Category: Featured

Anaida Deti of DentalX: They Told Me It Was Impossible And I Did It Anyway

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Get Social: We create a lot of social media content through Facebook, Instagram and even TikTok. Engaging videos of dental facts and even some fun posts from within our office.

As a part of our series about “dreamers who ignored the naysayers and did what others said was impossible”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Anaida Deti.

When Anaida Deti immigrated to Canada from Albania 15 years ago with her husband, she had only $500 in her pocket and a dream of opening her own business. Seven years, seven-day workweeks and a diploma later, she opened the doors to her very own dental hygiene practice, becoming CEO of Dental-X Smile Centers now DentalX. A registered Dental Hygienist, Anaida has made it her mission to educate patients on the importance of dental health.

Anaida is a member of the Canadian, Ontario and Toronto Dental Hygienists Association, and was elected as the ODHA Ambassador for Toronto North. She founded Mission Kind (Kids In Need of Dentalcare), to help children aged 6–16 obtain much needed dental work at no charge. In 2015, she became a finalist for the MOMpreneur Award for Excellence. Anaida is a coveted speaker at dental conventions and seminars. Her passion and dental expertise has garnered her media coverage in the Toronto Star, Elevate Magazine, and Focus Magazine. She has been a featured guest expert on Global Morning, BT, CTV News Channel, CP24, CTV News and Yahoo. She had a monthly dental column in Metroland Media called Deti Does Dental, and is a regular contributor to Huffington Post. You can connect with her @anaidadeti www.DentalX.ca

Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know you’ a bit better. Can you tell us your ‘backstory’?

I was born in Albania, a very small country in Europe. I immigrated to Italy in 1997 to escape the civil war taking place in Albania at the time. I was only 16 years old and my parents were very scared that something bad would happen so they decided that it would be better for us all to move there.

The journey was not an easy one, I was going to school and working at the same time. After finishing high school, I decided to go to dental school. It has been my dream since I was a little girl to be a dentist. Dentistry was something that had always fascinated me. This does not mean that I wasn’t terrified to go to the dentist, because I still was, but there was something about it that I found very interesting. I used to say that when I become a dentist, my goal would be to help individuals who are nervous like me, to actually look forward to their dental appointments, and that has now become a reality.

In 2002, I met my husband and we decided to immigrate to Canada. We were two young people with big dreams and not much else. We had very little information, but when you are young you don’t think too much.

After many years of schooling and getting my license, I founded DentalX in 2013. Initially, DentalX started with only me, booking appointments in my car and seeing patients in the late afternoons or Sundays after I worked all day for other dental offices. Then, my next three offices I shared with other dental professionals until I was able to open my own office in 2016. The day that I signed the lease, I felt sick to my stomach and the only thing I could think of was how I was going to be able to pay the rent, but now I have an award-winning dental clinic in Toronto! I am also in the process of opening my second location.

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

I always like to work on exciting projects. Currently I am working on motivational workshops and seminars. Although I am not sure when it will be possible to do in person sessions due to the pandemic, I think this will help people, giving them hope that everything is possible if you believe and work hard..

In your opinion, what do you think makes your company or organization stand out from the crowd?

DentalX is very unique. It’s slightly different from a traditional dental office because we focus more on the preventative side of dentistry and also offer longer dental appointments that include more extensive oral hygiene instructions that incorporate a lot of visuals.

The office also looks different, it feels like you’re in a spa rather than a dental office. We offer many different relaxing techniques for the patients in order to make their dental appointment(s) more comfortable and less intimidating. We specialize in seeing nervous patients that do not like going to the dentist. Our warm environment and approach makes them more comfortable.

My patients and my staff believed in my vision and saw something in us that other dental offices did not have, which is a good relationship between myself and them. My passion for the dental field and my commitment to taking care of patients was conveyed in the best way possible, and this made them believe in us.

Ok, thank you for that. I’d like to jump to the main focus of this interview. Has there ever been a time that someone told you something was impossible, but you did it anyway? Can you share the story with us? What was your idea? What was the reaction of the naysayers? And how did you overcome that?

When we came to Canada, things were not as easy as we thought. I didn’t speak English and my education credentials meant nothing here, so I had to start from scratch. It was quite difficult to say the least, but I was very determined to do something with my life and this was my chance. A lot of people did not take me seriously and that made me work harder and prove to myself and everyone around me that I can do it.

When I had just started the business in 2013, I became pregnant with my daughter and had some complications during the pregnancy. My daughter was a twin but I lost one of them. Due to this, my pregnancy was considered high risk and the doctor told me I had to be in bed for the remaining 7 months. I told the doctor I cannot do that, I had to work. She made me sign a waiver and told me I was nuts. I tried to be very careful, I was very scared and I do not know if I would have ever forgiven myself if something happened to my daughter, but my daughter is a fighter like me, and is now celebrating her 7th birthday.

I worked until the last day of my pregnancy and went back to work after 3 days! When the people saw me at the door, they could not believe their eyes. For the first two months, I had to drive home for lunch to breastfeed her and go back to work again. It was very hard.

But now, not only did I succeed in opening my own office, but I built a very successful business and I am in the process of opening a second office.

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 family has helped me a lot. It’s a great help to have your family by your side. My husband built the whole office from scratch in a record time of less than two months. The last 3 days he didn’t sleep just to open the office for the date we had decided on. Also, my mother in law has helped a lot with the kids and the house so I can focus on making my dream a reality.

It must not have been easy to ignore all the naysayers. Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share the story with us?

In general, people didn’t have anything nice to say. Somehow they want to see you fail, especially the people that are closest to you which is very sad. I have always ignored what people have to say and I have been focused on my family, my business and my life. These people make you work harder and be more successful.

Based on your experience, can you share 5 strategies that people can use to harness the sense of tenacity and do what naysayers think is impossible? (Please share a story or an example for each)

Community work: Every December our office offers free dental/dental hygiene services to people in need. For example, in December 2017, we partnered with the Red Door Family Shelter. We planned a whole day of activities for adults and children, including lunch, magic shows, and even a visit from Santa with gifts! The story garnered a lot of media attention which helped shine a spotlight on this shelter and for our charity work.

Last December, we offered free services to teenage moms that could not afford dental services. We had a whole day planned for them and their kids as well.

Don’t be shy: We walked around our area to introduce ourselves to local residents and businesses, answer oral health/dental questions and even provided small dental related samples and gifts.

Keep it going: As long as the weather cooperates, we usually have a table set up outside our office with flyers, toothbrushes, floss, and toothpaste for people passing by.

Get Social: We create a lot of social media content through Facebook, Instagram and even TikTok. Engaging videos of dental facts and even some fun posts from within our office.

What is your favorite quote or personal philosophy that relates to the concept of resilience?

I have a few that really resonate with me:

“Everything is possible with hard work and determination”-Timothy Weah.

“If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough.”-Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

And my most favourite: “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” -Milton Berle

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 would love to empower young women, especially immigrants and newcomers to pursue their dreams regardless of how hard they think it is to achieve. I know how it is to find the right path, so I would love to mentor them and help motivate them.

Yes, it’s hard, but it’s not impossible…I’m an example of this!

Can our readers follow you on social media?

Ig: dentalx.ca

Facebook: DentalX

Twitter: @DentalXSmiles

LinkedInn: Anaida Deti

Thank you for these great stories. We wish you only continued success!

Anaida Deti of DentalX: They Told Me It Was Impossible And I Did It Anyway was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

John Vitti of VersusGame: Five Ways For Influencers To Monetize Their Brand

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Speak up! Using your voice on various outlets like podcasts, Facebook/Instagram lives, and television is a great way to help scale your business. The more eyes that you can get on your business, the better. Unexpected doors open as credibility and exposure increases.

As part of my series about “How Influencers Can Monetize Their Brand” I had the pleasure of interviewing John Vitti.

John Vitti is an entrepreneur and the CEO of VersusGame, an entertainment prediction-based gaming app that puts trending topics about celebrities, pop culture, sports, entertainment, food and more head to head in a classic “this” versus “that” competition.

After successfully launching and selling three companies within the consumer space, John’s entrepreneurial drive led him to his latest venture, VersusGame. John has worked with celebrities, entertainers and influencers, including DJ Khalid, The Weekend, Fat Joe, Amanda Cerny, Scooter Braun, Sway House, Noah Beck, and Dixie D’Amelio.

Since its launch in 2019, VersusGame has grown significantly, with over $17 million in cash prizes to more than 9.5 million players.

As part of my series about “How Influencers Can Monetize Their Brand” I had the pleasure of interviewing John Vitti.

John Vitti, born and raised in Boston Massachusetts, made it his aim to take control of his destiny and pursue entrepreneurship. “I refuse to work for anyone else and struggle like my father. I want to level the financial playing field and give the masses the opportunity to reach financial wealth and have fun doing it”. This life goal positioned him for success. Vitti serves as the CEO and Founder of Versus Game, a global entertainment gaming app which allows users to capitalize on their knowledge of mainstream culture. With over 9.5 million users and with over 17 million in cash prizes, this platform is changing the world.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit more. What is your “backstory”? What brought you to this point in your career?

I was greatly impacted by my dad’s life that was filled with much uncertainty and pain. It journeyed years back to a quaint farm in Italy where he was raised. Nothing came easy for him including the basics like running water. It seemed he toiled all his life without the freedom to just live comfortably. After the war, he came to the United States to Boston Massachusetts. However, for him, the war continued. He constantly fought to keep a job due to being fired or laid off. Fast forward to my adolescent and adult life, history was on repeat. Like my father, I found myself hearing the same words… “you’re fired”! I started numerous businesses with the seed of entrepreneurship that was planted years before stemming from how I didn’t want my life to look. Both businesses failed miserably and I came face to face with the hardships I witnessed my father endure. Though I failed at my first two startups, it was still clear to me that I didn’t want to work for anyone else. I wanted to be in control of my destiny, so I turned up the heat and continued pursuing entrepreneurship. I realized that the impact that my father made on my life was pushing me towards something greater. Not only was I desiring financial and career freedom for myself, but I wanted it for others. Out of that passion birthed five companies. The first two failed which sharpened me to keep going. I’m glad I did because I later launched two more successful companies. Both of which I chose to exit. Those decisions made room for me to start my fifth company thriving today, VersusGame.

Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you in the course of your career?

#1) Funny

I think my face still hurts from laughing so hard. I can remember that day like yesterday as I bared part of my cheeks to a crowd of people I didn’t know. I decided to attend a pretty big fashion show. Little did I know that my ticket as a guest would shortly turn into a full blown runway participant. It all started as I stood backstage watching all of the models and commotion. Maybe I wore an outfit that made me look extra handsome that night. Or maybe it was my shiney hair that caused someone to walk up to me and ask me to be in the show. I reluctantly said yes and I was escorted to a room with fellow Ken dolls. What made it more comical was the scene I was asked to walk in. It was for underwear and it would be my opportunity to show my body to the world. Before I knew it, I was strutting down the runway in what looked like speedos. It definitely changed my perspective on what it means to always be ready to give it your all!

#2) Interesting

I was at lunch with Mark Burnett at his home in Malibu. Without question, one of the greatest storytellers and narrators in the world. It was beyond interesting having a front row seat to listen to the beautiful way he so eloquently crafted and told a story. However, the captivation for me didn’t stop there. Mark had a technology that would take storytelling to the next level. I stood in amazement as I gave a sentence that would be placed in a machine for translation. In a matter of seconds, it was transcribed into a story that blew me away. During that moment, I realized the importance of mastering telling my story. In a world of texts, emails, and Instagram DMs, having the ability to converse on a deeper level with stories is so much more meaningful.

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

Making wealth accessible to everyone would definitely be my spread of goodness to the world. We are all familiar with Wall Street but many don’t have bank accounts that represent that culture. I decided to level the playing field with the concept that knowledge should be rewarded. Attaching the bank account to the brain and not to an institution with a big name. Let me explain. VersusGame is an app that gives the world the opportunity to get rewarded for their knowledge. We naturally form predictions, but when is the last time that you got paid for what you know? It’s wonderful for me to witness others making great amounts of money utilizing their knowledge right from the comfort of their homes. Hearing testimonials from happy users that have quit their jobs because of their success with VersusGame let’s me know that I’ve done something good for humanity.

You have been blessed with great success in a career path that many have attempted, but eventually gave up on. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path but know that their dreams might be dashed?

It’s simple. Being an entrepreneur is hard. I often will say that you have to learn to hate sleep, embrace change, possibly lose those you love, and sometimes even your sanity. I liken it to the boxing ring. You can’t go in worried if your dreams will be dashed. If you are, it’s better you shouldn’t start. You have to have courage and go in ready to get your dreams dashed. Then, if you make it out of the ring and your dream is still alive, you’re doing ok.

None of us can achieve success without a bit of help along the way. Is there a particular person who made a profound difference in your life to whom you are grateful? Can you share a story?

I touched on this at the beginning, but I’ll echo that my dad made a profound difference in my life. It’s easy to lean towards someone with a huge name or big pockets. My father had neither yet he propelled my purpose in a way that no one has. If it were not for his struggle to survive and inability to maintain a steady job, I would not be the creator of VersusGame, the top predictions gaming app in the world. I hope my story will inspire others to pursue their dreams like my dad’s story did for me.

So what are the most exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

I’m excited about 2022 and this amazing project I have to offer the world next year. It’s a game changer both literally and figuratively. I’m thrilled to announce that VersusGame will be launching its very own television game show. Imagine having the ability to make money from your couch while interacting with the VersusGame app and tv show in real time. Gone are the days when you shout at the TV during Wheel of Fortune or Family Feud unable to participate. Winning virtually will now be accessible to everyone.

What are your “Top Five Ways That Influencers Can Monetize Their Brand” . (Please share a story or example for each.)

I’d like to first share what not to do if I may. I think it’s relevant and sets the tone for what I believe are the top five ways influencers can monetize their brand. So before we get into the crux of it, influencers should not rely solely on advertising if at all. We are leaning more into modernized culture and I believe ads are more old school like the telephone book. It’s not what consumers are looking for and it doesn’t allow them to effectively connect with the brand. Resulting in the stifling of monetization. There’s a better way to mortize. Here are my top five;

#1) With an average of over 100,000 new users per week, influencers are finding VersusGame a great way to monetize. Many are making thousands of dollars per week interacting with their fans by creating their own pop culture polls.

#2) It’s important to have “Swag”. I’m not talking about your picture, I’m talking about your product. This is a great way to include an additional stream of income and it keeps your business in front of your customers. This can include t-shirts, shoes, energy drinks, and mugs. .

#3) Sponsoring a podcast is also a great way to monetize. Especially if they have a large following. It will get your name out to audiences you may normally not be able to reach. Once they go to your social media sites, you can present a call to action. Visibility definitely leads to profitability.

#4) Leveraging NFTs (nonfungible tokens) are a great way to help monetize. These “one-of-a-kind’’ digital pieces are creative money makers trending across all sectors. They also give you the ability to tailor them to your business.

5) Speak up! Using your voice on various outlets like podcasts, Facebook/Instagram lives, and television is a great way to help scale your business. The more eyes that you can get on your business, the better. Unexpected doors open as credibility and exposure increases.

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 inspire the movement that would challenge the world to pause before every action was made. During this pause, I’d ask everyone to consider the long term repercussions of every choice they make. When faced with a decision, if everyone thought about how it would affect someone else first, we all would be a much better humanity. For example, I’m very passionate about helping Mother Nature by not using plastics. If we all did our part and considered the future, our efforts would combine and make an impact on the earth. It’s about being less self-serving and more life-giving.

We are very blessed that 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 whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this. 🙂

It would definitely be Jeffrey Besos. Respectfully, the second wealthiest person in the world. However, my desire to have a private breakfast with him transcends his financial status. What I find fascinating is how he started his business selling books in his garage. I want to pick his brain and understand the moment he made the decision to go from a brick and mortar business to online. The one decision I imagine is the catalyst to where he is today.

What is the best way our readers can follow your work online?

Instagram

What is the best way our readers can follow your work online?

John Vitti of VersusGame: Five Ways For Influencers To Monetize Their Brand was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Disruptors: Deb Singer and Karin Heck of BRINGiT Bags On The Three Things You Need To Shake…

Female Disruptors: Deb Singer and Karin Heck of BRINGiT Bags On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Karin: Not sure I can pull out “the best”… My mentor, David, gives me great stuff every week. I digest, share with the team, internalize and start living it. I think the best advice is one that helps you understand the problems you are facing, and how to best handle them. And there are new problems every week in the life of a startup…

Deb: Something Seth Godin says resonates strongly for me as well, “People don’t want what you make. They want the way it will make them feel, and there aren’t that many feelings to choose from.” In creating products, it’s key to focus on how they will make consumers feel. People want to love what they buy. If you can get consumers to forge an emotional connection with your product, you have their attention!

As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Karin Heck and Deb Singer.

Karin Heck and Deb Singer started BRINGiT Bags PBC in 2021, after meeting and discovering their shared vision for a world without plastic bag waste. Karin is an accomplished operational leader with deep consumer product experience. Her family had been living a zero-waste lifestyle for some time; she was eager to scale that interest and make a more significant impact. Deb, who pioneered Whole Foods Market’s plastic bag ban in 2007, wanted to focus on eradicating plastic produce bags. Together, they lead a passionate team dedicated to inspiring change and making a difference, one bag at a time.

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?

Deb: I had my big “aha” moment in 2007 while working on the leadership team at Whole Foods Market. I created and implemented the “Whole Living” program — a groundbreaking range of private label, green living products and lifestyle solutions. As part of the project, I was empowered to conceptualize, develop and roll out The Better Bag. This initiative was the catalyst and first-of-its-kind national reusable shopping bag program that led Whole Foods to ban plastic shopping bags company-wide. It became the gold standard for all US retail chains and ignited an international movement that continues to this day. I went on to form Singer Sustainability, a consultancy devoted to developing and growing zero-waste brands that inspire change in consumer behavior.

Karin: I had my first midlife crisis when I was 25 while working at P&G, and realized I wanted to do something more worthwhile for humanity. That sparked my interest and work with museums and educational organizations. Two years ago, after hearing my daughters raise concerns about the future of the planet, I realized I had to do more, so I made a career change into the sustainability sector. Shortly after, I connected with Deb Singer and we clicked over our shared mission of eradicating plastic bag pollution. Together, we started a nonprofit (www.bringitforabetterplanet.org) to lead consumers to embrace reusable bags as a permanent lifestyle. We then saw the opportunity to create our own plastic-free reusable bags, sparking the idea for BRINGiT Bags (BRINGiT), which launched in November 2021.

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

Karin: We are giving people a superior everyday bag solution, addressing all the needs they have without having to make sacrifices:

Functionality: Our shopping system holds and organizes all the bags you need for a shopping trip, and every detail (strap length, pockets for keys and wallets, etc.) is crafted around deep consumer insights

Sustainability: People are catching on to the fact that single-use is bad. However, the conversation around the implications reusable bags can have on the environment are only just beginning. A lot of the products out there talk about being plastic-free when they are still made of plastic! And, as the New York Times reported earlier this year, cotton totes have become part of the problem rather than a solution. Our bags are made from wood fibers, and are not only much better for the environment during production, but are also home compostable at the end of life.

A lot of the sustainable solutions look very boring. Or super colorful and “fun”. Consumers told us they wanted something stylish, elevated, and more neutral to easily complement any outfit for everyday use, informing the overall design of our collection.

Deb: All of what Karin said. In addition, the most disruptive aspect of BRINGiT Bags is the fabrication. We’ve taken a fiber that’s well established in the sustainable textile industry by brands such as Patagonia, Allbirds, Eileen Fisher, among others, and reimagined it into an entirely new product category. Nothing exists on the market that is ultra functional, reusable, and sustainable. Our shopping bags are made from trees. They are from the earth and return to the earth when they have served a useful life.

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?

We wanted to be approachable, so we posted our email addresses on our website. Lesson learned — there are a lot of people out there that will try to sell you anything and everything if they can.

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

We are all huge believers in mentorship, and have made that part of our DNA. Each member of the Leadership Team is fortunate to have access to amazing mentors from all facets of industry, from sustainability experts and business leaders to supply chain experts and organic food pioneers

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?

The move to single-use plastic packaging disrupted how consumers shop, making shopping so much “easier”. Obviously, now we know that the impact of plastic pollution on oceans and land is catastrophic. In addition, the impact on human health from the chemicals and microplastics released is just starting to be understood. On the positive side: As more is being understood, product solutions like ours are being introduced to empower consumers to break free from all the single-use plastics with products that are not only more sustainable, but also work better with the consumers’ lifestyle.

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

Karin: Not sure I can pull out “the best”… My mentor, David, gives me great stuff every week. I digest, share with the team, internalize and start living it. I think the best advice is one that helps you understand the problems you are facing, and how to best handle them. And there are new problems every week in the life of a startup…

Deb: The best and most relevant for me is this: “Trust yourself and never be afraid to say you don’t know.” It will almost always lead to growth or new learnings. Something Seth Godin says resonates strongly for me as well, “People don’t want what you make. They want the way it will make them feel, and there aren’t that many feelings to choose from.” In creating products, it’s key to focus on how they will make consumers feel. People want to love what they buy. If you can get consumers to forge an emotional connection with your product, you have their attention!

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

We have a long list of products we are ready to roll out as we grow, which will provide better options for all sorts of single-use bags. After that, we are looking at other storage opportunities…

Of course product innovation is a critical part of BRINGiT’s work in the world, but there are also many habits of “sustainable” companies that need to change for them to be truly sustainable. BRINGiT is planning to challenge those habits and help them truly walk the talk.

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

We have had many conversations with potential partners and investors, in which they tell us how we should run the business while they have little or no experience doing something similar. We love to learn from more experienced people, hence all our mentors. But having to start all these relationships by having to convince and prove ourselves without hurting egos is time consuming. We suspect this wouldn’t happen as often if we were men…

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

Karin: Not a specific one. But I think the whole team would agree that the articles and podcasts we’ve read and heard about Allbird’s journey have been helpful in validating and focusing our strategies. Their proposition and journey is very similar to what we are going after.

Deb: I recently listened to Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead podcast on the science behind change. She interviewed cognitive scientist Dr. Maya Shankar on courage in the midst of change. When change knocks you off your path and how you not only get back up, but through courage, find a new way to be in the world. It very much impacted me and restored my faith in courage as a navigation tool.

Karin: I am fortunate in that this is exactly what we are working towards with BRINGiT: providing consumers with a shopping bag solution that leaves no footprint on our planet.

Deb: I’d have to say that, for me, it’s around the simple idea I formed my previous company on which is “Simple Acts — Big Impact.” If we all incorporate acts of sustainable behaviors and practice kindness towards the planet’s health everyday, collectively we truly can change the trajectory of climate change and the health of our planet. When I say “we” I mean not just individuals, but corporations and the government. Doing nothing is no longer an option.

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

Karin: I actually don’t like those… People are so multifaceted, and each life is so unique…

Deb: There are infinite lessons, thousands of masters of all sorts of things that impart wisdom, so it’s pretty impossible to choose. Where I am in that particular place in my life is critical to what resonates with me. At this moment in time, as we are just launching BRINGiT, I am drawn to bravery and courage. This quote from the brilliant and esteemed John Lewis speaks to me. We are clearly looking to “get in the way” of the dangerous trajectory of single-use plastic pollution we are on. “You must be bold, brave, and courageous and find a way… to get in the way.” — John Lewis

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

Female Disruptors: Deb Singer and Karin Heck of BRINGiT Bags On The Three Things You Need To Shake… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Sabrina Ovadya-Lenson and Evren Celik Duru of URWell On The Five Lifestyle…

**Women In Wellness: Sabrina Ovadya-Lenson and Evren Celik Duru of URWell On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing**

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Move well: That would be the first adjustment that we would recommend becoming happy and healthy in life. Nowadays, almost everyone has their smartphones, and we have all gotten so used to having these devices that are almost like our other limbs. So, for once, use the benefit of having them and keep track of your daily movement on these devices. Tracking is a powerful tool for increasing how much you move each day. People who track their progress are far more likely to reach their goals because just measuring your activity can push you to move more and help you measure your improvement.

As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sabrina Ovadya-Lenson and Evren Celik Duru.

Sabrina Ovadya-Lenson is a mother of two and as a former banker in New York and London, Sabrina has always worked out religiously. She later fell in love with Pilates; so much that in 2011 she ended up quitting her banking career to follow her dream to become a Pilates teacher which was then later followed by personal training and Barre qualifications. Her experience in upscale studios such as Pilates Squared, Workshop Gymnasium at the Bulgari Hotel and Core Collective led to Sabrina being a trainer to celebrities and high net worth individuals.

Evren Celick is a highly experienced and passionate ex-corporate mother, who worked as an executive at the multinational companies for 13 years and gained excellent management and communication skills. After giving birth to her twins in 2014, she quit her corporate career and became a Yoga Alliance certified yoga instructor in 2016. Evren spent a relentless 500 Hours to become not only a yoga instructor but a trainer for Yoga instructors.

In 2020 they founded URWell — www.urwell.co.uk/ — a virtual wellbeing and fitness concierge platform, integrating physical and mental wellbeing.

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?

It all started right after the first Covid-19 lockdown in London, UK at a coffee shop in the beautiful village of Hampstead. Evren is a yoga teacher, I’m a Pilates teacher and personal trainer. We were discussing how the fitness industry needed to adjust to the new environment in regard to the lockdown and a majority preference for working out remotely. We also noted the sudden and exponential emphasis on fitness and wellness. Our complaint about the lack of individualized wellness services suddenly lit a light bulb in our heads. Recognizing this gap, we said “why don’t we do something?” It started with a simple idea, but it required a substantial amount of planning and market research to bring the idea to life. That was the seed of URWell and a few lockdowns later here we are with our evolving and exciting wellbeing and fitness concierge service.

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?

We will mention an incident that was not just interesting but also shocking for both of us. During the software development process, once we deleted the whole system by clicking a button. It was a nightmare since we lost everything with just one click. Luckily, the website was not active yet and it was just the demo page. We had to recreate every single page in the front end, but that experience taught us something: Always have a back-up. The software team got a takeaway from this experience too. They developed a better version of the system that confirms your requests with a red alert notice so that you never delete anything with just one click.

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

We wouldn’t call it the biggest mistake but definitely something we haven’t even realized when the idea was conceptualizing, was that starting a new business not only involves multiple aspects from marketing, and branding to financials and planning but also that plans may need to be fluid. We had to change the “product” a few times throughout according to feedback and feasibility, whether it was guided by branding or numbers or market research. The learning curve has been very steep and definitely has kept us on our toes!

We are also very aware that the “product” may still keep on adapting and adjusting as needed so this is something you have to be open to — it’s crucial to stay nimble and flexible whilst keeping the essence of the product or the service. The initial form of the business may need to be tweaked to something more meaningful but also to something more feasible as a business. We definitely have learned and are still learning significantly by taking feedback on board and ensuring that we are flexible within our business framework.

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?

We wanted to help people to have access to our wellbeing services wherever they are — that’s why we created a virtual service. URWell offers services that are not only holistic but also highly individualized.

We view wellness as a compilation of physical fitness, nutrition and importantly mental wellness. This is what we mean by ‘holistic’, we tackle all areas of wellbeing. We strongly believe that someone who moves their body, who eats healthy and takes time to breathe and meditate will be a person who feels “well” in general.

URWell’s other crucial difference from a lot of online platforms is that our services are highly individualized. We don’t provide cookie-cutter exercises to our clients. We provide them exactly what they need and what they demand within their time constraint and physical ability. Our services start with a detailed questionnaire and is followed by an online consultation to address our clients’ goals, concerns and needs. We then draw up a detailed plan for the duration of the package that addresses all relevant aspects. Our services include online 1:1 and group sessions as well as pre-recorded videos that are tailored for our individual clients. Say that a client has a time restriction that week or a shoulder injury, their plan will be adjusted accordingly. We have the ability to do this on a weekly basis.

Long story short our aim is to provide our clients with highly individualized services for them to improve their wellbeing.

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.

Everything is so correlated when it comes to health and wellness, as they all tie in with each other. Our five ‘lifestyle tweaks’ are:

∙ Move well: That would be the first adjustment that we would recommend becoming happy and healthy in life. Nowadays, almost everyone has their smartphones, and we have all gotten so used to having these devices that are almost like our other limbs. So, for once, use the benefit of having them and keep track of your daily movement on these devices. Tracking is a powerful tool for increasing how much you move each day. People who track their progress are far more likely to reach their goals because just measuring your activity can push you to move more and help you measure your improvement.

∙ Sleep well: Sleep is as important as eating, drinking and breathing to our health. Our bodies repair themselves and our brains consolidate our memories and process information in sleep. Sleep disorder is linked to physical problems such as a weakened immune system and mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Without enough sleep, the brain cannot function properly. Therefore, having a restful sleep every night is crucial for our wellbeing.

∙ Eat and hydrate well: Eating healthily and staying hydrated are key to our wellbeing but we also know that it’s not always easy to maintain a healthy diet. At URWell, we strongly believe that wellness is very individualized — one plan does not fit all especially with regards to nutrition. However, there are certain rules that apply for everyone. Eating local and seasonal food, eating the rainbow which is eating fruits and vegetables of different colors every day, making your own meal and drinking enough water.

∙ Live well: Being surrounded by loved ones, feeling loved and compassion have huge effects on our wellbeing. It has been found that touch calms our nervous center and slows down our heartbeat. Human touch also lowers blood pressure as well as cortisol, our stress hormone. It also triggers the release of oxytocin, a hormone known for promoting emotional bonding to others. So, spend quality time with people and laugh. When you start to laugh, it doesn’t just lighten your load mentally, it actually induces physical changes in your body. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.

We also recommend cultivating positive and productive thoughts and staying mindful and present to enjoy life fully as it is.

∙ Breath Well: As we all know, most living things need oxygen to survive. Oxygen helps organisms grow, reproduce, and turn food into energy. There is nothing more essential to our health and wellbeing than breathing since humans get the oxygen, they need by breathing yet, as species, we have lost the ability to breathe correctly. There are different breathing techniques to bring health & relaxation. When we incorporate such breathing techniques in our daily routine and make slight adjustments to the way we inhale and exhale we can prevent and overcome many illnesses and yet become more content in life.

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

We think it would be bringing wellness to people with the most financial constraints and also to those with time constraints.

We would love to offer community classes on a frequent basis for those who would love to work out, meditate or breathe or learn about healthy eating. This is one of our goals as we grow as a business. We would love to give back to the community by providing some accessible wellness services to those who can’t afford it. We believe everyone has a right to their wellness!

For the second aspect, we both come from very competitive corporate backgrounds and we know how lack of time can add serious stress on the body and the mind adversely impacting our wellbeing. We offer our services to corporations and would love to make them aware that it is important for employees to get up and move, to breathe, to take a few minutes just to be, as well as to eat healthy and natural foods. Humans are certainly not designed for the constant sitting on a desk and looking at the computer. Bodies need to move. And everyone should be able to create time to do so without feeling guilty.

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

Starting a new business has not been easy as we thought it would be at the beginning so this must be the first thing that we should know. Every business has their own challenges but a starting up during Covid-19 with financial constraints was a bit more challenging for both of us.

Good things come to those who wait and work for it. We experienced the waiting part quite well in the beginning. Even opening a bank account took ten times longer than usual. We were naive to think that the third parties you work with comply with the timelines. We understood that you just wait and stop pushing when your hands are tied.

Letting go of control is an integral part of acceptance. It all starts by simply accepting reality and taking appropriate action from there. Resisting and fighting what only hurts, always. When we started our business, our project was interrupted by many lockdowns, delays and financial crises. In the beginning, it consumed so much of our energy to fight with the circumstances. If somebody told us, no matter what you do the reality does not change; just accept things and let go, then we would not be worn out then.

Failing is part of the success. We made mistakes and decisions that cost us financially. In the process, we changed our products and brand identity which looked like the consequences of our poor judgement back then. Now, I understand that it is just part of the process. Some things evolve to new things and all you need to do is to adjust yourself accordingly.

Time management is the most difficult part of our jobs right now. We have a wonderful team of people with great reputation, hence there is so much demand for them. Since most of our services are on a 1:1 basis, scheduling everyone’s agenda and finding a time slot that suits everyone is sometimes challenging. We have not seen this coming as well. As we face such challenges, we improve and enrich our software system and team to find better solutions and ease it for everyone.

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

They are all big topics that we support as URWell. However, I would choose mental health over the others since only a mentally healthy person can defend and fight for the others.

The WHO constitution states: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” An important implication of this definition is that mental health is more than just the absence of mental disorders or disabilities. Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. Mental health is fundamental to our collective and individual ability as humans to think, emote, interact with each other, earn a living and enjoy life. On this basis, the promotion, protection and restoration of mental health can be regarded as a vital concern of individuals, communities and societies throughout the world.

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/URWell-100335715748561

Thank you for these fantastic insights!

Women In Wellness: Sabrina Ovadya-Lenson and Evren Celik Duru of URWell On The Five Lifestyle… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Deborah Gladney and Angela Muhwezi-Hall of QuickHire On The Five Things You Need…

Female Founders: Deborah Gladney and Angela Muhwezi-Hall of QuickHire On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

You will never feel like “you’ve made it” — there’s always going to be so much more you’ll want to achieve. That doesn’t mean you can’t inspire others with how far you’ve already come.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Gladney and Angela Muhwezi-Hall, co-founders of QuickHire.

Deborah and Angela are the co-founders of QuickHire, a career discovery marketplace for the service economy. QuickHire helps service workers find the right career and advancement opportunities. The children of African immigrants, Deborah and Angela are the first African American women in Kansas to raise over $1M in venture funding.

It was during my time as an educational and career advisor when the idea for QuickHire was born. One day, a student came into my office expressing her challenges with finding a part-time job. With several paper applications in hand, it was then that I realized finding an entry level job should be simplified. So when COVID hit and millions lost their jobs, Deborah and I agreed it was time to bring this idea to fruition. (FROM ANGELA)

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

One of the most interesting experiences was when Angela and I sat on a panel in front of high school students shortly after we released the app. There was a young black girl who asked us a question and then ended by saying “you two have inspired me to major in computer science and pursue a career in tech.” This was the first time I realized QuickHire is bigger than us. Not only are we helping underserved workers, we’re also helping underserved communities and founders by being an example of what’s possible. (FROM DEBORAH)

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 thing we did starting out was launching without a go-to market strategy. When we finished building the platform, we were like “okay, let’s send it out!” But we quickly learned that wasn’t the way to do it. We had businesses we couldn’t help, no jobs available for job seekers. It’s quite funny now looking back. But hey, that’s how you learn! (FROM DEBORAH)

We’re both extremely grateful to our parents. Our parents left their home country, struggled, worked minimum wage jobs, raised kids through grad school, and more, all to provide better opportunities for us. I doubt we’d even be half the people we are today if it wasn’t for our parents’ sacrifice. (FROM ANGELA)

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

I don’t think it’s a matter of women starting companies, it’s a matter of women-led companies being funded. Period. There are endless women-led companies, but you don’t hear of them because very few get funded enough to grow. Only about 12% of decision makers at VC firms are women and most firms don’t have a single female partner. We’re never going to see a difference if there isn’t more representation at the table. (FROM DEBORAH)

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?

We need to take a look at who is deciding who gets funded. Whether that’s through VC firms, grants, small business loans, etc. We need to make sure there’s representation there. And once that’s done, we need to do a better job of providing access to this funding. We had no clue what venture funding was. We had to learn the hard way, but that shouldn’t be the case for people looking to launch or grow a business. (FROM ANGELA)

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?

There are many reasons, but for me it all comes back to the fact that you get to set the bar. As women, we’re conditioned to fit within society’s standards and expectations. We have to figure out how to meet deadlines, but still pick up our kids from school. We have to rush back from maternity leaves because our employers only offer a few weeks. We have to convince our boss that we deserve the promotion over our male counterparts. The list goes on. Being a founder is so empowering because YOU get to set that bar now. YOU get to establish the company culture, policies and ways your employees will be treated. (FROM DEBORAH)

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

The biggest myth is that people will invest in you with just an idea on a napkin or a powerpoint. Do those deals happen? Yes, if you’re already connected or lucky. But for the majority of us, this isn’t going to happen. You likely won’t get investment until you have some proof of concept or traction. So, the best thing you can do starting out is just focus on building and getting customers. The rest will then come later. (FROM ANGELA)

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

I don’t know if I’m qualified to say who should or shouldn’t be an entrepreneur. Because honestly, I didn’t think I was cut out to be one myself. I will say though that entrepreneurship is kind of like parenting — it’s the hardest, but most rewarding job you’ll ever have. It’s difficult. There will be days you’ll want to quit. But it’s not always about being the best — sometimes it just comes down to outlasting your competition. In order to be a founder, you have to have a relentless pursuit of “I’m going to figure it out!” (FROM DEBORAH)

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.)

That running a business is complicated — the bigger you get, the more complex things like accounting, taxes, legal, etc get. Hire someone to help you.
Accelerators are your friend — I had no idea what accelerators were. We found out quite a bit later after starting the company. Accelerators are a great way to get early capital and support for your business.
Don’t count on anyone to write you a check — I spent way too much time in the beginning pitching investors who were never going to write me a check. I wish I would’ve spent that time building the business.
You will never be satisfied with your product — you will never feel like your product is good enough. It’s your baby. That doesn’t mean it can’t add value to someone else.
You will never feel like “you’ve made it” — there’s always going to be so much more you’ll want to achieve. That doesn’t mean you can’t inspire others with how far you’ve already come.

(FROM DEBORAH)

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

We’re still working on being a “success story,” but we’re definitely trying to give back along the way. We’re big on speaking to young minorities as well as partnering with folks in our community to put Wichita, Kansas on the map! (FROM ANGELA)

It would definitely be to help build underdeveloped countries. (FROM DEBORAH)

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.

Sara Blakely. I don’t think we need to explain why. She’s a freakin BOSS!

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

Female Founders: Deborah Gladney and Angela Muhwezi-Hall of QuickHire On The Five Things You Need… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Dorit Schindler Of SIGNA Sports United On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will…

Women In Wellness: Dorit Schindler Of SIGNA Sports United On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

I personally would like to bring more positivity to the world. Focus more on the good than the bad. Focus more on strengths rather than weaknesses yet acknowledging areas which are important to develop.

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

Dorit Schindler is the German born Chief People Officer at global sports and ecommerce platform, SIGNA Sports United. The company is on a fascinating journey of growth while getting more people active and digitizing the sports ecosystem. Dorit is a firm believer in the power of people — once they’re engaged, appreciated and enabled to bring their true selves to the workplace.

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 have been intrigued by what makes people, and in particular teams, successful from an early age. The question of why one group or company is more successful than the next is the million-dollar question.

I studied industrial psychology, economics, and organizational design to get started in my quest to find the answer. My entire career has been as a Talent and People professional and I am as passionate about it today as I was on day one, even more so in fact. I try to keep learning and throughout my career I have taken part in several in-depth coaching and systemic organization and change management seminars and courses. But life and job experience in various industries (automotive, retail and e-commerce) in international companies — larger corporations and smaller family-owned businesses — taught me more than any course or book have.

My experience has been wide ranging. Building companies, managing crisis, more difficult tasks from an emotional perspective like scaling down companies and closing down facilities. And now -after more than 20 years in Human Resources- I have found my dream job at SIGNA Sports United (SSU), a global sports and ecommerce company where I can combine my passion for people in a hyper-growth environment with my passion for an active lifestyle. SSU is firmly in growth mode, so far this year, we have entered the US market with the acquisitions of Tennis Express and Midwest sports, two of the largest tennis platforms in the US, we have acquired WiggleCRC, a global bike retailer, thus creating the biggest online bike retailer in the world and to top it all off, we’ve just become a public company by listing on the New York Stock Exchange.

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

The most interesting story is happening today. I joined SSU just over 6 months and it has been extraordinary! I am part of an energetic and passionate management team during the most exciting time of our careers. Preparing the company for its IPO, the acquisition of WiggleCRC as well as integrating new companies, so the People function is critical, and I am enjoying every moment.

One of my most recent responsibilities has been preparing internal communications and ensuring our 3000 employees participate and feel part of this momentous occasion. And we’re a small team right now so it’s all hands-on deck! My experience has given me the tools and confidence to accomplish this task and I remind myself to take a step back now and then and drink it all in. It’s really a once in a lifetime experience and one I want to ensure our employees are completely a part of it.

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

I’m not sure if this was my biggest mistake but having been the only women in management teams was a bit of a challenge earlier on in my career. 15 years ago (gender) diversity was not on the agenda. I regularly found myself amongst teams of white, conservative, older male colleagues, and as the young, creative, and progressive women, it was an interesting dynamic. At the beginning I tried to adapt so I could fit in, but it was a lot of pressure and took up a lot of time and energy. I look back and think I should have found an environment sooner where I could be who I really am and be comfortable bringing my true self to work every day.

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?

At SIGNA Sports United we all share a real passion for sport, for getting outdoors into nature, for cycling, hiking, playing tennis and/or team sports and for the environment. We’re very proudly a climate neutral company and we work hard every day looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint even more. We’re also passionate about technology and using tech to improve the sports ecosytem.

And we share this passion with our customers. The goods we provide are selected, presented, packed and shipped by colleagues who love the products as much as our customers do. Our products enable people to live a more active lifestyle. We get more people on bikes than anyone else, which is both good for the person and the environment. We are helping change the mobility mix by bringing bikes to more people. Another example is tennis, 4 million more people in the US play tennis than pre-pandemic. We are excited to be a part of that and want to continue pushing that growth.

My own impact includes finding, hiring and developing dedicated experts who really know their stuff and can provide a superb customer experience.

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.

As a professional in People Development, I focus on wellbeing at the workplace in the first instance. But there are -for sure- many more factors regarding wellbeing: your family, your friends, your physical health, the culture, the place you live etc.
Focusing on the workplace and your career these five factors are essential. Firstly, find a job where your strengths are really suited to the role, secondly find an employer who sees the value in healthy, happy employees, (in fact, come work at SIGNA Sports United — we’re hiring!), thirdly get enough sleep, sleep is most the underrated physical and mental health benefit. Fourth is to eat as healthily as you can, to nourish your body is to nourish your soul and finally spend as much time as possible outdoors. We are not built to sit at a desk indoors all day. Find a way to get outside and see the sky, breath in fresh air and take a moment. You’ll be a happier person and a more productive one too.
Self-Awareness: Your strength matters. As a certified Gallup Strength Finder Coach, I know that people are more successful and happier in general when they not only love what they do, but when they can apply their natural talents to their work and find an environment where this is appreciated. This sounds easy. But for those who are not really aware of their strengths, then it’s a challenge. In school and in the early years of our careers, we often receive feedback highlighting what we are not good at and what areas we should try to “fix.” But, if we focus on our strengths, apply them mindfully and nurture them, we can be our true selves, let our unique talents shine and manage our undeveloped talents with less effort.
Team Spirit: Finding a workplace where leaders and colleagues appreciate your strengths seems to be challenging. I tell candidates I am interviewing to be as authentic as possible and tell me areas they are passionate about. This is how we build diverse teams. Staffing a team with diverse profiles is key for long-term success. It’s the same as in teamsports. You need players with different strengths to win the match. In the workplace it is more about diversity of thought and true inclusion which enables teams to win.
Take care of your body: Again, sleep enough, eat healthy and get fresh air. This sounds so basic. But yet it is not. The pandemic has placed so much stress on people — both families and individuals. Spending countless hours in front of the computer staring at a little camera to chat with teammates has put a lot of burden on our bodies and brains. Try to be very disciplined with your sleeping rhythm and not to compromise on that. Consider what you eat. In Germany we do have a saying “Du bist, was Du isst” — which basically means that your body consists of what you have given to it. And finally continue or start an active lifestyle! Fresh air, being out in nature, move. At least once a day.

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 believe that wellness is about physical and mental well-being. “My movement” is to tackle both.

Firstly, I personally would like to bring more positivity to the world. Focus more on the good than the bad. Focus more on strengths rather than weaknesses yet acknowledging areas which are important to develop.

Secondly, we at SIGNA Sports United we have already started a movement! And I am proud every day to be part of it! We are enabling more people to have a more active lifestyle. For example, we recently created an App “hello sports” that rewards the customer for all of their tracked activity with credits that they can redeem for sports goods and equipment.

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

Don’t be so hard on yourself
Find an environment where you can work on something with a purpose
Choose your boss and your company wisely
Surround yourself with people who have complementary strengths. Build diverse teams and be very inclusive
Dare to be who you are and never stop learning

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

Personally, sustainability and mental health are dearest to me. At SIGNA Sports United we care deeply about both. Firstly I am proud that our products enable a more active lifestyle and with that being part of the larger mobility change in the world enabling many more people to choose a bike over a car. In addition, as I mentioned we are proud to be certified carbon neutral and we are working relentlessly to further improve our carbon footprint, reduce return rate through better sizing advice (e.g. using AI when configuring your bike or tennis shoes online) and ensuring we have a fair and engaging workplace.

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

You can follow us on our website https://signa-sportsunited.com/, which is currently evolving, as well as on linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/signa-sports-united/. If you are interested in working with us please check out our careers website https://career.signa-sportsunited.com/

The answer to the million-dollar question, by the way, is People!

Thank you for these fantastic insights!

Women In Wellness: Dorit Schindler Of SIGNA Sports United 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.

Women In Wellness: Lulu Ge of Elix On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s…

Women In Wellness: Lulu Ge of Elix On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast” — Building a passionate and motivated team is more important than having the “perfect plan.” By launching during the onset of the pandemic, I experienced firsthand how plans might need to pivot based on factors outside of our control, but by having the right team members on board and creating an environment where everyone can strive towards their potential and collaborate on meaningful impact-driven work, our culture enables us to continue to grow and scale (while having fun!).

As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lulu Ge, founder and CEO of Elix.

Lulu is a behavioral change psychologist and MBA who spent over a decade in management consulting focused on the intersection of healthcare and consumer-retail. Born in a Southern China hospital run by her grandfather, Lulu’s personal roots in herbal medicine run through multiple generations. Elix is the culmination of her lifelong advocacy for integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine with Western healthcare, especially in treating and regulating women’s health conditions.

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

I was born in a hospital my grandfather ran in Hunan (Southern China) and grew up with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as a way of life. Even after immigrating to the U.S. at five years old, I remember drinking medicinal mushroom soups and superfruit tonics long before they became the trends they are today. To be honest, I always felt a bit embarrassed being “that” kid with smelly herbs.

Fast forward a decade or two later, armed with an Ivy League degree, I landed some of my dream jobs in NYC. At a time when I was over-caffeinated, sleep-deprived, working crazy hours, and always focused on that next promotion, I simultaneously went off birth control and experienced extreme hormone imbalances. This manifested itself as chronic fatigue, period pain, migraines, anxiety, bloating and more.

That’s when my grandfather helped me find my way back to Chinese herbal medicine to lower my inflammation, rebalance my cycle and finally start healing my body from within.

Elix is excited to be the first brand and platform to bring personalized TCM to women’s health. We have a free online health assessment that you can take to learn more about your cycle and receive an herbal treatment formula recommendation. We’re really proud that 93% of women experience an improvement in their menstrual and hormone symptoms using Elix Cycle Balance! Our mission is to democratize access to these beautiful healing herbs and excitedly, we can say that women in all 50 states are using Elix to support her health!

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?

In developing the concept for Elix, I was in business school and had the rare opportunity to meet with the CEO of a major multi-billion dollar healthcare company and another senior executive of a major pharmaceutical company to get their feedback — it’s important to note that both individuals happened to be men.

I pitched them on building a platform to personalize clinically-proven herbal remedies for women’s health, which would combine ancient wisdom with modern science to bring more innovative, all-natural and side-effect-free solutions to addressing chronic conditions such as endometriosis, PCOS, PMDD, fibroids and other menstrual and hormone health symptoms. They were extremely enthusiastic about the business model and confirmed the need in the market, but they told me it would never succeed because hormonal contraceptives can be applied to “solve” these conditions. While they acknowledged that women did not appreciate the side effects, their solution was to evolve the existing products rather than come up with novel solutions.

The lesson I learned from this interaction and feedback is that sometimes it takes an outsider with real-world experience of the pain point to recognize an opportunity for status quo disruption. Whether it be insight from someone of a different background, gender, business or industry entirely, it’s important to consider all perspectives in order to create a successful, inclusive business.

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

Despite the challenges that came with launching Elix during the onset of the pandemic and having to quickly cancel our in-person launch events and pivot our focus to online community building, Elix experienced rapid growth. Since day one, we have always focused on creating a safe space for women and all menstruators to learn and have conversations around the importance of menstrual health. As a small team, we quickly realized we needed to implement a community experience platform that enables greater efficiency with communications — unfortunately, there was a tech integration oversight in the set up of this platform, which resulted in dozens of previous conversations that did not migrate over. Unfortunately, we did not discover this issue until weeks later when comments surfaced in a community survey.

The solution? We were honest about what happened, apologized and offered a one-on-one group chat with our medical advisors to ensure community members were getting the information they needed, and we also offered early access to new product launches. This experience taught us the importance of owning up to our failures and working hard to make things right.

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?

Today, there are still stigmas associated with menstrual health. At Elix, our mission is to spark much-needed conversations on traditionally taboo areas of women’s health and democratize access to personalized, clinically-backed herbal remedies for chronic conditions, beginning with menstrual care.

Most of the conversations today around our periods usually revolve around how awful they are, rather than viewing them as a vital sign of our overall health. While we are certainly starting to see people think about menstrual health in a more holistic way, there is still a lot of work to be done. Our Elix users have shared hundreds of stories about how they were dismissed when they identified and tried to treat their pain — and they’re not alone. In today’s health care system, only 4% of research and development addresses women’s health issues, so this leaves massive gaps in access to proven solutions. Also, the biggest misconception is that pain with our periods is ‘normal’ and that we just have to ‘suck it up.’

For far too long, society has made periods an embarrassing topic, causing us to keep our pain private and hindering us from finding more natural and personalized solutions. We really want to challenge the outdated one-size-fits-all approach. Our flagship Cycle Balance is a tincture of potent, medicinal herbs which is tailored to heal menstrual symptoms over time by treating the hormonal imbalances and inflammation that cause them. Hormones affect how our immune system functions, so as part of our overall health routine, it’s even more important than ever before to pay close attention to our hormone health.

Overall, we want to empower people to be their own best healer and health advocate by tuning into their minds and body and taking control of their health from a holistic perspective.

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.

Intention Setting: Setting and living your intentions allows you to focus on the things that matter most — it helps us to recognize our values, and in turn, provides a roadmap for how we can design and live our lives. As part of celebrating the holidays and New Year with my family, we carve out time to set our intentions for the upcoming year and it’s something I review on a monthly and weekly basis.
Eat the Rainbow: Chinese medicine has always shared this healthy eating practice as a way to get the vital nutrients our bodies need to keep our immune systems strong. Every hue of fruits and vegetables contain their own unique blend of nourishing phytonutrients that sustain our health, so it’s important to incorporate a variety of different colors onto your plate. Our stomachs are our second brain, so when we give our bodies fuel and nourishment, we can think more clearly!
Micro-moments of Mindfulness: If we can spend small amounts of time in our daily lives to observe the beauty of the current moment, we can bring more happiness, gratitude and generosity to our lives.
Hormone Hacking: Hormone hacking can help us essentially ‘engineer’ our quality of life. When we can hack our natural hormones and live with our natural circadian rhythm — by making intentional changes in our daily lives, from the food we eat to the way we deal with stress, to how we prepare our bodies for sleep — we can help support our natural balance for a healthier life.
Notice Joy: Did you know that laughing decreases pain and may help your health? When we stop for a moment, look around and notice the things that bring us joy, we can live a more meaningful and healthy life, both physically and mentally.

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

If I could start a movement, it would be around self-healing. When we can look at our health from a holistic perspective, understanding our mind, body and spirit as one unit, we can make intentional decisions on our own behalf that positively affect our overall health.

From a narrower point of view and personal experience, I’ve realized how powerful self-healing can be, specifically when it comes to menstrual pain and using natural herbal remedies to manage ailments. I grew up eating soup and drinking tea made with healing herbs, so it’s been something important to me from very early on in my life and career.

Self-healing can mean more than just physical healing — it can also be useful for our mind and spirit. When we have thoughts or feelings that leave us feeling down or interfere with our daily activities, self-healing can help us to overcome these negativities and make room for us to lead a more fulfilled, positive life.

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

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast” — Building a passionate and motivated team is more important than having the “perfect plan.” By launching during the onset of the pandemic, I experienced firsthand how plans might need to pivot based on factors outside of our control, but by having the right team members on board and creating an environment where everyone can strive towards their potential and collaborate on meaningful impact-driven work, our culture enables us to continue to grow and scale (while having fun!).
Trust your instincts — There are so many moments along this journey when I have received conflicting advice from “experts.” If what you’re building has never been done, then chances are no one has the right answer for how it should be done — staying focused on the positive impact and intentions for a brighter future you want to create is part of the challenge and the fun.
Celebrate the failures — At Elix, we reframe all failures as learnings and celebrate how the insights gained can help us in the future. By creating an environment where it’s safe to experiment and learn from our failures, it gives our team space to try more new things.
Whenever you feel lost, listen to your customers — At Elix, we are building with and for our community. The best decisions we have made are taking action based on feedback from the community we serve.
Create a personal advisory board of believers — The startup journey is hard. Unexpected challenges will inevitably occur. Surrounding yourself with mentors, advisors and loved ones who believe in you and your vision will help pull you through the toughest of times and amplify the joys and wins.

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

The causes dearest to me are sustainability and mental health, as the two go hand in hand. The best example of this is through Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which is the first modality to recognize the mind, body and spirit connection, as well as emphasize the importance of living with the rhythm of nature.

At Elix, we believe that nature is one of our most powerful healers, and by tapping into herbs and botanicals that have been proven for their medicinal healing capabilities, we should also be conducting business in a way that’s sustainable for Mother Earth — that’s why we sustainably and ethically source all of our organic ingredients while using a clean extraction process and composting the remains. We use recycled packaging for all of our mailers and encourage our community members to reuse or recycle their Elix bottles. On our blog and Instagram, we often feature ways of reconnecting with nature as a form of mental health healing and grounding for our central nervous system.

I believe that as more people reconnect with our natural world, the desire to live more sustainably will become a priority, which in turn, will promote mental health healing and help to preserve our environment for future generations.

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

Readers can follow me on my personal account at @luluge and Elix at @elixhealing on Instagram and Twitter.

Thank you for these fantastic insights!

Women In Wellness: Lulu Ge of Elix On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Patty Perreira of Barton Perreira On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and…

Female Founders: Patty Perreira of Barton Perreira On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Not everyone is up for the challenge of being a founder, you have to truly be passionate. To me, a successful founder is someone who is a good leader, compassionate, and empathetic. The person is a visionary with good instincts, thick skin, and isn’t afraid to take risks.

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

Patty Perreira is the designer and co-founder of Barton Perreira and has been designing eyewear for more than three decades. A self-taught designer, she honed her craft designing for the likes of Oliver Peoples, where she was responsible for many of the brand’s iconic styles. In 2007, Patty along with her business partner Bill Barton founded Barton Perreira, an independent fashion eyewear brand based in Southern California known for their unparalleled design and impeccable craftsmanship as each pair is handcrafted in Japan.

I’m a self-taught designer and I have always had a creative instinct. Growing up, my mom and I shopped thrift stores and made a lot of my clothes. I had no idea this would help pave my way as a designer. I honed my eyewear design skills during my 18 years at Oliver Peoples. I also created eyewear collections for Prada, Miu Miu, Jil Sander, Helmut Lang, Paul Smith, and Vera Wang.

What I love about eyewear is that it’s a combination of fashion and function. The first Barton Perreira collection is the most special to me — I designed for other brands for so long, so to design something for my own namesake was an incredible feeling. I was very inspired to have the freedom to design and develop new technologies for my own eyewear brand.

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

There have been so many memorable moments over the years, the most recent one that comes to mind is our partnership with EON Productions and 007. I have been a Bond fan for many years. I have a home in Jamaica and it’s where I go every year for design inspiration for Barton Perreira. Jamaica is also the home for Bond so when I found out that the wardrobe stylist for the film No Time To Die wanted to buy Barton Perreira glasses to style Daniel Craig’s last film as James Bond, I was thrilled! The stylist said that when she was thinking about how to dress James Bond, he had to look iconic and definitive. I was so honored to have our glasses styled throughout the film and we have garnered such an incredible partnership with EON Productions that we recently just launched The Legacy Collection, with initial styles in the series of sunglasses re-imagined and inspired by Bond characters in vintage films.

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

When we launched Barton Perreira, I designed a style called the Emmanuelle in 13 colorways. It was an inventory nightmare to have that many skus and it drove our factories crazy. But it was the #1 selling style for many seasons and celebrities such as Angelina Jolie and Jada Pinkett-Smith wore the style, and it was all over the press which was amazing exposure for our brand launch. However, too many skus of a style can be an inventory nightmare and difficult to manage, but it’s important to make mistakes as they are learning experiences that lead to growth.

My partner, Bill Barton saw something in me at Oliver Peoples and he approached me to partner with him to start Barton Perreira. Working alongside Bill is amazing, separating the personal from the business has never been an issue for us. We have a great partnership, as well as mutual respect and admiration for one another. He motivates, challenges, and inspires me. Bill and I trust each other’s instincts. We both have many years of experience in the eyewear industry. His expertise is in the business aspect, while I am the creative. This allows each of us to focus and utilize our individual skill sets in ways that are best suited to the success of Barton Perreira. I believe our talents truly complement each other.

While there has been some tremendous progress with gender equality, I think that women still struggle to have a voice, especially women of color. Generally, they are not lifted up and often discounted so I think there are many women out there that have the potential to be incredible business leaders but hold back because they lack the confidence or the people around to support them.

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?

I think that it’s important to choose your partners wisely and surround yourself with friends and colleagues who support you and want to see you succeed. Obstacles are like hurdles, you have to either jump through them, under them over them or around them. Regardless, you have to find a way, there is always a way. Trust the process and believe in yourself.

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 are less driven by our ego and more driven to find solutions. We have more empathy and I think women are great multi-taskers and we’re great at balancing time.

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

I honestly don’t know what the “myths” are about being a founder. What I do believe is balance in all that we do and that success is not the key to happiness; happiness is the key to success.

Not everyone is up for the challenge of being a founder, you have to truly be passionate. To me, a successful founder is someone who is a good leader, compassionate, and empathetic. The person is a visionary with good instincts, thick skin, and isn’t afraid to take risks.

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.)

Leadership

Compassionate / Empathy

Instinctual / Visionary

Risk Taking

Confident yet Humble

I’m very supportive of all my colleagues, friends and family and I try to do everything I can to help them succeed and lift them up. I have invested time and money helping with loans, connecting people with jobs & providing platforms for people to expose their talents. I genuinely want the best for everyone around me and I’m happy to see them accomplish as much success as they possibly can. Many people have done this same thing for me and it’s important to pass it on.

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

From the inception of our brand, I have been committed to crafting eyewear using the highest quality materials in Japan, derived without harmful chemicals. We use plant-based acetates, with cellulose obtained from wood and cotton, for an environmentally friendly resin. I aim to design timeless eyewear, intended to be worn season after season, ensuring a lifetime of use. Our shopping bags are made of recycled materials and our cleaning cloths are made of recycled PET bottles. We do what we can to reduce our carbon footprint and be kinder to the Earth.

I feel strongly about living a Vegan Plant based diet. It’s better for the planet, animal agriculture is killing the planet and a way to stop climate change is to stop eating animal protein.

Michelle Obama, she’s an advocate for so many things that I believe in — healthy nutrition for kids in school, female empowerment & poverty awareness.

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

Female Founders: Patty Perreira of Barton Perreira 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.

Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Smitha Murthy of Axtria On The 5 Leadership Lessons She…

Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Smitha Murthy of Axtria On The 5 Leadership Lessons She Learned From Her Experience

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Know your technology, your customers, your market, your team — whatever the case may be — better than anyone else so people will listen to you.

As a part of my series about “”Lessons From Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech””, I had the pleasure of interviewing Smitha Murthy.

Smitha Murthy works as the Global Head of Product Management at Axtria. She has 20+ years of experience as a Product Management Executive and General Manager with expertise in driving innovative customer experiences through digital transformation, data science, and analytics across multiple domains, market segments, and company sizes. She has a successful track record of managing multi-million-dollar product lines and P&L, commercializing digital products from concept to launch for Silicon Valley and Silicon Alley companies. Smitha brings global experience in developing business strategy, product vision and strategy, and product management for consumer and enterprise SaaS products.

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 started my career as a software developer. What I loved most about that was the customer interaction during beta calls and at conferences, when I was able to delight the customer by solving a problem for them. I am’ ‘ a computer engineer by training and then went on to pursue my MBA from Carnegie Mellon University. I knew I wanted a role that combined technology and business, that was customer facing and problem solving through technology.

I started in Product Management when everyone in the industry was not really sure what that was. It was often mistaken to be project management. I became the product manager of the product I was developing. Hence, the transition was smooth, and I had built-in credibility as a product manager. I have never looked back from there!

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

I joined Axtria 2 years ago. As our President and CEO, Jaswinder Chadha (Jassi), will tell you, Axtria has been in the data and analytics space for life sciences for a long time, well before it became trendy, and now everyone is on the data analytics bandwagon! I joined Axtria at an exciting time in its history when the company was doubling down its investments to become a product-led company. That’ ‘s why I was hired.

An interesting story that I can share is when an intelligent group of people had built a solution for a customer that was very successful, and they went to Jassi to ask if it could be productized. Jassi redirected them to me, saying, “”Ask Smitha; she knows how to build digital products”” — it is this commitment to products and this faith in me that keeps me inspired at Axtria!

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?

No sooner had I started in product management, and I had to do a keynote session with my engineering leader at our annual company user conference. He was unhappy that a junior product manager was partnering with him and labeled everything I was presenting as “”marketing fluff”” and predicted that the audience would fall asleep. Needless to say, I was extremely nervous.

Fast-forward to the day of the user conference. The keynote was a few minutes from starting. I was a nervous wreck. My voice shook as I began speak in front of 500+ people. So, I did what I knew best. I made my product literally “”speak”” for me to kick things off. We had just developed a voice notification “”wizard”” that could be used in the product. I had the wizard pop up to welcome everyone to the session, and it gave me a couple of minutes to compose myself. The audience loved it, and the rest of the session went great.

I walked away from that experience having learned a few key pieces of advice:Know what you are good at, and believe it!
Don’t second guess yourself!
You are your biggest advocate.

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

Axtria builds cloud-based data and analytics software products that help life sciences companies deliver life-saving therapies/drugs through doctors and hospital networks to positively impact patient outcomes. Real-world problems are at the center of our product suite across commercial organizations with breakthrough AI/ML-driven innovation. I have’ built digital products in various industries, but this has been the most meaningful one thus far.

When COVID-19 hit in early 2020, we built a capability in my product that would enable sales reps to reach the doctors through multiple channels other than the face-to-face interaction which was the norm; however, that was no longer an option with the pandemic. Not only did we shuffle our roadmap around to prioritize this, but we also did this in record time and were the first in the industry. No one in the company questioned why we had to do this. This is what makes Axtria stand out.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? Yes, the overall product portfolio, which is made up of AxtriaSalesIQ™, FI, Axtria CustomerIQ™, Axtria DataMAx™, and Axtria InsightsMAx™.

How do you think that will help people?

Since I started with Axtria, we have launched three new product suites to round off our portfolio, not counting the many innovations, new capabilities, and enhancements we have released as part of the normal release process in our existing product suites. It is anexhilarating time to be in product management at Axtria! It isn’t common in one’ ‘s career to have the opportunity to conceive and launch brand new products!

Our product portfolio focuses on harnessing all data sources in life sciences, gleaning actionable insights from that, and providing these analytics at the point of decision making. Immediately, this helps our users with more accurate planning of their commercialization and execution of their brand strategy. Through this effective planning, the newest drugs can reach the patients that need them the most.

Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Are you currently satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? What specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?

This is an important question, that needs to be looked at from two perspectives — 1) what needs to change in the workplace, and 2) what are women doing to change the status quo.

Am I satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? This is not a simple answer. This varies so dramatically across companies, across levels, depending on circumstances, etc. There is plenty of research highlighting what workplaces have done to encourage women in STEM to stay in STEM and not contribute to the steep drop-off. One cannot apply generic principles to solve one company’ ‘s approach to stopping the drop-off. So, at Axtria, I am on the Board of the Women’ ‘s Network. We are approaching this with what our company does best — starting with data. We systematically collect and analyze the data to tell us what actions we need to take.

I also think women need to help other women stay in STEM. I cannot tell you how many incredible women, starting with my first role in product management, have taken me under their wing and helped me at the workplace. And not just women. Some of the people who have been my strongest supporters have been men. So, find those mentors, find those allies. Very few people really want to hold you back. Most want to help you but may not know how; so it is important to ask for help.

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

The biggest challenge faced by women is biological. 😊 We are the only ones that can bear children. And my boys are my greatest joy. I would not change one bit of that.

This also means it is a balancing act. Women are naturally multi-taskers, organizers, and planners. Lean on that to balance as you need to. Lean on friends and family who are offering help. Don’t listen to the people who make you feel intense “”mom guilt””. I know it is real. I have been there. But for me, the proof is in the pudding — do you have healthy, happy children? Then you did it right. Forget the negative nellies.

If you are in a work environment that makes you feel like having a family or a life is a problem, then get out as soon as possible!

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

Hmmm…I don’t know what myths exist, 😊 but I can take a guess.

Women in STEM are not geeks or nerds. We are very smart but also fun! Ask my colleagues.

STEM careers are not limited to just software development or highly technical roles in engineering. Like me, you can be a woman in STEM and be in product management! There are so many ways to leverage your technical background to pursue career paths.

What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience as a Woman in STEM or Tech” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)

Be authentic — it’ ‘s too much effort to be otherwise, and being authentic naturally draws people to you
Be proud of being a woman in STEM and leadership — there are very few of us still, unfortunately, and it is on us to be role models for others
Know your technology, your customers, your market, your team — whatever the case may be — better than anyone else so people will listen to you
Don’t accept discrimination or unfairness. If you don’t stand up for yourself, no one will
Gratefully accept help offered in any way — mentorship, help at home, etc. And graciously help others because you want to — for example, offer advice, help with advance someone’s career, etc..

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

I practice the leadership lessons I stated above. That is the advice I would give other women leaders. If you bring your authentic self to work every day, your team naturally thrives. They will feel comfortable being open with you; they will feel loyal to you. You need to care genuinely and empathize to make a difference.

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

I would advise fellow women leaders to trust and empower their teams. Being approachable and keeping the door open always if they want to ask for advice is very critical.

I was once at a leadership offsite where we did an exercise on figuring out what events in our lives have shaped our leadership style. Like everyone else, I realized I have a few:

I grew up in a family of very strong women. I also grew up in a family of men who respected women a lot. And I am lucky to be married to a man who believes in me and champions for me ALWAYS. My parents did not bat an eye when the opportunity for me to come halfway across the world to do my undergraduate studies in the United States presented itself. Yes, in the form of a scholarship. Yes, I was just 18! My gender was never a factor in any decision, so it has never been in my way
I had a very unpredictable manager early in my career. Unfortunately, it was a woman. In a strange way, this taught me who I did NOT want to be

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

I actively participate in panel discussions in product management. I am an advocate for women through boards and groups I am part of and have spoken at b-school events to showcase product management in the real world.

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

When I was at a previous company, I had the privilege to be part of a women’ ‘s leadership network. It was for VP+ only. To increase our reach across the company, we started what was called a mentoring circle. I started the only women in tech mentoring circle in my business unit. It had 10 women in it. We met once a month at lunchtime, and we committed to a purpose for the year. Our commitment was to nurture our careers. I am proud to say over 50% of the women in the mentoring circle had role expansions and promotions as a result.

I feel very strongly about this, and I think this is an effective way to do good and share what you have.

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

“”Hope till hope creates, from its own wreck the thing it contemplates”” — Percy Bysshe Shelley. This was a favorite quote of my grandfather’ ‘s, which became a favorite of mine. It refers to never giving up, optimism, and a can-do attitude.

This has been relevant for me in life in general. When the going gets tough, the tough just has to get going! 😊

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

Yes! I am a huge fan of Lori Greiner, Barbara Corcoran, and Sara Blakely. And a fan of Shark Tank. I am a fan of all the sharks! I am inspired by entrepreneurs who have persisted through ups and downs and have been successful.

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

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

Carla Cid de Diego & Jonathan Fakinos of Art & Hope: They Told Me It Was Impossible And I Did It…

Carla Cid de Diego & Jonathan Fakinos of Art & Hope: They Told Me It Was Impossible And I Did It Anyway

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Don’t go around saying “NO”, try to always turn the Negatives into Positives, and doors will open for you — Instead of saying, for example “I can’t do this or that because I don’t have the tools I need to do it” take a look at the tools you have around you and see what you can do with them. Always see the glass half full, and life will make sure you learn how to fill it up to the top.

As a part of our series about “dreamers who ignored the naysayers and did what others said was impossible”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Carla Cid de Diego & Jonathan Fakinos of Art & Hope.

About Art & Hope

Zenith Art & Fashion presents the new venture Art & Hope, which is a creative organization that partners with the Arts in order to bring Hope to people in need, producing unique special projects to raise funds for different humanitarian causes.

About Zenith Art & Fashion

Zenith Art & Fashion is a unique Art and Design platform, Luxury Marketing and PR Agency that Unites Cultures through the Fusion of the Arts, bringing together creations by Artists and Luxury Designers from all around the world. Founded in 2016 by two young artists and designers, Carla Cid de Diego & Jonathan Fakinos, with a history of merging the Arts, Zenith Art & Fashion was born from a desire to help create a more inclusive, Contemporary Art & Fashion world, offering exclusive experiences through the Arts. At Zenith Art & Fashion they also offer Art advisory & luxury consulting, giving clients exclusive access to unique & rare artworks from top emerging artists to artwork from grand masters & blue-chip artists. Through Art & Hope, Zenith Art & Fashion designs and produces creative projects to support major non- profit organizations and help different causes around the world and raise funds for those most in need.

Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know you’ a bit better. Can you tell us your ‘backstory’?

I’m originally from Spain, I was born and raised in an Art Family. My dad was a well-known sculptor with incredible collectors such as the Queen Sofia of Spain, President Clinton, Lord Robbins from the UK and has sculptures in the Dali Museum in Figueres, Spain, the White House in Washington or the Pink House in Buenos Aires.

My mother is a publicist and was my father’s art merchant for many years, and when I was born in Madrid, they founded a Stage Design company that created Guinness world-record breaking scenic and set designs and stages for Movies, Theatre, Ballet, Opera, Theme Parks, and when I was 9 years old, they brought their company to Florida. So, I not only had the chance to grow up in such an amazing world of Art and Creativity, but I also had the luck of growing up between 2 continents, 2 cultures, 2 languages, and that definitely opened my eyes and mind to not be afraid of anything and understand that nothing is impossible. I studied Art and Fashion Design at the prestigious Design and Architecture Senior High School in Miami, and later on pursued my career in Fashion Design at The Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC, specializing in Womenswear & Corsetry from the 17th Century and International Marketing. I worked as a costume designer from just the age of 16, while still in high school, as I was invited to design costumes based on my portfolio for Duende Ballet Español, in Miami, designing and creating costumes for Flamenco shows, under the choreographer Rosa Mercedes, the only flamenco dancer that has danced on tour with the 3 Tenors. After college I worked for several Fashion Design companies in the US and Europe and also as a costume designer for Florida Grand Opera, The Frost School of Music (University of Miami) and several incredible Opera Artistic Directors both in the USA and Europe. And in 2015 I met my partner in crime, Jonathan Fakinos, an Architect and Designer, half English Half Greek, who comes also from a family of business owners, designers and entrepreneurs. Together, we started our own Fashion Brand, Carla Cid de Diego Madrid, a luxury Couture line composed of Handmade corsets and a unique collection of Sculpture Bags, handmade by my father, Fernando Cid de Diego. Due to the fact we started collaborating with my father, and joining Sculpture with Fashion, Jonathan and I created an Artistic Platform called Zenith Art & Fashion, where we represent Artists, Fashion Designers, Photographers, Jewelry Designers, and more, and we help them push their names and brands into the National and International markets. Our slogan is that “We Unite Cultures through the Fusion of the Arts. We act as their Artistic marketing Agency, we create shows, exhibitions and presentations, in order to push for sales and promotion for them. We produce special projects and unique events where we join all the Arts: Fine Arts, Fashion, Music, Dance, Theatre, Acrobatics, etc. In these events, we also often collaborate with many non-profit organizations and missions in order to help those in need through the Arts.

Zenith Art & Fashion is based out of South Florida and we work with artists from all over the world.

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

Actually, because we have always been concerned about our environment and the people within it, we have always looked at how we can help others. Although we have always worked with charities and foundations in different events, because we wanted to do more, we began to design and develop several large-scale projects to benefit charities and non-profit organizations, we developed a new company and platform, called Art & Hope.

Art & Hope is a creative organization that partners with the Arts in order to bring Hope to people in need, producing unique special projects to raise funds for different humanitarian causes. Art & Hope, together with Global Gift Foundation has partnered with Guiness-World-Record-Artist Sacha Jafri, Miami based Ikonick Gallery and French Champagne chateaux Hatt et Söner to create the project

– Sacha Jafri “The Power of the Reconnected World, inspired by Ikonick”. This project follows Sacha Jafri’s Humanitarian journey, raising funds to help the poorest children in the world, through Galas, Events and Auctions in different cities such as Miami, Marbella, Dubai, Paris, London, Tokyo and many more. We are excited to say that we have sold our first collectors’ Art Box at the Marbella Global Gift Gala raising over $200,000. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you are interested in donating or helping families and children in need while acquiring fabulous unique creations, we will be happy to help.

In your opinion, what do you think makes your company or organization stand out from the crowd?

When Jonathan and I started our Fashion brand, Carla Cid de Diego Madrid, we knew we had a unique product that nobody else had, exclusive handmade sculpture bags that everyone that saw them would comment on them or stop me in the middle of the street to ask me about the one I was wearing… We knew they were something incredible and that people LOVED, but when we went to see showrooms to sell them from, the Fashion showrooms would tell us that they loved them but they didn’t really sell Art, and the Art showrooms or galleries would tell us that they loved them but they didn’t really sell Fashion… So, since we couldn’t find the perfect showroom that would sell both Art & Fashion, we created our own, and that’s how we opened our first store in Ibiza, Spain. In fact, we started off with a pop up for our own brand and the one artist we collaborated with, and artists and designers loved what we were doing so much they asked if we could represent them, so we created Zenith Art & Fashion.. That is why we believe our business stands out from the rest. We do things differently, appreciate the unique. We don’t “follow the rules”, we “MAKE OUR OWN RULES” , and when we do what is right for everyone, great things happen.

Our business will continue to be a creative solutions artist agency, addressing needs that artists and designers have for everyone to succeed.

Oh wow, yes, so many times! Family members, friends, other professionals! So many people for so many years have told me that my “idea” was crazy, impossible, or so hard to achieve! And the more I’ve heard that, the more I’ve always wanted to try and do it! I remember one specific comment from someone that knew me since I was in High School, she was very involved in the world of Art in Miami and she was much older than me, so I admired her as a professional and always respected her very much… When Jonathan and I created Zenith Art & Fashion, we opened our first physical showroom in the middle of Downtown Miami, a 12,000sq-foot space with black walls, high ceilings, a very large patio in the back and 80 feet of window display towards Biscayne Blvd. We filled it up with Art by artists from all over the world: Paintings, Drawings, Photography, Sculptures, Drawings, mixed with Fashion on mannequins and display tables and huge props that reached the 20ft ceilings! It was magical, a very unique place…

We invited some people from my past in Miami, in order to show them what we had created and to see how we could collaborate with them since they were all involved in the Art world. I hadn’t seen her since I graduated High School, I was a child, now I was a woman, a professional, a business owner and an Art professional just like her, and I was excited to share my success with her and to be able to finally join forces somehow…

She came in, sat in our office, which was in the center of the entire Showroom surrounded by Art, and she took a look around and said “Well…this place is just wrong…these black walls…so many mixes of Art…you have way too much Art, and you are competing with many of the best galleries in the world that have been around for 40 years in Miami…I don’t think this place will work out” And I said to her — “ I appreciate your comments and views, but we didn’t bring this business to Miami to “compete” with the galleries that have been around for 40 years, we came here to support them and collaborate with them. We don’t call ourselves a “Gallery” because we are NOT a Gallery, we are an Art Platform, we Unite Cultures through the Fusion of the Arts, different from everyone else, that’s why we show all the Arts, that’s why we have Black Walls, because we are not trying to be LIKE anyone else, we are Unique”. To which she answered “Well I’ll believe it when I see it”.

A year later, we were already known in Miami as one of the most exclusive and unique Showrooms to visit, we were visited by private tours that came from the Port of Miami Cruises, we had many magazine covers, stories and TV channels coming to shoot in our venue. Movie directors, producers, music concerts, presentations, fashion shows, charities from different parts of the world, wanted to celebrate their events in our venue because they said it was the most special and unique place they had ever seen in Miami. We even celebrated weddings in our Showroom because people wanted to get married surrounded by the good energy and beautiful Art our place had! We won several awards at Red Dot Miami during Miami Art Week for the “Best in Show” and “The most unique booth in the fair”… In just 3 years in Miami, Zenith Art & Fashion was not only known, but also Loved by our community and admired by people from all over the world…

So yes, we definitely proved that lady wrong!

Absolutely…I have to say MY FATHER… The amazing, one and only Sculptor, Designer, Engineer, Inventor, Renaissance man, Fernando Cid de Diego, who we recently lost because of Covid-19… He not only was my favorite artist in the entire world, he was my mentor, my Genius, my best friend, my idol, my everything, He taught me everything I know about the world of Art, he taught me to think outside of the box, he taught me that nothing is impossible as long as you know how to use your intellect and the right tools, he taught me that we are ALL ABLE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN as long as we put our mind to it work hard for it. He taught me that we should NEVER be afraid of learning, of failing or of making mistakes, because every mistake is a lesson learned and it can only make us stronger, it shapes us as humans and it makes us be better. And most of all, he taught me that life is a gift and that we should all focus on doing what we LOVE, because when we do that, we won’t ever have to work a day in our life. He LOVED his work, for him, waking up in the morning to work on his Art, on his designs, was such a pleasure that he never liked to feel tired or have to even stop to eat or rest, because he felt he was losing time from doing what he really loved… He taught me that Art is something that makes us connect with people no matter where they are from or how far, even if they are not in this world anymore… He always gave me everything he had, is life, his wisdom, his energy, his LOVE, and ALL his Legacy. He gave me his name, and his name has opened incredible doors for me in the Art World… People know him and my mother, who has always been his other half (in every sense of the word, personally and professionally) for 50 years, as “The Geniuses”, and because I have their name, Cid de Diego, everyone expects me to be just like them, and even though I’m not (I wish I was), I try every single day to be close to their level. These are very big shoes to fill.

It must not have been easy to ignore all the naysayers. Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share the story with us?

As I mentioned before, my parents were never afraid of anything, they were able to always create a castle from a piece of cotton, always able to work around the circumstances to make their dreams and ideas happen. When I was 9 years old, after they had made some of the largest and most unique and special scenography and set designs in Europe, they suddenly decided to move to Florida. They had taken me on a vacation to Disney World and Key West, and they fell in love with Florida. They dreamed of a beautiful life for them, for me, for my brother, in a place that was always warm, by the ocean, in the USA, the country where “anything was possible”, so they packed their bags and moved, with a 19 year old boy, a 9 year old girl and an entire business, and embarked on the adventure that would become my entire life and opportunity. Our family, our friends, everyone told them they were crazy, they never understood why, if they had it all in Spain: Success, Money, a House, Cars, a beautiful life, why did they want to leave all that to go to a new country where they didn’t speak the language, they had never been in (for more than 20 days), and where they had no professional history or experience… But my parents didn’t listen to them, they took the leap anyway. And it wasn’t easy, they had to practically start the business as an entirely NEW business in the USA, they had to learn a language from zero, a new culture, a new everything…They lost money, they were scammed many times, they went through many tough times…but they did it anyway, they worked SO HARD, they fell so many times and got right back up and kept fighting, and they did it Happily, because they knew they were living what they wanted, their new life, and they were creating an entire new world for my brother and me. I’m very happy they never listened to the Naysayers, because thanks to that, I’m here today! The opportunities we have today are because they opened the doors of this country for me, and I will never be able to thank them enough for that.

Based on your experience, can you share 5 strategies that people can use to harness the sense of tenacity and do what naysayers think is impossible? (Please share a story or an example for each)

Know yourself — Know and accept your flaws, so you can always grow and improve where possible. Know and embrace your virtues, so you can use them to your advantage and make things happen. Don’t be afraid to try, just go for it, you’ll never be able to find the “perfect” moment to start a business, or to do this project, or to take a chance on this or that…every new adventure is scary, and everyone thinks that they need to prepare themselves first before they go for it, and yes, you should be prepared, but sometimes opportunities come and go very quickly and in order to not lose them you have to be brave enough to take a leap, jump! And then learn to fly while you’re falling… And if you fail, if it was the wrong move, then learn from your mistakes, get up and try again!

Don’t go around saying “NO”, try to always turn the Negatives into Positives, and doors will open for you — Instead of saying, for example “I can’t do this or that because I don’t have the tools I need to do it” take a look at the tools you have around you and see what you can do with them. Always see the glass half full, and life will make sure you learn how to fill it up to the top.

And last but not least, don’t compare yourself to others, and if you do, let it be to learn something that will help you be a better human or a better professional.

What is your favorite quote or personal philosophy that relates to the concept of resilience?

“She was unstoppable, not because she did not have failures or doubts, but because she continued on, despite them”.

I always say, the odds we encounter just make us stronger. Learn the lesson, take the hit and get back up, always taking the positive out of even the most negative situations, and soon enough you’ll reach your goal. Sometimes the goal changes along the way but that’s ok because at the end of the day the most important thing of all is the lessons you learn along the way that make you who you are. In the most difficult situations, we all need to be smart, creative and think outside of the box, and if one door closes, then open a window! You’ll make it, it’s all up to you!

One of the things that Jonathan and I have always had very clear is that whatever we did, however much money we were able to make, we would always use part of it to help others in whichever way we could.. There’s no better feeling in the world than the one you get when you know you’re helping someone that needs it, it just feels amazing to be able to do good for others, so our goal has always been to help others while we do our job, what we do best. With this in mind, we created Art & Hope, so this is the new “movement” or platform that we are focusing on now, in order to do beautiful things in the world and be able to help others with that.

Can our readers follow you on social media?

They can follow us on instagram @zenithartandfashion / @artandhope_org / @carlaciddediego_official / @jdfakinos

They can also visit our web site www.zenithartandfashion.com / www.artandhope.world / www.carlaciddediego.com

Thank you for these great stories. We wish you only continued success!

Carla Cid de Diego & Jonathan Fakinos of Art & Hope: They Told Me It Was Impossible And I Did It… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.