ad agency they understand your target audience and can create unique messages that speak to them.
Define your message — I always tell my clients social media is the distribution center and your message and content is the product. If your message isn’t clear then it is really hard for your audience to buy your product or service. The best way to define your message is to do your research and see what is performing well for your competitors and then tweak it the more business you get.
Create video content — It is so much easier and faster to build relationships with video content because in a world where we can just “buy now” we just need to know if we can also trust that person. If you want to give your audience a great brand experience implementing video in your strategy is a great way to stand out so they can make the decision to work with you.
Build relationships with your target audience and referral partners — I’ve found great clients by finding referral partners on Instagram. Of course, I network with my target audience but I find that most people forget to network with referral partner online.

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

I would love to inspire people to be their most authentic selves. I feel that especially in the online space a lot of people are trying to be something they are not and giving their followers full access to them. You don’t have to share every aspect of your life online because that isn’t authenticity. Authenticity is sharing things online because you want to, not because you feel like you have to.

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

JLO has been a big idol for me. I loved watching her in the movie “Selena” as a little girl, and I love that she has been able to have such a long and respectable career as a Latina in the movie, business, and music world. I would love to learn any insight she has about Latina’s in business.

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

Thank you so much. Please make sure to follow me on TikTok @amandamelissa.c and Instagram @amandamelissa.co

Solopreneur Amanda Melissa: Five Ways To Leverage Instagram To Dramatically Improve Your Business was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Nancy Duitch of Sera Labs On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a…

Female Founders: Nancy Duitch of Sera Labs On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Women do not get the same respect level as men. I had to work harder and be so much better than all my male counterparts. I have had people say that women bosses are very bossy, but when a man is making you accountable he is a good businessman.

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

Nancy Duitch, founder and CEO has over 30 years’ experience as a leader in the consumer products industry. She has developed several diverse businesses from start-up to public company level, and has executed state-of-the-art marketing/branding campaigns generating over $3 billion in revenue for some of the most well-loved brands. Her creativity, ability to develop talent, and effective utilization of multi-channel strategy for optimal ROI has consistently positioned Nancy as an industry leader.

My first job out of college was working for a “modeling agency/school” in Philadelphia where I was raised and within 6 months I became the Executive Manager moving ahead of all the other employees in the company. Within 2 years I had grown the business and wasn’t challenged anymore. I moved to California and started looking for a job in beauty/sales. Fortunately, I was hired pretty quickly to work for a company Spa Formula owned by Jack LaLanne, and set up cosmetic and skin care counters in all the Jack LaLanne health spas, educating the members on skin care and the right cosmetics in order to enhance their look. I adored that business and by 23 quickly became their National Sales Director. I loved the business of self-improvement even before it was “in” and educating women to be the best they could be.

After a few years, I left the company and started my own distribution network selling products to the major department stores, and I felt such freedom to make my own decisions and live by my mistakes and achievements. It wasn’t easy for women in the early 80’s, and all I wanted was success and respect. I sold this business to my partner and took some time off to raise my children. Five months after selling the company, my 29-year-old younger sister who gave birth to a boy passed away in her sleep. My younger athletic brother passed away suddenly 12 years earlier and my mother, my husband, and I were on a quest to find out what happened. We discovered that I, along with my siblings, had a genetic heart disorder that was just becoming well known in the medical community — Long QT syndrome. From there, we started The CARE Foundation whose primary goal was to research and educate the medical community and public in our mission to end sudden death in children and young adults.

I spent the next three years focused solely on getting to the bottom of this disorder and today the biotech companies and the entire medical community are aware that when a young person faints/ has a syncopal episode to not wave it off as nothing, as this is a serious genetic condition that can be controlled with a simple beta blocker or a defibrillator. I then went back to work in 1995 as the VP of Sales for a company that marketed health, wellness, and beauty products through infomercials. I loved the field of dreams concept that if you build it, they will come, only IF THEY KNOW YOU ARE THERE. I was so excited when I was able to sell products to the retailers due to the fact, they would call me as we were spending over $1m/week on TV media. My first product was the Ab Rollers, and many more products in the wellness and beauty categories. I feel fortunate that my career led me down the path of wellness and beauty, as I love the industries and feel as if everything I had done in my past allowed me to finally culminate where I am today, with integrating cutting-edge technology in our wellness and beauty products that can really make a difference to everyone. Becoming a female CEO was not easy in the late 90’s and the early 2000’s and I was fortunate to achieve great success as well as making a number of mistakes, but today, I am at a place where I have the full support of my family and the business community.

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

There are interesting stories every day, as I believe you can not be a good leader unless you are constantly evolving and learning new and better ways to improve your business and relationships. One of the more interesting times was when I was interviewing vendors and potential employees over a period of two days. I had nine meetings, and each candidate I interviewed asked if I knew Ryan Duitch, who is my son.

I can’t tell you how surreal it was to interview and work with people who knew my son that I still thought of as a five year old even though he was a UC Berkeley graduate with an MBA from USC. I actually thought these people were closer to my age, instead of in their late 20’s, which goes to show how I needed to get my reality hat back on.

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

I was very nervous for my first interview out of college and went with my mom to purchase a gray and white pinstripe suit. Nobody taught women how to interview in those days, so when I met the interviewer, he had on an undershirt with the buttons on his white shirt popping out. He proceeded to ask me a number of questions and then he asked “where do you see yourself in 10 years”. My response was, “Well I see myself first as your boss and then the President of the company”. He looked at me and said “ I would think before you look to be the President you should try to get a M.R.S degree”. I smiled, said thank you and not until I walked out did I realize what he meant. I never again said I wanted to be someone’s boss in an interview.

One of my two great mentors was a gentleman named Earl Greenberg. Earl was bigger than life and knew everyone. Earl was the most important person in the Direct Response industry in its infancy as he led HSN and was very influential in the TV business. Whenever I had an issue, I leaned on Earl and he was always there for me. I was involved in a business with two other women for a short time and I didn’t relate to their lack of values and ethics. I met Earl for lunch one day and he said he had done a lot of thinking about these two and wanted me out of that company as these women were toxic and destructive. He made an introduction to a wonderful man, Ralf Leszinski, who was a genius and became my business partner for many years. My loyalty and love for Earl getting me out of that toxic relationship never faded and even though he left this planet 14 years ago, I am proud he chose me to mentor.

A lack of confidence and understanding of how to tell your story. Too many women want to tell the facts when it is critical to have all the facts, but in a storytelling format. Be interesting and compelling. I have never had a problem raising money since I am extremely confident and always have a vision and a concise strategy that will weave into a message to excite and entice the listener. The next lesson is to always know your audience and speak directly to them. Answer the questions with enthusiasm and always be transparent. Nobody expects you to be perfect, but they expect you to know your business.

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?

What I feel strongly about is mentoring your women. Women are great at multitasking and empathy and are not afraid to learn and be guided. When I hire women, the first thing I tell them is I have an open door policy and they can come in at any time with issues, solutions, suggestions, etc. We have a collaborative environment and once they feel safe then I can begin the mentoring process of showing what they have to grow within the organization. I am never prouder than when someone who has worked with me for years then leaves to spread their wings and advance their career signaling I have done my job.

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 love being a woman founder as I have a seat at the table. You then have the ability to utilize your leadership qualities and bring your vision to life. I love being my own boss, even though I have a board of directors I report to, they also have a lot of respect for my skill set and my ability to generate revenues. If you are a true leader with a strong vision and creativity in how you are able to articulate what differentiates your company, then you should become a woman founder. We need more women who are willing to share and mentor as I have worked so hard to do.

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

The “myths” would be you don’t have to answer to anyone- you have to answer to your customers, investors and your employees. It is easier to be a founder- wrong- it is hard work to keep up your energy and mood every day. You are in a safer environment- Being a founder means not feeling safe 100% of the time and always looking out for the company’s best interest which may not be yours.

Not everybody is cut out to be a founder. I find you have to be tough but like raising children, tough love is hard but critical for making your employees respect you. You must cross your T’s and dot your I’s as you are on the hook every day for any mistakes. Always use an outsource payroll company and make sure they are paying the payroll tax, or you are 100% liable. Know you will need to sign every contract and you must have legal guidance in what you are signing, or you could lose more than the contract is worth.

The likelihood someone will be a successful founder is if they have a vision, understand strategy, are willing to do what it takes to make it, such as raising money, borrowing money until you raise it, without compromising your integrity, and of course being a good leader.

Someone who should see a regular job is someone who is always looking for direction, wants a 9–5 job, is as interested in your vacation policies and wants a safe environment. These are fine if you are an employee, but not as the Founder- the first person to not get paid when there is a cash crunch is the 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.)

Women do not get the same respect level as men. I had to work harder and be so much better than all my male counterparts. I have had people say that women bosses are very bossy, but when a man is making you accountable he is a good businessman.
There’s not that much work to do. I am very compulsive making lists and being organized as there is so much work to do when you are the founder and the CEO of a company. If you think all you need to do is lead then you will fail. I learned a long time ago to make sure I knew every detail about my company so I could train everyone we hired.
Being a public company is not fun all of the time. It is like having a second full time job. It takes a different skill set and you must be nimble and quick to be able to be the CEO of a public company as well as the day to day operations of your main revenue generation business.
You need more than a small investment to get your company off the ground. I learned a long time ago that I needed a rolodex of all the big VC’s and PE companies as well as how to keep the relationships over the years, especially when I didn’t need them. Guess what? You always need more money and take what someone offers even if it means a small dilution as you cannot be successful without money. It’s like construction on your house — everything costs more and takes more time.
This is NOT easy. Starting a business is not easy. The best days are always when you’re building, but you need passion, drive, determination, and a lot of luck and great timing.

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

We only use sustainable factories in the USA to make our products. As you know from my beginning story, I was a founder of the CARE foundation and helped to save lives. Mentoring is very important to me and making products that really make a difference. For example, we developed a plant based skin care product line with Nicole Kidman and then integrated one of our patented delivery systems into the products so the ingredients get delivered deep into the skin. Our Nutri-Strips products bypass the gut and liver so you get better bioavailability for superior potency.

I would love to be able to speak to women everywhere and impart my experiences on how to be a great leader as well as being a great partner and parent. I hear “you can’t have it all:, but you can if you are smart and have a great partner in your life. I would love to make a difference in the lives of these women who are trying to be successful. I look around at my husband, children and my 10 grandkids and know that what is important is right in that room. If I could impart this feeling of love and satisfaction to thousands of others I can make a difference.

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

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

Female Disruptors: Nikki Chu of Nudies Essentials On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your…

Female Disruptors: Nikki Chu of Nudies Essentials On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

The best 3 words, well let’s say 4 words: I have gotten along my business journey has been “Have Systems in Place “. NUBIES, the children and toddler line of underwear, is now being sold at Target.com. The onboarding process took us about 8 months- 1year. It’s one thing to sell on your own ecomm but, the process, logistics, billing and marketing that a major retailer requires is a process you have to get used to and definitely need to have systems in place to ensure success.

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

Nikki Chu is a celebrity interior designer, author and entrepreneur who founded eco-friendly underwear brand Nudies Essentials and NUBIES. Nudies was originally created for women who are always on the go, love to travel, and still enjoy being chic during that time of the month. NUBIES children and toddler line came about to shift the mindset early on and introduce personal hygiene to your little one.

I have been a product designer for over 20 years (everything from creating my own home decor brand to designing fashion accessories for some of the top brands.) I’ve traveled the world to factories in Asia and India to design trend shows in Germany and France. Oftentimes, when I was traveling over 15 hours on a plane to another country just to see prototypes and new development all I wanted to do was brush my teeth and freshen up before heading straight to the factory right off of my flight. I started looking for disposable underwear I could throw in my bag to take on all my trips, so I didn’t have to worry about laundry or hygiene and I wanted a product that had the convenience, but was also sustainable.

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

There was a huge white space in the market for a women’s and children’s brand of disposable, biodegradable, comfortable, yet stylish underwear packed in a small discreet box for travel, personal hygiene, working out, hospital stays, and menstrual cycles. No more carrying around dirty underwear on your trips, Nudies is the perfect solution for all of your feminine needs and your go-to panties for travel and peace of mind. Our custom milled fabric is biodegradable, lightweight, hypoallergenic, made with low impact dyes. They biodegrade in the same amount of time as an apple core (1–4 months) where typically underwear that have synthetic fibers in it can take anywhere from 20–30 years in the landfill to disintegrate.

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 wanted to create this really cool box that was completely sealed so that the panties didn’t come out in your suitcase. And if TSA opened up your suitcase all they would see is this cool little white box which had 7 pairs of underwear for one week of travel. What I didn’t factor in is that if I sold Nudies to a retailer how would a customer see the fabric, quality or color of the underwear. What I learned is that you have to allow customers to touch and feel your product and even it is a small hole or window — You Need it!

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 believe having a great Lawyer and Strategic business partner who runs her own company, have made a huge impact on me and my journey as an entrepreneur. Just to be able to jump on a zoom and run ideas and business problems by them, has changed the way I view being a CEO of my own brand. Being able to hear that having production issues, delays in shipping or pricing increases from another CEO is very refreshing to know you aren’t the only one experiencing start up hardships. Having an advisory board has changed my life completely, I feel solid about my decisions and know that I have a team I can rely on for great advice.

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 think there are 2 ways to go about doing business or creating a brand, having the mindset of tried and true (why reinvent the wheel — just make it better) or take the stance of being disruptive in the marketplace. To be honest I don’t think one is better than the other — you have to be confident in your position, brand ID and marketing approach. We definitely rely on disruptors to push innovation forward and create new segments in the marketplace. The positive outcome of disruption is that you can soar to the top pretty quickly for your innovation since it is new and unique, however a much higher risk for investment.

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

The best 3 words, well let’s say 4 words: I have gotten along my business journey has been “Have Systems in Place “. NUBIES, the children and toddler line of underwear, is now being sold at Target.com. The onboarding process took us about 8 months- 1year. It’s one thing to sell on your own ecomm but, the process, logistics, billing and marketing that a major retailer requires is a process you have to get used to and definitely need to have systems in place to ensure success.

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

We are continuing to innovate and expand our brand into a biodegradable lifestyle, which will include tech and education.

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

I think more and more women are getting a seat at the table. In the past the majority of the ways people would get funding for their brands was through banks. But, now there are countless funds solely dedicated to female owned brands like the Fearless Fund. In my opinion the biggest challenges faced by women disruptors has been funding, but that gap is starting to close because large brands and funds are starting to change the landscape of our business world. Women are the fastest growing demographic of entrepreneurs.

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

I love listening to “How I Built This” with Guy Raz, every entrepreneur needs motivation, stories to compare and how someone uber successful overcame adversity. My favorite part about listening to these podcasts is finding the through line amongst all the successful people, there is something in common!

If I could inspire a movement it would be my longtime dream to have a creative arts after school program for children. It would be a series of portable rooms that get dropped off onto a school property that are completely “creatively” decorated and outfitted with tech, supplies and crafts to take the kids into another world. This program would allow kids to actually do what they are meant to at a young age — explore their creative mind. Develop ideas, create concepts, color, draw and be taught how to harness their talents into something that could potentially 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?

My favorite life lesson quote is something my mother always told me: Leap and the Net Shall appear! Take the risk, if you go for it and it’s right, all things will align for it to work in your favor. I literally live by this!

How can our readers follow you online?

@ nikkichuhome

@ nudies.shop

@ nubies.shop

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

Female Disruptors: Nikki Chu of Nudies Essentials 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.

Emmy Winner Kim Thai of GaneshSpace On How To Develop Mindfulness During Stressful Or Uncertain…

Emmy Winner Kim Thai of GaneshSpace On How To Develop Mindfulness During Stressful Or Uncertain Times

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

… Just genuinely checking in and truly being present and listening. I have moved away from asking people “how are you” because it has become so pat. We are very conditioned to say “fine” or “good”. But I instead ask people to share three headlines on what’s going on in their life, follow up with, “well how is your heart in this moment?” and at the end ask “is there anything I can do to support you?”

As a part of my series about “How To Develop Mindfulness And Serenity During Stressful Or Uncertain Times”, I had the pleasure of interviewing mindfulness teacher and Sr. Director of Curriculum Programming at Starts With Us Kim Thai.

Kim Thai (she/her) is an Emmy-award-winning producer, writer, social justice advocate and mindfulness teacher. She is the founder of GaneshSpace, a mindfulness organization that creates healing spaces for marginalized communities and social justice education for all; and the Sr. Director of Curriculum Programming at Starts With Us, a growing movement to overcome the extreme cultural and political divides in America by leveraging media and technology to foster independent thinking and constructive communication across lines of difference.

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 rose through the ranks of corporate media quickly and found myself at a crossroads about seven years ago. I could either keep going down the path I was on or dive deeper into my spiritual studies and become a meditation teacher. I took a leap of faith and started teaching full-time, started my own meditation community GaneshSpace and only took opportunities that aligned with my personal mission of wanting to help people connect more deeply with themselves and have a wider perspective of the world. That’s how I landed at Starts With Us — as a child of Vietnamese refugees, I know how political violence and extremism can tear countries and families apart. Growing up a Buddhist, my parents always taught me to live the “Middle Path” — literally finding the balance between the polarities in which we live. Buddhism also helped me understand how we are interdependent and gave me full insight on how to practice compassion towards others even when it is challenging. It is amazing to me at times how much I see Buddhism and my work as a meditation teacher applied to the work we do at Starts With Us in terms of conflict resolution and constructive dialogue.

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

I’ve had a lot of colorful moments in my professional career from watching Miley Cyrus rehearse “Wrecking Ball” for the VMAs to learning devotional practices on the banks of the Ganges River in India; it’s hard to choose! But more recently I dressed up as Abraham Lincoln at Starts With Us and did a demonstration in Times Square. I was one of 87 Lincolns representing the 87% of Americans who are tired of the division in our country. The beard wasn’t the most flattering (LOL) but it was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime-never-thought-I-would-do-this moment.

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

I think the 3Cs (Curiosity, Compassion, Courage) is a great way of thinking about how to create an inviting and challenging workplace.

By curiosity, we mean deeper critical thinking about the information we consume, poking holes in our own beliefs and sources, and seeking out alternative perspectives to better understand other points of view and our own.

By compassion, we mean empathizing with other people’s experiences, especially when they have landed on very different beliefs than we have, and we mean assuming best intentions and striving to forgive those who have caused us harm or offense.

By courage, we mean strengthening our ability to relate to and work together with people who have very different lives, experiences, and beliefs than we do, especially when it’s uncomfortable. It means showing up, taking a seat at the table, and staying there.

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

I wouldn’t think of it as a “state.” I think that is a common misconception. Being mindful isn’t just sitting on a meditation cushion reaching levels of nirvana. Being mindful is the active practice of being in the present moment. What do I mean by that? Think about your day and how often we are distracted by the many notifications going off on our phone, or we’re in the middle of a conversation and our mind starts thinking about what we want to make for dinner that night. Mindfulness is being in the here and now, as Thich Nhat Hanh says. We use our breath as an anchor and a tool to get us there, but it is just one way to do it — you have the opportunity to practice mindfulness in every action you take and every conversation you have.

This might be intuitive to you, but it will be instructive to spell this out. Can you share with our readers a few of the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of becoming mindful?

Mindfulness and cultivating a meditation practice has been proven to have huge benefits for our physical, mental and emotional bodies. Mindfulness helps us cultivate a greater sense of awareness of ourselves and the world — when we are able to tap into that broader sense of understanding, suddenly our world expands. We become more patience; we create more space so we are not so reflexive; we have a greater capacity to be innovative, to decrease stress (which leads to a healthier body) and we are able to generally access joy a bit more easily.

Ok. Here is the main question of our discussion. The past 5 years have been filled with upheaval and political uncertainty. Many people have become anxious from the dramatic jolts of the news cycle, and are feeling the political divide grow with people in their own lives. From your experience and research, what are tips to help prepare for a challenging conversation with family and friends? Please share a story or example for each.

A recent Starts With Us survey showed 87% of Americans are tired of the ongoing political division in the country, and as we saw coming out of this election cycle, the divide is only growing.

With that in mind, I curated the below tips from my work with conflict-resolution and polarization experts, like Peter Coleman, a professor of psychology and education at Columbia University, and leading research institutions like Constructive Dialogue Institute.

It’s an approachable, evidence-based tip list to help you prepare for challenging conversations that might turn political.

Before the Conversation: Prepare

Goal set1 — you likely already have a sense of that aunt, cousin, or long-lost high school friend with totally opposing views that you might run into over the holidays. Avoid going into an exchange with the goal of changing their mind on an issue — that’s likely not going to happen in one conversation!

Here are some helpful questions to think about as you mentally prepare:
What’s my goal?
What’s the other person’s goal?
Do our goals match?

Consider the personality and the relationship you have with the other person before you start a convo. For example, does your mother-in-law seemingly have no filter? Does your cousin-once-removed post all over social media about their political views? Has it been years since you last spoke to your brother? Try putting it all into context. Things to consider2:

What was their upbringing like?
What have they been told is true?
What’s at stake for them?
Who are they surrounded by in their day-to-day?

During the Conversation: Share & Listen

Open the conversation by stating your intentions and shared goals3. By trying to get on the same page in advance, you won’t be fixated on simply proving your own point.

Share what you hope to achieve, and listen to what they hope to achieve
Ask what success would look like — for both of you. Maybe:
You each walk away having learned something new
You feel more connected to each other
You both feel heard

Keep a pulse on your emotions — if you find yourself getting angry, sad, frustrated (or all of the above), ask yourself the below questions. Stay introspective and avoid telling someone they are wrong — it can make them cling tighter to their beliefs and an actual dialogue harder to accomplish.

Why am I reacting so strongly?
Is there something deeper happening here?
Has this ever come up before?

Use your breath as a resource — if you find that you are activated in the conversation, take three deep breaths and practice simply listening — to the other person and your body.

Often when we’re talking about divisive issues or topics, we’re ready to jump down each other’s throats and we’re not actually hearing what the other person has to say. To do that, we have to create space around our reactive self and our listening self. If you find yourself sitting at the dinner table and someone says something that makes your hair stand up, before responding try this:

Where is tension arising in my body?
Is it a knot in my stomach, tightness in my chest?
Am I sweating?
Is my body warm?

Your body is super smart and if you are able to read its cues, it’ll help you evaluate how ready you actually are to have a challenging conversation. The more familiar you are with yourself and the more well practiced you are, the more you’ll be able to have these conversations and be able to answer the questions:

Is now the best time for me to be having this conversation?
Am I activated in any way
Is there anything I could potentially say that could harm the other person?
Should I be talking about this specific topic with this other person?

Close with grace4 — the way you end a difficult conversation can influence your relationship with the other person forever. Some ideas:

Express appreciation toward the person for having the tough chat with you
Honor them by acknowledging their vulnerability, validating their perspective, or sharing something new you learned from them
Name what is unresolved. You don’t have to figure everything out in this one conversation
Make a plan to come back to the topic. Show the other person that you value their time

After the Conversation: Reflect & Follow Up

Take time to reflect and digest and consider what you’ve discussed and what you’ve heard. If needed, follow up with any final questions, or resources you offered to share.

Sources:

Constructive Dialogue Institute
Greater Good Science Center & Bridging Difference Playbook
Ariel Burger and The Witness Institute
Ariel Burger and The Witness Institute

From your experience or research, what are steps that each of us can take to effectively offer support to those around us who are feeling anxious? Can you explain?

Just genuinely checking in and truly being present and listening. I have moved away from asking people “how are you” because it has become so pat. We are very conditioned to say “fine” or “good”. But I instead ask people to share three headlines on what’s going on in their life, follow up with, “well how is your heart in this moment?” and at the end ask “is there anything I can do to support you?”

You’d be surprised how often we don’t actually know how the people around us are doing. Asking questions and actively listening to them (not to judge/give advice or response) can really be healing for a person who is having a bad day or is going through a hard time.

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

You can subscribe to the GaneshSpace newsletter and follow us on Instagram for more mindfulness resources. I would also recommend downloading the Plum Village app if you are looking for a library of meditation.

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 love what we’re doing at Starts With Us. We are creating a movement to help inspire people to literally change the way they show up in the world; we are empowering people to see that their actions and interactions can have a ripple effect on their community and beyond. I believe that if we were all a little bit more curious, compassionate and courageous, we not only would be able to turn the tides of the toxic division that are happening in our country but we would be on our way to building a democracy where we could be more free to be exactly who we are.

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

You can find my content on the Starts With Us Instagram and Twitter , along with my mindfulness non-profit GaneshSpace on Instagram. My personal channels are here: Instagram and LinkedIn.

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

Emmy Winner Kim Thai of GaneshSpace On How To Develop Mindfulness During Stressful Or Uncertain… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Anne Cioffi of The Integrative Skin Center On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That…

Women In Wellness: Anne Cioffi of The Integrative Skin Center On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

1. You think you will have a flexible work schedule when you start your own business, but you will be thinking about it all the time.

2. I wish I did this a long time ago. Having your own business is so rewarding.

3. If you love what you do, it isn’t work. It’s fun.

4. Don’t stop educating yourself.

5, If you think it will cost a certain amount, it will cost more.

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

Anne Cioffi is the founder and CEO of the Integrative Skin Center in Montclair, NJ, where she leverages over a decade of experience as a licensed medical esthetician. Her practice focuses on the mind-body connection, where she uses a combination of her medical background and holistic principles to achieve the highest levels of health and beauty.

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 began my career as a dental Assistant, serving patients during cosmetic dental.

and oral surgery. I had a natural connection with my patients and helped guide them through complex procedures. It was during this time that I became interested in skin health and transitioned to working in dermatology as a licensed medical esthetician. Through my work, I became more knowledgeable about the connection between the mind and body. I embraced the practice of how nutrition and supplements impact the skin, gut, and microbiome.

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

When I first started working with acne patients, it was so interesting to see how their skin cleared itself over time with home care and treatments. It’s really fascinating to see how the body works.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

There are some treatments that are tricky to use on certain skin types. I did a chemical on an Asian-American patient who had light facial scarring, and it made it darker. There is no one size fits all solution for patients.

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?

Skin is the first thing someone sees when they look at you, and I can help people feel more confident and better about themselves.

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.

Eat clean and healthy — watch your sugar and salt intake.

Exercise daily — it is not only good for your energy and stamina, but it increases blood flow, nourishes skin cells, and keeps them vital.

Take supplements — they can help fill in any nutritional gaps in your diet.

Practice self-care — Taking care of your skin and body will keep them looking their best,

Enjoy life and be happy — Having a positive outlook is the best way to achieve a natural glow.

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

I would love to create an exercise program that is so fun, people will forget they are exercising

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

1. You think you will have a flexible work schedule when you start your own business, but you will be thinking about it all the time.

2. I wish I did this a long time ago. Having your own business is so rewarding.

3. If you love what you do, it isn’t work. It’s fun.

4. Don’t stop educating yourself.

5, If you think it will cost a certain amount, it will cost more.

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 the most important. By having a good state of mind, you can accomplish everything. Unhealthy thoughts stop people from living their lives.

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

You can reach me on my website: Integrative Skin Center In Montclair NJ | Vagaro

And on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/integrativeskincenter/

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

Women In Wellness: Anne Cioffi of The Integrative Skin 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.

Women In Wellness: Catherine Magee of Playground On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help…

Women In Wellness: Catherine Magee of Playground On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Destigmatize your own thoughts. We like to say “nice girls finish first” as a reminder, a call-to-action, that you can and should focus on your sexual pleasure. Men definitely do and women should too.

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

Catherine Magee has created a career from launching aspirational brands and products designed intentionally for women. Catherine is a former Executive for Rodan + Fields, one of today’s largest global skincare companies and has held various Sr. and Vice President level marketing roles at fast-growing community driven beauty companiese like bareMinerals and theBalm Cosmetics. As Co-founder of Playground, Catherine uses her passion for creating exceptional brands to build a company centered around women and their intimate needs — one that makes every women feel more confident, beautiful, and empowered to improve her sexual experiences and wellness.

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?

Prior to starting Playground, I spent over 15 years in the beauty industry. I had the fortune of working for some of the most exciting and fast-growing beauty brands in recent history, including bareMinerals, Buxom, Rodan+Fields and theBalm Cosmetics. I’ve always loved creating good-for-you, intentional products for women. I love experiencing how great products can lift someone’s spirit and make them feel good about themselves. The personal lubricant brands today are either too clinical or too masculine — they make women feel bad about using these products instead of celebrated for taking care of their sexual wellness. Our philosophy at Playground is to make products that perform as good as the best skincare product and elicit joy like a favorite cosmetic product. My passion for creating better sexual wellness products exceed anything I’ve ever done in my career. I feel that the last 15+ years of experiences and learnings were for the sole purpose of starting Playground.

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?

My most interesting stories all occurred the first year I had my son because I was determined to perfectly balance motherhood with work. I mean, I went into labor at 5am on a Friday morning and insisted that I complete a presentation before letting my husband drive me to the hospital. I’ve had a babysitter cancel 30 minutes before an important investor meeting and had to beg a friend to stroll around my child during the meeting. I’ve spent nights in the pediatric emergency room to come back and start work at 1am. While these intentions were noble, they were neither good examples nor sustainable. Women and mothers are amazingly efficient multi-taskers — that’s why we make the most productive contributors. Unlike so many corporations today, I believe these experiences make women an asset in the workforce. I want Playground and all women-led companies to demonstrate that if you give people purpose, autonomy and flexibility to collectively and creatively meet a common vision, they can lead better and happier personal and professional lives.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I’ve made many mistakes over the years, but I’m not embarrassed to admit it! We all make mistakes, but if we don’t identify them, analyze them and grow from them, we don’t become better managers, leaders or people. At one of my first beauty companies, I was considered a hard worker and high achiever. However, when you work for a fast-growing rocketship, you believe your unique efforts are successful when in reality the company is already on a successful trajectory. It wasn’t until I moved to a smaller company that I realized just how hard it is to create a business and all the mistakes that happen. Building new things is trial and error and mistakes will happen. Acknowledging those mistakes and admitting them to your team takes vulnerability, but it helps build more open and honest relationships with your team, colleagues and investors.

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?

What’s been missing in the overall health and wellness conversation is the role of sexual health and intimacy. We’ve been trained to think of sex as just intercourse, but, it has a huge impact on our intimate connections, physical health and mental well-being. Over 80% of women experience some kind of sexual health issue today from pain with intercourse to lack of or poor arousal. The list goes on. Playground’s mission is to create content and conversations to shed light on these topics and challenges. We do this through our Sex and Wellness Council and our Sex and the Psyche blog. We have big plans coming in 2023 that will launch pad these conversations at scale to remove all stigma around sexual pleasure and health. Around the world, women are vilified or shamed for their female sexuality. We believe that by encouraging women to learn and talk about these issues, the more it will improve the wellness and livelihood of women everywhere.

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.

Destigmatize your own thoughts. We like to say “nice girls finish first” as a reminder, a call-to-action, that you can and should focus on your sexual pleasure. Men definitely do and women should too.
Don’t vilify normal sexual pleasure and wellness issues. The most common statement we hear from women is a slightly defensive “I don’t need to use lube. I have plenty of moisture.” Every woman experiences dryness at some time point every month. Having dryness is as normal as having periods, babies and menopause. Also, personal lubricant helps women increase pleasure…it’s not just about dryness.
Believe that sex is an essential part of your overall wellness. Simliar to how we don’t invest in our mental health until our stress overwhelms us, we do not focus on ways to improve your sex life before it becomes an issue. A continuously satisfying sex life will improve your long-term libido, your personal relationship and your mood.
Sex for breakfast. This is the title of a great song by Christina Aguilera, but it’s also good advice! Try introducing sex in the morning. It will kick start your mind, mood and day.
Don’t suffer in silence. We’ve conducted surveys and interviews with over 10,000 women to learn about their sexual frustrations and sexual health challenges. We were shocked to learn that the majority of all women suffer from some kind of sexual issue, especially postpartum and menapausal women. Join our conversations and share your stories with Playground by following us at @hello.playground.

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

A movement that champions all women to invest in their sexual experiences for themselves. Bumble has a great saying — they say their app puts women in the drivers seat of their sexual relationships. Now millions of women take the first step in introducing themselves to a partner on their terms. At Playground, we want to do the same for sexual intimacy and empower millions of women to own their female sexuality and experiences on their terms.

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

When the going gets tough, have grit.
When stress kicks in, my Co-Founder and I say, “don’t think, just do.” Even repeating it over and over is very helpful because it will force you to put one foot in front of the other and “just do”.
Don’t wait for someone to congratulate and encourage you. If you are building something new, most people won’t see it or understand it.
When someone is trying to discourage you, don’t take it personally. Trust in yourself.
Exercise. I always feel better after I exercise, but in very busy moments I tend to de-prioritize this even though I know I shouldn’t. Health and wellness is so important and I encourage all of my employees to find the time to do this anytime of the day.

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 because if we don’t have good mental health we can’t begin to focus on solving any of these other issues, and so many other ones.

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

https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinemagee/

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

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