Category: Featured

Female Founders: Michelle Bove of DesignCase On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a…

Female Founders: Michelle Bove of DesignCase On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Allow yourself to pivot , expand, retract, etc. — A business is a living organism. The industry atmosphere changes, the office dynamic changes, and so on. Allowing space to be nimble is important. Don’t get stuck in “the way we do things”; make your way flexible with the company’s core values as your foundation.

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

Michelle built DesignCase with 15 years of experience at her back, scores of awards, and a mission to push clients to think beyond the property line. Her firm works with real estate developers, government organizations, and businesses to identify what and how they will contribute to the communities they are in, with a unique look at the return on investment for both client and community.

Warmth, collaboration, and thoughtful human-centered design are the common threads that connect Michelle’s 100 plus hospitality projects to her work with non-profits and social impact organizations. Her full-service design firm focuses on architecture, interior design, and impact design as both advocate and architect.

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?

As the child of a craftsman, carpenter, and builder, I saw things being created around me all of the time. I had access to a full woodshop for school projects which I thought was the coolest thing. How many kids got to use a drill press to make their third grade mobile project perfectly crafted? I can’t remember a time where I thought I would be anything other than an architect or engineer.

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

Meeting incredible people. Our clients are other founders (many being women), nonprofit change makers, and fearless dreamers. People are fascinating and hearing their stories about how they ended up where they are can be inspiring and idea generating.

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

One funny thing, like a dark comedy… I didn’t trust my gut on a particular client. I interviewed for a project, but knew that this client had worked with several other designers in the past. I asked all the right questions. Why are you looking for someone new? What failed with those relationships? In the end I was not satisfied with the answers, but took the project anyway. The way this project blew up with a comedy of errors. It was the perfect lesson and reminder to always trust my gut, even when the money looks good and/or is needed. It isn’t worth the stress.

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 truly cannot identify one single person, but can think of many. My network was really helpful; willing to listen, help, and support. From contractors to fellow designers and former professors, they all gave me valuable advice and still do. Everyday brings new challenges, having these folks in my corner gives me the strength to succeed.

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?

Certainly if a woman wants a family, the worry about progressing your career and family at the same time can be a huge challenge. Women have to think ahead about timing, biologically and the business’ trajectory. To be honest, when I started my company I was single and at the time wasn’t sure family was something I would have the opportunity to have. Since I started DesignCase, I found my partner for life and am currently pregnant with my second child. Navigating maternity leave and a growing business isn’t easy, but having a supportive partner is paramount to my success. We have found a balance that allows us both to follow our desired career paths, with minimal outside (non-family) help.

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?

The government can project direct help with child care in the form of monthly payments. So often families have to decide whether or not it is worth the money for both parents to work. And if it is not, typically the parent with the fuller pay check opts to keep their job and often leaves many women at home. As individuals, women, we can do better allowing ourselves to want multiple things and articulating those desires to our partners. But again, that doesn’t make it easy.

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

I love working with other women for one important distinction, the ability women have to be empathetic, strong, and organized. Women often have a greater ability to see an employee or client as a whole person and not just for what they are here to do. There are various dynamics to people and fully understanding your staff and your clients can only help create a greater more successful team.

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

It does not mean you will be a millionaire in 5 years or less. More likely not. While some of us may find that lighting in a bottle, for others it will often take years of blood, sweat, and tears to get to a financial place that is more than just comfortable.
Being a founder equals total freedom. Read: you are the boss. True, but not really. Early in the process you will find that you now have many bosses. Clients, employees, and in some cases even your consultants. Each of these individuals need things from you on timelines in order to do their jobs well. So it is a lot of work, but finding the work/life balance you want early on and sticking to it can truly help.

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?

As a founder, you won’t just work on your craft or main mission; at least at first. You will learn about business taxes, payroll, invoicing, insurance, etc. If that kind of thing turns you away from wanting to be your own boss, it might not be for you, unless you have the funding to pay others to do all of that underbelly work for you right from the beginning. Additionally, you must be willing to take responsibility for the whole business. If an employee makes a mistake, it is also your mistake and your responsibility to fix it and make sure it never happens again. All quality of business falls back to you as the founder.

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.)

1 — Do it for your own reasons and no one else.

Don’t create something to prove to someone else that you are successful. Do it, because you see no other way to meet your goals and desires in your career. If you wake up each day wanting it, you know it is for you!

2 — Set work and/or home boundaries that work for you; not the industry as a whole

Do you want to work from home? Do it. Do you need an office? Get one. Find the space for you to be efficient in your work. But always remember to build in time for your family, friends and yourself and stick with it. If you start the balance early and stick to it; it will become your normal and prove to your staff that you honor and value life beyond work.

3 — Know your worth and be willing to walk away from a client/ project that doesn’t want to pay you what you are worth.

You will sometimes hear from clients that don’t want to pay you what you are worth. They will say things like “this is incredible for your portfolio” or “we are going to do so many of these”. Don’t take the bait. If they believe they will be a success, they should want to include experts on their team. Which means paying for an expert, not an intern.

4 — Write or rewrite the rules so they work for you, but don’t shun history and what has proven to work for others.

When starting, look at the history of your industry to find the successes and failures in how the industry works and then build the rules that will allow you to thrive. Don’t do things differently for difference sake, but because it will bring value to your company.

5 — Allow yourself to pivot , expand, retract, etc.

A business is a living organism. The industry atmosphere changes, the office dynamic changes, and so on. Allowing space to be nimble is important. Don’t get stuck in “the way we do things”; make your way flexible with the company’s core values as your foundation.

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

The mission of creating DesignCase was to Think Beyond the Property Line. To me that meant taking on clients that have a mission beyond their four walls and knowing that they impact their direct communities. It has also meant that we take on Pro Bono projects every year to help nonprofit and artist based organizations thrive and excel. And lastly, sharing our profits with non profit organizations in our community.

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

I want businesses to realize they don’t need to wait until they are massively profitable to help others. Whether it is in-kind donations, monetary donations or even pro bono services. It’s incredibly important to help each other in this rapidly changing world; kindness, empathy and respect should be the cornerstone of every business.

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.

Resse Witherspoon. Her mission to build Hello Sunshine to generate content by and for women has been a huge success. More importantly, she did it for her reasons; seeing the gap in the industry and waking up realizing she had the power to make that change she wanted to see.

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

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

Female Founders: Lana Meduric of Abacaxi Keeni On The Five Things You Need To Thrive & Succeed As A…

Female Founders: Lana Meduric of Abacaxi Keeni On The Five Things You Need To Thrive & Succeed As A Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Passion. Passion will get rid of your low self-worth and will fill you up with confidence, as confidence increases the value for yourself and others around you. It wasn’t until I found my passion for swimwear that my confidence level increased, and I attracted other likeminded people into my life. When you’re passionate about something, there is some excitement your start to create but not just within you, but also those around you feel it and that’s just a win situation.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lana Meduric of Abacaxi Keeni.

Abacaxi Keeni swimwear was created in 2015 by founder Lana Meduric. Lana’s passion for entrepreneurship started at a young age and is now inspiring women all around the world to embrace their beautiful figures through Abacaxi Keeni swimwear.

Sure! I always like to start off with my cultural background and upbringing. Originally, I am from Croatia but grew up in Germany for many years. As a child I don’t remember having a lot of interests or hobbies per say, but one thing I can always remember, was that my pencils and papers were always all over my floor. I enjoyed drawing different things such as animals and different landscapes. Later in my teenage years I was more fascinated sketching trendy clothes I’d see on TV. I remember one fashion show with Gianni Versace back in the 90’s and all I can remember was, when his swimwear collection was presented. I looked at the models and I saw how freely and gracefully they’d move through the runway show. This moment absolutely affected me positively. I started sketching models in swimwear, only to find out that I was more interested in sketching the swimwear design itself. All this was just a hobby, but I wanted to take my hobby to the next level when it was time choosing what I will study in college. I wanted to study fashion, but that wasn’t happening as my parents didn’t believe fashion is an industry that they liked for me to be in, as they didn’t think it was respectable as studying law or medicine. Fast forward, I ended up not studying anything and just worked at some small boutiques to earn some income. My mother would always say that I was dreaming my life away as I’d always say that I will move and live in a tropical place surrounded by lots of palm trees and warm weather all year long. My longing for living in a tropical place became reality. Miami has been home to me for 14 years now. Throughout many hurtles I managed to stay and work myself up. Almost like movie story, I cleaned homes to make an income then slowly worked myself up earning different business degrees and ultimately had a high paying career in a corporate world. I was very miserable in my career and the number of times I wanted to quit were endless but didn’t have the courage.

Until the year 2020 arrived. Just like many others, I was affected by the epidemic and got laid off. When I tell you the amount of relieve, I experienced in just a matter of seconds after I was told that my job was letting me go. It was a big relieve! A sense of happiness reached my nervous system, and I was just calm and collective at the same time. I knew something huge is coming my way (intuitive) and I just need to surrender and accept in a time with many uncertainties. One thing to note, throughout my years working in corporate, I never gave up the love of sketching swimwear and even designing new styles. I even connected with a swimwear manufacturer during mt Colombia travels back in 2017. I told him about my passion I had for swimwear, and he offered me his help to create my dream swimwear collection whenever I felt ready. I was ready to start creating my brand back in 2019 and contacted him. We worked many months together, so he’d understand my vision. Fast forward to 2020, about two weeks later after I was let go of my job, my mass production of swimwear arrived. I was speechless yet knew this was the sign from the Universe telling me I am on the right path, as this was the beginning of my swimwear brand Abacaxi Keeni.

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

When I started my brand last year in the middle of the pandemic, my main goal was to reach as many women as possible in order make sales. I’d say for the first 8 months I barely sold anything. At some point I became impatient thinking creating accounts on different social media platforms, and owning a decent website, sales will magically appear. Wrong! I had to switch up my brand awareness approach and more importantly my mindset. My whole mindset was set up wrong. I knew I had to change my overall approach towards my business. I was desperate and this desperate energy didn’t attract anything positive towards my business. I had to switch my mindset from “I have to make X- amount of money by a certain amount of time (desperate energy), to “I like to connect with women on a personal level (grounded energy). I started reaching out to different event organizations throughout Miami, sharing my idea to participate as a vendor in different events. I connected with different women owned businesses to see if they were open to collaborate with me. I created different small events showing my swimwear on all types of models prior to Miami Swim Week (biggest swimwear fashion show in the world).

From April to July, I participated on a weekly basis at different pop-up events, music fests, bar and restaurant openings. The amount of exposure I gained for my brand was positively overwhelming. I met a great number of women who not only became my customer but also my biggest cheerleaders. So many different doors started opening. I was invited to participate in swim week as an emerging designer, different collaboration opportunities came my way, the brand was featured in two online magazines and one store in Miami decided to buy some of my bikinis and sell them in their store. Changing my mindset and opening my mind up for a more intimidate approach towards women was game changing. Brand awareness presents itself in different ways, after all, consumers want to be aware of the brand before they can decide they’d like to become a customer. The best way to reach this for me and my brand was through connecting with women one on 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?

It is not a funny mistake, but it is a silly mistake that I like to share. I was in the process of switching manufacturers as my previous manufacturer didn’t work out. The process of finding a new manufacturer was very time consuming and nerve racking as I needed my sample pieces for my new collection to be ready for my show in swim week. I connected with a manufacturer in Turkey. We spoke for a couple of weeks via email and several zoom calls to discuss all formalities. I felt confident with his knowledge and answers he provided to me throughout the whole process.

I provided him with my sketches and tech pecks for him to calculate the time to complete the samples. In the end, I had to send over the most valuable thing, which is my artwork that is used to create all the prints for my swimwear. I trusted him and didn’t create an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) to protect my artwork. Once I sent the artwork via high resolution file, I never heard back from the manufacturer. After weeks of trying to reach him, and being in angry, I stopped, and accepted the fact that my artwork was stolen and now being used by someone else. This was a huge learning lesson. Building trust is important, but even with that trust you still must make sure to protect your product because in the end it’s a business. Despite everything I still had to ensure to find a manufacturer who was able to produce my samples which I did. I was able to find another manufacturer and presented my new sample collection at Mimi Swim Week on time.

Absolutely. The one and only person that I will mention here is Helem Milian. She is an angel that was sent from heaven, without her Abacaxi Keeni wouldn’t be where it is today. I was introduced to Helem many years ago by a mutual friend of us who thought that Helem would be a great fit to help me start with my brand in terms or marketing and photos. I showed Helem my Bikini sketches and colorful prints back in 2017, I expressed my vision and that this has been a lifelong dream of mine. She immediately asked if she can be part of it which surprised me as I just met her, but my intuition felt good about her and that’s when our journey began. Helem was the only person who took my idea serious and genuinely wanted to help bring this baby alive. The brand was launched back in 2020 and since then Helem has been my photographer, marketing director and Social Media specialist. Both of us developed a vision for this brand that absolutely aligned. Without Helem Abacaxi Keeni wouldn’t even be close to where it is today.

Fear of failure. How often have I heard women say, “I’m scared to start my own business”? “I don’t know if anyone will buy my product.” I am not a good salesperson.” What will my family/friends think?” All these questions are leading to one common thing: The fear of failure. Fear is a “survival emotion” which absolutely helps us avoid dangerous situation and that’s healthy. But this is not the fear I am talking about. The fear I am talking about that holds many women back is having a negative attitude towards failure. Failure doesn’t make us a bad person. To me, I see each of my failures as valuable life lessons that brought me to where I am now. My failures brought me confidence, a stronger mindset and more encouragement to do better next time. How? You may ask. By deciding to be down and feeling all of the sad emotions (I don’t believe in “numbing” sad emotions) for as long as needed, and then pick yourself up and don’t stay in those emotions by choosing another path or goal. People, family and friends will always judge, we can’t control their emotions or thoughts, so why lose sleep over it. Don’t get me wrong, failures will feel uncomfortable ad unpleasant, but they will help you open other opportunities, opportunities that will teach you new things in order to get closer to your next goals — whatever they maybe.

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?

As an individual, it is utmost important to educate yourself before entering the world of entrepreneurship, and before you let your self-sabotaging thoughts stop you before even starting. Do your research and don’t rush into this phase. You can get so much valuable information through the internet, social media, YouTube, Tik Tok etc. for free. You must invest in time. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a mentor, someone who is successful in the business you like to be in or similar, not only will you expand your neuropathway believe system, but you will receive so much knowledge and get introduced to other successful people that can give you great advise and even help you with funding your business. In the end you are the product of what you surround yourself with, so you might as well start surrounding yourself with people, who can help you with starting your entrepreneurship journey. Linked In is an excellent source to find a mentor. If you don’t have an account sign up it’s free! We should be more helpful towards women who are planning on becoming an entrepreneur. Successful Female entrepreneurs should invest or buy products of women owned businesses especially the once who are startups. That may not make a tremendous change in terms of sales but does certainly uplifts your confidence level. I can’t say it enough, but social media is a powerful way for reaching thousands of people, by sharing a post about a product or service of another woman owned business can be very successful. Supporting women through social media isn’t time consuming and the best of it’s free!

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?

By nature, we are mend to be leaders. The prefrontal cortex in our brain is by nature more active which leads to better decision making, collaborations and gives us a strong sense of empathy, and this alone is an absolute must have in a leadership position and in becoming a founder. We are so magic! Even Dalai Lama says in one of his beautiful quotes: The world needs leaders with compassion. That means the world need more female leaders. Biologically, females have more sensitivity about other’s wellbeing.

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

I have two myths within my personal experience that I like to dispel. When I first started my entrepreneur journey, everybody pointed out my age stating I am too old to start a brand. Hey, I am only 36 years young! The best time of my life is now, the best time for me to start this journey is now. Companies like Walmart, Twitter and many more were started by entrepreneurs well beyond their 30’s and older. I absolute believe that a greater success can be reached the older you get as an entrepreneur due to the life experiences and connections we gain as we get older. Don’t focus your attention on what is being glamorized currently on many social media platforms in terms of being young and starting your business — it’s never too late to start. Second myth: I must invent something new. Not true at all, in fact, inventing something totally new that doesn’t exist, is very challenging, time consuming and are at highest risk to fail as we as consumers may not be ready for it. Unlike with products or technology that already exists, like there are hundreds of different bikini brands, dating apps, bread products, email marketing software applications etc. Improve on an existing idea as the market already exists and sprinkle your own magic to it in order to make it different.

Absolutely not! Not everyone is made to become an entrepreneur / founder. I’d say from what I have learned throughout the years before becoming self-employed, it does require a special mindset and attitude to run your own business. Not everybody in the world has the personality and resources to do this either. Consistency, determination and a huge amount of patience are traits that not everybody has withing them. Those traits are not naturally in our DNA, it takes lots of work to acquire such traits and to consistently use those to get to your success level you desire. If everyone would be able to become a founder /entrepreneur than who would be able to provide us all services that require a person to work in a “regular job”? People in general tend to not like to take risks and that’s ok. Most people enjoy a fixed income, ten days of vacation each year, clock out at the end of the day and not worry about any work-related stuff until you clock back in the next day. I just never was this person, who is ok with anything “regular” I felt this itch of being self-employment for many years. I always took risks I’d say the biggest risk I took in my early twenties was to leave my country Croatia and my parent’s home to pursue a new life because I had a calling an intuitive ping. That was my first taste of risk, going into an unknown country and barely speaking the language, but I felt unstoppable and went for it. Interestingly, a recent study showed that, 25% of U.S. entrepreneurs are immigrants and 51% of U.S. startups valued at 1Billion or more have been founded by immigrants. I’m not surprised, as people like me leave their families and countries for a better opportunity, are faced by many obstacles and hardships which most often leads to success in the long run (level of success varies) as those same hardships and obstacles teach us to be more perseverance, a big component that is needed reaching success.

Passion. Passion will get rid of your low self-worth and will fill you up with confidence, as confidence increases the value for yourself and others around you. It wasn’t until I found my passion for swimwear that my confidence level increased, and I attracted other likeminded people into my life. When you’re passionate about something, there is some excitement your start to create but not just within you, but also those around you feel it and that’s just a win situation.
Education. It’s great to have a passion, but if you don’t invest time in educating yourself in how you like to make this passion successful, it will just stay a passion — which is fine if that is what you want. Be smart! I am not referring smart on an intellectual level but start understanding the process of starting your business as there are so many stages in building a business. In the end, it’s your business you are planning, so learn as much as you can and surround yourself with people who already have a successful business or are on the same entrepreneurial journey as you.
Money. Let’s not sugarcoat this subject. Money is an essential part of developing a business. In order to grow your passion, you must feed it. When I started my entrepreneur journey, I had ca. $15,000 in savings (not enough but enough to start). When I was let go of my corporate job in the middle of the pandemic, I didn’t panic as I knew I had enough savings to survive. In order to bring in more money, I left my apartment moved in with a roommate and sold my car. On top of all, I have been investing in my business for a couple of years before I started doing it fulltime. Now, I don’t mean you have to do the same, but having savings is crucial before you leave your save job to pursue your entrepreneur journey. Nobody ever told me how expensive it is to keep a business alive and for it to keep growing. This is not for you to get discouraged but for you to understand the importance of money and the financial side of it. The idea is to not go use all your credit cards and max them out. This will just create frustration because the money you spend won’t just come in next month nor the following months. Depending on what type of business it is you like to do, you may be eligible to apply for a loan. Depending on your credit history and your past employment history you may be able to apply for a micro loan. These types of loans will give you a maximum amount of $ 20,000 (that is why they are called micro loans the loan amount is tiny) and you can pay it back within 5 years. Be prepared to make a business plan. If you don’t like the idea of loans (like me) consider grants, which I did and I received a $10,000 grant. There are so many grant opportunities for women in business more than ever before! Money should never be the factor for you to not pursue your dream of becoming an entrepreneur. You want this to work, and you will do things that will make your business grow, such as taking a part time bridge job which helped me tremendously with paying all those fixed costs in my business. Make sure your bridge job aligns with your business as it can help you receive valuable lessons for your own business.
Consistency & Determination. There is no short cut or easy way to become a successful entrepreneur, if that would be the case than we’d see majority of people doing it. To master anything in life, it takes showing up and practicing consistently. I’d say by nature I always been consistent with things I pursued, which helps me now with building my business tremendously. This entrepreneur journey is testing my consistency and patience level on another level. Patience was never my strength, but I can tell you I turned it into my strength within one year of pursuing my business. Keep up the consistency level.
Support. It is a very important factor to succeed and thrive, just as with anything else in life, but more so when you start this entrepreneurial journey. The journey of entrepreneurship can get very lonely and frustrating, having a strong support system can uplift your spirit and make you keep pushing yourself to not give up when times get hard. I don’t have a support system. That is ok. My family doesn’t believe in my business, nor do they think I am capable of being an entrepreneur. Even close friends don’t think much about it and see it more as a hobby. Doesn’t feel great at all but then I kindly remind myself that I am doing this for myself and not to please others. This is my journey, and I am worthy enough to start pursuing my passion and turn it into something valuable. I am brave enough to walk a path in life that most people won’t, for that I am grateful for.

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

It was always very important to me to create a swimwear brand in an ethical way. Find a manufacturer who practices ethical working standards for its employees, and who can provide me with high quality fabrics that are ethically sourced and feel smooth on the skin. On top of that, it was utmost important for me to find Manufacturer who was able to use low impact dye (dye free from heavy metals) on the swimwear fabric, meaning no acids, formaldehyde or chemical finishes involved in the process of transferring the artwork into the fabric. without using harsh chemicals as those chemicals are damaging soil and biodiversity, which in the long run will destroy the fabric. After doing some lengthy research I found the perfect manufacturer who created my first collection. I believe we, not only as consumers but more so brands and manufacturers become more aware of the global environmental state we are in and its correlation to fashion. The fashion world is slowly waking up as more consumers want to know where their clothes come from, what material is used, what ethical process is used in the overall process of making clothes etc. My contribution and goal for this year toward taking a stronger part of slow fashion is to use 100% biodegradable fabrics for my second collection. This is a big and exciting step for me. Each step, no matter how small that step may be, is a step further bringing more awareness to the world’s clothing and textile industry and its responsibility towards mother earth.

Not sure if this is a movement but it is something I am currently creating. For many years I suffered from anxiety, and I was looking for a place in Miami to connect with other women that experience the same suffering in order to find healing together. Stil doesn’t exist to the level that I like to create now. I realized many of don’t want to talk about mental health as we get shamed for it and get categorized as crazy. Throughout the years, I found great healing through mindfulness such as meditation and breath work. I educated myself with the help of different therapy styles, books and visiting workshops about mental health. Everybody just talks about a healthy gut, heart, kidney, bladder (which is great) but what about a healthy brain? Your brain health should be your number one concerns when it comes to your overall health, as your brain controls everything, your thoughts, how you feel and act and how you get along with others. I like to create a safe space for women who are or are not suffering from anxiety or depression, and for women who just want to be heard and seen. In this circle I offer women to express themselves freely without facing any type of judgement of others and help with their healing journey through mindfulness. Additionally, I will be able to offer coaching sessions one on one (I am certified and have a degree in Psychology) for those who need more clarity and a deeper understanding. I can’t wait to build this circle in the end of September.

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

Female Founders: Lana Meduric of Abacaxi Keeni On The Five Things You Need To Thrive & Succeed As A… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Megan Joy Brynok on the Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s…

Women In Wellness: Megan Joy Brynok on the Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Breathe! So many of us are shallow breathing as we go through our days busy, stressed or on the go-go-go. This will put your body right into fight or flight mode and compromise our digestion, detox pathways, hormones, immune system, mitochondrial function and our entire nervous system. So stop and take deep breaths as often as you can. Whenever you catch yourself frantically running from one thing to the next, stop and just take 3–5 deep breaths in through your nose and out through your nose. Feel the sensations in your body. This can instantly bring you into a calmer state of mind and more relaxed.

As a part of my series about “5 Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve One’s Wellbeing”, I had the pleasure of interviewing a Functional Practitioner in women’s health and certified personal trainer, Megan Joy Brynok.

After a decade-long career in the Western Medicine Healthcare system as a Nursing Assistant, Ultrasound Tech and Lab Instructor, Megan decided to follow her heart and soul calling of becoming a Functional Practitioner in Women’s Health. She is also a sought after fitness expert and speaker in women’s health virtual summits, aspiring author, podcast host of “The Balanced Woman Podcast”, and creator of the comprehensive Self-Care system in her signature one-on-one program, SHE Code. With an extensive background in healthcare, three years as a fitness competitor and a long journey of her own health struggles, Megan is obsessed with helping women get to the root causes of their symptoms, eliminate stress and increase energy while building a balanced lifestyle they love.

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 story about how you first got involved in fitness and wellness?

Of course! I was always active as a young girl growing up, actually very much a ‘tom boy’. When I was 17 I got my second job at the tanning salon and gym facility right down the road from my highschool. This gave me the opportunity to create relationships with trainers and athletic coaches, and really create a love for fitness and lifting weights.

I continued to dabble into fitness for years, but in 2018 my husband deployed to the Middle East for an entire year and I wanted to dedicate my time to something productive. That’s how I found NPC bikini competitions, won my first show and I was hooked for three years! I also became a Certified Personal Trainer during that journey in 2018 while still working Full-time in healthcare, and opened my online fitness coaching business shortly after.

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

Oh wow! There’s so many… I’d have to say making the decision to walk away from my successful career in healthcare. I had a ‘guaranteed income’ of nearly 6 figures so it provided some financial security, but it was sucking the life out of me. I had my health coaching practice on the side that was hardly producing any income at the time. We just bought our house, and one morning I got ready for work, packed my lunch, sat at my kitchen island and said to myself “I just can’t do this anymore”. So, I woke my husband up and told him I know I sound crazy but I just know it’s going to work out. Something inside of me told me i’d be taken care of and to put my faith over my fear. It was scary and a little stressful if I thought about it for too long. But here i am 7 months later, happily ‘retired’ from conventional healthcare and I couldn’t be happier. Oh and the financial success is definitely a perk as well.

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?

For sure! Well I was training a friend at the gym, and we had just stopped our treadmills for a warm up jog. I hopped off to grab the towels for us to clean them, and somehow I didn’t turn the treadmill belt off completely because it started back up again. I wasn’t paying attention and I stepped right onto the belt, face planted and flew backwards. I can laugh about it now because I didn’t get hurt and at the time my ‘gym crush’ was there and I felt mortified. From then on out I never stepped onto the belt of a treadmill, always the sides where there’s no chance of that ever happening again!

Can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority in the fitness and wellness field? In your opinion, what is your unique contribution to the world of wellness?

I can sit here and tell you how much of a nerd I am about human health, biology, anatomy, physiology, fitness, nutrition and all of the things — or, that I love to learn and everytime I achieve one academic endeavor my husband and family will ask — what’s next? I can also sit here and talk about my degrees in science, all the letters after my name (CNA, CNS, CPT, RDMS, RVT, FDN-P), or the tons of crazy stories and situations I’ve been in throughout my career.

But in my opinion, being an authority comes from personal experience and true impact on others more than anything. Between caring for patients one-on-one in clinics and hospitals for years, competing in the NPC as a bikini competitor for three years, and experiencing struggles in my own health with total burnout, a miscarriage, Leaky gut, hormonal disruptions, autoimmunity and thyroid dysfunction — I know how much it means when someone listens, understands and is willing to help every step of the way.

My absolute favorite part of what I do is making people feel heard, understood and confident in our ability to work together to find the root causes of their symptoms and heal. So many of us feel frustrated, dismissed and discouraged in our ability to ever feel as energized, fulfilled and happy as we’re meant to.

I think that my unique contribution to the world of wellness is that as a Functional Practitioner I am not just running specialized tests and uncovering root causes of problems, but I am also empowering those who invest in themselves to completely transform their health inside and out. I love helping women with their mindset, time management, stress management and developing compassion and grace for themselves along the way. Building balance inside of the body and mind, as well as on the outside with their family, career, personal time and lifestyle is the most transformative.

I also believe that education is one of the biggest missing pieces for people to have confidence and conviction in their decisions. Part of my mission is to educate women to gain body literacy and understand how to work with their body, instead of against it which part of that is cycle syncing! It’s fun and incredibly empowering! It’s also important for people to have the knowledge of how to get well and live well forever, so that they can teach others to do the same.

If I’m being honest, there are so many incredible mentors and people who I am grateful for that have helped me achieve success in my career. My personal success is attributed to so many vulnerable, inspirational, and impactful thought leaders, many of which don’t even know I exist. I am so grateful to have access to social media, podcasts and books to receive the knowledge, inspiration and motivation that reminds me how capable and worthy I am. There’s so many outstanding humans who are out there sharing their stories from rags to riches, or from their death bed to achieving optimal health, or anything in between. It shows us that we all face adversity, but despite that, anything is possible for any of us, when we believe in ourselves.

And like so many other people, I always struggled with never feeling enough. Whether that was smart enough, pretty enough, strong enough or just straight up GOOD enough. But we have the power to choose what we consume. And I’m a firm believer that you are the sum of the five people you surround yourself with. So, if that means letting go of unsupportive or toxic people in your life for an inspiring book, podcast or course from a thought leader — do it. Invest in yourself. We all have the same 24 hours in a day and we are all choosing to invest our time, energy and money into things everyday. For me, I choose to invest in what’s going to require me to get uncomfortable and grow physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and financially.

The first time I invested in myself was hiring a certified personal trainer (Val) who made me feel like she was just as invested in my success as I was. That was in 2018, and ever since then I’ve hired 2 fitness coaches and 4 business coaches because I know that every single time I exchange the financial investment, it requires me to show up and level up to the next best version of myself. To be healthier, wiser, stronger, richer, etc. I was on a path to self-destruction with people-pleasing, partying, alcohol and an abusive relationship. Now, years later, I believe in filling my cup up first and trying to get it overflowing, so that I can show up as the absolute best version of myself for my loved ones, clients and anyone I connect with. I’m just so grateful for some of my favorite amazing thought leaders (Amanda Bucci, Tony Robbins, Angie Lee, Dr. Bruce Litpon, Dr. Joe Dispenza, Dr. Axe, Lori Harder, Dr. Hyman, Rebecca Cafiero, Brook Castillo, and honestly SO many more).

Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. We all know that it’s important to eat more vegetables, eat less sugar, exercise more, and get better sleep etc. But while we know it intellectually, it’s often difficult to put it into practice and make it a part of our daily habits. In your opinion what are the 3 main blockages that prevent us from taking the information that we all know, and integrating it into our lives?

Sure! So number one reason, and really the top reason that I’ve seen over the years is the all or nothing mentality. We make big promises to ourselves that we’re going to change, and that’s usually trying to change everything at once and go from 0–60 overnight. It’s important to understand that our brains don’t work like that. We have to set up micro goals that are aligned with the big goal and get the needle moving in the right direction. I call it habit stacking in my practice. Anytime you’re trying something new and your brain isn’t running off of its subconscious habits or routines, then it takes more mental bandwidth. Which is why after a few weeks, or a few days even, it often feels too hard and people resort back to old habits that may not be serving them.

I’d say the second reason that comes to mind is feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. Overwhelmed because there are so many resources out there that try to oversimplify yet overcomplicate health and wellness. Especially on social media. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had women and clients come to me and tell me they had no idea where to start because they don’t know what’s actually healthy for them or right for their body. And many times of us have been socially conditioned by society, Dr’s and social media that being healthy means being on diet or being restrictive for some reason…. Which leads me to my next block I always see…

Which is feeling as though we need to be restrictive or count calories. That’s a diet. And being healthy has nothing to do with a diet. It’s adopting the mentality of nourishing your body and focusing on the abundance of delicious whole foods that will promote optimal function and health… rather than focusing on what you ‘can’t’ have. I work with women every single day who have tried various approaches to diets that never last or felt too hard and they felt like a failure. But it’s not their fault. I think diet culture has a lot to do with our skewed perspective of what being healthy really is. You have to enjoy it and love it, which is exactly what I’m all about. But also having balance and knowing how to live your life guilt free as well.

Can you please share your “5 Non-Intuitive Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve One’s Wellbeing”? (Please share a story or an example for each, and feel free to share ideas for mental, emotional and physical health.)

Absolutely, I love this question.

1. Breathe! So many of us are shallow breathing as we go through our days busy, stressed or on the go-go-go. This will put your body right into fight or flight mode and compromise our digestion, detox pathways, hormones, immune system, mitochondrial function and our entire nervous system. So stop and take deep breaths as often as you can. Whenever you catch yourself frantically running from one thing to the next, stop and just take 3–5 deep breaths in through your nose and out through your nose. Feel the sensations in your body. This can instantly bring you into a calmer state of mind and more relaxed.

2. Endocrine disruptors! Get rid of them! There’s thousands of them in our everyday products — including plastics, receipts, personal care products and more. You don’t have to bubble wrap yourself, but this is something you don’t want to disregard. Your endocrine system is basically your hormone system and you don’t want this system disrupted. These toxins are a huge stressor that will wreak havoc on your systems!
I teach my clients to swap out 1–2 things at a time. When you run out of “x” then just replace it with “y”. Bye-bye harmful product, hello safe product for you and your family.

3. Sleep! We all know sleep is important but most of us aren’t getting enough of it. So I’d say prioritize bedtime and be consistent with it while being intentional about 7–8 hours of sleep. It’s also important to understand that many of us also struggle with getting to bed because of blue light from our cell phones, tvs and devices. This confuses our body and makes it think it’s daylight. So dim your lights and grab blue blockers, and I always say get off all electronics at least 1 hour before bed to honor your circadian rhythm.

4. Workout first thing in the morning. This is when your cortisol is highest, you’re able to burn the most fat and your body has the most energy. Make sure you eat something before a workout though. Fasted workouts truly do more harm than good. Working out first thing will also prevent us from letting our excuses get in the way later on in the day. If you workout in the morning, even for a quick 20–30 minutes you’ll feel way more naturally energized and ready to conquer your day.

5. Daily reflection and celebrating even the smallest wins. Sometimes the seemingly large gap between where we are and where we want to be can perpetuate negative thoughts. Instead, be sure to reflect every single day on at least one thing you did to move the needle forward in the right direction. Focus on all the things you did right, instead of dwelling on anything you did wrong.

As an expert, this might be obvious to you, but I think it would be instructive to articulate this for the public. Aside from weight loss, what are 3 benefits of daily exercise? Can you explain?

More natural energy! Exercise is proven to increase your energy levels, even for those who struggle with fatigue. Of course we want to honor our body and if we have significant fatigue focus on low intensity workouts that rejuvenate us. Exercise is a great natural energy booster!
Better moods! Exercise can make you happier and give you that post-workout high, which is why I think it’s an easy addiction. We get those endorphins flowing and these feel good chemicals make us happier, less stressed and less anxiety, which I think we can all use.
The power of goal setting! By committing to reaching an exercise goal and achieving it will help you build integrity with yourself. Doing what you say you’re going to do. This builds self-trust which is so important for innumerable reasons. You can enjoy the endless benefits of exercise plus the confidence that comes along with it. On the inside and the outside.

For someone who is looking to add exercise to their daily routine, which 3 exercises would you recommend that are absolutely critical?

Planks. There are so many benefits to this exercise including a stronger core, better balance and better posture. It’s a true test of your strength.
Push-ups. This is a great exercise that will also test your true strength abilities while also targeting your arms, back and core.
Squats. Body weight, dumbbell or barbell. Squats are a core compound movement that gives you strength in your glutes, hamstrings and quads. This is important to maintain appropriate posture as well. And of course, it will define and shape your backside to look great on those jeans!

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

I definitely have a few, but the most impactful was “Biology of Belief” by Dr. Bruce H Lipton. I listened to this on audible first, and I couldn’t stop pausing it, taking notes and sharing excitement about this book. It’s so aligned with my beliefs about our health, biology and mindset. It personally empowered me to understand the importance of stress management and prioritizing my mental health, as stress and anxiety create the chronic stress response in our systems that changes our blood chemistry and creates disease.

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

I love this question, and thank you for positioning it in such a positive way. I have a deep desire to create a movement in our education systems for young women, specifically in high schools to understand their bodies and health. As women in the reproductive age group, we have a biological clock nobody else has — our infradian rhythm. It’s important to understand the natural ebs and flows of our hormones and the different cycle phases because our bodies need different things in the different phases. This is life changing information that gives women so much empowerment and grace with themselves when they understand what’s going on with their body.

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

“May your choices reflect your hopes not your fears.” While this definitely reflects my life personally and professionally with clients, I think it applies to all areas of life. It speaks volumes of the power to trust yourself and don’t let those self limiting beliefs hold you back from what you really want to do in life. That you’re worthy and able.

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

I would absolutely love to have a private lunch or breakfast with Lori Harder. She’s been one of the biggest influences in my life through her podcast and social media. I love everything she stands for and her story of how she constantly overcame her trials and tribulations while finding success.

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

I love hanging out on Instagram @meganjoy_wellness , my Facebook page is Megan Joy Brynok, and I have a private Facebook group called Nourished and Balanced that any women who are interested in optimizing their health, getting free workshops and trainings while learning about their body can join us! Also my podcast “The Balanced Woman” is where we dig into things as well.

https://www.instagram.com/meganjoy_wellness/

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

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

Dr Sunni Lampasso: How To Thrive Despite Experiencing Impostor Syndrome

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Ground yourself with the facts. Irrational thoughts and beliefs can get in the way of acknowledging your successes. Remind yourself of the education or experience that brought you to where you are. Look at the work you have done (make a list) and ask others what they see. For example, write down your wins, such as completing a project or coming up with an idea that helped your team. Keeping a written list can help you focus on your accomplishments.

As a part of our series about how very accomplished leaders were able to succeed despite experiencing Imposter Syndrome, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Sunni Lampasso.

Dr. Sunni Lampasso is an Executive Coach and Consulting Psychologist. Using her background in psychology, she helps executives and business owners get to the root of what’s getting in the way of further success. Then, using an assessment process, Dr. Lampasso helps clients develop and implement a custom plan to maximize their potential and improve performance.

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

My journey in helping people started at the age of 10 when I saved my grandmother from drowning. When I was old enough to work, I decided to become a lifeguard because I enjoyed being able to help people, and I loved swimming. During this time, my curiosity about people and their behavior grew when I took an elective psychology class in high school. In college, I majored in psychology and decided that I wanted to become a Clinical Psychologist. As soon as I finished college, I enrolled in a doctorate program. Since graduating, I’ve worked with people of all ages through my clinical work, and I also gained valuable experience as a leader and starting my own business. My transition to executive coaching and consulting psychology comes from my own experience and has allowed me to help leaders and business owners to hone their skills and reach their full potential.

Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?

The most interesting story from my career is how I started my private practice. As a Clinical Psychologist, I had always planned to open a private practice at some point in my career. However, I had no formal business training, and I didn’t know anyone with a private practice who could act as a mentor. So when I started my business, I didn’t have a plan or know the right questions to ask. Instead, I learned through trial and error, which resulted in some costly mistakes. For example, I outsourced my billing without understanding the billing process and realized that I lost revenue after several months.

From this experience, I learned that having a business plan is imperative when you’re starting a business. In addition, seeking out a mentor (or several mentors) can be invaluable. In addition, working with an Executive Coach (which I did when starting my second business) can help you develop a roadmap for success and handle challenges as they arise.

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

I think that my company stands out for a few reasons. First, being a boutique firm, I provide personalized service to each client and develop collaborative relationships with clients that help them to grow. Second, my advanced training as a clinical psychologist, combined with my passion for helping people and organizations thrive, gives me an advantage over other consulting firms. Third, my love for applying psychology in the workplace stems from my personal experience holding leadership positions and starting my own business. In addition, I’ve experienced the benefits of working with an executive coach to create a roadmap for my business. Finally, my experience as a coaching client gives me a firsthand understanding of what clients struggle with and how coaching can help.

Client success stories and positive feedback provide evidence of the value of the service that I provide. For example, I worked with a small business owner struggling with completing administrative tasks while taking care of managerial responsibilities. Using my experience as a psychologist, business owner, and coaching client, I helped him explore his strengths and challenge areas and develop a plan to prioritize his responsibilities. Outsourcing for specific tasks, which I am familiar with as a business owner, helped him save time and increase productivity. In addition, he noted that the support I provided by sending relevant articles and checking on his progress in between meetings helped him prioritize and grow as a manager and leader.

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?

Dr. Chris Allen, a Workplace Psychologist, helped me pivot my career from Clinical Psychologist to Consulting Psychologist. Her story of transitioning from a clinical psychologist to founding a successful consulting business inspired me. Dr. Allen became my mentor and helped me to develop a transition plan. I’ve learned from her experience, and she connected me with a community of psychologists who also made a similar transition. Her support and the support of this community continue to be instrumental in my success as a consultant.

Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. We would like to explore and flesh out the experience of Impostor Syndrome. How would you define Impostor Syndrome? What do people with Imposter Syndrome feel?

Impostor Syndrome is a psychological phenomenon characterized by a pattern of persistent self-doubt that can impede success, especially when someone is early in their career or starting a new position. Common feelings associated with impostor syndrome are feeling like a fraud, not believing wins are deserved, and not attributing successes to your skills or abilities. Unfortunately, these feelings often persist despite evidence of accomplishments or successes.

Impostor Syndrome can sometimes be accompanied by anxiety and depression, but it is not an official diagnosis listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). However, psychologists acknowledge that the fear of being “found out” because of a belief that one is inadequate or incompetent despite being an accomplished professional is real.

It is important to note that Impostor Syndrome is not always caused solely by self-doubt. The workplace environment can reinforce impostor feelings. Toxic workplace culture can fuel Impostor Syndrome if the organization fails to value work/life balance and the collective group. In addition, bias and discrimination in the workplace can contribute to Impostor Syndrome.

What are the downsides of Impostor Syndrome? How can it limit people?

Impostor Syndrome can limit your ability to succeed at work and advance your career. This phenomenon also hinders the development of meaningful relationships at work. If you don’t develop relationships at work, your ability to learn and grow will be limited. Additionally, thoughts and feelings associated with Impostor Syndrome can become consuming and negatively impact concentration and productivity.

How can the experience of Impostor Syndrome impact how one treats others?

Impostor Syndrome hinders the development of meaningful relationships at work and can negatively affect how you treat others. For example, you may be more guarded and less likely to share with coworkers. In addition, others may perceive you as not caring or uninterested if you aren’t asking questions or talking about your successes and failures.

We would love to hear your story about your experience with Impostor Syndrome. Would you be able to share that with us?

I experienced impostor thoughts after being hired into a leadership position. My self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy caused me to avoid asking questions and taking risks. I didn’t feel comfortable talking about my successes or my failures with others, and, as a result, communicating less limited my ability to learn and grow professionally.

Did you ever shake the feeling off? If yes, what have you done to mitigate it or eliminate it?

For the most part, I have learned to manage impostor thoughts. However, they still surface from time to time. Remaining present and maintaining a growth and learning mindset helps me stay grounded and focused on learning. In addition, allowing myself to be vulnerable mitigates impostor feelings.

In your opinion, what are 5 steps that someone who is experiencing Impostor Syndrome can take to move forward despite feeling like an “Impostor”? Please share a story or an example for each.

Ground yourself with the facts. Irrational thoughts and beliefs can get in the way of acknowledging your successes. Remind yourself of the education or experience that brought you to where you are. Look at the work you have done (make a list) and ask others what they see. For example, write down your wins, such as completing a project or coming up with an idea that helped your team. Keeping a written list can help you focus on your accomplishments.
Practice self-compassion. Practicing self-compassion involves being kind and gentle with yourself and reminding yourself that you are not perfect (and no one is). For example, you can start by asking yourself what you might say to a friend who doesn’t believe they deserve acknowledgment for completing a complex project. Then try saying those words to yourself.
Develop a growth and learning mindset. Having a growth mindset allows you to take on challenges and view failures as learning experiences. For example, if you make a mistake during a presentation at work, identify what you can learn from this experience. Maybe the error resulted from a lack of preparation, and you can spend more time preparing in the future.
Be vulnerable. Disclosing information about ourselves can combat Impostor Syndrome. Talk with others you trust about your accomplishments and failures. Getting comfortable acknowledging your successes through discussion can allow you to celebrate your wins. In addition, talking openly about failures with others can help you feel less alone. Finally, talking about successes and failures can increase self-worth and build empathy. For example, speak with a coworker about a mistake you made and discuss what you learned from that mistake. Then, ask your coworker to share a story about a mistake they made at work.
Consider working with a coach. If you find it challenging to manage thoughts related to Impostor Syndrome and notice it’s hindering your success, working with a coach can help you identify your strengths and develop skills to leverage them at work. In addition, coaching can provide a safe place to talk about impostor feelings, give you a realistic perspective, help you stop seeking perfection, and build confidence. For example, coaching can help you explore your thinking patterns and develop a growth mindset.

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

Adopting a growth and learning mindset has helped me reach my goals, stay motivated, and continue learning when setbacks occur. I want to inspire a movement to educate people about the benefits of adopting a growth and learning mindset and how it differs from a fixed mindset. A growth and learning mindset helps people learn from challenges, approach new situations and people with curiosity, and be more resilient during stressful times. If more people adopted a growth and learning mindset, we would have a more caring and productive society. In addition, I would advocate for teaching a growth mindset early in life. Educating children about the benefits of a growth mindset could help them navigate challenges and inspire curiosity.

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

I would love to have lunch with Gail Becker, founder of Caulipower. She is an inspirational leader who successfully pivoted from a corporate career to leading a thriving startup. Although Becker had friends and colleagues who didn’t support her vision, she persevered toward launching her product. With limited knowledge of the food industry, she identified a need for consumers to have quick and healthy food options and was passionate about bringing her idea to fruition. Becker acknowledged her lack of knowledge about this industry and hired consultants to help. In addition, she cares about her company culture and recognizes that diversity is key to bringing different perspectives. I’d love to talk with her about her experience founding and scaling a startup and about how she developed her company culture.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

Readers can follow my work on the Latest News section of my website https://www.shapingsuccessconsulting.com/ or follow me on Instagram @shaping_success

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

Dr Sunni Lampasso: How To Thrive Despite Experiencing Impostor Syndrome was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Disruptors: Maria Sullivan On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Indust

Female Disruptors: Maria Sullivan of the Dating dot com Group On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Conor McGregor said, “I am not afraid of saying something and going and pursuing it. That’s it. I see it in my mind. I say it out loud, I go and do it.” From a marketer’s perspective, that’s inspiring to me, especially since he started out unknown to the world and made himself a worldwide brand.

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

Maria Sullivan is Vice President of Dating.com Group, the company behind one of the largest dating sites in the world. Maria has been instrumental in expanding Dating.com Group’s global presence. From Russia to Harvard, she is a global traveler, and after traveling so much she recognized the need for niche dating sites, targeted towards specific demos — which has become the foundation of Dating.com Group’s success.

I did a bit of journalism and figured out that advertising and marketing make more sense for me. Before joining Dating.com Group ten years ago, I worked for financial institutions and technology companies.

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

On the back end, Dating.com Group has very modern technologies for data analysis, AI and global, digitally focused marketing. All of Dating.com Group’s multiple brands are very interesting and disruptive from a technology perspective. For example, Dating.com offers multiple ways for singles around the world to communicate: streams, gift giving, instant chat for real-time messaging, and video dating with two-way webcams, in addition to offline emails.

Also, Dating.com is known for its deep industry insights and garners national attention for its studies. For example, the company recently revealed survey data outlining what triggers an instant rejection from online dating singles. It’s no secret that COVID-19 is weighing on the hearts and minds of dating singles across the U.S., and the top deal breaker for 86% of singles was being unvaccinated. 35% of singles said a long-distance relationship was a deal breaker, and more than 55% of respondents said being late to a planned date was a deal breaker.

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 first starting in journalism I asked some awkward questions during interviews. I learned that awkward questions open up larger conversations that tend to be more interesting and surprising. There’s really “no such thing as a dumb question.” I’ve brought this mindset with me as I’ve traveled the world, studied at Harvard, etc. and asking awkward, dumb questions is how I’ve learned the most about the people and places that I’ve encountered.

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

I don’t believe in formal mentorship within workplace institutions. But I believe in observing people, analyzing them and striving to improve over time. For years I have been working with two brilliant managers and they are different and complimentary to one another at the same time. Watching their strengths and the way they improve through the years is my inspiration and self-mentoring plan.

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?

Being disruptive is always good if you’re helping people. For example, dating is a societal and cultural system that has withstood the test of time. However, it has greatly changed since the emergence of online dating, and today the concept of meeting someone in person is shifting to building online-only relationships. Although communicating online is different from in-person, and critics feel like it’s ruined traditional dating, in many ways it’s better. It gives people a chance to not only meet someone new, but to be introduced to other people, places and things anywhere in the world. It gives people the chance to spend time together — maybe a lifetime but maybe just an hour. It’s a place where singles never feel lonely, and ultimately this disruption of a traditional system is good because it’s helping people find new experiences.

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

Conor McGregor said, “I am not afraid of saying something and going and pursuing it. That’s it. I see it in my mind. I say it out loud, I go and do it.” From a marketer’s perspective, that’s inspiring to me, especially since he started out unknown to the world and made himself a worldwide brand.

Kobe Bryant once said, “I’ll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it’s sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot.” Truly being able to put the team first is part of doing what is needed to accomplish the goal. Being a part of the stellar team at Dating.com Group, this is a thought I take with me into work every day.

Steve Jobs said, “It’s better to be a pirate than to join the Navy.” This really spoke to me when I first heard it because it’s about disrupting the status quo and tradition. As a marketer I’m always interested in finding new and better ways to do something.

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

Dating by definition is already shaking things up. The concept of meeting someone in person is shifting to building online-only relationships. And I want to continue building the most fun place where singles never feel lonely.

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

In my opinion, one of the biggest challenges faced by women disruptors and women in the workplace is that women are still put under more pressure than men to prove how intelligent we are, and why we should be taken seriously. We’re also made to feel like we need to justify why we deserve our hard earned success. As a result, we have always needed to be more proactive than men in showing that not only do we believe in ourselves, but that the rest of the world should believe in us and our ideas. Hopefully this will become a rare necessity as strong women continue to challenge the status quo and push hard to create a new norm.

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

Simon Sinek’s Ted Talk on starting with “why” is truly profound when it comes to leadership and marketing. Having a strong sense of purpose and clear vision is key to the success of any marketing campaign or business. For me, “why” I do what I do is to build a place where singles never feel lonely. I take this purpose with me into work every day to get people on board with our vision at Dating.com Group.

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’m building a place where singles never feel lonely. I believe that no one should ever have to feel lonely. Not just singles, but everyone. I encourage people to be part of a movement of going out of their way to be kind, make connections and have at least one genuine conversation with a new person every day — no matter how awkward it might feel in the moment. I want to inspire people to take a chance every day. Both dating and life are about the chance to meet someone new; for them to introduce you to people, places and things that you never knew that you’d love; and most importantly, the chance to spend time together — maybe a lifetime but maybe just an hour. By taking chances and being open to making new connections, you might find something more out there, something you’ve never even imagined.

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

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

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

Female Disruptors: Nancy Parsons of CDR Companies On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your…

Female Disruptors: Nancy Parsons of CDR Companies On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

When things get tough, focus on the mission. This is so true. With releasing our new coaching technology, CDR-U Coach, during COVID combined with all of the marketing and sales challenges of introducing a new product, it has been a tough climb to say the least. When we have a disappointment or setback, I focus on our mission and think about how many people we are going to help in their careers and lives. This stops me from getting too down or negative. Also, you have to understand that there are many failures along the way for all entrepreneurs. If you get down and focus on what goes wrong too often, you will miss the opportunities and windows to succeed. Your mission can be the rudder to help steer you through the tough times. It does for me.

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

Nancy Parsons is CEO/President of CDR Companies, LLC, and is a globally recognized expert in combining the science of assessments with the art of developing people. Nancy was the MEECO International Thought Leader of Distinction in Executive Coaching (2019) and author of the Amazon bestseller: Women Are Creating the Glass Ceiling and Have the Power to End It. Nancy and her team recently launched CDR-U Coach, the first of its kind, A/I type avatar coach that provides individualized assessment feedback and development for all employees and was just awarded the 2021 Gold Star Winner of the “Best New Product or Service of the Year” by the Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

I was raised outside of Philadelphia, PA and was the middle of five children, the first four of us were girls. My father worked third shift at the Inquirer newspaper and was a union negotiator. So, I think I developed my assertiveness from my dad. When I was growing up, I participated in every sport available to me. Back then, there were quite a few: swimming, running, basketball, softball, and field hockey. I even played on a women’s football team in Philadelphia and we won the city championship. I played cornerback and this gave me a whole new appreciation and perspective for football, which I already loved. Lastly, in school, I also held a number of leadership roles: co-president of my junior class, captain of the drill team and I had the lead in several plays. In my off time, I was a softball umpire.

I was a non-traditional college student and attended Neumann University at night while I worked full time at Sun Shipyard. I began as a secretary in procurement and when I started, I had to cross the picket lines as the five bargaining units were striking. This helped me to get noticed as I was superfast on the keyboard and was able to help many people who didn’t have their secretaries. Soon after the five-week strike was over, I was promoted to a job in HR. I remember the question the HR Director asked me, “How do you think you can deal with someone, say an angry employee, yelling at you?“ My response was, “Well I hadn’t had that on the job before, but I am an umpire and men and women players and coaches can get pretty tough and I usually can settle it or will toss the person from the game if needed.” I think that nailed the offer for me and I was selected over several who had college degrees. I never looked back. HR and helping people was my destiny and I am still on that course.

At one of my jobs at Sun Pipe Line, I was the lead labor negotiator for a time, taking the other side of my dad’s work! I loved the HR work, but over the years, I gravitated to coaching, developing leaders and the employees. I even developed a 360 feedback process for executives in 1990. I grew weary of firefighting and wanted to get in front of the leadership and employee problems. My first attempt at being an entrepreneur was in the early 1990s. I started GREATer EXPECTATIONS, a human resource consulting and publishing firm. I stayed with it a couple of years and went back to a large energy company for a while as I missed being in the large company. However, what I learned there while taking classes on running my own business at the local technology center, saved what was to be our future company, CDR Companies, LLC. I learned to copyright and trademark, or even patent if eligible, all intellectual property and file with appropriate government entities. If you don’t file to certify it, you cannot protect it effectively. I am so thankful for this course!

Later, I focused on assessments and founded CDR Assessment Group, Inc. in 1998 with Kimberly Leveridge, Ph.D. where we developed the CDR Character, CDR Risk and CDR Drivers & Rewards Assessments and later, the 360 Leader Scan. We train and certify internal and external executive coaches. Our vision is to revolutionize leadership and we are still on that quest.

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

We developed the first of its kind avatar coaching platform that individually debriefs our in-depth Character, Risks and Drivers and Rewards Assessments. It is an AI type experience for the user with no two people receiving the same feedback and developmental action plans are offered. Most AI coaching products are just in time coaching on short or simple issues. With CDR-U Coach, which is available 24/7, organizations can now provide robust assessments and coaching to all levels of employees, not just the top 15 to 20 percent. Then, the data from CDR-U Coach can be used for enterprise-wide solutions, such as succession planning, custom training designs, team formation and development, improving diversity and inclusion initiatives, finding hidden talent and more.

Finding good employees today is difficult and keeping them is even harder. Retention is crucial and according to the Workplace LinkedIn Learning Report in 2021, 94 percent would stay at their current employer if they invested in their long-term learning. This begins with helping each employee understand their own inherent capability, strengths, gaps, risks and motivational needs. That is what CDR-U Coach does.

As noted in my bio, CDR-U Coach is being honored as the 2021 Gold Star Winner of the “Best New Product or Service of the Year” by the Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

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 gave this careful thought and I honestly could not think of a “funny” story when starting CDR. I do have a story, however, of an odd twist of fate that we persevered through. When I signed the contract with the company where we were going to buy scoring and data in the early days, that was the Friday before Labor Day weekend of 1998. Then, I went off from Tulsa to my daughters’ soccer tournament in Plano, Texas. During the early Saturday morning game, my oldest daughter, who was a sophomore then, was going in to score on the Dallas D’Feeters. The Sweeper (defender) took her out in a nasty hit and she suffered a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula. She had to go to the Plano hospital for emergency surgery. So, my husband was going to fly to be with us. However, he suffered a medical emergency himself while he was on the way to the airport and ended up in St. John’s Medical Center in Tulsa. I had two surgeries of my loved ones in two different cities the day after I signed the contract. (Thankfully, everyone recovered over time.)

Then my business partner, Kimberly Leveridge PH.D. and I opened CDR Assessment Group on Monday, October 5, 1998 at our new offices. That night, Kim went to step aerobics at the local YWCA. She fell off the bench and broke both wrists.

Were these bad omens? I hoped not. We worked really hard, developed our assessments and managed life the best we could. The lesson I learned was that you never know what life will deal you and to do your best and stay focused on your mission and your family needs. This forced me to be extremely productive and adaptable to get through those tough first few months. We met our goals and sent our assessments to be copyrighted to the Library of Congress at the end of December. This later saved our business.

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?

For my entire time at Sunoco companies, I had great bosses. They believed in me, trusted me, helped me, gave me “candid” feedback and treated me with respect. They also gave me plenty of space to perform. Fortunately, I was a hard worker and had a knack for problem solving. I would sometimes find problems the company didn’t even know they had. In one case at Sun Ship, I became a bit of an expert on the ERISA laws, governing retirement plans. I found that a good percentage of employees who were vested had been denied pensions because the company had miscalculated their actual eligible vested years. Sun Ship immediately reinstated and back paid everyone when we found this unintentional error. That was under Donna Pedrick and she always had my back, even when uncovering this costly pension mistake. She regularly gave me feedback and helped me grow. Bill Howey, Rick Taylor and Joe Swift were all positive too. They saw something in me and supported my “justice will be done mentality” to help employees and the company. They were all honest and supportive, but different in their styles.

My business partner, Kim, was also a mentor to me in many ways. She had wit and wisdom that I welcomed. If we faced a tough case or client, Kim would frame it in such a fun way, in confidence, I had to laugh and that would always take the pressure off. I really enjoyed brainstorming with Kim and we complemented each other quite well.

Richard Gajan helped me in the last several years with my coaching technology business and on how to write the plan, get investors, etc. He had great patience and was always responsive and totally believed in our mission. His excitement was always reassuring. Christine Klatt heads up our business and clients services and she has been my rock. She has amazing business and financial savvy and knowledge. Christine is a great problem solver and critical thinker. We are a small entity and together, we have broken boundaries, have accomplished so much and it works. So, I guess you could say she is a mentor as she is an expert where I am not. We often disagree — but we get there and I trust her judgement.

Disruption is positive when you are providing solutions that make marked improvements and can be sustained and tested over time to be positive. Disruption is also essential when dealing and adapting in “VUCA” times we live in today. VUCA stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Events such as COVID, political climate, economic instability, inflation, hiring difficulties, civil unrest and even technology leaps combine for constant change with many unknowns. Today’s innovators and futurists can be key to helping us through by disrupting with new solutions when facing so many unknowns. With CDR-U Coach, we have built a platform that is future focused because today’s solutions have not adequately identified and developed all talent. Our goal is to democratize, personalize and digitize learning and development. It is disruptive, but necessary to retain and develop talent.

On the other hand, some disruptive ideas and solutions can be ineffective, damaging or even devastating. One example that comes to mind is some of the work in AI that could violate values and ethics. Some forms of AI monitor all activities of employees and managers all day. This may invade privacy and be over the line, which can cause employees to leave. Technology frequently is disruptive, but when it invades privacy or our personal data without clear permission, this violates the law and trust. Lastly, not all change or disruption makes sense. Sometimes supposed improvements or disruption ideas cause more damage than good, so careful evaluation and due diligence is needed to be sure we are not changing just for the sake of change.

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 forget where you came from. Bill Howey was my boss at the Cordero Coal Mine in Gillette Wyoming when I was an ER Representative. He was concerned that because I was so young in my early 20s that my position and pay would get to my head and that I might become arrogant or full of myself. I was raised in a blue-collar family and people would describe me as down to earth. He didn’t want me to lose that and I don’t think I have. I am proud of my family and history. I enjoy relating to all people from janitors to CEOs.
Trust yourself. I was always confident in dealing with senior executives, even early in my career. I did my homework and always was able to stand my ground when necessary. However, in the world of assessments, research, executive coaching and consulting, we work with many Ph.D.s. In the early years of CDR, there would be an occasional cynical, arrogant or pompous scholar who might be sarcastic or abrasive who would challenge me or our work. Kim, my business partner, was always there to remind me that I was the expert and to trust myself and not let these non-experts (in our field) hurt my confidence.
When things get tough, focus on the mission. This is so true. With releasing our new coaching technology, CDR-U Coach, during COVID combined with all of the marketing and sales challenges of introducing a new product, it has been a tough climb to say the least. When we have a disappointment or setback, I focus on our mission and think about how many people we are going to help in their careers and lives. This stops me from getting too down or negative. Also, you have to understand that there are many failures along the way for all entrepreneurs. If you get down and focus on what goes wrong too often, you will miss the opportunities and windows to succeed. Your mission can be the rudder to help steer you through the tough times. It does for me.

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

Well, I am looking forward to some exciting research we will be doing on personalities that are more prone to being victims of harassment and bullying as things settle a bit. This will be eye opening for sure because we can help the would-be victims earlier in life to adapt tactics and skills to fend off any would-be offenders.

Soon, we will introduce an addition to our Career Action Planning Module called, “Do You Have a STEM Profile,” which can help so many young people understand that they do, in fact, have the inherent potential for this exciting and profitable work.

We are on the course to helping millions of people earlier in their careers to become more self-aware to drive their education and careers in the best direction based on their strengths and their passions with CDR-U Coach.

Lastly, I really want to shake up how we do “leadership.” I hope to turn leadership on its head so that we can get it right. For over two decades, leadership ineffectiveness stands at about 50 to 75 percent. This is evident from multiple and ongoing studies from the most respected organizations that show this.

So, CDR-U Coach is a stepping-stone and coaching platform to help us to disrupt and reverse the impact of failed leadership. We will get this done!

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

Clearly, men’s businesses have an easier time getting financing and more contracts than women. They own many of the businesses that have been around for decades and that dominate the marketplace. One of the issues we face is that often our prospective clients are not risk takers, so they tend to want to go with consulting houses with long track records. Sadly, these are the ones who are often making bank off of failed systems. HR types are not change agents by nature, so they stay with these firms, many of the male-dominated or owned large consulting houses. It is visibility that can be tough in a busy marketplace for the female entrepreneur. The big boys have big marketing budgets and it is hard for us to gain the footing to be seen and tested.

Also, our firm’s research shows that when men are more assertive and bold, customers in leadership like and appreciate those behaviors. When women are assertive and bold, we are too “pushy.” There are different rules of engagement when it comes to perceptions. So, we don’t only have to fight the market share issues of the old guard, we also have to not rock the boat too much with prospective clients or they run away.

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

My favorite is Patrick Lencioni’s The Advantage. This is a great book for clarifying your values as an organization and building your playbook. It is not fluff and he challenges using the word “integrity” for your core values since this word means different things to different people. He says get clear and gives and example of an effective value,

“We will all clean floors if that is what it takes to get the job done.” That is actionable and clear!

Also, he offers a two-page strategic game plan for your team members and to share with all employees. It’s clear and concise and puts everyone on the same page without the blah, blah, blah.

Enhance your own self-awareness so that you can be successful and happy. Otherwise, you can be missing a great deal in life. Use a deep scientifically valid assessment like the CDR 3-D Suite to help you understand your true talent, risks and passions. Then, you will never work a day in your life. Also, this can prevent you from undervaluing your potential or getting stuck in a career that is unsatisfying. You would be shocked at how many people have hidden talent that they never realize or develop.

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

“The question isn’t who is going to let me, but who is going to stop me.” — Ayn Rand

As a woman entrepreneur, these are words to live by. Asking permission is the kiss of death to building your business success. I’ve always started things, led things, competed for things and love to make things happen. When you combine your practical knowledge, problem solving capabilities and excitement to develop and design new solutions, you can’t lose.

Now, of course, you need to network, build relationships and support others–and those are the things that women are generally natural at doing well. You need a great team to succeed, but as the CEO of your start-up, don’t ask for permission. You will need to pivot and flex frequently along the way, but stay strong, stay determined and do not let naysayers and glass ceilings deter your will and your success. You go girl!

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

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

The Future of Beauty: Dr Jeffrey L Schmidt of Schmidt Facial Plastic Surgery On How Their Technolo

The Future of Beauty: Dr Jeffrey L Schmidt of Schmidt Facial Plastic Surgery On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up The Beauty Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Treat your skin well. I practice what I preach. I wear sunscreen every day. I put my tube next to my toothbrush. I avoid being in the sun whenever possible. The same thing goes for wind and cold, dry air. I love living in Colorado, but along with that comes a punishing environment. The high altitude thins the atmosphere. So, in the mountains, we have less of a shield from the sun. One of the things that I like to do is anytime I’m outside, whether it be snowboarding, hiking, or even in my car, I try to always wear a buff/mask (which is easy to do these days). I make sure that I’m wearing protective eyewear in the form of goggles or UV blocking sunglasses.

As a part of our series about how technology will be changing the beauty industry over the next five years, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Jeffrey L. Schmidt.

In 10 years of practice, Dr. Jeffrey L. Schmidt, based in Denver, Colorado, has established a reputation as an expert in facial anatomy and one of the finest facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons in the country. Dr. Schmidt attributes his passion for the practice to the rewards gained by helping so many people build confidence and being part of their personal stories as a result. Between his Vietnamese and Austrian ancestry and several medical mission trips abroad, Dr. Schmidt has gained an appreciation for cultural diversity. Aside from travel, he has many interests that, like his practice, are particularly appealing considering their bridge across art and science.

A Texas native, Dr. Schmidt graduated with a degree in psychology at Southern Methodist University before pursuing medical studies at The University of Texas School of Medicine in San Antonio. After earning his medical doctorate, Dr. Schmidt was selected for a highly competitive Head and Neck Surgery residency in Omaha, NE. In his final year, he was appointed Chief Resident of the program and became responsible for teaching residents and medical students from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Creighton University School of Medicine. Dr. Schmidt engaged in several scientific studies during his residency and was notably awarded for his research assessing the effects of melatonin in oxygen-starved tissues.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career Path?

Thank you for having me! My path began in medical school when we were randomly assigned a mentor.

My mentor just happened to be the chair of the otolaryngology department. At the time I didn’t even know what otolaryngology was, which I discovered is a surgical specialty focusing upon the ears, nose and throat. When I met with the chair and we discussed my career goals, I told him I wanted to become a surgical specialist of some sort, but I really had no definitive idea what I wanted to do. He said the best way to set myself up to be competitive for essentially any specialty was to add research to my CV. So I told him, “OK! Sign me up!” I really liked the department and while there was lucky to work under the tutelage of one of the world’s top facial plastic surgeons. At about the same time, I was watching popular plastic surgery shows at the time like Dr. 90210, Nip/Tuck, and other more reputable shows on the Discovery Health channel. I came to enjoy these interesting stories of transformation and seeing how this type of work could really impact people’s lives. I thought to myself, I really want to be a part of that; So this set the course for me to become a facial plastic surgeon.

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

I’ve definitely had a number of interesting cases that have tested my skill, and I think that looking back over the years, there’s one that probably stands out from the others. The story involves a patient who suffered a fall and developed a case of necrotizing fasciitis. The media likes to call this condition by it’s more attention-grabbing title, “flesh-eating bacteria.” When patients get this infection in the extremities, often the germs will just tear through the tissues, sometimes leaving us with little to salvage. You can only imagine how devastating this condition is when it occurs in the head and neck area. I suspect that when this patient fell, he probably bit his cheek, and then the bacteria from his mouth escaped into the tissues and went to work eating through the entire side of his face, neck, and scalp. This particular infection was so aggressive that despite several very strong IV antibiotics, things looked dire. I took him to the operating room emergently and then several additional times over the course of the ensuing days to excise the dead tissue. After six or seven procedures, he started to round the corner, at which point we began rehabilitation and reconstruction of a large missing portion of his face. This gentleman happened to be in his 80’s at the time, and I really admired his tenacity, will to live, and his strength to keep fighting. At that age, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say, “Look, I’ve led a great life, but I’m throwing in the towel,” rather than enduring such extensive treatment. Roughly fifteen operations later, this patient had the worst behind him.

You can imagine how touched and surprised I was when, years later, he sent me a greeting card out of the blue. On his note he told me that he was living a good life into his nineties and doing exceptionally well. I keep this note on my desk along with all of the other thank you cards I’ve received from patients over the course of my career.

Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from That?

I’ve been in private practice as a solo-practitioner now for about 10 years, and we’ve been slowly building over time. I started out doing more reconstructive surgery and have since transitioned primarily to facial cosmetic surgery. It’s a bit ironic, but one of the springboards that propelled my practice was what happened in 2020. With COVID-19, we were forced to shut down for almost 8 weeks. Nobody really knew what was going to happen with the world in general, and I certainly had no idea what would happen with my business. We had to scale down personnel, put all focus on how we could continue to care for our patients and keep things afloat. We worked tirelessly to formulate a plan so that when things finally did open again, we were able to hit the ground running. Now we are busier than ever, and we are so thankful.

The biggest takeaway for me, as cliché as it sounds, is when life hands you lemons — make lemon bars. Those little treats are utterly delicious. Anyhow, these black swan events happen, and they really present an opportunity for businesses and individuals to separate themselves from the herd. Some businesses shut down saying there’s no way to recover, and others asked “how can we turn this into an opportunity to really push forward?” These moments can be a major turning point where you can either excel or pack it in.

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

Without question, I am not a one-man show. I’ve had a number of people who have helped inspire and support me along the way, and I’m very, very grateful to all of those individuals. I certainly owe gratitude to my parents. Early on, they stressed the importance of a strong education and instilled in me certain values, including having a proper attitude in life, which is key, as attitude affects everything. One of my big inspirations in life is my uncle, a retired clinical psychologist who encouraged me to go into

his field of psychology — which I did initially pursue. In the end, I changed direction. Interestingly, though, there’s a very large role that psychology plays in caring for my patients. There is an interconnection between one’s appearance and one’s sense of self-confidence. In most instances, the work that I’m doing has a significant impact upon the way people view themselves.

Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. The beauty industry today has access to technology that was inconceivable only a short time ago. Can you tell us about the “cutting edge” (pardon the pun) technologies that you are working with or introducing? How do you think that will help people?

Science and technology are evolving at such a pace that it’s allowing us to treat conditions in a way that we’ve never been able to before. For example, I’m so excited about the advances we’re making with light-based technology, including IPL (intense pulse light) and lasers, which allow us to improve previously untreatable conditions. One of our most recently acquired lasers is able to fire pulses on the order of a trillionth of a second in duration. Just think about that… A trillionth of a second! That is unfathomably fast. What’s so special about this laser is that there is minimal heat generated in the tissues as compared to previous generation lasers. We’re actually able to create a photo-acoustic effect that smashes pigment (be it tattoo ink or naturally occurring pigment in age spots), blasting it into tiny particles to be absorbed by the immune system. Also, since such little heat is produced, the likelihood of complications is minimized.

Off-the-shelf cosmetic filler is another example of a significant technological advancement. Harvesting the power of bacteria, we have engineered hyaluronic acid fillers that are naturally metabolized by our body. This is pretty amazing. Think about it. We have this substance that looks like clear gel, is biocompatible, and dissolves over time; we’re injecting this substance into someone’s face! This is truly an impressive achievement in aesthetic science and not something that happened overnight. Back in the day, we used to inject bovine collagen to fill thin lips, and before that, we used silicone. With both of these dated technologies, we faced a higher number of unfavorable reactions.

Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?

Of course medical technologies have their risks from a physical standpoint, but I think that some of the scenarios portrayed in the dark television series Black Mirror point more toward unintended social consequences. When we look at some advanced technologies such as lasers, I don’t immediately think of any specific concerns. But when we start contemplating what might arise far into the future, certain ethical situations might arise. Consider tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and cloning. Perhaps we may find ourselves in situations where we seemingly never age, or even appear to go in the opposite direction. What if we were to purposely make someone very young look like an adult? I think we could get into some pretty serious Black Mirror-esque types of situations. I think it’s important for both pharmaceutical and medical device companies to collaborate closely with physician experts to carefully discuss new technology in an effort to anticipate and circumvent these potential pitfalls.

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the “beauty-tech” industry?

I think number one for me is the prospect of what regenerative medicine will do for medicine in general, but particularly for facial regeneration. The implications for hair transplantation will be incredible. Rather than necessarily having to do traditional hair transplantation, where we take tissue from other parts of the scalp, we could actually separately grow these hair follicles and develop them into tissue that’s mature enough to directly place into the patient’s recipient site — rather than “stealing” that tissue from another area. This would be advantageous for someone like me, for example. I don’t have very dense hair to begin with. So, removing hair from the back of my head would make the area even sparser. That means that on a personal level, thinking about this type of technology is very exciting.

A growing fascination for me is the use of robotics in aesthetics. We are using robotics in surgical procedures much more commonly in certain disciplines including obstetrics/gynecology, urology, endocrine surgery, and general surgery, but not much when it comes to the aesthetic side of things. I’m really interested to watch the cost of robotic surgery diminish with time and observe new applications that make surgical procedures safer, enable surgeons to yield outcomes not previously possible, and potentially achieve all of this from across the world.

Another area that I find exciting is facial rejuvenation utilizing regenerative medicine technology. The ability to use one’s stem cells to rejuvenate some of the deeper tissues and revitalize the skin will profoundly revolutionize the war against aging. I think that we are just beginning to scratch the surface in terms of how we can and will tap into this technology.

Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest?

One of the things that concerns me about the industry is that with all the new technology, many people are of the notion that we facial plastic surgeons can achieve absolutely anything. We hear about facial transplantation and then watch television shows and movies showing plastic surgery transformation with no evidence of scars, and really, this blurs the line between fiction and reality. Many of these shows keep the good parts and edit out the challenges some patients must endure through the recovery process. These portrayals can lead some to believe that anything is possible and all outcomes will be perfect, which unfortunately is just not the case.

Another concern is this idea that we have the ability to correct all conditions with a laser or non-invasive procedure, in all cases avoiding the need for surgery. Take for example fillers. If one has bags underneath the eyes, often we’re able to place fillers, like Belotero, around the eyes and camouflage those bags to address that concern. However, over time — as the skin and deeper tissues begin to age — the bags enlarge, and the skin sags more. We’d have to correct this by adding more and more filler, and by doing that we aren’t actually addressing the underlying issue. All we’re actually doing is adding more volume which can result in over-filled and bloated facial features. It’s my job as an aesthetic practitioner to tell my patients, “This is not the direction you want to keep going. If you continue down this path, your face is not going to look natural.”

The commoditization of aesthetic medicine is also concerning. It’s becoming easier and easier for these technologies to be employed by unqualified individuals with no understanding of the real-world implications or science behind what they’re doing. This creates a high potential for misuse. Whether it be fillers or lasers, some are being administered by folks who just don’t have the appropriate education about relevant anatomy and physiology or understanding of the technology required for safe use. This is why it’s very important to really look at the credentials of your doctor to understand who’s treating you. While there are some limitations placed by the government in terms of who’s authorized to perform your treatment, there are some instances where individuals performing treatments have gone rogue from state guidelines. This is dangerous. These treatments may alter the structure of our tissues and, in the wrong hands, could result in infection and permanent disfigurement. From a healthcare reform standpoint, we have to work at making things as safe as possible for our patients. Additionally, we as providers really need to understand the psychology of our patients. We could say, “Yep. You’ve got a problem. We’ve got a solution. You’ve got a brown spot? We’ve got a laser for that. You’ve got thin lips? No problem, we’ve got fillers for that.” Instead, we need to exercise good medical judgment to decide whether it’s appropriate to offer treatment. There are some people who become addicted to plastic surgery because it gives them a temporary dopamine hit. Such individuals may seek treatment to cover up deeper psychological issues, which sadly, plastic surgery cannot cure. As providers, we must educate these patients on body dysmorphia and help them find more appropriate counseling instead.

You are an expert about beauty. Can you share 5 ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”? (Please share a story or example for each.)

At the end of the day, attending to our most basic needs allow us to be the best version of ourselves and will, in turn, allow us to feel beautiful.
It’s really important to make sure to get a good night’s sleep. This is the time when your body undergoes reparative processes, the essential biochemical reactions that are necessary to allow our bodies to function at their best. Sleep impacts all of our organs, including our skin.
Sticking with the basics, next is diet and exercise — but more so diet. You can’t exercise yourself out of a bad diet. Our overall form is largely impacted by the food choices we make which affect our face, its volume, skin tone — our body, its shape, how our clothes fit. Some people will try to change things via plastic surgery, but first and foremost, mind the fundamentals.
Next, treat your skin well. I practice what I preach. I wear sunscreen every day. I put my tube next to my toothbrush. I avoid being in the sun whenever possible. The same thing goes for wind and cold, dry air. I love living in Colorado, but along with that comes a punishing environment. The high altitude thins the atmosphere. So, in the mountains, we have less of a shield from the sun. One of the things that I like to do is anytime I’m outside, whether it be snowboarding, hiking, or even in my car, I try to always wear a buff/mask (which is easy to do these days). I make sure that I’m wearing protective eyewear in the form of goggles or UV blocking sunglasses.
Finally, smile more. Smiling changes your physiology and biochemistry and has the ability to impact that same physiology and biochemistry in everyone around you. Smiling is powerful and contagious.

Let’s start a movement called “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.” I like to gauge the “small stuff” in the grand scheme of life’s important things by asking a series of questions: Will this impact my life after 5 minutes? What about 5 days? 5 weeks? 5 years? If the answer is: this will be a significant issue for me in 5 years, then this issue merits more attention. However, if someone cuts me off in traffic, why get upset about it? I’m likely not going to be thinking about it 5 seconds from now, let alone 5 minutes from now. So, I really don’t give it any unnecessary, undeserved attention and energy. Life is a finite gift, and we must use it wisely.

The way I like to look at things is that if something’s bothering me, I need to accept, understand, and expect such challenges are par for the course in life. The universe is going to throw curveballs, and that’s what keeps our journey interesting. How much energy we spend dwelling fruitlessly on problems is up to us.

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

I remember when I was in high school I was over at a friend’s house and noticed that, framed on the wall was “The Definition of Success,” by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends. To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

These words struck a chord in my life at a young age, and they have become a guiding light for me. I hope that I’ve checked all of Ralph’s boxes.

How can our readers follow you online?

We’d love for you to find out more about us online by visiting our website at www.the-facelift-doc.com. You can also find us on Instagram @the_faceliftdoc and on our YouTube channel Schmidt Facial Plastic Surgery. We hope to see you there!

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

The Future of Beauty: Dr Jeffrey L Schmidt of Schmidt Facial Plastic Surgery On How Their Technolo was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Lessons from a Thriving Power Couple, With Jessica Alzamora & Trey Sazon

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Great communication. We struggled with this in the beginning because it was new to the both of us. But since we work together and people look at us as a team, we had to know even the smallest little details about scheduling, conversations, etc, so that we would not look unorganized when speaking to other people. There was a huge mix-up one time because we did not go over certain plans we each had for a specific area of our business, and we then went on to discuss the same thing with the same person, individually, but both expressed it very differently leading to canceled events and a ton of other miscommunications that cost both time and money.

As a part of our series about lessons from Thriving Power Couples, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jessica Alzamora and Trey Sazon.

Jessica Alzamora and Trey Sazon, who are a thriving power couple out of Chicago. They both come from humble beginnings and have built their notoriety from 0. They inspire hundreds of thousands of people via their platforms and are still growing!

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you two to your respective career paths?

We were both kind of doing our own thing in different industries for a while, while both being influencers at the same time. He is a musician and I was a fitness influencer at the time. One day, we had a talk about where we wanted to take our careers long term and realized our goals aligned. I wanted to be more behind the scenes after being the face of my company for seven years and he was ready to fully focus on his music career. So we decided that I would be his manager and I would represent him as a musician. We jumped right in and took off. Within two weeks of me managing him, we got him signed to an amazing record label and haven’t stopped working since!

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you two got married?

(We are not married) We, unfortunately, were driving home from a dinner one day and a semi-truck hit us very rapidly. We went from celebrating a huge milestone in his music career one minute to nearly losing our lives the next. We were both hospitalized immediately and for quite a while, it was actually the longest we had ever been away from each other our entire relationship (we were taken to different hospitals due to the difference in our injuries). All of the doctors kept telling us how lucky we were to be alive and we were immediately so overcome with gratitude, despite our severe injuries, and it really just made our relationship even stronger.

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?

Jessica: We had never worked together in this capacity, so talking about the financial side of things was extremely awkward (ahem, the manager getting a fair cut of the artist’s income). I also didn’t want him to bring me on just because I was his partner, so I didn’t want to be pushy about anything. So it wasn’t until we were down to the wire that I was like “ok we need to make decisions, draft contracts and… talk about money.” And he was just like “Yeah, ok. I trust you more than anyone and I want you to be protected so let’s just do it.” That was when I realized that the fear of these awkward conversations, which I was holding on to for weeks, was completely unnecessary and we really could have avoided the awkwardness by just jumping in to the conversation from the beginning.

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

We are a young couple basically managing our own thriving careers, together. We fully trust each other and feel most comfortable with each other, so when we have to have conversations about career moves it’s super easy because we know each other so well and we are so comfortable just bluntly speaking our minds about things to each other. When we had other people managing our careers, we couldn’t be as straightforward about our needs, wants, thoughts, etc, so we were constantly settling for less than we really deserved. Now that it’s just us, we fight for each other more than anyone else would fight for us, which means we are getting our career needs met much more consistently.

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

We are working on so many exciting new projects right now! They are mostly secret for now, but they are all going to be extremely motivating and inspiring.

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

Create a comfortable environment where people can really feel comfortable being themselves and comfortable expressing their thoughts and concerns.

How do you define “Leadership”?

Influencing people in a way that maximizes effort.

Our parents! They helped us through our hardest times, always believed in us, and supported us even when things weren’t looking bright. Also, our followers. They have been our biggest supporters and have always kept us motivated to keep moving forward.

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

We have been big on keeping people motivated and inspiring them through our own story. We share the hard times as much as we do the good times, that way people know they are not alone.

What are the “5 Things You Need To Thrive As A Couple”? Please share a story or example for each.

Great communication. We struggled with this in the beginning because it was new to the both of us. But since we work together and people look at us as a team, we had to know even the smallest little details about scheduling, conversations, etc, so that we would not look unorganized when speaking to other people. There was a huge mix-up one time because we did not go over certain plans we each had for a specific area of our business, and we then went on to discuss the same thing with the same person, individually, but both expressed it very differently leading to canceled events and a ton of other miscommunications that cost both time and money.
Trust. You need to trust that you both have each other’s best interest in mind at all times. You are a team, not each other’s competition. If you can trust that you are both on the same team and are both always looking out for each other, then you can both go on and get work done without having to keep tabs on each other every single moment of the day. This makes it so much easier to get things done and progress in your life together, so it is mutually beneficial.
Organization. Being organized is so underrated for couples, but as a couple, it cuts out so many little frustrations. We decided to get on a shared calendar because we were constantly making plans and forgetting to tell each other about them so one of us would make another plan that would conflict with something else and it was a huge mess. Once we got organized, though, so many little annoyances were easily resolved.
Alone time. It is important for each person to have time to be alone and work on things they are passionate about. You are not both going to like doing or watching all of the same things, so make sure you each still take time to do the things you enjoy for yourself. For example, I hate massages but he loves them and I love taking long baths. So sometimes it’s necessary for him to go to the spa and get a massage while I take a long, warm bath and relax. It helps us both regroup and re-energize.
Fun. That being said, it’s also important to find things you both enjoy doing together. Keeping the fun alive in your relationship is important to avoid burnout. We love to travel together but also to exercise together and do a ton of other stuff. Finding a balance between your own time and your time as a couple is super important.

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

It would definitely be something that reminds people how short life could be and how quickly things can change, as a way to motivate people to appreciate the little things and the life they have now while they work towards the life they want in the future.

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

Your comeback is always bigger than your setback! When we were in a horrible car accident, we didn’t even think we’d make it out alive. But once we took the time to reset, recharge and heal… then we came back with a vengeance and new outlook on life that made us work smarter and harder.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US 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 🙂

There are so many! However, it would have to be Elon Musk. The fact that he didn’t come from wealth but was able to build so much wealth has always been inspiring.

How can our readers follow your work online?

www.instagram.com/jessica.a156 and www.instagram.com/treysazon

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.

Lessons from a Thriving Power Couple, With Jessica Alzamora & Trey Sazon was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Dina Lobo on the Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey…

Women In Wellness: Dina Lobo on the Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Separate yourself from your thoughts. You can detach yourself from your ideas once you become aware of them. Your thoughts are temporary. Either through journaling, visualization, or positive self-talk we can escape from that black or white thinking, which often leads to either a reaction of panic to a situation, or irrational choices.

As a part of our series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dina Lobo.

Dina Lobo is a love and authenticity practitioner and mindset coach, certified trauma support expert, financial services manager, mother, and travel enthusiast, who assists clients in overcoming mental and emotional barriers that hinder them from living the life they truly desire.

She is the creator of Transformational Spark coaching, a company that assists clients in deciphering and resolving the core source of their ailments at the subconscious level, as well as creating breakthrough experiences that raise conscious awareness. This enables her customers to discover inner peace and freely follow their life’s ambitions.

<a href="https://medium.com/media/80d6bf72f4c55461ce554cdf9e5b4736/href">https://medium.com/media/80d6bf72f4c55461ce554cdf9e5b4736/href</a>

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 story about how you first got involved in fitness and wellness?

My expertise is mental wellness. Last year when I became a mom it was challenging due to the pandemic. I had scary emergency situations and had to undergo a diagnosis as well, prior to becoming pregnant. All of this caused tremendous trauma and as a result, my stress levels were through the roof.

I began to learn about the connection, or integration, between my mind and body. As a financial manager, I was helping people with financial breakthroughs, but I knew deep within I was meant to help people on a much deeper level.

I started Transformational Spark Coaching, and the world turned upside down for me. I began to attract beautiful things because I became the embodiment of change.

I told myself “I am in the process of having a transformation. I can be a mom and a successful entrepreneur.” This is when everything changed for me.

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

Before, I would put everything else before myself. My self-care routine was not that great and as a result, I saw that there were these strong needs that were starving within me. The most interesting thing that happened was the timing and how starting on this journey worked perfectly for me.

I was able to be on parental leave and have this ‘transformation,’ while spending time with my baby, being there for my family, and learning to slow down.

Can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority in the fitness and wellness field? In your opinion, what is your unique contribution to the world of wellness?

My teachings are about mental wellness and integrating mind and body. We use an approach where we’re not defying the spiritual, emotional, and mental relational aspect from the physical body. Everything is connected.

So, I teach the physiology and psychology signs that help understand the body such as the threat response system, the tolerance system, and how to tune into your body’s messages.

I teach students to become the embodiment of love and vibrate at the love frequency. When you learn to do this and encompass that positive self-talk, everything changes.

None of us can 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 biggest backbone is my husband, he is such a very caring, loving person. He’s always been incredibly supportive, even while I was having my breakthrough and transformation and becoming connected with my purpose work.

I’m thankful to have him as a partner; he’s someone I’ll be grateful for the rest of my life.

Ok thank you for that. Now let’s move to the focus of our interview. We all know it’s important to eat more vegetables, eat less sugar, exercise more, and get better sleep etc. But while we know it intellectually, it’s often difficult to put it into practice and make it a part of our daily habits. In your opinion, what are the 3 main blockages that prevent us from taking the information that we all know, and integrating it into our lives?

The three main blockages are 1.) We self-sabotage, 2.) We don’t keep our goals in our subconscious mind, and 3.) We don’t set ourselves up for success.

Your goals need to be in your subconscious mind — that is where you act, that is where you see the results. So, for that to happen your goals need to be attached to an emotion, and that becomes your desired goal. We need to know our big ‘why.’ What is important to you, what are the health goals that you have?

We must figure out our big why and focus on it every day being deliberate and intentional.

Preparing yourself for success means changing at your core identity level, continuing to inform your subconscious mind of those goals, attaching emotion, and feeling and visualizing that goal.

Can you please share your “5 Non-Intuitive Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve One’s Wellbeing”?

The first step is especially important is recognizing your negative talking. Ask yourself, “What am I telling myself today?” It’s important to recognize this early on so we can stop and recognize those fears and anxiety and face them head on.
Secondly is to separate yourself from your thoughts. You can detach yourself from your ideas once you become aware of them. Your thoughts are temporary. Either through journaling, visualization, or positive self-talk we can escape from that black or white thinking, which often leads to either a reaction of panic to a situation, or irrational choices.
The third thing that will really help you with your success is practicing gratitude, I cannot focus on this enough. For every dip you have, every challenge, and every negative thing, you must focus on two positives. This is how you will train your mind and your inner critic to set new neural pathways to success.
The fourth point is to disconnect from technology. We all need to disconnect and make a commitment to ourselves to do so. A suitable time to do this is setting 30 minutes to an hour before bed and turning off our cellphones and devices. During this time, we can do something that honors ourselves, like expressing gratitude for the day, listing a few of the day’s accomplishments (even if they’re minor), and thinking of some goals for the following day. Write these things down or express them aloud. Also commit yourself during the first hour of the day to not check social media or browse on your phone and instead, do something you love. This has helped me immensely to take time for myself and connect with who I am. For me, it is dancing with my baby, listening to a meditation, or doing breathing exercises.
The fifth step is journaling, and this is also a huge part. When we record what happens to us and it goes from us, to pen and paper, it helps release emotion and trapped energy. It is a healthy alternative to bottling up your emotions and not dealing with it, which only causes trauma for your body.

As an expert this might be obvious to you, but it would be instructive to articulate this for the public. Aside from weight loss, what are 3 benefits of daily exercise? Can you explain?

When I became a mom, I easily gained 40 pounds. In the beginning I was hard on myself. As I began to start loving my body and love myself for who I am, it helped me take that first step to becoming healthier.

It is important to act and have movement in your body. Do what you liked to do as a child. Did you like dancing? How about painting or reading a novel? And then do that.

Other aspects that will help motivate you to incorporate daily exercise is to be sure to have positive self-talk with yourself and keep it simple and focus. Whether it’s going out in nature for a walk it doesn’t have to be complex.

Movement in body, self-regulation and positive self-talk. These are the things on which I would focus.

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

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, by Joseph Murphy.

To achieve our goals, we need to get to our subconscious mind. Create a goal, attach an emotion and make it a desired goal. There is a lot of mindset work that needs to be done, in order to succeed.

The subconscious mind is susceptible to suggestion, which you can use to your benefit. Do you recall the first time you learned to ride a bike? It most certainly demanded your conscious mind’s undivided attention and focus. However, after a period, your subconscious is likely to have gotten the hang of things, and riding a bike became a natural, instinctive job.

This is an excellent example of conscious to unconscious learning, which is a fantastic tool to have at your disposal. It is simply a matter of harnessing the power of your subconscious mind via the repetition of positive ideas to use it.

Your subconscious mind is continuously working, and you may use its power to your advantage. This latent energy may assist you in dealing with any difficulty in your life, enhancing your mental and physical well-being.

Finally, the entire process is dependent on envisioning success and removing negative ideas.

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

“If you want to change the fruits, you will first have to change the roots. If you want to change the visible, you must first change the invisible.” — T. Harv Eker

We hold on to certain beliefs, it could be from childhood, or it could be from past painful experiences where we incurred some sort of trauma. If we can tweak our beliefs, we can rewire ourselves and create the life we want.

I would love to meet up with Tony Robbins someday and just chatter about life. Maybe collaborate with him on a session, I would absolutely love that.

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

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dina-lobo/

https://www.transformationalspark.ca/transformational-spark-challenge

https://www.instagram.com/dinalobolewis/

https://www.facebook.com/dina.merryllobo

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

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

Female Disruptors: Duygu Sefa of Babonbo On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Build a team with talented people who truly believe in your idea and put their whole heart and perseverance to make it a success.

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

Duygu Sefa, Founder and CEO of Babonbo, graduated from Bogazici University in Turkey and moved to Italy in 2007 to attend a master’s degree at Politecnico di Milano. Duygu continued to work for 10+ years in the multinational automotive sector as a Product Marketing Manager, Business Development Manager, and eventually Countrywide Manager. In 2017, upon returning from her first daughter’s maternity leave, she felt disconnected from work and wanting to start her own business. After traveling with her daughter, Duygu created the idea of a baby gear rental marketplace to ease the traveling experience for families and give an opportunity for moms to grow a business.

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

Parents spend too much on baby gear, especially when it’s their first time.

Between the influence of our friends & family and social media to have everything you (don’t) need, there is way too much pressure around them, an added stressor already worried new parents don’t need.

According to a study made by a baby gear brand in the UK, 90% of parents admitted they’d overspent on baby goods, with more than half of the total value of the goods wasted on items that were either not used at all, or not enough to warrant the amount spent! This has a negative impact, both economical and environmental.

By creating a platform where we have both increased the lifespan of baby equipment by sharing, and created a circular economy, Babonbo has fully disrupted the way we see the traditional child care equipment market. We’ve increased the utility of the equipment while decreasing consumption — it’s a revolutionary win-win.

Our Babonbo providers — those who rent out baby gear they no longer use — help start this circular movement. They earn money by helping other families access baby gear anytime, anywhere and help them save money by avoiding unnecessary purchases while saving the environment by decreasing consumption. Our growing community is rapidly expanding, now beyond Italy, which is where we first took root.

After each rental, Babonbo providers take care of their baby gear, check, clean and sanitize it. We ensure excellent service through our terms with providers and customer rating after each rental.

And wherever our local providers cannot reach, we, as Babonbo, deliver high quality baby equipment to the doorstep of our trusting customers. And because we are strongly based on trust and quality, most of our customers are recommended by other parents, who themselves trusted us. Word of mouth is a strong tool and we pride ourselves in noting that our customer retention and recommendation is higher than most companies. We see this as a sign of success.

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?

Babonbo was born as an idea in April 2018, and I had already incorporated the company in the UK by July 2018 — way too quickly. I should have taken more time to validate the idea before moving forward with the incorporation.

After incorporation it took more than 1 year to implement a product solution because I wanted everything “almost” perfect before launching it. And I spent an important part of my personal savings on creating the first product.

Now that I am more experienced, I know that it was a funny mistake! There were many other ways for me to build a Minimum Viable product by spending less money and time just to demonstrate the problem exists and people pay for the solution quickly. After that, I could have searched for an initial capital to build a more sophisticated tech solution without spending too much from my own pocket.

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?

When I decided to work effectively on my idea while I was still a full-time employer at a corporate company, I knew almost nothing about startups and the ecosystem around it. This led me to apply for the Founder Institute, an idea-stage accelerator and global launch network that helps entrepreneurs create meaningful and enduring technology companies.

I can’t begin to express how much this helped me. From learning how to launch a winning company, to creating a local and global network in the startup ecosystem quickly from 0 to 100, this has tremendously benefited my growth and success.

The Founder Institute’s Milan chapter directors, Peter Lazou and Maria Matloub, were always there when I needed during, but also after the program, and their local and global network of mentors has always been extremely supportive.

After that, my startup was incubated virtually by Polihub, the Innovation Park & Startup Accelerator of Politecnico di Milano. During and after, Polihub mentors were also very supportive in helping me reposition my business model with the unexpected turn of events the pandemic brought to our lives. Once again, a strong support system that helped me solidify strong foundations.

Having an experienced mentor or an advisor is so important in the journey of an entrepreneur. Without a doubt, the most impactful mentor and advisor that I had, and still have today, is Volkan Bicer. He always believed in my commitment and hard work, which led him to believe in me and Babonbo, as he became one of the first seed-stage investors.

I believe disruption is positive if it brings benefits to society, planet, and improves the life of people, health and education, while decreasing our impact on the environment, the gap of inequalities we are all faced with.

I think we, entrepreneurs, have a very good guideline provided by the United Nations, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which state that we cannot only rely on our country’s policies and regulations to do good. We are all responsible for disrupting the existing non-sustainable markets and economies to create our own sustainable ones.

There is a long road ahead of us, but if we all create something meaningful from the start, we will all contribute to impact our world.

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

Build a business which gives you passion every day. I heard this advice for the first time from my FI Milan Director, Peter Lazou. During a session in which we were practicing pitching our ideas, he said: “When you pitch your idea, you should be able to make your audience get goose bumps (excite them). And this can happen only if you are passionate about your idea” This is so true. The only way to excite people when you talk about your idea, this is also true when you present your idea to investors, is by being passionate about it and transmitting your excitement to them. Entrepreneurship is about finding solutions to problems arising almost everyday, or trying to overcome many obstacles coming your way to success. And dealing with all these is not easy, it is so tiring and frustrating. If I was not passionate about what I am doing everyday, I would have given up already.
Don’t cut corners and spend the necessary time networking and creating meaningful relationships, it’s important. One of my female mentors in the Polihub Mommyprenuers program that I participated in while I was on maternity leave, told me and other moms in the classroom : “Networking is one of the most effective tools to overcome many challenges that women entrepreneurs face such as accessing to financial, human and social capital . And women should dedicate more time and energy than men in building networks to overcome these challenges easier. On my entrepreneurial journey, I see and meet more and more women, not only, who work to empower women to close this gender gap. And this is so encouraging.
Build a team with talented people who truly believe in your idea and put their whole heart and perseverance to make it a success. My first attempt to build a team when I had only an idea was a failure. I think the main reason was that the focus of the other 2 people with whom I was trying to be a team was more financial gain than being part of a journey of creating something new and meaningful which touches the lives of people. It took a very long time for me to build the right team with people putting their heart everyday to make Babonbo a success, because they believe in the vision of Babonbo.

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

We have officially launched the Babonbo app, now available worldwide, including the US! The process is simple: you sign up and complete your profile, for free with the help of one of Babonbo’s consultants. Once your items are uploaded, you choose when and how parents can book. Monitor and plan the logistics surrounding the rental, and reap all the benefits of your labor. Connecting families from different countries and states, the platform creates an incredible way to earn passive income, and gratification from helping other families travel with ease and comfort.

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

Women have to juggle everything and it becomes really difficult finding the perfect balance between raising children, nurturing our family, yet being able to disrupt the world and change the status quo.

The responsibilities at home are truly a very demanding full time job as it is, so adding to that the responsibility to shake an entire industry up, it’s like moving mountains. Most of us are expected to be able to handle it all — but do you want to know the crazy part of it all? We actually do.

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

It is when I decided to change my career path from being a corporate worker to an entrepreneur.

When I finally got back to work from maternity leave from my first daughter, I found out that my role and responsibilities were changed from being globally responsible for the most important product line of the company to a less strategic operative role. I was so worried about this change and decided to talk about my HR manager at that time. She basically told me that I had new priorities in my life by that time and I could not handle a global positioning which requires a lot of traveling etc. It took me a lot of time to digest it and at the end I realized that it was not the right place for me anymore and I took the decision to dedicate my energy in creating my own venture instead of trying to advance in my corporate career.

This had a deep impact on my thinking: Don’t allow anyone else to set my limits and define priorities in my own life. And I took that anger and turned into energy and motivation to try for the first time to realize my ideas.

Well, Babonbo IS a movement. We are changing the way we consume for our kids, which is completely wrong and not good for their future. By perpetuating this consumerism and detrimental environmental cycle, we are actually affecting the future of the very own beings we are trying to cherish. By starting from day 1, and changing our core beliefs, we are reprogramming an entire mentally that has been outdated for decades.

We are also creating a loving and supporting community of parents, especially mothers who usually can feel so isolated. They are inspiring each other, supporting each other in their quest to a more responsible and sustainable future for our children. By doing so, we created a support system that empowers parents to become more conscious and responsible consumers everyday. I believe as moms, we should be the first ones to change and be the change we want to see in the world. We have a responsibility to show the example to our children, and lead the way.

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

“If You Are Working On Something That You Really Care About, You Don’t Have To Be Pushed. The Vision Pulls You.” — Steve Jobs

This quote is very close to my heart, especially right now as this perfectly relates to the moment of life I currently am in. I quit all the benefits and the safety of a full time

job, fully aware of all the economical risks, and high probability of failure.

It’s a lot of work, and I have to sacrifice a lot of my free time in order to manage both my house, my children and family, and the obligations I have to my other baby, Babonbo. Sometimes, this requires me to do so day and night, weekends and sometimes, even in my sleep! But all in all, I know this is not only an investment in my future, but in the future of my children, and the world’s children. Which itself is an investment in everyone’s future.

How do I manage to resist the urge of slowing down and taking a minute to breathe? I don’t. People around me often wonder too, but the truth is that I am so passionate, that nothing could stop me from succeeding and accomplishing what I care most about, improving lives by providing a solution which is good for the Earth and the future of our kids.

How can our readers follow you online?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/duygu-sefa/

https://en.babonbo.com/

https://www.instagram.com/babonbo.baby/

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

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