I cannot emphasize enough: practicing selfcare is essential. Sometimes relationships can be toxic or draining, including professional relationships, so be honest with yourself. I encourage my coaching and therapy clients to be honest with themselves about the happiness in their career. Most therapists have a therapist and coaches have coaches. Ultimately, happiness is a byproduct of a healthy mind.
As a part of my series about the “5 Things Anyone Can Do To Optimize Their Mental Wellness”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Veronda Bellamy.
Veronda Bellamy is a nationally recognized mental health therapist with a specialty in trauma. Through her work in mental health, she founded the Relevancy Factor™ — which helps persons understand their purpose and entrepreneurs improve their profits — and also Bridging the Gap of America — an accredited behavioral health agency by the joint commission.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
I was working in corporate America for nearly 10 years and was tired of what I called ‘the rat race.’ Eventually I felt my voice wasn’t respected and my opinion was not wanted in many of the spaces I was invited into. So, I had to do something different. Among my friends, I was always the go-to person for advice and figured because of that I would make a pretty good therapist and probably enjoy the career, so I decided to explore it.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
The transition from employee to fulltime entrepreneur would probably be the most interesting. Right on the heels of the passing of my sweet mother-in-law, I was encouraged to start my own practice. I was burned out with the job I had. So I did. It was like I suddenly had permission to step into this new space of leadership. I wanted to be free to be there for my husband and in-laws without the cares of an employer breathing down my neck. I took the leap and I haven’t looked back since.
Can you share a story with us about the most humorous mistake you made when you were first starting? What lesson or take-away did you learn from that?
It is humorous now, but that wasn’t always. I had to learn the importance of self-care. For the longest time I thought being super woman was the way to be seen and heard. I thought that being able to do all the things was a badge of honor. I have since learned that is far from the truth. Our bodies are not wired to go non-stop. We have to rest. I have slowed down tremendously since 2017. Selfcare is not selfish; selfcare leads to happiness
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?
I have a mentor who has been consistent for the last decade — a successful therapist and consultant. I call her a ‘spiritual guide’ because she is that for me. When we first met, I was still in corporate America. I was not at all thinking of becoming a therapist. But she said to me me, “I will see you on TV someday. You will reach amazing heights.” I don’t know how she knew, but I believe I am just at the beginning of the impact I will make in the world — and that’s exciting! We all need to know our brilliance, our happiness and our relevance. I hold on to the words of my mentor during the times I question myself — and yes, I do question myself. My family is very supportive as well. I can call on them at the drop of dime for support.
I have other guides that have crossed my path over the years. Another encounter occurred when I interviewed Dr. Maya Angelou on a podcast series I had back when podcasting was still new. Dr. Maya Angelou has always been a huge role model for me, and I was honored to conduct one of her final interviews before her passing. One thing she said to me during the is “a woman can do anything. She can cook some beans, fix a toilet and host a dinner on a Friday. We can do anything.” I was like, ‘Yes, ma’am, Dr. Maya Angelou. We sure can!”
What advice would you suggest to your colleagues in your industry to thrive and avoid burnout?
Practice selfcare. Arrange your appointments with breaks in between them. Scheduling a two-hour break between sessions can be the best gift ever. Hire a great admin and have your process in place. I can offer help for developing a customized process — it’s one of the things I enjoy doing. And find outlets — practicing yoga, going to the gym, drinking fresh pressed green juices and laughing a lot. Most importantly, know when to refer a client who isn’t a right fit
What advice would you give to other leaders about how to create a fantastic work culture?
Treat others how you would like to be treated. Don’t hold on to dishonest staff or staff that interrupt the energy of your culture. Doing so can seriously cost more in the long run than you ever thought. Also, if you are having to “look out” for someone you will always have to look out for them — calculate this before you say yes.
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. Mental health is often looked at in binary terms; those who are healthy and those who have mental illness. The truth, however, is that mental wellness is a huge spectrum. Even those who are “mentally healthy” can still improve their mental wellness. From your experience or research, what are five steps that each of us can take to improve or optimize our mental wellness. Can you please share a story or example for each.
1) Practice daily selfcare
2) Assess your relationships
3) Assess your career
4) Assess your happiness
5) Hire a coach
I cannot emphasize enough: practicing selfcare is essential. Sometimes relationships can be toxic or draining, including professional relationships, so be honest with yourself. I encourage my coaching and therapy clients to be honest with themselves about the happiness in their career. Most therapists have a therapist and coaches have coaches. Ultimately, happiness is a byproduct of a healthy mind.
How about teens and pre teens. In addition to the ideas you mentioned earlier, are there any specific new ideas you would suggest for teens and pre teens to optimize their mental wellness?
Teenagers and preteens are very aware individuals. They are much more advanced in their view on life and mental health than I was when I was that age. Teens and preteeens should connect themselves to a coach or therapist — and many are with the help of their parents. Start practicing yoga; it has major benefits internally and externally. Starting as a preteen can help with discipline and create a mindset to overcome some of life’s most challenging situations.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story?
My favorite book is “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz. It is a mindset book and a great read. Another book is “The One Thing” by Gary Keller. It helped to me narrow my focus because as a visionary my focus can be broad. My favorite podcast is Joyce Meyers; I also watch her often on Day Star along with Bishop T.D. Jakes. All provide me with mindset enrichment and spiritual guidance to help fuel my passion and purpose to be a thought leader and change agent
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I believe happiness is a choice. It is a byproduct of a well-balanced life. My movement would be ‘Just Be Happy!’ Of course, there is much that goes into that and there is a process that you would have to go through, but I have the solution. I see it too frequently for the patients who I serve. It works. But it starts with seeking out a therapist and/or life coach
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?
Job 13:2 NIV What you know I know, I am not inferior to you. This verse of the bible is relatable because it really does remind us that no matter who you are speaking to you, you are not inferior to anyone. So often, we live out of fear, fear of the unknowns, fear of what others think, fear of what others will do, FEAR, but here we are reminded that God has imparted wisdom into you, so you are not inferior to anyone.
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
Read to children when they are young and staying actively involved in their progress in school. Ask them about their highs and lows at school, check in with their teachers, be aware of the courses they are taking and their schedules. When my children were in school, I made it a point to ask them several times a semester, “What questions did you ask in class today?”
As a part of my series about “How extremely busy executives make time to be great parents” I had the pleasure to interview Dr. Joel N. Myers.
Named “the most accurate man in weather” by The New York Times, Dr. Joel N. Myers is considered the “father of modern commercial meteorology” and the nation’s most respected authority on the business of meteorology. Founder and chief executive officer of AccuWeather, he has been recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurs book as one of the greatest entrepreneurs in American history and is a proven visionary leader. Founding the company in 1962, he has successfully established AccuWeather as the most accurate and best-known source of weather forecasts and warnings in the world. An active and engaged father, he founded the Dads’ Resource Center and considers his eight children, ranging in age from 10–55 years-old, among his most important and precious priorities and accomplishments.
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?
Certainly, I grew up in Philadelphia. When I was three years old, I fell in love …. with snow. At seven, I decided to become a weather forecaster. When I was 11, I told my dad I was going to combine my burning desire to be a weather forecaster with my developing entrepreneurial spirit (I had a paper route and some other little businesses I started) as a means of starting my own weather business. I was very certain of my ability to be successful and very determined. My mother called me, “One-track-mind Joel.”
Can you share the story about what brought you to this specific point in your career?
When it was time for college, I went to The Pennsylvania State University, the only college we could afford. It turned out to have one of the best meteorology programs in the world.
A few days after arriving on the Penn State campus, I convinced the city editor of the Daily Collegian to allow me to become the campus newspaper’s first-ever weather forecaster. And a few weeks later, I also began providing weather forecasts for the campus radio station. This gave me valuable insight into how the media works at an early age.
I earned three degrees from Penn State and beginning in my first year as a graduate student, I taught the 400-level course in weather forecasting and then taught it continuously for the next 21 years, founding AccuWeather as a 2nd year grad student in 1962.
By the time I retired from teaching, it is estimated that I had trained 17 percent of the nation’s weather forecasters. I am forever grateful to Penn State for the opportunity to teach and conduct research. It also allowed me to hire my best students and create a crucible of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship at AccuWeather.
Can you tell us a bit more about what your day-to-day schedule looks like?
When I am not giving speeches or doing media interviews, I maintain a vigorous pace with a full schedule of daily meetings individually and with my team leaders on the state of the business for each unit — digital, B2B and traditional media (radio, television, newspaper, podcasts, digital out of home), product innovation, the latest forecasting developments, technology enhancements and marketing. I also serve on several boards and think tanks, such as the Committee for Economic Development, the Nantucket Project, No Labels, and of course, the Dads’ Resource Center. I am a firm believer in taking care of the body as well as the mind, so I work out regularly. I am also a devoted husband and father and very much enjoy spending time with my wife, Mariya, and our children, their spouses and my grandchildren, especially the concentrated time we spend ALL together twice year during the winter and summer holidays.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the core of our discussion. This is probably intuitive to many, but it would be beneficial to spell it out. Based on your experience or research, can you flesh out why not spending time with your children can be detrimental to their development?
Frederick Douglass, the great American orator, author, activist, and abolitionist — who started out as an escaped slave — perhaps said it best, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” The evidence is overwhelming and backed up by thousands of years of anecdotal data and numerous studies over recent decades — children develop much better when both of their parents are actively involved in their lives.
Tens of millions of American children grow up without fathers in their lives. As the Dads’ Resource Center — which I started more than five years ago — has found through our research, the cost of father absence is absolutely crushing on both a personal level, and a larger societal and economic level, as well.
Incidents of poverty, malnutrition, homelessness, crime, incarceration, teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse and more societal ills are all commonly linked to the absence of two, loving, involved and present parents.
On the flip side, can you give a few reasons or examples about why it is so important to make time to spend with your children?
In addition to an abundance of social and emotional support, spending as much time as possible with our children is important for their growth, development, confidence and mental and physical wellbeing on the road to becoming, functioning, independent adults. Spending quality time with our offspring also provides exposure to new ideas, thoughts and experiences that is so important to their own development as they learn to discover who they are and define their own place in the world.
For society at large, there is an economic toll when one parent, fathers, especially, do not spend time with their children, in many cases because of biases against single fathers’ role. In 2008, the National Fatherhood Initiative made projections on the annual cost to taxpayers due to father absence. At that time, they estimated the cost to be about $100 billion dollars annually. The Dads’ Resource Center recently updated this figure using the same models. The cost of father absence to American taxpayers is now estimated to be $269 billion per year.
From greater income support, nutrition programs, healthcare needs, and social services, our entire society bears the weight of this consequential hole that cannot be filled by government subsidies and programs. Even more consequentially, the estimated cost of lost wages for children who grew up in fatherless homes is nearly $491 billion annually.
According to this study cited in the Washington Post, the quality of time spent with children is more important than the quantity of time. Can you give a 3–5 stories or examples from your own life about what you do to spend quality time with your children?
Twice each year, in summer and winter, most of my family and I meet up for an extended vacation. That time is sacred to us. This past July, we gathered at Avalon, New Jersey for two weeks and enjoyed the beach, family meals and recharged and connected in a way that shuts out the outside world. We also do a Broadway, museum and shopping trip in New York City every winter and a trip to Florida or the Caribbean for a week over New Year’s. This December, we will be 25 strong together in Florida.
Of course, COVID was a disappointment in creating a barrier to getting together physically, but my family make the time to have a Zoom — religiously and without exception — every week. It is an opportunity to check in and get the latest Myers family news.
When my children were younger, each one of them, at one point or another, has worked at AccuWeather and this tradition continues for my younger children and even grandchildren. In addition to spending time together, this gave them insight into my company, how it works and taught them valuable lessons about earning, hard work and the value of a dollar whether it was stuffing envelopes or designing a weather app.
We all live in a world with many deadlines and incessant demands for our time and attention. That inevitably makes us feel rushed and we may feel that we can’t spare the time to be “fully present” with our children. Can you share with our readers 5 strategies about how we can create more space in our lives in order to give our children more quality attention? Please include examples or stories for each, if you can.
Read to children when they are young and staying actively involved in their progress in school. Ask them about their highs and lows at school, check in with their teachers, be aware of the courses they are taking and their schedules. When my children were in school, I made it a point to ask them several times a semester, “What questions did you ask in class today?”
Show a keen interest in their hobbies and interests. Nurture their talents for sports, music, web design, or any entrepreneurial endeavor and be encouraging.
Make time for family — as a group and with each individual member. I am so proud of the fact that my children are good friends and truly enjoy each other.
Be present and a good listener. Pardon the weather pun, but snowplow parents tend to want to push all of life’s barriers out of the way for their children; it is important to sit back and listen, while your child figures out their own path forward.
In a divorce or separation, ensure both parents have full access and involvements with children. As a dad, many long-time institutions may be tipped against you, but you don’t have to willingly accept that. Your child and their wellbeing are worth the fight.
How do you define a “good parent”? Can you give an example or story?
A good parent is a present parent. Do not abdicate your important responsibility to nurture your child into adulthood. That is the unwritten contract all parents have. When my oldest children were younger and I was working very long hours to make my business a success, I may not have been as present as I should have been.
I regret that, but I have worked very hard to maintain deep, meaningful and loving bonds, and today we are as close as ever. I have eight children ranging in age from 10 to 55 years, and I have had at least one child living with me in my home for 55 straight years. My children know they are loved, and they know I am forever in their corner.
This is also why I established the Dads’ Resource Center. There are far too many children in our country who are denied access to good fathers by our legal, government and social services systems.
How do you inspire your child to “dream big”? Can you give an example or story?
I also tell my children to pursue their passions, dream big and don’t quit, don’t quit, don’t quit, using myself as an example. I faced unimaginable headwinds from every segment of the weather enterprise when I started AccuWeather from those who challenged “Why would anybody pay for weather forecasts that the government gave away for free?”
I did not accept “no” for an answer. I knew I could offer forecasts that were more specific, more tailored and therefore more valuable. I called 25,000 potential prospects before I had 100 paying customers, which meant I had 24,900 rejections! But I did not quit and today, AccuWeather serves more than 1.5 billion people every day through our apps and website, our forecasts provided to more than 1,600 media clients and more than half the Fortune 500 companies and thousands of other businesses globally.
I use this and other examples to inspire my children to achieve their dreams.
How do you, a person who masterfully straddles the worlds of career and family, define “success”?
President Kennedy said, “Once you say you’re going to settle for second, that’s what happens to you in life.” You need to take personal ownership of your own success — if you rely on someone else and abdicate your responsibilities, you will limit your own success and the success of your team — whether that team is at work or at home.
What are your favorite books, podcasts, or resources that inspire you to be a better parent? Can you explain why you like them?
I am such an avid reader that I cannot specifically name any one book or source, as there have been many tips from a wide variety of sources that I have gleaned over the years to be the best parent I can be. I am always on the lookout for more guidance to benefit my children and grandchildren on the topics of development, health and independence. My children have noted publicly that I never miss an opportunity for a teachable moment.
I am also a fan of the book, How to be a Gentleman, by John Bridges, which teaches valuable lessons about common courtesy in a rapidly changing, highly transforming technology-reliant world.
Malcolm Gladwell comes to mind as an author who proffers excellent life lessons in his many books, all of which I have read. For example, in his book, Outliers, The Story of Success, he discusses how your birth month can make you a more successful and confident hockey player in Canada. The best players all had January, February and March birthdays by an overwhelming margin because in Canada the eligibility cut-off for age-class hockey is January 1st. A player who turns 10 on January 1, could be playing alongside someone who does not turn 10 until closer to the end of the year, so age factors into ability and performance and therefore confidence as this gap represents an enormous difference in physical maturity.
I factored this “age advantage” into my own kids’ and grandkids’ ages and school performance with regard to their school start dates, knowing they would perform better, get more out of their schooling and develop greater confidence with the advantage of more maturity.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Just one? I have many. One of my favorites is, from Warren Buffet who said, “The people who are most successful are those who are doing what they love. Money isn’t what drives them. What drives them is a love of what they do.” I think that is inspiring no matter what your life’s goals are. Find your passion and do not quit.
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 always considered being a parent the most important job I have. And, it is a job that never ends. It transitions as we grow and as our children get older. My own father committed suicide when my youngest brother was still at a vulnerable age, so perhaps that impacted my focus on the importance of fathers being present in their kids’ lives.
My wish for the health and betterment of all children is that they know the love and commitment of both parents; and my wish for all fathers is that they can have the essential time and interaction with their children that both fathers and their children need and depend on for healthier, happier, and more fulfilled lives.
The Dads’ Resource Center will continue advocating for the fairer treatment of single fathers on behalf of children. Our families and American society will all be better for eliminating some of the biases against the important role of single dads.
Thank you so much for these insights! This was so inspiring!
Female Disruptors: Karla Jo Helms of JOTO PR Disruptors On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Never give up means not compromising on your values. Not settling. Be willing to do whatever it takes to make things go right — and keep getting up when you fall down.
I cannot say I have been able to instantly apply that in all aspects of my life all the time, but I have learned to apply it. It is an applied knowledge. Knowledge, just because you have it, doesn’t mean one will use it. It has to be utilized. Failure sometimes is a necessary step in this universe — we learn by pain. But does pain define me? Certainly not. It is the times I got up and pushed through, despite all odds, which defines me — and how I handled that opposition.
As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Karla Jo Helms.
Karla Jo Helms is the Chief Evangelist and Anti-PR(TM) Strategist for JOTO PR Disruptors(TM).
Karla Jo learned firsthand how unforgiving business can be when millions of dollars are on the line — and how the control of public opinion often determines whether one company is happily chosen, or another is brutally rejected.
Being an alumni of crisis management, Karla Jo has worked with litigation attorneys, private investigators and the media to help restore companies of goodwill back into the good graces of public opinion — she operates on the ethic of getting it right the first time, not relying on second chances and doing what it takes to excel.
Helms speaks globally on public relations, how the PR industry itself has lost its way and how, in the right hands, corporations can harness the power of Anti-PR to drive markets and impact market perception.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I was a dance major and professional dancer in college — part of a very old and prestigious precision dance team that performed globally for governments, presidents, and national sport events. I was never slated for PR — and had no other vision but dance since I was 5 years old. So, at the age of 20, when I broke my back, my life (seemingly) was shattered.
After six months of struggling to find my way, with a worried father pestering me at every turn to decide on a career path (in which PR was a prominent discussion), I quit school and defiantly decided to “go into the workforce to figure it out.”
Truthfully, I just wanted to get away from the “constant nagging” (it was not!) and was secretly defiant on doing anything anyone (especially my father) said I should do! Alas, I was young and knew everything. 😉
When applying for a receptionist position at a healthcare company, after a series of interviews, the HR department asked me if I had ever considered PR as a career. Ha! Since it was not my father (poor man), I decided this would be an opportunity to see what else I could be good at. It ended up being the best decision I ever made.
I never trained in traditional PR, but rather crisis PR. And after working with some of the top crisis PRs in the world, alongside their legal counsels and private investigators, I learned a very difficult yet vital craft — how to navigate and penetrate the court of public opinion to restore a company’s reputation back into good graces. And I learned something fascinating — the subject of Communications is based on scientific laws on the order of the physical sciences.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
PR is an old technology. Yes, technology — a codified body of knowledge in communications that when applied, and applied correctly, achieves results.
It is not a profession for those that “just love to communicate with others.” That is on the surface what people think — and I see too many college students in PR think this is the reason you go into PR.
PR’s “job” is to change human behavior — via changing others’ minds. It is an old method and has been used scrupulously and unscrupulously throughout the ages to control public opinion.
Many new recruits don’t know this. And, while there is a systematic approach to doing this that has been developed into a fine-tuned, sophisticated communications approach for the past 100+ years, much of the “tech” has been lost.
The interesting thing is that crisis PRs know this “tech” — and use it. But if companies knew the fundamental laws of communications, that are on the order of the physical sciences — such as engineering laws (yes, I am not kidding) ─ then they could be in control of their companies’ destinies.
Sound far-fetched? It’s often perceived as too good to be true. Marketers are so trained in communicating features and benefits they have lost sight (or training) of how to influence emotions to control markets.
Our disruption is codifying the existing communication laws that govern public opinion and using that PROACTIVELY to put unknown companies on the map. It is the corollary to handling a crisis — if certain strategy and tactics apply to crisis PR — couldn’t one on the flip side use that data to take an unknown entity and bring them into stardom?
AND measure it.
In crisis we are able to measure our efforts against INCOME/REVENUES. Does it reverse (go back up)?
So why not proactive PR?
That is why our specialists are called Anti-PRs. We reverse the role of a PR to take out the “bright-idea-itis” and strategize to impact markets based on mathematical equations.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I was younger (and cocky), I was in an executive meeting with the CEO and my colleagues. I was “text-book” smart… with little experience. We as a company were in a reputation crisis and legal battle — the CEO was navigating the continuing existence of his business. The company was embroiled in a legal battle with a key competitor who was also slandering the reputation of the business — it was very stressful, and clients were leaving in droves. When the subject of what to do to came up — a general rhetorical question from the CEO to the group — I spoke up and told the CEO exactly what he needed to do… straight from my textbook study!!
I felt the eye rolls from my mentors. I immediately broke into a sweat. My inner voice said, “KJ, what did you just do???”
In my haste, I had not planned ahead to what any reaction would be to my statements. Surprisingly, he exasperatedly told me to take over and run the campaign.
To say I freaked out (silently) would be an understatement. There were so many more people more qualified than me, and I instantly saw the error of my ways. But he believed in me, and I didn’t disappoint.
I think I went months without eating much — I was so nervous. Long nights, lots of study, lots of consulting others, coordination with legal, working with the private investigators, burning the midnight oil — but after one year I got comfortable. After three years, I felt I mastered it. It was so intense. But I realized one can never stop learning. By the by, we won the reputation battle in the third year, and the legal case. It was due in no small part to how we mitigated the reputation damage in the industry, the community, the media and then finally the courts. And I became addicted to the process, as a result.
I often look back at that and roll my eyes in total embarrassment — what they must have thought of me… the impetuousness of youth.
I often, also, think… “What if I wasn’t up for the challenge?” “What if I didn’t perform?” I shudder to think.
I learned a valuable lesson — grit is everything.
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
My answer: the PRs that trained me and mentored me — and still do. I aspire to be like them. The ability to handle nasty communications from ill-intentioned entities in battle-royal crises with equanimity and poise. The ability to turn any catastrophe around using standard communication techniques. All while not using their super-powers against one when provoked. And they aren’t the most gregarious people or the most communicative — but rather they get the job done and see it as their duty to help the hero, without themselves having to be in the limelight. I admire them more than I can say.
My staff are my mentors, as well. I learn from them. I don’t know it all. They teach me, daily, lessons of humility and empathy. Plus, they find new ways of applying age-old principles — they are quite skilled, each in their respective roles and skillsets.
And many of my clients — many. They are disruptors, innovators — pioneers with arrows in their backs. I have never seen a more tenacious group of entrepreneurs and leaders that believe in their purposes so much that they will persist through unbelievable odds to bring new technology and services to the millions to make people’s lives better. All people see are the “riches” stories. But we see the “in-between” climb, and struggle, to achieve their goals. Many of my clients over the years have consulted me.
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?
Disruptive innovation is talked about frequently but may not be completely understood idea. Put succinctly, it is the shift of an underrated or little-known product or service into a one that gains enough acceptance to replace, or displace, already recognized or dominant product or service on the market.
But disruption for its own sake can actually do harm — real-world statistics will tell that story.
I can tell you, though, that every innovative disruption, that has been helpful, had earlier been facing declining conditions or issues that their bigger, well-established competitors refused to do anything about.
Disruptive innovation is usually associated with start-ups and small and midsize businesses (SMBs). They’re competing in markets with a small number of well-established companies that are already well-entrenched in their market prominence. These older players utilize sustainable, conservative improvement, refining their current products and services, BUT don’t work on disrupting their markets to win new markets because, frankly, they feel they don’t have to.
But as markets evolve, technology creates new opportunities to overturn the established notions in diversity, equity accessibility and transparency. When that happens, the older, entrenched players have NOT altered their own environment to adjust. Fast growth doesn’t happen without change. The key to that change is out-of-the-box innovation — and that’s what creates disruption.
However, market startups face a daunting task — they have to compete on price and availability, which is not a going to help them win against corporate giants. Where they can find their place and attain distinction in their market is through offering their product or service as the unprecedented solution for their target audiences’ needs, giving consumers more control.
While these innovators may already understand that by overturning their industry’s accepted status quo it will upset or even outright anger those much larger competitors, they neglect to consider the fact that with their disruption come with some major consequences.
It’s common for competitors to feel like they are under threat and respond by employing harsh or even hostile methods to bring down the new innovator. They can include using the courts in legal, yet unethical ways. That includes exorbitant lawsuits called Patent Assertion Entities (PAEs) to take out smaller businesses and then buying that company’s assets for pennies on the dollar. In fact, for some, it is their business model. Their takedown tactics will even go beyond the courts. It’s not uncommon for these threatened parties to resort to negative publicity campaigns, pushing false narratives — even just plain lying. They do so knowing full-well that the object of their slander probably won’t have the financial means or infrastructure to defend the truth.
Unfortunately, innumerable disruptive innovators wither under these attacks, unaware that their most powerful defense against these inevitabilities is a proactive effort to create and maintain their positive image and goodwill in the court of public opinion. Products and services that improve people’s situations, life-saving technology or price-transparency apps that equalize health care for example, are giving consumers control. It’s vital that innovators make public their goodwill through effective messaging. Even so, inexperienced innovators are committing these serious, if not fatal errors:
Creating a prototype or product before understanding what their then assumed target audience will believe to be barriers to adoption.
Not contemplating who will be the entities to INFLUENCE the early adopters.
Miscalculating the adoption rate. Put another way, being naïve to the amount of resistance to change.
Never thinking they will need legal assistance so early on.
Wrongly believing that PR and publicity should come AFTER they see success.
Any product or service with the capacity to overturn an industry status quo, even when well-intended, is bound to illicit adverse human reactions. Simply put, people don’t like change. These individuals — target audiences and influencers — need to be shown that the disruption as not just innovation, but as a “goodwill equalizer”. They need to understand that the business is solving their specific problems.
Veteran business leaders have learned the biggest lesson for defending against these inevitable attacks, and it lies with winning over the public:
Performing market research into the key target audiences (including the competition) to discover their genuine acceptance/resistance to adoption. Having their insight in advance has given many disruptors the means to make well-informed predictions.
Executing Key Opinion Leader market research that locates the key target audience Influencers. Using the current methods of media approach — communicating through influencers and key opinion leaders — encourages adoption to happen 10 times faster.
Taking the two above tools to mathematically calculate the target audience’s size and possible impediments to adoption, and arrive at an estimation of the amount of time, money, and marketing that will be necessary to persuade a portion of the population to alter their mindset or to think in another way.
Planning as soon as possible for legal action from competitors and anyone else that could see loss of market share because of the innovation) — and include crisis communication strategy plans in that preparation.
Employing the news media as education channels to dispel and preempt any ill-willed cynics’ messaging.
If there’s one, all-important lesson innovators should take from this, it’s that research is essential to success, if not survival. It forms the basis upon which disruptive innovators make the case to their target audiences. When they create goodwill and win the public’s hearts and minds, they will have created allies, and even evangelists who will spread their messages unsolicited. That is how they will dismantle the hostile parties’ direct attacks. Failure to prepare is not an option — and most likely, a fatal one for the business at that.
Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
“Never give up.” There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just the lack of courage it takes to be willing to do what one set out to do despite all odds.
I grew up with that mantra. Being from Texas, this is how I was taught — I think it is in our DNA…
Underlying that, is what ‘never give up’ really means — it means believing in yourself, keeping true to your own integrity — what you see is what you see, NOT what someone else says you see or should see. It also means having the courage to say what you see and say and do what is true to you.
That’s damn hard in this world.
It also means not being so intent on winning that you cannot acknowledge “failure.” Failure allows one to learn how to figure out how to come back and conquer — and make your environment adapt to you. It does not mean to adapt to your environment. I know of NO disruptor or innovator that adapts to the status quo. Maybe that is why I like them so much.
Never give up means not compromising on your values. Not settling. Be willing to do whatever it takes to make things go right — and keep getting up when you fall down.
I cannot say I have been able to instantly apply that in all aspects of my life all the time, but I have learned to apply it. It is an applied knowledge. Knowledge, just because you have it, doesn’t mean one will use it. It has to be utilized. Failure sometimes is a necessary step in this universe — we learn by pain. But does pain define me? Certainly not. It is the times I got up and pushed through, despite all odds, which defines me — and how I handled that opposition.
Through self-discipline, I have learned to apply it.
Breaking my back in college was a pivotal point in my life. It was devastating. I wanted to die. Everything changed overnight with, it seemed like, no warning. I felt I had failed. It was a hard pill to swallow. I hated myself. After training for dance all my life, with a planned career ahead of me — to not knowing what I would do, or where I would end up was unimaginably painful. I was scared as nothing was known or certain — what would I do? Would I make it? There were days I just wanted to give up. But I realized that giving up would have been more “un-confrontable.” So, I went through some very painful years learning a craft that would put me in good stead in my future career.
Another painful time was when I started my own PR firm only to realize that people hated the current landscape of my industry. Those “people” were my prospects. Hundreds of prospects, hundreds of hours of market research — and I discovered a horror about my industry that I couldn’t walk away from. CEOs hated PR. They felt my industry was all smoke and mirrors with no results. And they were pissed off about it because they knew it was valuable, but the way it was being sold and delivered was the polar opposite of what they expected, as logical businessmen and women. The horror stories were too numerous to ignore.
But as a crisis specialist, I never had experienced that. When we were hired, we were listened to, we were respected, and we were able to turn things around. Our measurement was entirely upon revenues — turning them around. So why couldn’t my counterparts in pro-active PR do the same?
After doing research on a cross-section majority of 5000 CEOs of fast-growth multi-million-dollar companies, in healthcare, finance and IT, who all used PR — I discovered what they liked about PR, what they hated, what they wanted, what they didn’t want and how they measured PR. I took that research and modeled my entire business model after the findings. And then spent three years in R&D (research and discovery) to test my findings against real-world companies doing PR proactively, using crisis management techniques. The findings became JoTo PR Disruptors as we know it today. And today we help disruptively innovative companies change the status quo of the economy and their industries by getting their message out in volume to millions of people — resulting in better solutions for more people.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
Disruptive story telling is our nature. Disruption is in our DNA. With the pandemic everything changed, but we were able to pivot overnight. With our crisis background we set up shop 24/7 for the media and held quarantined press conferences online with key industry opinion leaders in healthcare, trucking, shipping & logistics, eCommerce, finance, technology — and more. This started a new breed of storytelling to the media — and the media appreciated it. The press conferences were open to the public and hundreds showed up to ask their questions, in real time, on how to navigate a remote workforce, office closures, shipping issues, eCommerce bottlenecks — and real-time health information from pandemic experts. Those findings and the way we were able to bring so many people and companies together told me one major thing — communication had changed forever. Marketing had changed forever. And we were on the forefront of piloting new methods of reaching new prospects and customers, in a new way, for companies around the world.
I see AI as the next phase of PR (or Anti-PR) and the ability to tell more stories, faster. There is a series of colossal developments going on right now that are already changing the way we consume news media and information in such a way that will never, ever be the same. In fact, it has been going on for years now There is no such thing as the masses anymore. The media is segmented into super-segmented categories of publishers and influencers and content creators today — reaching super targeted audiences in a massive way.
What we have to understand in terms of what’s going on here with the mainstream media (big media) and the rise of smaller outlets is that big news media as a whole is shrinking and imploding in its ratings. This affects marketing because this is being mirrored in marketing. We’re seeing the end to big media because we’re seeing the end of what’s called mass society. Mass society was the kind of industrialized society that developed at the end of the 19th century and flourished in the 20th century. That’s when we first started getting these colossal centralized, bureaucratic institutions and structures, which the world basically revolved around. This is when life began to recalibrate around Washington DC, and we began to recalibrate around Silicon Valley in terms of finance and the coastal cities. Likewise, the world of big media was the Rockefeller center and the big CNN building in Atlanta (before it closed due to the societal changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic). That society is being replaced by what scholars call “the network society.”
And the network society is different from mass society. Mass society was always still very location driven. But what academics are noticing is we just don’t have to do that anymore — and that’s because we’re no longer connected by virtue of our regions or of our spatial proximity to one another. We’re now connected by virtue of the internet — or what we call networks. And with that network, you can each even more people than you could’ve ever imagined of reaching through the traditional way of going through big media.
The network society is what we are living in now. I started to see it in 2016… more and more new outlets and influencers were being added to my database. And what’s more — they were growing month to month exponentially. It’s a de-centralized network of content creators who are no longer dependent on big media or increasingly even big tech to communicate.
And so, what this means is that decentralized content creators, even more prolific than what we have here on YouTube or the new social media sites popping up — it’s a whole host of other publications and platforms that are really just beginning the future of news, even the future of political commentary… as the old age of big media gets increasingly replaced with independent content creators.
That is where we thrive — and will continue to disrupt story telling in the 21st century.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
I think there still is a stigma about how women should be in the workplace — not even to mention being disruptive. So, we are constantly misunderstood.
Disruption implies it has never been done before. So how could there be a template for how we should act?
A few things I have learned about women: women need more communication — not less. Likewise, they need to communicate more — not less. Women also learn and understand things differently. They think for longer-term survival. I find they are the “average person” who becomes a hero by chance. I never met a female disruptor, yet that set out to be disruptive — they fell into it — or their path took them in a direction that made it impossible to turn back. Women are disruptors in their own right; they are having to break the mold continually against what the status quo says or thinks they should be.
The biggest issue women have is filling the vacuum, in the court of public opinion, on who they are and what their purpose is. I find that women innovators, who stay true to their purpose, don’t see the world as a woman — but rather as the world could be.
Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?
I interview disruptors weekly in my podcast Disruption Interruption. Disruption is happening on an unprecedented scale, impacting all manner of industries — MedTech, Finance, IT, eCommerce, shipping and logistics, and more — and COVID has moved their timelines up a full decade or more.
But WHO are these disruptors and when did they say, “THAT’S IT! I’VE HAD IT!”?
I interview bad asses who are disrupting their industries and altering economic networks that have become antiquated with an establishment resistant to progress. I delve into uncovering secrets from industry rebels and quiet revolutionaries that reveal common traits — and not-so-common — that are changing our economic markets… and lives.
In my interviews, I have found one amazing common denominator behind all disruptive innovators — the challenge is ALWAYS communication. Naiveté of the need for it, a lack of it, incorrect communication for a certain audience, ignorance of an audience, neglect of an audience… all to a disruptor’s peril. But there is one thing that endears all disruptors to me — they all have an unswerving relentlessness to a higher purpose for WHY they do what they do.
They have had, and continue to have, a deep impact on my thinking, weekly. They are the world’s key pioneers that persist to success, despite arrows in their backs.
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. 🙂
Putting people in charge of their own public opinion and the ability to better control their destiny.
One can control their business — or their own life — through the correct guidance of improved relations with others.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“The Gods help those who help themselves,” an ancient Greek proverb. It’s something I learned when I was a little girl. I has always meant to me, that it’s important to exert some effort in any situation and not leave the outcome up to fate. It’s relevant to my daily life of never stop learning, never stop trying to improve — and when life deals you a hand you don’t like, change it. Sais in another way, if you don’t like the pebble in your shoe, remove it.
Female Founders: Haley Rosen of Just Women’s Sports On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder
An Interview with Candice Georgiadis
Trust yourself: I can’t tell you how many people have told me that “women’s sports will never be big.” Or that we need to be more lifestyle than sports. Or that we need to be “girlier.” But I was really stubborn in holding true to our vision and brand, and we’re now seeing that our unique approach has turned out to be our biggest differentiator.
As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Haley Rosen.
Haley Rosen is the CEO & Founder of Just Women’s Sports, a digital-first media brand 100% focused on women’s sports, providing fans with in-depth coverage, interviews, highlights, analysis, podcasts, newsletters and everything else that has been lacking for far too long in women’s sports. Rosen is also a former pro soccer player, and was an All-Pac-12 midfielder at Stanford.
Driven by frustration at not being able to follow the careers of her friends, former teams, and coaches after she retired from professional soccer, Haley Rosen founded Just Women’s Sports in 2020 to change the game for women’s sports coverage.
Today, Just Women’s Sports is a digital-first consumer media brand providing fans with in-depth coverage, exclusive interviews, highlights and analysis through editorial content, podcasts, video series, a bi-weekly newsletter, and a first-of-its-kind live scoreboard dedicated to major women’s sports leagues.
Following a year of explosive growth, JWS now reaches more than seven million passionate women’s sports fans on a monthly basis, up 300% year-over-year.
In May 2021, Rosen’s company closed a seed funding round headlined by institutional investors including Will Ventures, Thirty Five Ventures, DRIVE by DraftKings, alongside athlete investors Arike Ogunbowale, Elena Delle Donne, Hilary Knight, Kelley O’Hara, Sam Mewis, and Kevin Durant.
Prior to founding Just Women’s Sports, Rosen worked at a tech startup in San Francisco where she combined her curiosity in enterprise usage of virtual reality with her experience as a professional athlete. She was an All-Pac-12 midfielder at Stanford while earning her BA in science, technology and society and masters in communication with a focus on the societal implications of media multitasking.
Rosen has been honored as one of Sports Business Journal’s New Voices Under 30.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I played soccer in college, which was followed by a brief professional career in the U.S. and abroad. Afterwards, I moved to the Bay Area and started working in tech, and for the first time, I found myself on the outside of women’s sports looking in. I wanted to follow my friends that were still playing, coaches I played for, teams I had been on, and I genuinely couldn’t do it. The games weren’t easily accessible to watch, and analysis was hard to find. None of this made any sense to me. I had played in packed stadiums, I had interacted with enthusiastic fans, and I just kept asking myself, ‘Why doesn’t the media coverage reflect the excitement that’s out there?’
Just Women’s Sports was founded to fill this gap in the sports media industry by creating a comprehensive platform for athletes and fans of women’s sports, one that delivers the hype, analysis, personalities and stories that make women’s sports so awesome.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
I’ve looked up to Billie Jean King for a long time, and I recently had the privilege of meeting her at the US Open. She was every bit the legend I imagined her to be, and in many ways, I feel like Just Women’s Sports is a continuation and extension of her legacy
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?
To be honest, none of my mistakes felt funny at the time, but in hindsight…losing our Instagram account probably fits the bill. Just Women’s Sports got its start as an Instagram account, where I just posted awesome highlights that I found (think: “House of Highlights,” but for women’s sports.) It was all fun and games until the account got suspended for violating copyright — turns out, you can’t just rip highlights from wherever you want!
At the time, this was totally devastating. But while we were jumping through hoops and cold-messaging several strangers on LinkedIn to get the account back, we also stood up our newsletter and website. To me, the lesson was that there are going to be bumps along the road, and some of them might feel insurmountable at the time, but that if you’re onto something and keep pushing, good things can happen.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
There are so many people who have contributed to what we’ve managed to achieve so far (still a long ways to go!), and I want to give special thanks to all of the early employees at Just Women’s Sports who took a bet on this team and company. If there’s one particular person I need to shout out though, it’s probably Eric Chen at OVO Fund.
I met Eric a little bit before starting JWS and kept in touch during the early days. Like I said, we got our start as an Instagram account, and when we only had about 20k followers (and no other channels), Eric offered to invest in me and this idea. Even I thought it was kind of crazy at the time that he wanted to give his money to a kid with an IG account and a big idea. But I can’t thank him enough for believing in our vision and believing that we could get there!
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?
To be totally honest, I think the whole narrative around this is way off base. We need to stop “supporting women” as if it’s a charitable cause and start legitimately investing in them.
Investing in someone doesn’t mean rewarding them for what they’ve done. It’s about betting on what they might do in the future. To use sports as an example, the MLS struggled for years, if not decades, to find its economic footing. But it continued to attract investors who believed in the future of men’s soccer in America. On the women’s side, leagues and companies are regularly dismissed because they haven’t yet hit profitability. It’s a double standard, in which one half of the room is judged based on their potential, while another half is told they have to already be producing.
“Celebrating” or “empowering” women is great. But to take the next step, we need to shift the mindset to focus on what women can do, versus just highlighting what they’ve already done.
Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?
I don’t want to speak for a whole gender, but I also don’t want women to be deterred from pursuing their dreams just because there are hurdles in the way. What I will say is that even on my longest, hardest, most exhausting days, this work is still the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder?
One of my biggest learnings has been that I don’t need to know everything. I personally take a lot of pride in recruiting people who are way better at their job than I could ever be. And then it’s my job to point everyone in the right direction, get out of their way, and let great people be great.
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?
Yes, everyone is cut out to be a founder. I really reject the notion that there is some predetermined life that we may or may not be cut out for. If you want to start something, trust yourself and dive in with positive energy.
Now, the question of whether everyone wants to be a founder is different. It’s not nearly as glamorous as it’s made out to be — there are a lot of late nights, a lot of self-doubt, but also a lot of fun. From my experience, I’ve found that there isn’t a secret sauce here, so long as you have conviction and put one foot in front of the other.
Based on your opinion and experience, what are the “Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder?” (Please share a story or example for each.)
I don’t think thriving as a woman founder is all that different from thriving as a founder, period. There are a few small differences, mainly around confidence and taking up space. There is a high probability that at one or multiple points in your journey, you will literally be the famed “only woman in the room.” It’s not fair or always fun, but you need to have the confidence to step through that door.
We are still in the very early days of JWS, so I’m not sure I can claim to be a successful founder just yet. But here’s some of what I’ve learned along the way:
Trust yourself: I can’t tell you how many people have told me that “women’s sports will never be big.” Or that we need to be more lifestyle than sports. Or that we need to be “girlier.” But I was really stubborn in holding true to our vision and brand, and we’re now seeing that our unique approach has turned out to be our biggest differentiator.
Play your game: As an organization, competitors are going to come in, and they are going to have wins. And that’s a good thing — it shows the space is growing. It’s not zero sum, and the only way you can lose is by not playing your game. Know your strengths and do things your way.
Just go for it: At some point, you have to make the choice to dive in and do whatever it takes to get your company off the ground. Going from 0–1 is all heart and hustle. Worry about the finer points of strategy later, and just get the ball rolling. This is just from my own personal experience building a sports media company, but for what it’s worth, I learned way more from the first 10 Instagram posts we shared than from any TAM analysis I ever did.
Find balance: I’m a pretty obsessive person, and there’s always going to be more work to do, so I’ve definitely had times where I’m working in every waking moment, and then some. For me, it’s been really important to find time to take care of myself and separate my life and my work. As an athlete, I saw the importance of recovery, and I felt the downsides of overtraining, and I’ve had to take those lessons into my work life as well. I’m at my personal best when I’m more balanced — when I’m sleeping, exercising, spending time with friends/family, I can see things more clearly and avoid getting too emotionally absorbed in the day-to-day.
Lead with empathy: We’re really fortunate to have built out a really outstanding team at JWS. Every person here is taking a bet on this company/opportunity and placing a lot of trust in me. I feel a responsibility to reward and deepen this trust by listening, learning, and empowering my team.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
Research has shown again and again that participation in sports has an overwhelmingly positive impact on girls’ lives. At various age groups, participation is roughly 50/50 for boys and girls, but as they age, girls tend to drop out at a faster rate. With Just Women’s Sports, we believe we can use sports to change the way women are perceived in society. I also think having more girls in sports is upstream of having more women in leadership roles.
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?
I think the climate crisis has to be on the top of everyone’s list. Nothing else will matter if we don’t have a planet. It’s strange to me that people see environmental concerns as being diametrically opposed to business interests. Thankfully, it seems like that’s starting to change. Saving the planet is good for business, and I think it’s paramount that every company considers their ecological footprint. My hope is that as women’s sports grow, the space can do so in a way that’s environmentally friendly. So much is being built from scratch, that this needs to be a priority.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
I’ve been fortunate enough to meet and work with many of the people who would have been on this list when I was getting started.
But if you believe in the future of women’s sports and want to get involved, get in touch. This company is going to change the face of sports, and I’m always down to connect with anyone who wants to be a part of the journey.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this
Female Founders: Cassandra Chase of Chase Consulting Group On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder
An Interview with Candice Georgiadis
By being intentional around everything I do, and connecting back to my main value of service. Providing educational opportunities for the youth, job training for young adults, and running for public office I have always kept the personal values of serving my community intact. I have been able to help others by keeping their interests in alignment with my own success.
As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Cassandra Chase.
Cassandra Chase is a business owner and social entrepreneur committed to providing marginalized communities with opportunities and essential resources. For ten years, Cassandra has dedicated her career to public service leading massive grassroots efforts in education, health, wellness, and social reform.
Cassandra founded Chase Consulting Group (CCG), a boutique business consulting firm that provides strategic management, business development, and new media marketing services to small businesses, nonprofit organizations, and government entities. She also co-founded Read Lead, a nonprofit organization that provides literacy and leadership training.
Her foundational work has impacted over 2 million residents in Los Angeles County. In 2020, NIKE recognized and featured Cassandra as a changemaker in the Legacy Project among seven other black women transforming the landscape in Los Angeles.
In her spare time, Cassandra spreads accessible information on wellness, veganism, and yoga. As a thought leader, Cassandra continues to foster a culture of civic engagement in the community in which she lives and works.
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?
Well, ultimately I would say what led me to this career path is a value of service. My Mom is a registered nurse and my Dad is a United Methodist Minister. From a young age, they taught me to lead and serve my community. Activism and community service very much became a way of life growing up. My sister and I were always in a space of listening, and also learning how to strategize. Those aspects of my upbringing are really what sort of brought me to where I am today.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
I would say the most interesting part of my journey so far has been being a young leader. For my nonprofit we also hired a lot of young people, and being their leader I had to quickly learn different ways to take in everyone’s perspective. So just as a general point, understanding what it means to be a leader amongst peers has been the most interesting part of starting my own company.
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 can’t really remember anything too specific, but I can say that I used to rush a lot. Sometimes I would not double check stuff with spelling mistakes or even who I was addressing in an email. Through those mistakes, I learned to find humor and became more humble in having my own sense of accountability.
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 Mom. While she worked for over 40 years as a nurse she was still an entrepreneur. She had her real estate license and taught me the importance of investment properties and owning multiple streams of income. She taught me about balance, doing what you love while also having a staple that can support your family. My mother understood the importance of voting, making sure you have a voice. She was the only one who could vote in my house growing up so she took that responsibility very seriously. We would have family meetings about what was on the ballot because she knew her vote represented the entire family. I have memories of walking into the voting booth with her as a small child because she always wanted to make sure her family was included in the entire process. She was a role model for me, a true leader.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?
I think getting the financial support to help scale companies is one of the biggest factors that continues to keep women out of the entrepreneurial space. Women of color are the largest growing demographic of small business owners, but they are mostly running those companies by themselves. Being a “solopreneur” is not bad, but it can be a lot harder to scale when you are running everything yourself. My consulting business started off in that space and it forced me to make sacrifices, without the funding to build a team it becomes more difficult.
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?
There are some really good initiatives that are out which provide support on a federal, national, and local level. One that comes to mind is the small business administration which has been very intentional around ensuring resources for women of color in the entrepreneurial space. There are a lot of free classes on creating a business and managing marketing for your company. At the end of the day though, entrepreneurs need money. An idea is only as good as its execution and execution can sometimes take funding to be successful. Another program that comes to mind is the Tory Burch Foundation that supports women who want to be entrepreneurs and provides them with not only education but financial investment as well. Organizations like Nike Los Angeles and the Black Community Commitment Fund are also a few from the host of companies now supporting women to create sustainable businesses.
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 the center of our universe, we are the leaders of families. Women have a special touch where we can lead with our hearts as well as our heads. We are able to speak about situations candidly from our own experience. Women are also the highest consumer demographic, so having the perspective of women in business is very important.
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 being a founder is a very glamorous thing. It takes 10,000 hours and in many cases 10 years to get to a place where you are sustainable. I think the thought of what a founder is and what it means to be successful as a founder should be destigmatized. Being busy does not always equal being productive, and that is the reality of the challenges you face when leading a company. Being a founder does not mean you have to sacrifice your health in order to achieve your goals. The best entrepreneurs are those who take time to themselves and their community. You always want to run your business from a peaceful state of mind.
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?
Stick-to-itiveness, I believe that is one of the biggest qualities you really need as a founder. You have to be willing to not give up, whether it is going well or bad in order to really get to a place to know if something is going to work or not.
Discernment, you need to have the space and grace to be conscious enough to know what will work and what will not.
Communication, you have to be a really good communicator in order to properly tell your vision for others to receive.
I don’t think everyone is necessarily cut out to be a founder, because it takes a lot of foresight to truly have a vision. I would say a “regular job” is for people who enjoy executing a founder’s vision.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your opinion and experience, What are the “Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder?” (Please share a story or example for each.)
Having a vision. (Have the foresight to see something that can possibly help people in the future.)
Communicate the vision. (Explain the different aspects of what you are trying to create effectively.)
Get people excited about the vision. (Develop a following with whom you can create a symbiotic relationship between.)
Build a community around it, and ask for support. (Get help, create a team of supporters that make your foundation even more formidable.)
Have fun while doing it. (Do what you love, in order to be truly successful you have to follow your passion.)
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
By being intentional around everything I do, and connecting back to my main value of service. Providing educational opportunities for the youth, job training for young adults, and running for public office I have always kept the personal values of serving my community intact. I have been able to help others by keeping their interests in alignment with my own success.
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 think it would be two-fold. The first part being centered around education, I would want to provide the highest quality of education to learners of all ages. I believe education is the foundation of success, so providing that to people who are in the need of it most would allow us to see a better world through that process. The other thing that I think would help us change the world would be a greater sense of awareness. People becoming more aware of who they are and calling into their lives what they wish to see. By doing this, we will be able to transform the world between our thoughts and actions. In order to accomplish any of this we have to be well ourselves, and take care of who we are.
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.
Marie Forleo would be the person for me. She calls herself a multi-hyphenate entrepreneur and works in so many different interests just like me. She articulates who I am personally. I love how as her success grows she continues to hold onto the things that she loves. Marie is an authentic leader who has inspired me so much in my own career.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this
Challenge (Use it or lose it) The brain grows and strengthens through use and challenge. The brain responds to load and challenge by becoming more engaged and activating more hubs and pathways to process and respond to the incoming information. Remember that the brain elicits more positive feelings and emotions when higher-level functions are involved when supported by the fuel and rest needed. Something as simple as learning (a topic you enjoy) can actually trigger happier mood and emotions in the brain!
As a part of my series about the “5 Things Anyone Can Do To Optimize Their Mental Wellness”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Rebecca Jackson.
Dr. Rebecca Jackson is currently the vice president of Programs and Outcomes for Brain Balance, where she designs and implements programs focused on strengthening the brain to optimize human performance for a variety of ages and abilities. Jackson graduated from Life University as a Doctor of Chiropractic in 2001. You can find her most recent peer-reviewed research in the Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research 2021, Effect of the Brain Balance® Program on Cognitive Performance in Children and Adolescents with Developmental and Attentional Issues. Jackson has appeared on national broadcasts including ABC’s “The Doctors” and “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt,” and has contributed to numerous national print outlets including Forbes, Business Insider, The Huffington Post, TODAY, and many more. www.brainbalancecenters.com/.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
I’ve always been interested in health and wellness, anything you can do to live your best life. I began my professional career as a chiropractor. I like to understand the WHY behind a symptom or concern, which is a part of the chiropractic philosophy. Then as a young parent I wanted to really understand the brain and development to set my own kids up for success. Reading books that provided activities and games wasn’t enough, so I started taking additional classes in neurology and development. It was in these classes that I had a huge “aha” moment. Our brain is at the core of who we are and all we do. Enhancing and supporting brain function has the potential to positively impact so much of our life. Our mood, how we handle stress, motivation and even attention can be impacted by improving the brain. This awareness of the far-reaching impact of brain performance is what led me to become involved with Brain Balance, a company that focuses on optimizing the brain to help kids and now adults overcome challenges with aspects of cognition and emotional well-being. My work with Brain Balance has provided me with invaluable experience in research as well as hands-on experience in seeing what changes are possible when the brain is strengthened and supported.
What advice would you give to other leaders about how to create a fantastic work culture?
While you can’t always control the things around you, there is the opportunity to impact your own thoughts and behaviors. With that in mind I work hard to stay positive in the hope that positivity will continue to breed more positivity. Admittedly there are days I am far more successful than others, but in knowing myself, going negative in my thoughts and words becomes a slippery slope going straight down. When I find myself becoming frustrated or agitated pressing pause and doing something to re-ignite the positive energy and emotion in my own brain is key. Going for a run, getting outside and soaking up the sunshine, making plans with a friend for dinner — not to vent, but to enjoy time together are all strategies than can help me alter my mindset so that I can remain productive and collaborative.
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. Mental health is often looked at in binary terms; those who are healthy and those who have mental illness. The truth, however, is that mental wellness is a huge spectrum. Even those who are “mentally healthy” can still improve their mental wellness. From your experience or research, what are five steps that each of us can take to improve or optimize our mental wellness. Can you please share a story or example for each.
Did you know that the emotions you are experiencing, whether they are positive or negative, and how you tolerate stress are impacted in part by which networks and pathways in your brain are activated? How your brain functions and the fuel you have available to support the brain will influence your ability to perform at your best, as well as how you feel. Our mental wellness is intricately tied to our brain wellness, which is exciting as it provides us with opportunities to positively impact both brain and emotional wellbeing.
Over the last decade there has been an important, and necessary shift in how we approach and understand brain wellness. This new understanding provides us with a different lens to view both brain health and mental wellness. This updated view has allowed for new insights and strategies to add alongside the more traditional tools and to provide us with proactive strategies to best equip us to face life’s challenges and stress.
Historically, science had a more singular focus, looking at each system in the body to understand what it does individually — the immune system to keep us healthy, our endocrine system to control our hormones and our digestive system processes food to turn into fuel. Advancements in science have shown how interconnected all these systems truly are in their functions. In fact, the gut is now often referred to as the second brain, or the gut-brain connection, as we begin to uncover the direction connections between our digestion, immune system, brain and hormones. Understanding the coupling of these systems has demonstrated the importance of considering these systems when approaching our mental well-being. As Dr. Thomas Insel, the former Director of the National Institute of Mental Health stated, “The future of psychiatry is clinical neuroscience, based on a much deeper understanding of the brain.”
To understand how aspects of life and stress can impact our brain, mood and thoughts let’s consider a set of functions in our brain called the executive functions. These are considered high-level brain functions that arise from mature development and provide us with the ability to sustain and control our attention, emotional regulation, planning, reasoning, decision making and more. These executive functions support our ability to act and interact in mature, productive, and effective ways for work, school, and social interactions.
To utilize our executive functions requires a brain that is well-rested, well-fueled and well-developed. Nothing in the brain happens in isolation, so these executive functions also pair with an emotional center of our brain that impacts our mood and emotions. When these brain functions are working effectively and supported by the appropriate fuel, they are more likely to elicit positive emotions. When the executive functions run out of fuel or are shut down due to other factors such as stress, the brain will default to different networks and pathways that will elicit more negative emotions and will make decision making, thinking and control of mood and behaviors far more difficult.
Our brain fluidly shifts back and forth between utilizing different regions and networks based on many factors. Realizing how simple daily habits can influence your brain’s ability to handle stress and to tap into positive behaviors and actions can help set you up for feeling and functioning at your very best.
The following are 5 key factors to understand and implement daily to contribute to your overall brain and emotional wellness. (*These tips are not a replacement for working with mental health providers but are an example of additional strategies that can be used in addition to what is recommended by a professional who knows you).
Fuel — The brain and body require energy to perform. That energy is provided in the form of fuel from the foods and nutrients we consume. Different foods contribute different nutrients and types of fuel. Some variations of fuel, such as sugars, provide an energy source that kicks in quickly, but also burns off fast, leaving your system depleted. Other fuel sources take longer to utilize, providing longer-lasting energy. Proteins and healthy fats provide slow burning fuels that contribute to a more stable energy source. Our executive functions require high amounts of fuel to perform. This high fuel need means it is harder to sustain these functions for long periods of time, and when fuel reserves run out, these functions will shut down. If you’re familiar with the term “hangry” you know what it feels like when your brain is running low on fuel. Hangry is that moment when you are so hungry you can barely concentrate and may struggle to do a simple task such as making a decision. In this moment you will find yourself highly irritable. Your executive function brain networks don’t have the fuel needed to perform, so your brain defaults to supporting lower level basic functions. The best plan of attack in this scenario is to refuel by consuming proteins and healthy fats. Once those nutrient kick in you will find your mood, energy and focus returning so you can once again tap into more positive emotions, behaviors, and focus. Incorporating protein and healthy fats, such as those found in nuts or avocados, into meals and snacks is one of the simplest ways to ensure your brain is equipped to focus and maintain more stable mood and energy throughout the day.
Sleep — Every parent understands the importance of adequate sleep to impact their child’s mood and behavior. The reality is we don’t outgrow the need for sleep to perform at our best. Like depleted fuel in the brain, a tired brain has a harder time focusing and controlling mood and behaviors. A brain short on sleep will utilize connections in the brain in a more sluggish way and will once again have a much harder time accessing those higher-level skills that depend on high energy and fuel to support. Sleep is a critical time for brain function. This is the time that the brain processes what happened throughout the day, it is a time of clean up, and energy production to face the next day. When rest doesn’t occur it can impact the brain’s self-cleaning and maintenance mechanisms that can lead to increased inflammation and a decrease in memory. Signs of sleep deprivation can include challenges in recalling information, shorter attention span and more irritable and negative mood and behaviors. Any challenges or struggles you are facing will be exacerbated by a lack of adequate sleep.
Minimizing stress — Minimizing stress is easier said than done, but understanding the impact stress can have on the brain can help you prioritize your management strategies. Stress is highly fatiguing to the brain, and when faced with stressful events the brain requires more fuel and resources to maintain executive functions and positive mood and behaviors. Whether acute stress over a short period of time, or chronic stress over a more sustained amount of time the brain will once again default to lower-level functioning and have a harder time tapping into the executive functions. Lower-level functions consist or more basic functions that allow us to function in the moment. This activates pathways that keep us alive but takes activation away from the pathways that allow us to control our behaviors, thoughts, emotions, and attention. Imagine how you are feeling and functioning when amid a heated argument. This is an example of acute stress, it may be short, but it is also intense. In this moment you are far more likely to do and say things you would never normally say. Impulse control and regulation are diminished, leaving you in survival mode — protecting yourself and getting your point across is your primary focus, rather than thinking about the repercussions of your actions. If after the argument someone asked you to read a scientific article and give your thoughts on that article, you would struggle to retain what you were reading, and to formulate a clear and thoughtful response would be nearly impossible in that moment. This is an example of how stress shifts your ability to readily access higher-functioning brain networks. Signs that stress is impacting how you fee and function can include difficulty in planning ahead, challenges sustaining focus on a task, a struggle to think about things other than what is causing the stress, and increased negativity and fatigue.
Neuroplasticity means the brain can change! Embracing the science that the brain can change at any age means that even if you are struggling in an area, there is the potential for change and improvement! Strengthening and improving pathways in the brain requires a combination of duration, frequency, and intensity. This means change doesn’t happen overnight, but with a plan that includes time, repetition and challenge it can happen! A very simple strategy to impact the regions you want to improve is simply doing more of what you want to improve. If you want to increase your ability to sustain attention on one task at a time — set aside time each day to do just that, then daily or weekly increase the amount of time by a minute or two. If you struggle with anxiety spend some time considering what helps to calm your thoughts or worries, leaving you feeling better and more in control, then do that more often. While this can sound simple to the point of almost being insulting, there is science behind this truth. Physical exercise intense enough to elevate heart rate and breathing is a great example as it increases activation of the brain which can help you more easily access higher-level brain functions that can help to regulate mood and thoughts. Pay attention to how you feel in the hours following activity to notice if it helps to bring an increase in calm and comfort. To really take advantage of neuroplasticity, participating in a personalized program such as Brain Balance can take your level of function to a whole new level of success. The Brain Balance programs are designed to increase the degree of complexity, challenge and endurance of your brain performance that can have a significant impact on attention, anxiety, memory, comprehension, and controlling your mood and behaviors.
Challenge (Use it or lose it) The brain grows and strengthens through use and challenge. The brain responds to load and challenge by becoming more engaged and activating more hubs and pathways to process and respond to the incoming information. Remember that the brain elicits more positive feelings and emotions when higher-level functions are involved when supported by the fuel and rest needed. Something as simple as learning (a topic you enjoy) can actually trigger happier mood and emotions in the brain! To learn something new requires engaging the brain, then introducing novel information, this provides the load or challenge. The new information either needs to leave a large enough impression to remember it the first time or needs to be repeated enough for the memory of new information to be stored for retrieval later. Think of the last time you learned something that really struck a chord or inspired you. Remember how you felt in that moment, and how excited you were to share what you learned with someone else. For me, learning something new about the brain that creates an “aha” moment is exciting and energizing. But once we’re done with school, learning doesn’t always happen unless we seek it out. Picking up a new book, watching a documentary or signing up for classes and workshops are all productive strategies to challenge and engage your brain to spark your excitement and energy! Implementing these strategies will contribute to a brain performing at its optimum and will not only result in improved productivity, but in a happy and healthy mood and outlook as well!
Much of my expertise focuses on helping people to plan for after retirement. Retirement is a dramatic ‘life course transition’ that can impact one’s health. In addition to the ideas you mentioned earlier, are there things that one should do to optimize mental wellness after retirement? Please share a story or an example for each.
Retirement is a time in life nearly everyone looks forward to and hopes to be at a point in life to fully embrace. As you approach retirement keep in mind how much CHANGE is involved in this life transition, and don’t underestimate how hard change can be for the brain. Creating some simple and fun habits and patterns can help you face these large changes and get the most out of your retirement years!
Change that requires shifts in your habits and routines requires additional energy and activation from the brain. Tasks that we do out of habit, and with minimal thought, places very little demand on the brain. Changing habits and doing activities that require thought, planning or effort place a larger demand on the brain, engaging more pathways and burning more fuel. To face a time of multiple changes in your life requires high activation of executive function pathways and a lot of resources to support these pathways. All the strategies we mentioned above — fuel, sleep, stress management and activation will contribute to supporting the pathways needed for change so that mood and emotions stay positive.
Retirement can also result in changes in levels of both mental stimulation and physical activity. Without the daily cognitive demands from work it is easy to experience a significant drop off in cognitive challenge. Remember we strengthen what we use, so purposefully finding ways to engage your brain will help to keep you mentally sharp and happy. Taking classes for fun, picking up a new hobby or planning interesting vacations are all fun ways to continue to keep your emotions positive and your executive function pathways active.
For some, retirement is a time of increased physical activity, with more time available to do the things you enjoy, such as walking or pickleball. For others it is a time when people quickly become more sedentary. Without the need to walk from the car to the office or climb the stairs to meet with a co-worker some find themselves spending more time than ever seated. Being mindful of the need for consistent exercise will continue to keep both your brain and body more highly activated and engaged.
How about teens and pre teens. Are there any specific new ideas you would suggest for teens and pre teens to optimize their mental wellness?
As a parent to both a teen and a pre-teen I love this topic! When considering brain and mental wellness in teens and pre-teens it is important to remember that while the body may be close to full grown, the brain is not. The frontal lobe of the brain is not thought to be fully developed until young to mid-20’s. This region contributes to the executive functions involved in good decision making, regulating emotions and upsets, planning, follow through and impulse control. The result is that it requires more energy and effort to consistently tap into these skills and functions. To set teens and pre-teens up to optimize their mental wellness consider these two strategies:
Physical exercise. Not only does exercise release endorphins, chemicals that help the brain to diminish the perception pain and increase positive feelings, exercise also increases the engagement and alertness of the brain. Pay attention to your kids and you’ll often notice just how chatty and happy they are after physical exertion from exercise!
Beware of too much screen time. Remember the brain only has so much fuel to get through the day. Spending hours processing the bombardment of information involved in video games and even social media can be draining. The result of a depleted brain is an increase in NEGATIVE mood and emotions, and a reduction in focus and memory.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story?
Spark, The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey. There is an art to writing a book about the brain and science while being user-friendly. Ratey nailed it in my opinion. This is the book I recommend most often to parents and teachers since it clearly drives home the point that exercise impacts your focus and memory. While the book is focused on the impact exercise has on learning the message hits home for any age — our brain is sharper after exercise!
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Brain wellness to drive our overall well-being is the movement I hope to continue to provide a meaningful voice and leadership around. We are given one brain. Leading a lifestyle that focuses on brain wellness translates into a life of health that impacts our mental and physical well-being. It is far easier to live a joyful and meaningful life when you are feeling good and have the ability to tap into higher aspects of brain functions to impact those around you.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?
“80% of Americans hate their job.” I heard this quote on the radio in high school and it has been a driving force in my life. It’s ironic, that as a relatively positive person it was a negative quote that resonated with me, but it continues to drive my actions decades later. We spend most of our adult lives engaged in work. I can not imagine trying to find the motivation to do something that does not inspire me daily. My hope for my children is they can be as fortunate as I have been in finding a passion that can be their life’s work and is rewarding and fulfilling.
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
@drrebeccajackson
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
Investing in industries that and sectors that typically draw more women. Not in a stereotypical manner but demographic wise, I was in the fashion business world which is not a space many older men in finance always want to invest in. he beauty industry for example, having a female VC invest is much more appealing than men. Looking to niche spaces and cultivating opportunities that will also reflect a brand better closes the gap of opportunity.
As part of my series about “the five things we need to do to close the gender wage gap” I had the pleasure of interviewing Diane Yoo.
Diane Yoo is a results-driven entrepreneur and venture capitalist with more than 15+ years of experience. As an accredited investor, she has invested in 35+ companies with a focus on diverse founders. She created 15 funds in the last year alone and is in the 1% of Asian-American female founders who are also a partner. Diane has founded angel networks, venture funds, and investment networks. She is Founding Partner for a Medtech and Healthtech venture capital firm in partnership with the largest medical center of the world. With VC and accelerator expertise, she works extensively with over 700+ global companies and her firm has deployed significant capital into the startup ecosystem. She has launched numerous venture funds for over 15 universities across the US and has built a powerful co-investor US network with offices in Texas and New York. Diane is Co-founder of Global She Ventures, an accelerator in partnership with Rice University to catalyze global women entrepreneurs. Diane is also Co-founder to a national media platform, Identity Unveiled highlights trailblazing Asian American women who have broken barriers and become firsts in their industry. She is also an investment partner to several Silicon Valley funds including the largest women’s fund and the first FemTech fund in the nation.
Diane is also mentor/partner to Global Venture Accelerator, a Rice University initiative. She serves as mentor/judge to Rice Business Plan Challenge, Rice University’s 48 Hr Accelerator, Gener8tor, Brandery, and Mass Challenge. She sits on numerous boards and advises other venture capital funds, diversity funds, and the largest women’s fund in Texas. Diane was awarded “Diane Yoo Day” on August 26th for her international achievements in diversity leadership. She received her MBA from Jesse H. Jones School of Business at Rice University.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us the “backstory” that brought you to this career path?
I was born to break stereotypes. Growing up with all brothers, I fought back with resiliency and didn’t see the difference in terms of capabilities.
Playing sports with guys was the norm and was more familiar with aggressive contact playing. My 5’ 8’’ stature was not only an advantage in the basketball court but also opened opportunities for modeling at the young age of 13. I was regularly accustomed to stifling stereotypes and capabilities based on society’s expectations as a woman and fashion model.
Shattering conventions was my comfort zone growing up. In college, I played our football team’s quarterback. My fast spinning spiral was more intimidating than most men’s performance. The advantage of growing up with brothers created a duality of having a thick skin, being fearless, but also encompassing the contrasting advantages of a woman’s intuitive intelligence. Navigating hurdles, I pursued a Rice MBA and started a fashion tech company. I would pitch to investors, but it was difficult to connect. The majority of the investors were those who didn’t look like me nor resonant with my experiences, hence their expectation of what a founder looks like, didn’t align with who I was.
I was more accustomed to the constant rhythm of fearlessly paving forward through grit and resilience. Through these life building experiences, I proved that I am more than capable — as a business woman and an entrepreneur. Further, I founded Identity Unveiled which is a national media platform that showcases the trailblazing accomplishments of Asian women leaders. I also started an accelerator program for women in technology in partnership with academic institutions, and am an investment partner to the nation’s largest women investing group with over 1,200 limited partners. FemTech Fund is the first fund in the nation focusing on women’s health and wellness and I currently serve as investment partner to FemTech Fund I and II. I am also an active member of PEWIN, the premier women’s finance network with over $3 trillion AUM. Additionally, I serve as the US partner to a Korean government agency for Venture Capital, driving economic development and innovation through a pipeline of hundreds of technology investments and acquisitions. I am firmly committed to advocating for women and minority founders and serve as a mentor at the nation’s top ten accelerators. In recognition of my leadership in diversity, I was honored with an official “Diane Yoo Day”.
My entrepreneurial expertise drove the foundation to launch several VC funds, including a fund partnership with the largest medical center in the world, Co-Founder to Rice University’s official Angel group, Founding General Partner to both the #1 Entrepreneurship graduate and undergraduate schools, Founding Partner to a legacy acquisition fund in partnership to alumni groups, and Founder to 13+ university venture funds with access to thousands of diverse LP’s across the nation.
My goal is to inspire more representation for Asian women in Venture Capital.
My mission is to empower, connect, and advance Asian women to succeed to the most elite levels and impact the future of Venture Capital.
Can you share a story of your most successful Angel or VC investment? In your opinion, what was its main lesson?
Two of my investments hit a billion dollar valuation. The greatest lesson was having the expertise to know when to invest and the gut intuition from years of investment experience to know if this would be a great company or not.
Can you share a story of an Angel or VC funding “failure” of yours? Is there a lesson or take away that you took out of that that our readers can learn from?
Never commit until the deal is done. Getting caught up legally by publicly saying anything is a mistake. Keep things quiet until it’s done.
Was there a company that you turned down, but now regret? Can you share the story? What lesson did you learn from that?
Yes, we were committed to invest in a deal but the deal was so hot it closed in faster than we thought. It ended up getting flooded with investors.
Ok let’s jump to the main focus of our interview. According to this article in Fortune, only 2.2% of VC dollars went to women in 2018. Can you share with our readers what your firm is doing to help close the VC gender gap?
As a women and person of color fund founder and entrepreneur, I see firsthand experience of inequalities for venture funding towards women and minorities. Our firm focuses on hiring more talented women entrepreneurs to operate portfolio companies and hit home runs.
Can you recommend 5 things that need to be done on a broader societal level to close the VC gender gap. Please share a story or example for each.
Creating more opportunities for women and minorities which is one of my focuses on diversity emerging managers
I’ve had an “a hundred-pound gorilla” try to stop me time and time again or take away opportunities just because I’m younger than a typical VC, I’m a woman and a minority, so by women like me standing our ground and making a seat for ourselves and not letting opportunities get taken away we’re automatically paving the way for other women and closing that gap
Investing in industries that and sectors that typically draw more women. Not in a stereotypical manner but demographic wise, I was in the fashion business world which is not a space many older men in finance always want to invest in. he beauty industry for example, having a female VC invest is much more appealing than men. Looking to niche spaces and cultivating opportunities that will also reflect a brand better closes the gap of opportunity.
One of the greatest pieces of advice a VC mentor told me was to watch out for uncoachable founders. Such founders could be to the detriment of the fund if they are litigious and do not adhere to the advice of board or venture partners. My mentor suffered a $150 million lawsuit at the hands of an arrogant know-it-all entrepreneur. Ensuring you’re coachable and malleable for any up and coming VC regardless or gender or race is important, you’ll have more opportunity than someone who is bull headed or not nimble
Shifting the discourse of what it means culturally to be a VC is part of that and through articles like this and stories like mine that happens at a cultural and societal level.
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 was told “no” several times when I first entered the world of venture capital. Telling me no was essentially seen as an invitation for a challenge. My resilience was built through the tumultuous life of an entrepreneur and I forged ahead with grit building my career from the ground up to being the top 1% in VC as an Asian female partner in VC. As the VC ecosystem is largely white and male, my passion lies in creating an outsized impact on this world by breaking barriers to spur future women and diverse venture dreamers.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
What expertise do you bring to the table when you enter a room? What knowledge am I sharing and lead with that. I am the token Asian woman in the room. It’s about what value am I adding to the table?
Business is about building trust and establishing relationships. It’s not about what a person can be for me. Don’t assume anything.
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 see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Serena Williams is the epitome of a powerful black woman shattering records and revolutionizing women’s tennis. As the highest paid female athlete and the only woman on Forbes’ “100 highest paid athletes”, Serena also smashed records in VC where we have a shared mission to invest and empower women and diverse founders. She has championed a portfolio similar to my interest in e-commerce, health, food, and fashion. Our synergies work together and would love to ace our way through the male-dominated venture industry. She leaves a lasting legacy that women can do it all.
This was really meaningful! Thank you so much for your time.
A clear trend is traveling in tight-knit pods of close family members and friends so we can take trips that allow us to stay somewhat socially distanced, together. This bodes very well for the RV and rental home markets but has also pushed prices way up, and made reservations highly competitive. I expect that companies that help travelers create these types of intimate group experiences will do quite well.
As part of my series about “developments in the travel industry over the next five years”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mark Petersen, Arvie Founder & CEO.
Mark Petersen is an avid RV enthusiast, camp travel expert and business veteran with a substantial background in both the Fortune 500 corporate world and in private business ownership. Mark currently resides in Charlotte, NC with his wife Julie who are reinventing their new lives as “empty nesters” now that their kids are off at college.
Mark has been an avid camper since he was ten years old and has visited campgrounds of nearly every type and description all across the US. Mark is so passionate about RV camping that he spent the past two years developing Arvie, launching in fall 2021. Arvie is a game-changing new service platform that allows campers to find, compare, and book campsites far faster and easier than ever before possible — even in parks that were previously reported as being “Sold Out”.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I’ve been a camper, in some form or another, since I was ten years old. The sheer ability to get away from it all and enjoy nature has always been a key contributor to my overall happiness as well as my success as an entrepreneur.
As I immersed myself in the RV camping lifestyle, I quickly grew frustrated with the outdated and tedious “looking and booking” processes that came with it. That’s when I became passionate about finding a better way to find and book campsites. I spent the past few years researching and developing a new kind of service that gives RV enthusiasts back their precious time to enjoy the truly great parts of the RV lifestyle.
The result was Arvie — a breakthrough campsite search engine and booking platform that allows campers to search and instantly book hard-to-find campsites, particularly last-minute cancellations, from one centralized interface. With Arvie, I wanted to selfishly solve a personal problem, but in a way that could help others as well.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
That would have to be how the 2020 Covid shutdown directly led me to finally pursuing my obsession with a research file I had been compiling for a few years. I called it “Kamp Beacon” at the time. The core problem that I wanted to address was (and remains):
“Why is it so much harder to find an available campsite than a hotel room or private rental unit?!”
So I decided to contact a few friends in the tech and legal circles and dig into how this all might work. And once I got going, I just didn’t stop. We’re now a team of nearly twenty brilliant folks all playing different key roles in bringing Arvie to life. It’s an interesting time to be building something with a remote team, most of whom I’ve never actually met in person yet we all feel a true sense of camaraderie and purpose that connects us all. I would even call a few of them my true friends now.
Arvie will definitely be a testament to the power of Zoom, Slack and a few other online collaboration tools. Even just looking back a few years ago, I don’t see how this particular startup could have been conceived, built and launched in a completely decentralized environment. It truly is a great time to be an entrepreneur — especially one who is frequently on the road and off to the next campground.
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?
The funniest probably won’t make it to print, so I’ll go with a close runner-up.
It’s 1991. I’m twenty-three and four months into my first job as a commercial insurance sales rep. I leave very early Tuesday morning for a three-day trip that kicks off with an important breakfast meeting with a potential new client. I feel like I crush the meeting but get a strange vibe during my presentation. Then, I’m off to another appointment with someone else I’m meeting for the first time. I had to sit in the fairly crowded waiting room for ten minutes or so for that one and was surprised there wasn’t much of the usual light chat about the weather going on.
Then off to lunch with another client and I recall thinking that the waiter may have been looking at me a bit oddly. Later, I meet with Shirley, an existing client whom I know well and have a great rapport with and she asks about my big meeting that morning. As I start to answer, I cross my legs in the chair across from her desk, at which point I can tell something is wrong. She gazes down and across her desk, then at me. Two or three times she repeats this. It’s an agonizingly long moment of total confused silence right until she explodes into laughter as she points out my shoes are obviously mismatched — one black and one cordovan.
To this day, I still feel that the veteran sales rep who strongly advised me to keep business travel simple by owning “two identical belts and two identical pairs of shoes; one black, one cordovan” could have done a better job of discussing the potential pitfalls of that particular wardrobe strategy. Thanks a lot, Peter Mace.
The lessons learned were: (1) The devil is always in the details and (2) You better be able to laugh at yourself sometimes.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”? Can you share a story about that?
For me, this one always comes back to a combination of family and nature. Those are my two sure-fire ways to get to a better place mentally when I’m too stressed out. I’ve also started meditating regularly in the last two years, which has been a huge help for both stress relief and focus.
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?
This is an easy one. My wife Julie has hands down been my rock and inspiration for most of my professional career. She made the difficult decision to give up her own successful career when we started our family, and although I’ve not taken the most traditional career path, she has always believed in me and supported the choices I’ve made even when some may have seemed crazy to most outsiders. That journey has included moving away from places she loved, and to some places, she didn’t. But through it all, she has been the one to keep our family together regardless of where my career path took us all.
As brand new empty-nesters, we now spend a lot of time traveling in our RV to our favorite places together. After decades of me being away on business and the circus that is raising two incredible kids, we weren’t exactly sure what to expect but we both fell in love with being out on the road together, and are closer than ever now.
Thank you for that. Let’s jump to the core of our discussion. Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the travel and hospitality industries?
In the camping industry, there has never been a seamless way to search and book spots at campgrounds, across multiple booking platforms, in one centralized place — until Arvie. Our incredible team has developed the first-ever multi-platform online travel service dedicated to giving RV campers their best shot to get the spot. Together, we have created the ability to quickly search, then instantly book with just a single click at nearly 6,000 campgrounds in the US, including most State and National Parks.
Arvie’s breakthrough search engine technology, combined with our team of back-end agents, work together to help you find, compare and book the best campsite for your specific needs in lightning-fast time.
Arvie’s Sold Out Search feature can even find and book freshly canceled reservations at popular campgrounds that often require months of pre-planning to reserve.
Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing this innovation?
The camping community has long been grossly under-served in its ability to efficiently find, compare and book great campsites. Existing options are unnecessarily more complex, frustrating and time-consuming than the seamless way we find and book a hotel room or private rental unit. There isn’t currently a comparable hospitality search and booking solution such as Orbitz, Airbnb, or Travelocity that caters to campers.
The primary reason for this service gap is that — unlike for Hotels, Airlines, and short-term rental properties — the camping industry has no centralized place where campgrounds can send and share their real-time availability to prospective campers.
The reality is that campers can literally be required to go to 10–15 different campground websites just to find and book one great campsite. Additionally, the various booking platforms used by the campgrounds often have their own complex check-out processes to complete.
Antiquated booking platforms coupled with the pandemic-fueled surge in camping have made finding and reserving campsites more challenging than ever before. With Arvie, you can check real-time availability for your dates and equipment type at nearly 6,000 campgrounds across the US, and then instantly “One-Click Book” your spot.
The other pain point we’re addressing is what we call the “Sold Out Blues”. It’s so common these days for campgrounds to be completely sold out, but at the same time, almost every campground receives several cancellations daily. Those cancellations become available for a brief period of time until some lucky person, with the exact right timing, swoops in to book them. Sold Out Search is designed to reduce the luck component and give you your best shot to get the spot every time.
How do you envision that this might disrupt the status quo?
One of the things I love most about Arvie is that we’re not replacing anyone else out there who is also trying to serve campers but we are disrupting the campsite booking process to make campers’ lives easier. In fact, Arvie is essentially a free customer referral service to campgrounds and the online booking platforms they use because Arvie helps keep their listed properties booked, without any fee to them.
Our mission is simply to make all those disconnected pieces work better together and in one place for the camper.
To make that possible, Arvie is introducing three revolutionary innovations campers have never had access to before.
Real-time Availability Search. For nearly 6,000 campgrounds across multiple booking platforms, presented to our members in a simple, but powerful user interface.
“One-Click Booking.” This first-of-its-kind feature simplifies and speeds up the booking process by doing just what the name says it does. Plus, we never charge a booking fee. Arvie Members always pay the exact same price they would have paid directly on that campground’s website including membership discounts like Good Sam and AAA.
“Sold Out Search with Insta-Book” will search for last-minute cancellations if your preferred location is sold out. Then either notify you or swoop in and immediately book it for you with our exclusive Insta-Book option, even while you sleep.
As you know, COVID19 changed the world as we know it. Can you share 5 examples of how travel and hospitality companies will be adjusting over the next five years to the new ways that consumers will prefer to travel?
A clear trend is traveling in tight-knit pods of close family members and friends so we can take trips that allow us to stay somewhat socially distanced, together. This bodes very well for the RV and rental home markets but has also pushed prices way up, and made reservations highly competitive. I expect that companies that help travelers create these types of intimate group experiences will do quite well.
Road trips are more popular than ever because they don’t require traveling with large groups on flights or cruises that can pose obvious health threats. Travel restrictions are also in constant flux so many are opting for trip alternatives that bring peace of mind such as exploring their own backyards or destinations that are only a drive away. This fear of crowds has also created widespread vacancies in hotels and an increase in short-term rental and outdoor lodging bookings which I predict will be a preferred option for many.
With the ever-evolving pandemic restrictions, travelers are starting to seek expert guidance to avoid time and money lost on their next trip. Travel agents and concierges are now in high demand for their guidance on fluctuating travel policies. We’ve all learned that plans can quickly change so having an expert on your side to coordinate unexpected curveballs is becoming an invaluable service.
Certainly, the facts point to outdoor events being far less transmissive of the virus compared to indoor events, so I expect hotels, restaurants, and other venues to leverage existing outdoor space or construct these areas to accommodate this new expectation from customers.
Younger travelers are checking off their bucket list destinations earlier in life and exploring travel lifestyles typically reserved for retirement years. For instance, a recent RV Industry Association study found that 18-to-34-year-olds now make up 22 percent of the market. This signals that more traditional travel companies and destinations need to start catering to the younger crowd.
You are a “travel insider”. How would you describe your “perfect vacation experience”?
My travel style is somewhere between planned and spontaneous. For me, I love loading up the RV with my golf clubs, hooking up the Jeep, and taking off toward a beautiful rental home on a mountain, lake, or beach with a reservation that starts about 5 or 6 days before the day we take off. From there, I let the weather, traffic, sights and mood guide me to my destination, however that plays out. I’ve been using Arvie lately to help me successfully pull this type of trip off smoothly.
Can you share with our readers how you have used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I grew up in Tampa, Florida during the latter years of George Steinbrenner’s life. His generosity was legendary, but he was also adamant that truly charitable acts are those in which you seek no attention or return, other than what your heart gives you.
That said, I do have one remarkable charity that I helped found and remain an active board member called Matthew’s Helping Hands which serves families who deal with the unique challenges of raising a child with Autism and other severe developmental issues. I also tend to support the heartfelt efforts of others who are trying to impact the world positively. Generally speaking, I look for opportunities to help others who are trying hard to live the best life they can but got saddled with an unfair circumstance for whatever reason.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I think if more people who have experienced success in business and life made a committed effort to mentor and support other young entrepreneurs, we could not only enrich young lives, but also motivate and empower them to solve real world problems in the future. I regularly mentor two young entrepreneurs, and it’s something I’m very passionate about. As a big believer in Karma, I try to help others avoid making the same mistakes I’ve already made and learned from. I also try to help them develop critical thinking and emotional intelligence skills as a way to be prepared to make the difficult decisions all entrepreneurs must face; particularly in the face of uncertainty and ambiguity.
Christina Ross of Silverfrog Marketing: Five Ways To Leverage Instagram To Dramatically Improve Your Business
An Interview with Candice Georgiadis
In my experience, Instagram is stronger for E-Commerce brands but still absolutely works for any business as long as your customers are also on Instagram. For example, if you are selling knee braces for older people, you probably wouldn’t go to Instagram because older generations don’t shop that way. TV is still king for certain Direct Response brands.
Christina Ross is the President and Marketing Director at Silver Frog Marketing and loves helping businesses with their creative design and overall marketing efforts. She has spent the majority of her career in the marketing industry, gaining experiences in areas such as website design, social media marketing, TV/Radio broadcast and Google marketing.
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 actually began my career in the Franchise Industry. Throughout my 20’s I watched a larger National Franchisor rise and then fall, ending in bankruptcy and all of the employees losing their jobs, including me. This really opened my eyes in terms of running a company the right way, and simply doing things the right way from the beginning. Over the next decade of my life I got very good at building websites for different ideas I had, and then started helping fellow friends and family with their websites and overall marketing ideas. In 2015 I created Silver Frog Marketing, which was really just websites, email campaigns and light PPC campaigns in the beginning. Through all of this I have developed our core digital marketing package that includes everything a business needs for their marketing, like a new website, proper SEO, a cohesive email campaign and social media posting. Ultimately what got me here is a burning desire to help out small business owners and a strong desire to build and grow a company correctly.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?
I have been able to meet the most amazing people but by far the most interesting things are the silly businesses or ideas that people want to advertise for. We had this one lady whose dog needed about $1,000 in vet treatments, and she was so upset by this that she wanted to air a commercial on her local radio station blasting this vet for overcharging. When we asked her what her ad budget was, she said $1,000! Why not just spend that money on your dog we asked? She never became a client. Ha! Another interesting one was this one call of a guy who was running for political office and he wanted our help in airing his spots on tv and radio. Ok, great, we can do that. Well, we got about 10 minutes into the conversation before we asked this guy what political office he was running for, you know; mayor, representative, even president. Nope, this guy was on a mission to become the King of the United States of America! HA! We all went to lunch and had a nice laugh after that one.
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 never make mistakes! Haha, I’m kidding! Mistakes happen and are a big part of how you learn. Actually, when I was first getting started, I had a pretty straight forward website that needed to be updated, so I got the design done and once I moved it over to the live URL, I accidentally messed up their email servers. They stopped getting emails and started getting a bit worried. Luckily it wasn’t hard to fix, they are still a client and I definitely never made that mistake again!
Ok. Let’s now move to the main focus of our discussion. For the benefit of our readers, can you explain why you are an authority about Social Media Marketing?
I have been planning, placing, and optimizing social media marketing campaigns for over 10 years now! I’ve seen so many changes and new platforms come and go. Each industry is a little different in terms of where your customers are, but I highly recommend setting aside some ad budget for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and even LinkedIn. Your customers are most likely using these social platforms, so, you should be too.
Which social media platform have you found to be most effective to use to increase business revenues? Can you share a story from your experience?
In my experience, Facebook is my go to for increasing business revenues. Facebook, as with the others, have really great targeting abilities so as long as I know who your customers are, I know I can reach them this way. We have a Dental Clinic client who was only doing minimal Google PPC when he first called us. We put together a marketing strategy that reduced his Google and added in Facebook, he was blown away by the results. He was reaching people that he never would have just on Google alone.
Let’s talk about Instagram specifically, now. Can you share five ways to leverage Instagram to dramatically improve your business? Please share a story or example for each.
In my experience, Instagram is stronger for E-Commerce brands but still absolutely works for any business as long as your customers are also on Instagram. For example, if you are selling knee braces for older people, you probably wouldn’t go to Instagram because older generations don’t shop that way. TV is still king for certain Direct Response brands. Now, let’s talk about Instagram for the E-Commerce client.
Here are 5 things to keep in mind with Facebook/Instagram to help build your business brand:
Be active and Tell a story
Plan out your posts
Post Quality Content
Follow similar High Quality Accounts
Embed your Instagram Feed on your website
Because of the position that you are in, you are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
If I could join a movement and make a difference, I would aggressively address the homeless and near homeless issues in this country. I would start the conversations with larger Real Estate Developers, City Planning committees and community service committees to reallocate existing vacant buildings, malls and warehouses into short term housing to help many people in hard situations. There is a vicious catch 22 that affects too many good, hard working people, where they can’t find a job because they don’t have a home and they can’t get a home because they don’t have a job. Some people just need a little bit of help. In addition to helping with housing, I would also make sure counselors are available to help on that level as well.
Some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
Marc Cuban or Josh Nelson
Thank you so much for these great insights. This was very enlightening!
Find examples of people who have done or who are doing what you want to do and remember that you are just as capable as they are. Finding artists like Allison who were making bold, authentic art and selling their work and using their art for good helped me to stay encouraged that I could do that, too.
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 Stephanie Kirkland.
Stephanie is an abstract and landscape artist creating paintings inspired by the outdoors. Her work is inspired by the many miles that she has spent hiking in remote parts of the globe. Like hiking, her paintings are created from a practice of grounding in the present moment, releasing control, and savoring the journey. Stephanie is also the host of the podcast, Artful Gatherings, which is a series of fireside chats connecting strangers across the globe through raw and heartfelt conversation.
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 grew up on the outskirts of New Orleans. When I wasn’t outside, I was creating — drawing, painting, making “books.” I studied English and art in college, but I never thought art could sustain me in any substantial way, so after graduating, I pursued the commercial route. I used my creativity and communications skills to earn a living helping other organizations achieve their goals until one day I thought, “Why not use my creativity to implement my own vision?” And from there, my art business was born. My business has grown steadily since I began selling art in 2017, and nowadays I send my art all across the country, breathing hope and possibility into people’s homes through my paintings.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?
Yes, I actually just started a podcast! It’s called Artful Gatherings, and it’s meant to foster community and connection through inspirational interviews with people living boldly and against the grain. I make art for similar reasons — to inspire boldness and authenticity, to foster connection, to capture human experience and show others they’re not alone. A podcast seemed like a great way to share those same messages through a different, more conversational medium. I hope the podcast helps people to think differently and bigger about what’s possible for them and their life, and I hope it gives people the courage and drive to go after their wildest dreams.
In your opinion, what do you think makes your company or organization stand out from the crowd?
Two things make me stand out as an artist. First, my paintings aren’t just visual replicas. They are created to capture feelings and experience, which is important because it allows my art to connect deeply with people rather than just being “pretty.”
The second thing that makes me stand out is that my art practice is deeply rooted in social issues and social justice. Art’s importance really struck me during a year in which I taught high school in a Title I school in rural Alabama. My school didn’t have art programs because it couldn’t afford them, which is such a shame considering how powerful and impactful art is. As an artist, I’m conscious of using my platform and resources to combat issues of inequity such as this, and I’m excited about growing my impact as my business grows.
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 I first started exploring the idea of taking my art seriously and selling it, so many people said that I couldn’t do it. They said that artists don’t make money, or if they do, artists only make money after they’re dead, or artists only make money selling work that is easily recognizable or consumable. They said you can’t make money creating what you love — which in my case was bold, outdoor-inspired abstract paintings.
I overcame those doubts by returning to my “why.” I was interested in making art not just to make money or to do something easy. I wanted to make authentic art because I believed in its power, and I wanted to have a really big and meaningful impact. Creating artwork that I loved, no matter how much money it made, was a no-brainer. Why bother making art otherwise?
In the end, how were all the naysayers proven wrong? 🙂
I have always created my paintings from the heart, and my revenue has grown every year. In fact, most years my revenue has doubled. I think it just shows that when you share something with authenticity, people respond to that, and your success is inevitable. You just have to be patient and realize that most successes don’t happen overnight.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
There are so many people who I’m grateful for, but the person who immediately comes to mind is my mentor and fellow artist Allison James. Allison is so encouraging and full of empowering advice, and she really showed me that I can carve my own path and that my path will look different than everyone else’s — which is true for all of us. It was Allison who gave me the final push to blend my love of painting and writing by launching a podcast. As she says, if something lights you up, do it. That excitement is a sign that you’re meant to pursue it.
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?
For better or worse, I have always been extremely stubborn and strong-willed, so there have been many times that I staunchly pursued something which led me to fall on my face, literally and figuratively. I think those experiences taught me that falling down isn’t so bad. At least you tried. You can always get back up, and the fall usually teaches you something, which can help inform what you do next and help you succeed the next time.
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)
Find examples of people who have done or who are doing what you want to do and remember that you are just as capable as they are. Finding artists like Allison who were making bold, authentic art and selling their work and using their art for good helped me to stay encouraged that I could do that, too.
Feel the fear and do it anyway. Many people think that fear eventually goes away, but it doesn’t. You can be scared and ready to do something at the same time. I was scared when I started my business. I was scared when I shared my first painting. I was scared when I accepted my first commission. I was scared when I created my first mural. I was scared when I conducted my first podcast interview. But I did those things anyway and grew as a result.
Pretend to have the confidence of someone famous who you admire. For example, when I’m nervous or not sure how something is going to work out, I imagine that I’m Beyoncé. How would she think? Act? Talk? And I try to behave with that kind of unshakeable confidence. I’ve found that so many doors open for you when you approach them from that kind of contagious energy.
Focus on the next right step rather than everything you need to do to reach your end-goal. When I’m planning a mural, for example, I might decide on a color palette or I might develop a design or buy the paint. Those things are much easier and more manageable than something like “paint a 60-foot mural,” which can feel overwhelming. Always break down the bigger goals into smaller, more manageable tasks.
Look back and marvel at what all we’ve accomplished through history. We’ve sailed across the world. We’ve been to the moon. We’ve cured polio. We’ve climbed Everest. We’ve learned how to predict volcanos and withstand hurricane-force winds. Nothing is impossible! Anything you want to accomplish is within your reach.
What is your favorite quote or personal philosophy that relates to the concept of resilience?
I have always loved Teddy Roosevelt’s “man in the arena” quote: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”
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 create beautiful and one-of-a-kind dining experiences that bring together people of all ages, races, incomes, beliefs, and backgrounds to share their experiences, struggles, and dreams over dinner. There are few things that connect people and put people at ease like a nice meal, and I think that kind of environment would foster empathy and understanding that would benefit all of humanity.
Can our readers follow you on social media?
Yes! You can find me most frequently on Instagram at @stephaniekirklandart. I also send monthly studio letters via email, which you can sign up for on my website at stephaniekirklandart.com. And of course, you can listen to the Artful Gatherings podcast on Spotify or your favorite podcast platform!
Photos by Jinny K Photo
Thank you for these great stories. We wish you only continued success!
