Category: Featured

Women In Wellness: Erin Clifford on The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Add in Healthy, Nutrient-Dense Foods — One of my favorite lifestyle tweaks, that I recommend to all of my clients, is to add in healthy foods. If you do nothing else with your diet, add in nutrient dense foods because it’s more bang for your buck. One of my favorite clients from years ago made some very little changes in the beginning of his health journey. For example, instead of drinking Vitamin Water every day (which has so much sugar), he switched to fruit infused water. When he went out to eat, he started ordering one side of veggies along with his entree. Fast forward to today, and he is one of the healthiest people I know. Little tweaks can be the start to much healthier habits.

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

Erin Clifford is a Health and Wellness Coach who is passionate about supporting professionals to develop healthy lifestyles to create more fulfilling, happier lives. Erin has trained with some of the world’s foremost experts in diet theories, nutrition, exercise, and healthy lifestyle management.

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

Happy to! I’m Erin Clifford, a Health and Wellness Coach dedicated to helping professionals make appropriate healthy lifestyle changes that produce real and lasting results. More than a decade ago, I attended the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and completed its rigorous Health Coach Training Program. More recently, I earned a new nutrition certification from Precision Training. I am also certified as a meditation instructor. Currently, I am working on my master’s degree in Clinical and Mental Health Counseling. I am also a lawyer, and have focused my health and wellness coaching on professionals — lawyers and other corporate employees — who wish to make healthy changes in their life. Here’s my backstory about how I came to be so passionate about well-being.

Growing up, I was always really into health and wellness. My parents were both into fitness and instilled in me the importance of exercising and being healthy. My dad and I would go to the gym together when I was young, I loved that time together. When I went to college, I studied nutrition and I also started to embrace healthy cooking. I always had an interest in cooking from a very young age. My grandmother used to come over to my house and teach me, which was fun and special.

The first time I saw there was a health crisis was when I was teaching English in a Chicago public high school. The students I taught were from a lower socio-economic neighborhood where they didn’t have access to healthy food, nor did they have guidance about making healthy nutritional choices. When I became a lawyer, I was surprised to see the same issues with all the professionals I was working with — colleagues and people in the legal field who were so incredibly stressed out all the time, not following a healthy lifestyle, which led to early onset of chronic diseases for many. It wasn’t that they didn’t have the means to take care of themselves, it was more that they didn’t have the knowledge and they didn’t make time for self-care.

After seeing this epidemic, first at the high school level and then at a professional level, I really felt a strong inclination to further my studies and go into nutrition or counseling. That’s how I ended up getting certified as a Health and Wellness Coach right after law school. Coaching attorneys and other professionals in the wellness arena made me realize that there is also a big mental health component to well-being. You can eat a healthy diet and exercise and make your doctors’ appointments, but mental health is just as important — maybe even more important — to living a happy and healthy life. So, I decided to go back to school to get a degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (I will graduate this spring!) and I feel that this piece of education finally ties everything together that I’ve done so far in the wellness field. I am really excited to utilize my knowledge in each field that I’ve studied to help others lead robust lives that are healthier and happier.

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

While I’m not sure this is the most interesting story, it is the story that helped shape my career. When I first started working as a wellness coach, I took on a lot of different clients, but I felt like I wasn’t thriving. I took that time to reflect and I realized that I didn’t want to just work with clients who only wanted to lose weight. I wanted clients who wanted sustainable wellness. After that moment of awareness, I wasn’t afraid to send some clients to other wellness coaches who would be a better match.

My main lesson from that time in my early career was that it’s important to find your niche. From a marketing standpoint, it’s good to know and hone in on what your interest is. But from a personal standpoint, I believe that you grow and get really good at what you’re doing if you’re clear about what your passion is.

My passion is helping professionals create healthy lifestyles that encompasses many aspects of well-being including nutrition, self-care, work-life balance, and mental health.

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

The story that comes to mind that reminds me of the biggest mistake I made when I first started wellness coaching is actually a very recent story about one of my clients.

I recently met this wonderful woman, a psychiatric nurse who has her own practice, and she came to me because she has diabetes and she loved that I was getting my degree in mental health and that I have a history of working with professionals.

She told me right from the start, “Erin, I am not having any shakes and I’m not giving up my Spaghetti-o’s or my Goldfish (crackers)!” Me, ten years ago, would’ve said, “Oh my gosh, you can’t do that!” But knowing what I know now, I said, “Okay, don’t worry about it. I’m not going to take that away from you but let’s see what we can add in.” So, we slowly started adding in fruits and vegetables and made small changes to her exercise and sleep routines over time.

When I first started working with people a decade ago, I was all about following this strict diet and saying do this or that to see results. My biggest mistake was that I gave people too many things to do at once. Having a large to-do list is overwhelming and almost definitely sets up the person for failure in one or more areas.

Back to my client that I’ve been working with. It’s been three months and she is doing amazingly! Her blood levels are down, she’s lost weight and has more energy and confidence. The takeaway from this is that she was successful because I met her where she was, instead of overloading her with a long list of must-dos. By working with her, on her terms, she was able to slowly — and successfully — adopt a healthier lifestyle. She still attained great results and will be more likely to stay on her healthy track moving forward. And she hasn’t had any Spaghetti-o’s since she started working with me!

At the end of the day, I’m here to help someone live their best life indefinitely. I’m not here to help someone drop 20 pounds quickly for a wedding, and then gain it all back after. I believe living healthfully is about small changes over time that are sustainable and, most importantly, that works into the client’s lifestyle.

Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?

In a survey of 12,825 lawyers conducted by the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and the American Bar Association, 36.4 percent showed signs of alcohol abuse or dependence, and at least one out of four attorneys reported some form of depression, anxiety or stress. With that said, and with my background as a lawyer, my main focus is on the legal and professional community and my goal is to help these men and women find work-life balance by utilizing different avenues to lessen their stress and lessen their load, and take the time for self-care.

The one silver lining of the pandemic is that people are talking about health and wellness more, especially in these professions. But there’s a real fight about this in the legal profession now.

It’s well-known that lawyers put in very long hours and often struggle to find time for their personal lives and self-care. I am on the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Litigation’s Wellness Task Force and we discuss how we can slowly change the culture behind this because otherwise we’re going to lose really good lawyers who are not going to want to stay in this profession. When I speak to lawyers young and old, they advocate for shifting the narrative where we still view the legal profession as a place where everyone works hard and is dedicated to their clients. But we also recognize that we must take care of the people in the profession by allowing them more work-life balance and avenues to alleviate stress.

An example of this struggle between old and new ways of thinking about wellness, is that many law firms (and corporations) have put infrastructures in place, such as maternity leave, paternity leave, and more vacation time. However, if a lawyer takes the time off, they may feel looked down upon and/or jeopardize their chance at career advancement. So, how is that helpful to anyone? These infrastructures are in place, but they’re not supporting people who use them.

I want to be part of that conversation that helps to change this culture for professionals today and in the future. People should be able to use their vacation time or family leave time without feeling guilty. They should be able to enjoy their time off and not be tethered to work by their devices at all hours of the day and night.

As I’ve been doing wellness coaching and seminars for law firms and bar associations, I have seen some of the firm partners react positively to the notion of how important it is to support health and well-being amongst their employees. I think they are seeing that at the end of the day, a firm that has happy, healthy employees is going to overall be more successful, and everyone wins.

Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.

Add in Healthy, Nutrient-Dense Foods

One of my favorite lifestyle tweaks, that I recommend to all of my clients, is to add in healthy foods. If you do nothing else with your diet, add in nutrient dense foods because it’s more bang for your buck. One of my favorite clients from years ago made some very little changes in the beginning of his health journey. For example, instead of drinking Vitamin Water every day (which has so much sugar), he switched to fruit infused water. When he went out to eat, he started ordering one side of veggies along with his entree. Fast forward to today, and he is one of the healthiest people I know. Little tweaks can be the start to much healthier habits.

Make Movement Part of Your Day

Every single person needs to move. It’s so important to get in your cardio and strength building, but it doesn’t have to be a lot. Many of the statistics now say that we need 150 minutes of movement per week that gets the heart rate up. That’s 1.5% of your week or roughly 22 minutes per day. Cardio adds years to your life and strength training adds life to your years. People often think of movement as going to the gym, taking a sweaty workout class, but that’s not the case. Any movement that gets your heart rate up is good. Walking your dog, taking the stairs instead of an elevator, riding your bike instead of taking your car.

Remember the Oxygen Mask Rule (Prioritize Self-Care)

Every time we fly, we hear flight attendants sharing some variation of the oxygen mask rule: Should the cabin lose pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the overhead area. Place the mask over your own mouth and nose first before assisting others. Follow the oxygen mask rule in your everyday life. If you are not taking care of your needs, you will not be at your best for your clients, colleagues, family, and friends. Your work, personal life, and health will dramatically suffer.

It breaks my heart when I see some of my professional friends who are super successful, who have beautiful families, and wonderful lives, but are so stressed out that they just don’t enjoy their life. They’re not happy because they have put themselves so far on the backburner that they can’t even get in touch with what may make them happy. This is why self-care is so important. Whether it’s taking the time to read a book, having a spa treatment, gardening, going for a nature walk, working on a hobby, or taking a vacation, do something every day that nourishes you.

Have a Sleep Ritual

Everyone needs 7–9 hours of continuous sleep. Sleep is when our bodies repair and recharge and a good night’s rest can determine how the next day will be. Sometimes the struggle is not sleeping, but falling asleep. A sleep ritual gives you some space to prepare for sleep. Take the time before your bedtime to do your routine each night. For example, your ritual may include washing your face, turning off electronics, taking a bath or shower, reading a book or writing in a journal, listening to calming music or a guided meditation; basically, anything that helps you unwind. If you don’t prepare yourself for sleep, you may fall asleep — in front of the TV or on the couch — but it doesn’t mean that you’re going to stay asleep or have a restful sleep.

Set Boundaries

Setting boundaries for mental health well-being is a must. People can sense when you don’t have boundaries and they will run all over you. There’s no shame in using your “no” button to set boundaries for things that don’t work for you, such as, answering a work email after hours, going to every social event you’re invited to, or volunteering for something because you feel it is expected of you. It’s also crucial to stay strong with the boundaries that you set for yourself, such as your bedtime ritual or your exercise schedule because both support your mental and physical health.

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

If I could start a movement to bring the most amount of wellness to the most people, my movement would be to give yourself grace. Especially in the corporate sphere, I have seen many professionals who have very little compassion for themselves, they do not give themselves grace. Many attorneys are so compassionate for their clients, but often that compassion does not carry over to themselves which is so detrimental for mental well-being.

People’s stress gets worse when they try to be perfect, when they don’t prepare for hurdles in the world. For example, if I’m on trial next week, I know that I will be too busy to get my four workouts in. So how can I plan better for that? I can give myself a little grace to be okay with working out only once on the weekend to try to get in a little exercise instead of stressing about how I’m not going to get in my normal four days that week. The same rule applies for diet. If I go out one night and indulge, I’m going to give myself some grace and instead of stressing about how badly I ate, I’m going to see the next meal as a chance to get back on track. Where I see people get off track with their lifestyle plans is that they spiral because they can’t give themselves grace for a blip in their path.

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

1. Be Clear on Who You Want to Work With. Find your niche and stick with it. Being clear on who you want to work with and finding that audience will keep you excited and passionate about the work you do every day.
2. Tune Out the Noise. Especially in the wellness sphere, it’s important to tune out the background “noise”. There is so much information out there about diets, lifestyles, and approaches to healthy living. New studies come out daily that can tell me X or tell me Y. So, I think it’s important to find out what you believe in and stick with that. Tune out the noise and stay true to your beliefs.
3. Be Your Authentic Self. Women tend to compare themselves to others all the time. Don’t compare yourself to someone else and don’t try to be somebody that you’re not. Believe in yourself and what you have to offer and always act — in your professional life and your personal life — as your authentic self.
4. Meet Your Clients Where They’re At (Not Where You’re At). As with my example of the successful client in the previous question who still wanted to eat her Goldfish crackers and Spaghetti-o’s, it is so important to meet your client where they’re at and not where you’re at. If you bombard a client with information and to-dos, you’re setting them up to fail in some aspect. Unhappy and stressed clients won’t be successful in their personal journey and may make your job more stressful rather than enjoyable.
5. It’s Okay to Not Know the Answer. There’s so much information out there, particularly in the wellness world, that when I first started giving presentations as a wellness coach, I used to get nervous about the Q&A at the end. What if I didn’t know the answer!? I’ve learned that it’s okay to not know the answer and to own up to it. I may say, “That’s not my expertise but I’ll get back to you on it” or if I know someone who is better equipped to give them the information, I will share that contact with them. The bottom line is, most of us will not ever know all the answers and you need to be comfortable with that, but also not be afraid to do the research to find the answer(s).

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

Mental health is the topic dearest to me. If you don’t have really good mental health, you can’t enjoy your life, you can’t be at your best for yourself or your family or your colleagues. Being mentally healthy is the pinnacle to all other entities. We take mental health more for granted than physical health. For example, if someone has a heart problem or cancer they will go to the doctor for treatment, medication, surgery, whatever is necessary. If someone has depression or anxiety or PTSD or whatever you will, they may be embarrassed or not fully know what’s going on and, therefore, not take the time or effort to find treatment. I have found that, in a lot of instances, if the individual does treat their mental health, all the other stuff going on in their life tends to improve.

In my pharmacology class, I found out that the majority of people who prescribe SSRIs (antidepressants) for depression or anxiety are internists (primary care doctors) for patients who may mention that they feel depressed or anxious or stressed. While for some people it is a chemical imbalance that can be helped with proper medication, for most people medication will not just make it go away. Taking medication may sweep it under the rug, but in the long haul, it may not help without addressing the problem, talking about and learning to work through it with the help of a mental health professional. This is why mental health — and actively making sure that your mental health is good — is so important.

Good health — mental and physical — truly is wealth. I am excited to use my new degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and lifestyle coaching skills to continue helping, guiding, and teaching others about how to live a happier, healthier existence.

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

Learn more about my holistic health and wellness coaching business at https://erincliffordwellness.com and my work with lawyers at www.healthylawyers.com. For wellness and health tips and inspiration, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. For questions about corporate wellness coaching or anything health related, fill out this contact form.

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

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Women In Wellness: Erin Clifford 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.

Women Of The C-Suite: Yashu Kapila of BugRaptors On The Five Things You Need To Succeed As A Senior Executive

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Always aim to be the better version of yourself because moving forward always needs you to keep on learning and growing.

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

Yashu Kapila is the lady stalwart and the CEO of BugRaptors (A Seasia Group Company). Recognized as top 10 women of the year at WIT Awards Asia Series, she is a thought leader who works at promoting diversity initiatives, designing programs to create a progressive workforce, and fostering futuristic tech through quality assurance.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

I started as a Quality Analyst in 2006 with an objective to explore the tech world. However, the industry gave me exposure to understanding the need for greater testing with a shift of greater focus toward sustainable technology & pleasing user experience. I saw quality assurance and software testing as a progressive opportunity to contribute to the existing and futuristic digital transformation goals while giving my career the necessary boost. And here we are! I am serving as a CEO of an organization that is building amazing tech journeys.

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

Well! I am a person who sees special in everything. Be it our first client or any successful delivery, it always makes me feel delighted and more accomplished as the CEO of BugRaptors. However, if I need to share anything in particular, it would definitely be an employee story where we got a very passionate woman on board who had to quit her career as she needed to take care of her child.

She completely lost touch with the industry and then she wanted to give it a second chance after 5 years. She is presently working as a senior quality consultant and is doing exceptional work for our various important projects.

I am glad that we as an organization showed faith in her and set an example for all the mothers who are aligned to establish them as true corporate content. It was more of a step we took towards encouraging participation of women in the tech industry.

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?

My career journey has always been very amazing. However, if I recall when I first started as a quality consultant, I always end up finding my younger self funny for not asking things at times. It was the earliest phase of six months of my career when I hesitated to ask questions and I often ended up overdoing things in terms of testing.

So, the lesson that I learned and want to share with all the readers, both newbies and experienced professionals, is always to stay upfront when it comes to queries. Moreover, it makes me realize how hesitation ends your curiosity and keeps you deprived of knowledge. Therefore, one must never hesitate to have open communication as it is the key to a productive career.

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?

Indeed! Even if you have all the confidence, potential, and skills to be extraordinary, it is the support from some special people that helps you be persistent. If there was any person with whom I would like to share my success, it would first be my father who always kept me motivated.

Things have changed a lot as of now. However, when I started my career journey in 2006, the small towns of India still had a laid-back and orthodox thought process that restricted women to pursue technical professions. And being a woman of Indian origin, I too had to face so many difficulties making my way towards success. But I was one of those fortunate children who had their father standing by their side pushing them forward to do everything that their hearts suggested. I feel glad and even more lucky as my father always showed faith in me and encouraged me to be limitless in life.

As you know, the United States is facing a very important self-reckoning about race, diversity, equality and inclusion. This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important for a business or organization to have a diverse executive team?

Be it the United States or any other part of the world, every organization, irrespective of the business and niche, needs to understand the importance of diversity when it comes to growth. To highlight a few reasons why diversity in executive staff is important I would say:

When you are aiming to serve different audiences, diversity brings you various perspectives for growth.

It allows you to improve your decision-making potential with more brains from different cultures involved.

Most importantly, it nurtures creativity and makes way for innovation allowing organizations to thrive.

As a business leader, can you please share a few steps we must take to truly create an inclusive, representative, and equitable society? Kindly share a story or example for each.

A few steps that I can mention taking inspiration from the practices we adopt at BugRaptors, here are the steps that can help enhance inclusivity, representativeness, and equitability in society:

No bias in hiring and promotions

Strong operational environment & ethics

A vision that sees growth for all

Effective retention

Welcoming the change (in terms of technology, processes, etc.)

Allowing people to take charge, collaborate, and make decisions.

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

From working on major corporate decisions to managing the overall operations and resources of the company, CEOs always have to take charge of things. Besides, I, as the CEO of BugRaptors work at harnessing modern tech to contribute to our vision of developing a QA-powered digital environment. Be it the introduction of Automation or establishing advanced test labs, we constantly work on tech initiatives that can make QA smart and swift.

Also, I am responsible for overseeing the strategic direction of the organization such as change implementation and long-term business planning. From fixing the proposed plans to harnessing productive business decision-making, I take care of everything that helps maintain accountability with the board.

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

Okay, so there are three very big myths which I as the CEO of the company has experienced.

CEOs have no bosses: CEOs are always accountable to answer the board of directors.

CEOs have all the answers: CEOs are humans too which means it is not always necessary for a CEO to know everything. Learning is a continuous process for all.

CEOs are not approachable: CEOs are curious brains that are always looking for ideas to prosper. Besides, they have the responsibility of managing the employees, staying in sync with the board, and ensuring effective relationships with clients, and all of these tasks need a person to be extremely humble and warm.

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

Though things have been changing for good, I believe there is some consistent unconscious bias that female executives have to face compared to their male counterparts. These are most commonly related to social stigmas like cultural preconceptions, sexual hostility, and of course selecting women candidates to take the C-suite positions.

The organizations like BugRaptors that take constant reforms on encouraging women leadership by fostering 70 percent women leadership and enforcing strong policies against any harassment or bias, I believe there is still a long way to go.

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

The moment I took on the position of CEO, I was well prepared for how things can turn unexpectedly. However, to look from afar and to work in reality are two different things. Being a CEO, you always need to keep hustling since you are the person on which the entire organization counts. Be it improving the organizational environment, managing operations, introducing new technologies, or taking decisions, it needs you to be hyper-active in order to sustain the competition and keep your organization going forward.

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

In my opinion, I believe not all are cut out to be executives. It is because of the human characteristics that we have as individuals. For instance, some are good at coding while others are good at making strategies and leading projects. It means all of us to have our own unique talents and expertise. Besides, the truth is we can always explore our capabilities and push ourselves beyond our imagination to pursue great things.

As far as the traits that make a person a more successful executive is concerned, I would say it is the ability to communicate, understand, and persuade. These factors help you establish yourself as a people-pleasing person making it easier for a person to align with people, and allowing them to align with your very own thoughts when required.

It would be wrong to say what type of people should avoid aspiring to be an executive as aspirations are vital to progress in life. However, people who hesitate to communicate and cannot manage the stress of wearing multiple hats whenever necessary might find it difficult to take on executive positions.

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

Always aim to be the better version of yourself because moving forward always needs you to keep on learning and growing

The CEO is answerable to everyone, from employees to the board, so be ready to work for everyone.

We control way less than we think we do and therefore it is necessary to be prepared

You own your business and therefore never let your business define you as a person. Things do not always happen how we plan them to be.

Have fun when you get a chance because it is up to you how you balance your work and your life.

I work in the beauty tech industry, so I am very interested to hear your philosophy or perspective about beauty. In your role as a powerful woman and leader, how much emphasis do you place on your appearance? Do you see beauty as something that is superficial, or is it something that has inherent value for a leader in a public context? Can you explain what you mean?

As they say, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, I believe all women are beautiful in their own way. Though appearance is an important factor when you need to represent yourself before the world, it is more of the personality that makes you more likable. Rather than the term beauty, I would say grooming is an important concern that executives should work on. This may include wearing the right clothes and carrying yourself properly as they are the part of your personality that helps you create the impact.

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.

Freedom of thought! I believe everyone must be respected for their perspective and their say. I always believed that one can learn from anyone, irrespective of age or experience. Moreover, learning from perspectives allows people to understand each other, making the world a better place to live.

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

If there were any person whom I would like to meet for breakfast or lunch, it would be Indra Nooyi. I have talked about her in my previous interviews as well. Having an Indian origin, she has led a remarkable journey inspiring several women to aim and take the executive role at organizations.

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

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

The Future of Air Travel In The Post Pandemic World, With Chief Pilot Michael Johnson of Sawyer Aviation

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

When the pandemic hit, air travel was significantly impacted, especially the airlines. The savvy traveler discovered charter services and soon learned that one can skip the lines, come and go at their own schedule, avoid the two hour wait times at departure and destination airports, and get personalized service. Charter services demand increased throughout the pandemic and remains high today.

As part of our series about “The Future Of Air Travel”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Michael Johnson.

Mike Johnson has dedicated nearly 50 years to a career in aviation. After taking a discovery flight when he was 13 years-old, the Houston Texas native knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life in the skies. Shortly after graduating high school, he joined the Marine Corps where served for more than 11 years, including five years of combat duty in the Middle East. Mike was awarded 23 of the nation’s top 27 personal military decorations for his service. While serving, he earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and went on to also attain a degree in professional aeronautics and a masters in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

As a professional pilot, he has worked for major airlines, private charters, the tourism industry, and has extensive experience in air ambulance flights, providing organ transplant transportation, as well as patient and critical care operations. In his role as Chief Pilot for Sawyer Aviation, Johnson will fly aircraft for the company, manage the flight crews, provide training, scheduling and ensure the team of pilots are up to date on certifications. Mike’s love of aviation carries over to his free time where he enjoys teaching others to fly. When he is not taking to the skies, you can find him on the ice playing, coaching, or refereeing hockey.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I grew up in the Space Race age, the age of the Apollo astronauts. Every boy at that time wanted to become an astronaut. I was not only fascinated with space, rockets and traveling to the moon, but also with the astronauts themselves as pilots. This started my love of aviation. Over the years I had the pleasure of meeting and becoming friends with two astronauts and flying with one during annual aircraft simulator training.

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

The most interesting story or event that happened was not specifically to me; it was the creation of the reduced Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) minimums. Like so many other new regulations that have been introduced over the years, I was either grandfathered in or they simply didn’t apply. I was already a seasoned ATP pilot when the reduced ATP minimums were introduced. The new regulation was introduced to lower the requirements needed to obtain the ATP pilot certification, as a means of having more pilots available due to the pilot shortage.

If we look at the industry today, there is still a pilot shortage. The reduction of ATP minimums hasn’t really helped address the pilot shortage, as was originally surmised. While true, everyone is trying to hire pilots, there is no shortage. There is only a shortage of pilots who are willing to work for a certain wage; live a certain lifestyle, and the list goes on. In my own pilot hiring efforts, I tend to target the very young and the retired airline community. The “in-between” age simply doesn’t understand qualify of life differences between Part 121(scheduled) and Part 135(on demand) flying and have incorrect assumptions, probably on each.

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?

Oh boy. Confession time. Back in the 1970s, I used one of the flight school’s rental aircraft (Cessna 152, I believe) to fly from south Houston to Lake Conroe in the Houston area. Imagine a heavily wooded area with pockets of small lakes surrounding a much larger lake, Lake Conroe. I flew that little adventure to fly over my big brother’s house and wave to him. During the trip, I was essentially flying above treetop level and experienced carburetor icing which is caused when the temperature is low, and humidity is high. When the engine began sputtering at such a low altitude, I pulled on carburetor heat and the problem went away. I vowed I would never fly at treetop level again. Two weeks later, I found myself in the exact same situation, treetop level and carb heat. Sometimes we must learn the hard way. I haven’t flown airplanes at treetop level since.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”? Can you share a story about that?

My recommendation to other pilots to avoid burn out would be to stay customer focused. As a pilot, we fly the airplane and make sure the crew, aircraft and passengers get there safely. That’s the job. However, to really thrive, you must genuinely take care of the customer to provide them a superior door-to-door experience. This includes catering to their needs; ensuring they have transportation at the destination; ensuring that meals are catered to their liking; and much more. By adding that personalized experience for the client, you have the opportunity to get to know them along the way which helps make each flight unique and helps to avoid boredom and burn out.

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?

Aviation is all about helping others. When starting out, my mentor was Lori Adams, one of only two women in aviation back then. Lori owned a flight school. I remember my mom was driving me somewhere and I saw a “Learn to Fly Here” billboard on the side of the road and said “Mom, I want to do that!” She said, “I’ll buy you one lesson.” My mom set it up and we went on Saturday. Lori took me flying in a Citabria, a fabric covered taildragger aerobatic airplane for my first lesson. It was great and I had fun. Either I was pretty good or Lori took a liking to me. When back on the ground, Lori asked me when I was coming back next. I had to say, “I’m not, we can’t afford it.” She said, “Come here tomorrow.” I repeated that we couldn’t afford it, and she repeated “Come here tomorrow.” Well, I did go back and wound up working for her every day until I was 18 years old. Never getting a paycheck, I was compensated in flying, learning aerobatics, towing banners, etc. Lori was my mentor that paved the way for me to get to where I am today. As such, I feel compelled to help others in their career journey.

Can you share with our readers how you have used your success to bring goodness to the world?

In my time as a pilot, I have met many upset passengers and clients and I have always done my best to turn around their day by genuinely caring for them and reminding them to smile. Sometimes, it’s the little things that make a world of a difference.

Thank you for that. Let’s jump to the core of our discussion. Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the Aviation and Air Travel industries?

As the Chief Pilot for Sawyer Aviation, it is an honor to be a part of the lifesaving medical transplant flights we administer. In fact, the company has developed a patent pending device called HALO which allows organs to be transported safer and faster, thus saving more lives. HALO is a mount that allows for organ transplant coolers to be safely strapped into the bed of an aircraft to keep the container from moving around in flight which could cause damage to the organ and make it unusable. Sawyer Aviation’s goal with HALO is to increase the viability of organs in transplant which will save more lives every day.

Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing these innovations?

While Sawyer Aviation’s goal is expansion, the pain point is going to be pilot hiring and retention. While airlines have recently increased wages to match charter levels, the airlines cannot sustain that more than 18–24 months. I foresee pilot furloughs on the horizon by the airlines. At Sawyer Aviation, we bring compensation and quality of life to the pilots in today’s market to keep them happy at their jobs.

How do you envision that this might disrupt the status quo?

I see a future point where pilots will once again be furloughed, and the market will become saturated. We have seen this before. Airlines and big business want to attract pilots and throw money at them. Unfortunately, I don’t believe this is sustainable for the airlines. This could mean higher airline ticket prices, removal of even basic care such as water, charging more for even the smallest of carry-on baggage or personal item, and even downsizing of cabin safety staff.

Are there exciting new technologies that are coming out in the next few years that will improve the Air Travel experience? We’d love to learn about what you have heard.

There are emerging technologies within the travel industry as a whole, including voice search, virtual and augmented reality, and facial recognition technology which have led to smart speakers in hotels, virtual reality tours from travel companies and new, seamless ways to check-in without having to queue and speak to hotel/company staff. We are increasingly using contactless payments, so it makes sense that the travel and tourism industry follows this same trend. I have heard that robotics are being used in travel technology as well. For example, within hotels, robots are used in concierge-like roles, helping to greet guests when they arrive and provide information. Some hotels have expanded their use further, involving them in cleaning and luggage handling.

Specific to air travel, the technology being tested for eVTOL is exciting. These are electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft while use electric power to hover, take off, and land vertically. Think drones for people! Another advancement is one that we have come out with at Sawyer and that is our new state of the art website which features a best-in-class universal private charter search tool allowing customers to find all of the details of their private charter trip online without the need to go through multiple brokers. The price, aircraft availability, routes, etc. are all right at your fingertips.

The future of travel technology is exciting!

As you know, the Pandemic changed the world as we know it. For the benefit of our readers, can you help spell out a few examples of how the Pandemic has specifically impacted Air Travel?

When the pandemic hit, air travel was significantly impacted, especially the airlines. The savvy traveler discovered charter services and soon learned that one can skip the lines, come and go at their own schedule, avoid the two hour wait times at departure and destination airports, and get personalized service. Charter services demand increased throughout the pandemic and remains high today.

Can you share five examples of how the Air Travel experience might change over the next few years to address the new realities brought by the Pandemic? If you can, please give an example for each.

I’m not quite sure the COVID pandemic would extend that far into the future. I believe, as a world, we have a handle on it are more cautious for it and, hopefully, are better prepared for it. I do not see the pandemic having any additional impact on the transportation industry than it has already, especially since we have adapted certain protocols for health and safety of the passengers. However, I do see the hiring and retention of pilots continuing to cause disruption to travel, especially for the commercial airlines.

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

After being a part of numerous humanitarian efforts while in the Marine Corps, I know there are different parts of the United States, and the World, where catastrophes occur. Being a part of even the smallest part of humanitarian effort can go a long way for people that are experiencing a low in their life. Whether it be a flood, earthquake or simply a loss of normal life, doing a good deed can be a significant help to someone. As mentioned above, sometimes it is the small acts of kindness that go a long way for people. Don’t underestimate the power your kindness can have. A kindness movement could change the world.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

Readers can come fly with us on social media @sawyeraviation or visit our website at sawyeraviation.com.

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

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The Future of Air Travel In The Post Pandemic World, With Chief Pilot Michael Johnson of Sawyer… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Vy Truong and Han Dang of Very Handsome Studio: 5 Things You Can Do to Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Less is More — Of course a minimalist aesthetic may not be for everyone, but ensuring every item within your home has a designated location can help create tidiness and a stress-free living space. This will also ensure that decorative items in open spaces are seen as assistance to the sign of the space, rather than clutter that is littering your space.

As part of my series on the “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Vy Truong and Han Dang of Very Handsome Studio.

Very Handsome Studio is an interior boutique design firm based in Houston, Texas founded in 2020. The founding partners of VHS are two young and enthusiastic designers, Vy Truong and Han Dang, who share a combined 10 years of experience within the design field, across a variety of scales and sectors, including hospitality, commercial, education, and residential design.

With a distinct focus on residential and commercial projects, they aim to create informed spaces through creative designs and interesting storytelling to produce a provocative outcome that goes beyond just chasing trends.

Thank you so much for joining us in this series! 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?

We both shared a unique passion for design since an early age. Han found her love for architecture and design from exposure to design magazines when she was younger, filling her walls with collages of cut out magazine pages. Vy found her passion for Interior Design from following her mother to many real estate listings and envisioning alternative lives for those homes. Our passion simply grew more ambitious after 4 years of the Interior Architecture program at the University of Houston College of Architecture and Design, where we met. Our itch for professional growth came after a long year of Covid isolation which led us to seek out opportunities to venture on our own. We have been grateful for that preposterous, courageous move ever since.

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

Very Handsome Studio is still youthful in age so we don’t necessarily have the best collection of stories to tell. However, we do have a memorable experience we’d like to share! Our very first and most generous client, also started out as our most skeptical client. They definitely warmed up to our suggestions over time, after witnessing our competence in person. Starting with a quick call to help fixup the living room of their newly purchased home, we have now elevated every space in their home and have gained a wonderful trust. When we first began the project, they were unable to explain in detail what they DO like, but never hesitated to let us know what they DIDN’T like. So when they gleefully walked us through their home, like a kid in a candy store, and explained in detail why they liked or enjoyed the individual items/elements that we had chosen, we were deeply touched and so grateful. Their feedback and reaction really reinvigorated our love for the interior design and our self confidence. This experience shows that sticking it out through the toughest of projects will always pay off in the long run.

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

We definitely have a few interesting lessons learned and a few not-so-funny mistakes made along the way. But perhaps the most important is knowing our worth and fighting for it. We’ve certainly crossed paths with clients who enjoy riding through life at the rate of “free, free, free.” As business owners, we were eager to show our worth and we were taken advantage of a few too many times. Now, we’ve learned to not show our cards so early in the design phase, and allow our work to speak for itself. A very memorable experience was being tricked to provide 3 hours of design consultations, free of charge, as we were misled into thinking that the client verbally confirmed our employment. You should have been there for the shock on our faces when we were humbly informed that we were one of FIVE different firms being “interviewed ‘’ for the small decorating project. This was a hard way to learn that our skillset should speak for itself and clients who are dishonest do not deserve our earnest services, anyways.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

We are definitely at the peak of interesting project lineups in our career and we’re so grateful for these opportunities. We are preparing for the opening of a Bodega-themed Burger joint with strong urban influence of Houston and New York. We are also in the stages of design for a speakeasy with a fantasy, alice-in-wonderland concept. The last project we’d like to share with you all is a “break room” with health and wellness as the focal point. The break room will highlight the importance of mental health and ultimately be a space for personal healing. We are honored to be part of these amazing businesses as they aim to provide unique experiences for their patrons. Houston has long been in need of unique spaces like these!

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

For Han, her quote is “Make it simple, but significant” (Don Draper, of course!) because of her minimal but efficient design style and living habits. Han finds pride in her work through the intricate, well intended, and thorough ergonomic details of design. She believes that minimalistic design should seem easy, yet is anything but. For Vy, she believes that her “Life Lesson Quote” has slowly transformed into “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.” (Mark Twain) as she experiences this new period of owning a business. As a harsh self-critic, Vy does stumble and fall in a profession she *should* have a full understanding in. However, every project, every event, and every year of growth have been a unique experience; with every mistake we’re ensuring a lesson was learned.

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?

Of course we have our families to thank for the continual, and often unwanted, push towards positive thought and positive actions. Besides that, we are tremendously grateful for Melissa Davis, an ex colleague and great friend who assisted in pushing us forward and starting the train of actual large scale work with our current clients. As two very timid, and introverted minority women, we had a difficult time gaining trust as opportunities came our way. Melissa worked with Very Handsome Studio as our Business Manager and Client Liaison, and was able to secure many contracts for us as well as boost our professional confidence. Without Melissa’s efforts from the beginning stages, we would not have been able to gain such great traction and forward growth.

Thank you for that. Here is the main question of our discussion. What are your “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1. Less is More — Of course a minimalist aesthetic may not be for everyone, but ensuring every item within your home has a designated location can help create tidiness and a stress-free living space. This will also ensure that decorative items in open spaces are seen as assistance to the sign of the space, rather than clutter that is littering your space.

2. More is More — Certainly in contrast with line item 1, this tip pertains to design styles and elements that may be more personal or memorable. A space that is designed does not have to be stripped of personality. We believe that incorporating items that carry meaning, emotion, or significance to those inhabiting it, will immediately spark natural joy. If a pattern reminds you of home, don’t be afraid to incorporate it into your space whether it lives on curtains, a modest throw pillow, or as the entire couch. Select significant and fulfilling items to make the center of attention and grow your design around those items. Different patterns and colors can definitely live together in harmony as long as there is hierarchy and meaning for those items to exist in the space.

3. Invite the outdoors in — This tip is quite self explanatory. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, sprinkling elements of nature throughout your space will elevate your home and bring a unique sense of comfort only mother nature can provide. Neutral wall decors, jute rugs, dried florals, or even natural wood grains are masters at providing the illusive sense of fresh air.

4. Know who you’re designing for — Whether approaching a large-scale design or a tiny decorating project, the intentions to design for yourself or those mainly occupying the space will not only make the design process easier, but create joyful engagements between the occupants and the space. Oftentimes, we birth fairytales and personal anecdotes for our clients through our designs, as they approach a project to help guide the most tailored space for them or their chosen audience. As long as the space is designed with meaning and not forced to chase trends, those spaces will always spark ample amounts of joy.

5. Never settle — Spaces are meant to grow and change. We often describe thoughtful design as spaces that are breathing and maturing. As the space flexes to its inhabitants, it’s also meant to shift and readjust. Therefore, never settling is simply the advice to not fear changing up the space where it’s needed. Just as a Living Room can change with the seasons, a dining space can adjust its design to the changing environments and patron influx. Never think that design is meant to provide permanence. Good design is meant to evolve!

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

If we were in possession of such power, we would certainly enact a movement to respect and emphasize design in every aspect of life. As natives of Houston, TX, we are extremely familiar with the consistent mindset from our clients that design is a luxury. With the rise of business opportunities, marketable ideas, and extreme dependency on modern technology, creativity will continue to prevail as one of the most important credentials of the Twenty-second Century. With the amount of opportunities we have at our fingertips, there’s really no excuse for anything to not look good or perform well. Design will ensure that to be the standard.

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 see this, especially if we tag them 🙂

Oh gosh, this is a tough question to answer. There are just so many transcending individuals we’d love to pick the brains of. Perhaps we would gain the most humbling lesson from a breakfast of champions with icons like Elon Musk or Bjarke Ingels, and dissect where they draw energy for their persistence towards change. These designers are also inventors and blind believers of their craft, understanding far sooner than the rest of us what is needed to push us towards necessary growth.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

We appreciate your interest in our budding venture! You can further explore our work and see our faces on our instagram: @veryhandsome.studio, or our facebook: Very Handsome Studio, and of course a collection of our tailored portfolio directly from our website: www.veryhandsomestudio.com.

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

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Vy Truong and Han Dang of Very Handsome Studio: 5 Things You Can Do to Help Your Living Space Spark… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Ali Rowley On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Be kind to yourself- be your best friend, your forever companion. You came into this world alone and you will eventually die alone. This is your life, yours alone. No one should dictate who you are. Be who you want to be. Who you feel inside. No matter how wild it sounds, that is you. Don’t be like everyone else. No one knows what they are doing. Not one soul on this planet. It’s all opinions and hear-says. You know more than everyone because you have been here several times. Trust your gut, follow your own path, and remember the road less traveled might be harder, even scarier, but believe me it is so worth it.

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

Ali Rowley started her career working alongside the great Jack Hanna, which led to her appearing on Late Night with David Letterman; Good Morning America; Martha Stewart Show; working on such films like: Furry Vengeance and One for the Money to becoming CEO and Founder of Animals Galore & More out of California. She has more than twenty years experience working with all different types of exotic animals around the country starting as an exotic animal trainer and educator, as well as working in the film and television industry.

Ali had a profound spiritual awakening in 2020, which led her to start her other passion project and organization, Journey to Heaven On Earth, as a Certified Spiritual Life Coach. She dedicates her time not only to her animals but helps others through healing their traumas, personal relationships, and guides people in discovering who they really are and what is their purpose in life. She has the tools and understanding that helps others get a renewed sense of self and create the life they always dreamed of.

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

It all started in 2020 when the pandemic hit. My exotic animal education business was shut down so I was confused and curious to say the least why this was happening to us and the entire world. Nothing at the time seemed to make any sense. I had time on my hands to look into this disease, how it was spreading and if the dangers were as serious as they said. With that said it led me to a whole new world I didn’t expect to find. This is a world that I had no clue existed “along with most of the population.” It was a world full of lies, secrets and the unimaginable things that were going on behind the scenes. I was so distraught and full of fear that not even my family and friends would listen to my tears. I felt more alone than I ever thought possible and I sank deeper and deeper into depression and suicidal thoughts. I cried out to God to save me and as I looked up into the sky I saw writing in the clouds, there was one word spelled out so clearly “GOD.” Right then I knew everything was going to be OK and that word is what led me on the wildest journey of a lifetime, full of terror and bliss!

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

I had a spiritual awakening. I had no clue what that was let alone what was happening to me. I was receiving messages in my head constantly about the world around us and I started obsessively doing research about anything and everything that was coming my way. I was seeing signs everywhere. It started with synchronicities such as numbers 111, 222, 333, and so on. I would see them on a clock, a license plate, a billboard, etc. I would look them up and sure enough they were messages from angels (angel numbers). Then nature was calling me all the time. I would ask myself a question and sure enough an eagle, or butterfly, or a dragonfly, or lady bug would appear. Yes, I know that sounds normal but it was every single time I would be pondering a serious thought (which was a lot). The best for me was music. I always have music playing randomly in my barn (Alexa) while I was cleaning up after the animals and I would receive literal messages in music about what I am doing at the moment, what I should be doing, and what I want to be doing for instance. The music was talking to me. Literally every song. This was my confirmation that I wasn’t alone. It was quite creepy at first then I got so used to it my life turned into its own road map. Like a game I would play and follow signs, listen, feel and see everything around me. There were no coincidences I soon learned, and the Universe was playing with me. I was the main character in a movie and they were leaving me treasures every time I completed a challenge or obstacle.

The main takeaway is that we are not alone, we were never alone. We have spirit guides leading us through life, angels showing us signs through nature, and we have ancestors helping us remember who we are and how powerful we truly are. If mankind only knew the gifts and magic they all carried inside them then this world and everyone and everything inside it would be free. It’s that simple. However, freedom does come at a price. You have to work for it. All you have to do is heal yourself internally and your external world will match the beauty we all carry inside us. Sounds easier than it is however. It takes an immense amount of strength and courage but it can be done by everyone. If I can do it then so can everyone. There is no one more special on this planet than you, If you believe in yourself then YOU GOT THIS!

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

Wow, just one mistake? There are so many. I think the biggest mistake I made was to try and tell my family and loved ones about what I experienced, how I viewed the world to actually be, and to try to take them on this journey with me. Every time I spoke it was like silence. Like literally hearing a pin drop, people staring without blinking, and being told I should be on medication. Now with that said, I am not blaming anyone for the responses I have gotten because the experiences were so off the wall unordinary, I thought about locking myself up in a psychiatric ward. However, I trusted my instincts, followed the signs, and told myself every day that I was not losing my mind. I made the bold decision to go in at this completely alone and as silently as possible. Within a year of what I call hermit mode and going within, not only did I throw out 47 years of what I had been taught my whole life and start over again, I went through horrific paranormal experiences I couldn’t tell anyone about in fear of really being forced into a mental facility and put on medication which would completely stop the awakening process. The main reason why I knew I wasn’t going crazy was the fact that within that year of working on healing my inner traumas, I lost 30lbs without even trying. Also, I had severe permanent skin damage on my arms since 2009 that healed on its own miraculously. So every time I questioned my sanity, which was almost daily, I looked in the mirror at my body and realized I didn’t do that by myself, I had help from a higher power. That was the physical proof I needed to keep going. Now I am not here to scare people away from the awakening journey or healing process by any means. I know now that my awakening was so intense and powerful because I have a mission on this planet and that is to heal the world. I am one of the many guides to show the way on how we were always supposed to live, our true HEAVEN ON EARTH.

Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?

The work I am doing is changing the world. I have spent two years healing my internal self. My traumas from the past, the present as well as past lives. Yes, you heard right. I was/am healing generational curses, my lineage, my ancestors as well. When you start healing yourself then the energy vibrates inside you at a higher level which heals the planet as well as an extreme amount of humans on the planet. If only people knew that they could help save the world on their own I honestly feel most people would. Our language is powerful and what we think, say and feel comes into existence good or bad. Most people don’t even realize that EARTH is also the HEART of the planet. Just take the H and put it in the front of the word. It is my mission and honor in life to guide the human race on their own healing journey. When they are ready I will be there to show them how to obtain their heaven on earth. We are all one, so when one of us suffers so do the rest of us. I want to see unconditional love being the only thing that exists on earth and not fear. Fear is not real, it’s an illusion we were taught. Think about it, when we came into this world we didn’t know what hate, fear, race, or war was. This was learned behavior. We only knew what love was and we will get back to that one day very soon. Sooner than you think.

Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.

1. Be kind to yourself- be your best friend, your forever companion. You came into this world alone and you will eventually die alone. This is your life, yours alone. No one should dictate who you are. Be who you want to be. Who you feel inside. No matter how wild it sounds, that is you. Don’t be like everyone else. No one knows what they are doing. Not one soul on this planet. It’s all opinions and hear-says. You know more than everyone because you have been here several times. Trust your gut, follow your own path, and remember the road less traveled might be harder, even scarier, but believe me it is so worth it.

2. Be kind to your body- this is a temporary suit you are wearing. You are blessed to have one. Just like astronauts need space suits, we need land suits. The only time you get a land suit is here on planet earth so enjoy it while you can. The more you take care of it the more fun in life you will experience. Watch what you put in your body. If it wasn’t made by mother earth then it is not supposed to enter it. Yes, I know, this is coming from a 49 year old woman with a 35 year old alcohol addiction and a 25 year old nicotine addiction. Thanks to my spiritual awakening and my spirit team I kicked that habit solo and you can kick any bad habit or addiction as well. I want you to know that whatever substance you are abusing or habit you may have, that is not the problem. The reason why you are abusing yourself is the problem. So get to the why (which may be several of them) and the addiction or bad habit will work itself out with your guidance.

3. Be kind to others- We are all the same with different and amazing personalities and gifts. We are all in this life together trying to navigate a system that was set up to harm us, not help us. Mother nature has provided us with everything we need and that was stolen from us since the day we were born. Water, food, energy, medicine, material for shelter, and so on. It was our birth right to live on a planet and learn from each other with unconditional love and share our talents. We are all here together now trying to survive in a world that lives solely on fear. 99% of us all strive for the same goal which is “peace.” It is time to get back to loving our brothers and sisters and not harming one another. We are meant to be here for ourselves as well as be here for others. It is not every man for themselves, it is every individual as one.

4. Be of service- There is no more joy you can experience in this world than the joy of helping others. I feel most, if not all can agree on that. Even if you only have enough to give to one person well then you did your job. Giving can be free. A smile to a stranger can literally brighten up their day, a “great job” to a co-worker can help them be a better version of themselves, lending a hand to a neighbor by helping bring in their groceries or mowing their lawn can change their bad day into a good day. Being of service does not have to be a grand gesture but you will find the more you do it the more you want to give. It opens up your heart space and not only do you feel amazing, the Universe rewards you for your service as well. Everything always comes back around. Karma is not just for bad things, it is for good as well. The more your heart is open the longer you live to enjoy this magical planet.

5. Self care rituals- There are so many ways you can give to yourself. Meditation is a major self care need that relieves stress. Now I am not saying sit in silence. This can be difficult for many since our mind goes a million miles a minute (monkey brain) which drives us crazy. There are several forms of meditation. Dance like no one is watching even if everyone is, sing in the shower, color in a coloring book, paint even if you don’t think you are good at it you might surprise yourself. Anything that you can give focus to that is enjoyable is meditation. Sun exposure recharges our batteries. Remember we are all energy beings and the sun is our fuel. Exercise will improve your mood. I am not saying run a marathon, but a walk in nature and/or yoga will not only improve your mood, but mindfulness, weight loss and stress as well. Salt baths are relaxing and will improve your sleep by washing away the negative energies you picked up that day from people, places, and things. My personal favorite is pet therapy. Hug and love on your pet. I promise they will take all your worries away with their unconditional love they have for you. No worries, if you don’t have an animal friend you can always volunteer at a shelter. Caring for a pet provides you with a sense of purpose and it helps them immensely . If you don’t have time, then when you go on a walk just listen to the wildlife around you. Whether it is birds chirping, or seeing butterflies pass you by, squirrels running by your feet, they are there talking to you whether you know it or not. If you have a fear of animals, no worries, trees are one of the best souls that will take away any negative thoughts or feelings you may be carrying. They are great listeners and they love the attention. And guess what? IT’S ALL FREE! Mother nature at its finest.

FUN FACT: My ears were ringing like crazy once I mentioned pet therapy. We all have spirit animal guides and past beloved pets that are always with us. Most of my spirit guides are from the animal kingdom. IMAGINE THAT!

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

I would call the movement “I GOT U!” During my awakening process I would say those words to myself. I would write them on a napkin, I would paint them on a wall, I would say them in the mirror every morning before I started my day. Those 3 words kept me moving forward. Not only did I know I wasn’t alone FINALLY because I had my spirit team to guide me every step of the way, but I knew I had myself. Knowing that I got myself and would pick myself up every time I would fall no matter what challenges I would face and demons I would fight, I knew I had myself and I wasn’t going to give up. Be your own champion everyone. Love yourself more than you love anyone or anything in this world and you can’t lose. I GOT U!

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

1. I GOT U would be my number one. Working on your mental health is the scariest, most challenging thing anyone will ever have to do and if you have at least one person by your side it will make the healing process so much easier and beautiful. So if that person can say to you “I GOT U” when you can’t say it to yourself, well you are ahead of the game knowing that there is someone by your side.

2.There are higher powers in the Universe that have been with you every second of the day since you were born. They love you, they have your back and they are here for your highest good. They are like your navigation system moving things out of the way so you don’t fall. Now sometimes they put things in your way so you do fall but that is only to help you maybe fall in a pile of dirt and not off a cliff. The dirt you can wipe off and keep moving, the cliff you might not get the chance to keep moving.

3. Trust the Universe. Stop trying to force outcomes in your life. If it is meant for you it will come to you. Don’t chase, attract. Notice that every time you are struggling to get something done, go somewhere, start a project, force a relationship, nothing seems to work out? It is because it is not meant for you. Maybe just not at that time or ever. The Universe wants to give you what you desire and if you wait patiently, it will give you something even bigger than you could possibly imagine. Remember the song “Row row row your boat?” Well, life is a dream so go with the flow of the river. Stop trying to fight against the current. We were brought up to believe that “Life is hard,” “Love is hard.” It is not, we make it that way individually and then give ourselves the excuse “Well that’s life.” Wrong, you make it how you want it to be. Trust the Universe, and trust the process and it will go smoothly.

4. Mistakes are learning lessons from the Universe. We came to this planet, a very dense planet, to learn. If you learn from your mistake then it is not a mistake. It was a lesson you learned from. If you repeat it, then the Universe will give you the same mistake in a harsher scenario until you get it right and stop repeating it. The biggest mistake we humans make is our relationships with others. How many times does the Universe have to show you that the person you are in a relationship with whether a friend, lover, or even a family member is not right for you and you either need to set boundaries or cut them off completely. We are so scared of being “meanies” that we take abuse over and over again from others that clearly haven’t healed their trauma and like to unload it on us just so we don’t feel guilty. Out of every lesson I had to fight to heal internally, “Guilt” was my number one enemy.

5. Enjoy the ride. Seriously! The mental health healing journey is no joke. It is and will be the toughest thing you will ever have to do in your life and once you start, do not stop. Starting is the biggest step to make. If you take that first step then you got this. Remember those 3 little words to always tell yourself “I GOT U.” So many amazing things will come to you with every step you take. Is it tough? Absolutely, but baby steps. It is not a race. You have your whole lifetime to work on yourself and the beginning might be tough because you are entering the unknown but trust me, it gets easier every time and with every challenge you face as you go along. You will be amazed at what you can do and the magic the Universe has in store for you. Oh, and don’t forget about your super powers that come out the more you heal yourself. Life is a game and once you start learning how to play it you can’t lose. You are the king and queen. CHECK MATE!

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

Mental health hands down. You have nothing if you don’t have your mental health in check. This life is about consciousness. Be aware of yourself, how you feel, act, want, desire. Be yourself. We came into this world with trauma and it ends with us here and now. No more genetic predisposition excuses, family curses. If we don’t stop the madness that we as individual souls have been repeating several hundred, if not thousands of lifetimes, then we are just going to keep continuing losing at the game of life and repeating it all over again. This is the final destination for us. Heal yourself and move on to live a life that you were always meant to, or repeat the same cycle of your traumas and add more karma to the list. This is a free will planet. Your only job on earth is to heal yourself and when you do that you can finally be free to be who you were always meant to be, your true authentic self.

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

You can go to my website at www.journeytoheavenonearth.com

There will be a podcast coming soon called “What Will The Neighbors Say” with myself and my sister Gaby who is also going through a spiritual awakening in which you can follow both of our journeys.

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

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Women In Wellness: Ali Rowley 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.

Modern Fashion: Melissa Dufour of Sexy Sweats On The 5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion Brand Today

An Interview With Candice Georgiadice

The fashion industry as a whole can improve by becoming more sustainable, using organic fabrics, using fewer chemicals, and choosing biodegradable fabrics. Improving our impact on the environment would be a great improvement for the industry.

Many in the fashion industry have been making huge pivots in their business models. Many have turned away from the fast fashion trend. Many have been focusing on fashion that also makes a social impact. Many have turned to sustainable and ethical sourcing. Many have turned to hi-tech manufacturing. Many have turned to subscription models. What are the other trends that we will see in the fashion industry? What does it take to lead a successful fashion brand today?

In our series called, “5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion Brand Today” we are talking to successful leaders of fashion brands who can talk about the Future of Fashion and the 5 things it takes to lead a successful fashion brand in our “new normal.”

As a part of this series I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Melissa Dufour.

Melissa Dufour unapologetically chose passion over profession. Chasing her dreams, the healthcare administration graduate always enjoyed fitness and looking fashionable, so in 2018, she created the trendy athleisure brand Sexy Sweats Wear. Fitness has always been a passion of Dufour but after being diagnosed with severe arthritis at the age of 25, the Sexy Sweats founder became determined to master her disease, instead of allowing her disease to master her. Now, cleared of any arthritis symptoms, Dufour is leading a new tribe of women, who don’t believe in modesty. The entrepreneur wanted to create a brand that looked and felt like her and the strong women in her life she admired. Sexy Sweats is attractive and daring in design. Each individual piece is designed by Founder and Creative Director, Melissa Dufour. Sexy Sweats designs encourage women to be confident and bold by hugging areas of the body that Dufour believes women should shamelessly flaunt instead of shamefully covering up.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood “backstory”?

I am a first-generation Haitian-American. I was born in Miami and raised in Haiti by my grandparents until I was 12 years old. Growing up, I went to an English-speaking school and loved to play sports and be involved in anything athletic. I was also always into being creative and performing. I would participate in talent shows and come up with choreographies. I have always been a social butterfly and full of personality and now I am putting that energy toward Sexy Sweats and building my business.

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

I always loved to draw. I would doodle on everything from napkins to my scrapbooks. I was always into fashion and initially wanted to attend fashion school in NYC after high school but instead of following my passion, I went the safe route as my parents wanted. An unexpected debilitating diagnosis of arthritis in my young twenties forced me to look beyond traditional medicine for answers. That’s when I dramatically changed my lifestyle, diet, workout routine, and outlook on life. I tossed my degree in healthcare administration to the side and pursued my passion for being a fashion designer, teaching myself everything I needed to know along the way.

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

Chasing my dreams was always important to me. The story of how and why I started by business is an interesting one. I graduated from healthcare administration and in 2018, I created the trendy athleisure brand Sexy Sweats Wear. Fitness has always been a passion of mine, but after being diagnosed with severe arthritis at the age of 25, I became determined to master my disease, instead of allowing my disease to master me. That is ultimately the story behind my inspiration to create this line of activewear and help encourage other women to lead active lifestyles.

You are a successful business leader. Which three-character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

1. Discipline — I had to prepare to pitch to an investor and stayed up until 6 am studying my material and finishing up my final business plan
2. Consistency — following a set schedule is important to help me stay on track. If things do not line up I continue to push through.
3. Self-motivated — one time I had a fashion show/pop-up event and it was a stressful situation because inventory was missing and my staff canceled last minute but I knew I had to put on my game face and get through it.

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

I am a unique brand and I am leading a new tribe of women, who don’t believe in modesty. I wanted to create a brand that looked and felt like me and the strong women in my life. Sexy Sweats is attractive and daring in design. Each individual piece is designed by me. Sexy Sweats designs encourage women to be confident and bold by hugging areas of the body that I believe women should shamelessly flaunt instead of shamefully covering up.

Unlike anything found in big box stores, the brand is built around bold statement pieces with vibrant colors, daring designs, and innovative, intricate stitching accentuating slimming illusions and enhancing the frame.

Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story of how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Life is always in motion, so you cannot feel stuck.” -Esther Hicks

Whenever I feel unmotivated or stagnant this quote reminds me to keep going, the light at the end of the tunnel is there I just haven’t made it yet.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Do you see any fascinating developments emerging over the next few years in the fashion industry that you are excited about? Can you tell us about that?

Fashion and technology are always advancing and changing. There are robots that cut and sew fabric, AI algorithms that predict style trends, and clothes can be worn in virtual reality now. There are also new fabrics such as lab-grown leather to avoid harming animals. All of these things are so exciting and make me excited to see what happens in the future!

Can you share how your brand is helping to bring goodness to the world?

I am motiving women to be confident, feel empowered, and to live a healthier lifestyle. I want women to feel comfortable in their skin and to flaunt their bodies instead of covering them up. I want to inspire other entrepreneurs, people on the fence about chasing their dreams, and other young women who want to start a business outside their profession.

Can you share with our readers about the ethical standards you use when you choose where to source materials?

I choose sources with zero discrimination, a fair working age, fair wage, reasonable hours, and a safe, hygienic place of work.

Fast fashion has an advantage, that it is affordable for most people, but it also has the drawback that it does not last very long and is therefore not very sustainable. What are your thoughts about this? How does your company address this question?

Sexy Sweats are high-quality, fashionable, timeless pieces. I do agree fast fashion has its pros and cons but that is not the route our company has taken. Sexy Sweats are made with high-quality fabrics and are therefore sustainable.

Thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion Brand”. Please share a story or example for each.

1. A Storyline — — a storyline helps me create the right styles, be an influence in the athleisure space, and it sets us apart from other brands. It also helps to create an authentic following with people who truly believe in the brand.

2. Uniqueness — — Being unique is what makes us stand out in the athleisure space. Our bold prints and bright colors contribute to our uniqueness.

3. Consistency — Each piece is consistently designed with high-quality materials. When someone sees one of our pieces they automatically know that’s Sexy Sweats based on the design and the quality.

4. Fashion Forward — All of our pieces are trendy and fashion-forward.

5. Results — Our brand is successful because we support women and encourage them to feel strong, healthy, and proud of their bodies.

Every industry constantly evolves and seeks improvement. How do you think the fashion industry can improve itself? Can you give an example?

The fashion industry as a whole can improve by becoming more sustainable, using organic fabrics, using fewer chemicals, and choosing biodegradable fabrics. Improving our impact on the environment would be a great improvement for the industry.

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

I would start a women’s empowerment retreat movement to focus on physical and mental health, sisterhood, women in business, motherhood, etc.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

You can learn more at sexysweatswear.com and follow us on social media @sexysweatswear

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

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Modern Fashion: Melissa Dufour of Sexy Sweats On The 5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Monica Garcia Duggal of WholeHealthPlan On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Taking care of yourself takes care of your business. Starting a business is exciting and a lot of work. Getting your sleep and maintaining your self-care and health is non-negotiable. When you take care of yourself, it’s easier to take care of your business. From establishing good budgets to drinking lots of water, these self-care practices impact how you feel, which affects your work.

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

Monica Garcia Duggal is a serial entrepreneur, mom, wife, Ironman Triathlon superstar, migraine headache survivor, speaker, and co-founder of WholeHealthPlan.com. She holds an English and Rhetoric double major degree from UC Berkeley and an Executive Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Washington Foster School of Business. She has received Executive and business education from the NYU Stern School of Business, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, the University of Berkeley Haas School of Business, and the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Monica is the founder of the Women’s Executive Leadership for Mentors and Mentees and Financing Women in Technology. Her strong background in Neuroscience for Leadership, Finance, and Self-Development has encouraged her to co-found www.WholeHealthPlan.com with her husband, revolutionizing how individuals think about their health and overall lifestyles.

Monica believes that if we choose to, we can control the thoughts we think, enabling us to create the life we want.

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?

From a very young age, I was interested in business and entrepreneurship. My mother was an especially big influence in my life, as she was an entrepreneur herself. She always talked about business, business ideas, business ventures, and how to help others build their businesses. This upbringing inspired me to live my best life and help others to see they can live their best lives too.

When reading stories of other successful women, I saw that one thing they all had in common was incorporating meditation into their lives. I knew from personal experience that meditation could help one gain clarity and tap into the fullness of this amazing thing called life. With this realization, I developed a plan and quickly realized that this “Whole Health Plan” could be helpful to others too.

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

The most interesting experience I’ve had since leading my company has been watching my relationship with meditation evolve and impact my work. When I began leading the Whole Health Plan, I meditated every morning. The clarity that came from living the ideals of the Whole Health Plan was so quick and tangible. I knew I had to share this experience with others through a book I titled, The Power of Breath: The Gift of Self-Actualization Through Meditation. The Whole Health Plan exists to empower members of the community so they, too, can regularly experience the power of meditation and holistic health. You already have what you truly desire within you; all we do is help you find and actualize it.

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?

As business founders, we sometimes think we have to know everything. This is hilarious because no one can know everything. When it came to branding, my business partner and I went down a laughable rabbit hole. After countless hours of getting nowhere, we hired a wonderful marketing research company. They helped us sort through our work and land on something that resonated with both of us. The lesson we learned is that doing everything yourself isn’t always the answer, and using a third party can help you move past your blind spots.

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

Powerful women raised me. Truthfully I didn’t realize the impact of my mother’s influence until after I graduated from college and landed a corporate job in finance. My mom helped me see that as a woman, I have the power of choice and a voice. Because my mother was an entrepreneur herself, many of her female friends were also successful business owners. I saw “The Woman Business Owner” in action all my life. I guess I just thought that was what women did: they ran successful businesses. Most importantly, my mother instilled this mindset in me: we see what we look for, so look for your power and toss everything else aside.

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 women back from founding companies?

Having been raised in an environment where I saw powerful women in leadership, I can confirm that representation matters. Unfortunately, the predominant narrative in our society is that women are less capable in these leadership roles. During my EMBA at Fosters Business School at the University of Washington, I did a research project on women CEOs in Fortune 500 companies. My research revealed there is no difference between the men and women in these positions — none at all. Even though this is true, financial investors want to fund what everyone else is funding, and male founders seem like the safest bet. That being said, the narrative is changing, and more women are positioning themselves as successful founders of companies. As the narratives change, so will the financial backing and empowerment of female founders.

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 I share in my book, The Power of Breath: The Gift of Self Actualization Through Meditation, change begins with a conversation with ourselves. As individuals, we can breathe deeply to connect with our internal compass and hire coaches to help us tune out external distractions. As a society, we must stop pretending that the subtle messaging around gender inequality is not a problem because it is. Our society is as strong and healthy as its members, including the women who have historically proven to be excellent community builders who care for business. Lastly, the government can create communities that provide opportunities to all its members. When education and opportunity are available to all members of society, our society is healthier and happier.

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?

The modern woman is the perfect candidate for becoming a business founder. Women are the biggest consumers and deserve to be at the head of what they consume, alongside their male counterparts. Additionally, my experience with women is that they make excellent leaders, have access to incredible strength and power, and are capable of building strong, sustainable businesses.

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

There are myths that, as a founder, you have to have everything figured out… yesterday! You’re expected to be ruthless and do whatever it takes to succeed, even if it means compromising your values. This myth can imply that a female founder cannot be simultaneously feminine and effective. These are myths because starting a successful company is based on time and effort, a flexible plan, and an unwavering belief in the vision. No matter who you are, male or female, you must build up your efficacy and focus and learn about your industry and its consumers. Being a successful founder has nothing to do with knowing everything or being cutthroat. It’s not an easy job, but it is completely worth it.

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?

If you want to be a founder, you are cut out to be one. Like everything else in this life, if you decide you want something and are willing to put the time and effort into it, no one can stop you. We all have intrinsic gifts that we can cultivate and share. Some people are not interested in becoming a founder because they have other things in their life that bring them much joy. Being an employee for someone else allows them to do the things that are more important to them than running their own business. Others, however, may feel a nudge in their heart to share their particular gifts by providing a service or product to others. If you feel that desire deep in your bones, you are founder material. Begin by researching what you are interested in and visualizing yourself and your business at your peak.

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

1. Meditation helps you make better business decisions. When you start a business, there are so many unknowns, so it is important to stay aligned and grounded. Meditation helps you ignore the outside noise and focus on your inner clarity.

2. Taking care of yourself takes care of your business. Starting a business is exciting and a lot of work. Getting your sleep and maintaining your self-care and health is non-negotiable. When you take care of yourself, it’s easier to take care of your business. From establishing good budgets to drinking lots of water, these self-care practices impact how you feel, which affects your work.

3. Create a team of people who support you. I wish someone had told me how important support is. I spent so much money on products and services that were not aligned with my business. When we are not clear on what we need, it’s easy to ignore our intuition. You know the feeling; something doesn’t feel right, but you go with it anyway. An outside supporter, like a coach, can help you navigate business situations. Something that might have taken me a year to figure out now takes me four weeks. This is worth a lot of money to any founder just starting out.

4. Never underestimate the power of a deep breath. When confronted with various challenges, it can be tempting to jump ship. Knowing when to take a deep breath, take a day off, or call a coach can make all the difference to your long-term success. Regrouping restores your clarity and allows you to confront challenges with greater ease.

5. Positivity is powerful. When you start a business, it is natural to be anxious and to second guess everything. Allow yourself to have these feelings, but remember, every founder has been in your shoes. When business inevitably gets rocky, it’s easier to deal with it if you’ve been filling your mind with positive news and success stories. You’ll never be able to know completely if your next step will work out. You must trust the process, take the next step and then wait and see. No matter the result, keep moving forward, and most importantly, keep believing in your business.

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

I like to inspire others by helping them access their clarity and natural gifts. I love showing them that they can be extremely successful and make this world a better place. As women, we are often told not to be successful, to be martyrs, and to save the world. This is my message: Women, you can be courageous, powerful, extremely financially successful, and make the world a better place as a result. We have the power to choose how we want to show up and live in this world. Happiness breeds happiness, and happy people help others to live a wonderful life. I believe this is essential to the human experience.

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

I would love to see women own 51% of the wealth in this world. It is time for women to allow themselves to be truly successful and experience themselves as the powerful and amazing beings that they are. Women are strong and courageous, and it is time for both women and men to enjoy this power. By presenting new ideas and petitioning for change, we enact change. Overall, women should remain confident in their power and pursue financial strength. After all, this has a positive impact on society as a whole.

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

I would love the honor of enjoying a private breakfast with Michelle Obama. As a Harvard Law School Graduate, she used her stellar work ethic and commitment to herself to earn high grades and opportunities. She found success despite all the external noise, always knowing how to navigate to where she wanted to go. I would love the opportunity to combine our powers and create more success and good in this world.

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

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Female Founders: Monica Garcia Duggal of WholeHealthPlan On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Amy Green of Hopelab On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Try multiple approaches to wellness. Not everyone likes the same things, and just because you don’t like one approach, doesn’t mean there aren’t lots of other approaches for you. You should be the one to define what works best for you.

As a part of my series about women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Amy Green of Hopelab.

Dr. Green is a clinical psychologist and expert on research related to youth mental health and suicidology with a focus on LGBTQ+ youth. She recently joined Hopelab as the social innovation lab’s Head of Research where she leads a team focused on advancing measurement, widening impact, and conducting research to promote thriving and health equity for young people. Previously, as Vice President of Research for the Trevor Project she supported the organization’s life-saving work to advance crisis services, peer support programs, advocacy and education initiatives to advance LGBTQ+ well-being.

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

Mid-way through high school I knew that I wanted my career to be focused on adolescent psychology and mental health. I was raised in a rural area of the country and saw how frequently mental health challenges occurred among young people and how incredibly uncommon it was for them to be able to access appropriate care. It was during my undergraduate education that I gained an appreciation for not just the power of individual therapy for mental health but also of research to support broader changes beyond just the individual. I’ve been involved in research on youth mental health and well-being for over 20 years, with a goal of finding ways research can impact positive change. Initially, it was more broadly focused, but as my LGBTQ identity became more central to my life, it also become more central to my research.

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

Across my career some of the most interesting stories and lessons came from a willingness to listen and to change. One that stands out when I was teaching a college course focused on mental illness. I had taught it in a fairly similar way for years, but this particular year I noticed that students kept having questions related to how they could actually get help to manage their stress, anxiety, and mood. As I talked to them more, I learned that the University Counseling Center had a massive waitlist and that they weren’t having luck trying other options. Here I was teaching them all about the causes, symptoms, and treatments of various mental health conditions while many of them were struggling with these very issues without any help. I decided to change the course syllabus and add an “optional” 8-week stress management module that taught them skills like progressive muscle relaxation, using cognitive behavioral therapy thought records, mindfulness, and deep breathing exercises. For each week they learned a new skill and how it worked in the last 15-minutes of class, and they were then given resources, asked to practice the skill a set number of times, and write a reflection piece about their experience. They were also able to write a reflection that simply said, “I was too overwhelmed this week and didn’t have time.” Every single student in the class opted into the module, and every single student turned in a reflection for all weeks. I continued this course addition for all classes going forward with similar success. For years after I received emails from students talking about how it had changed their life and how they had been able to go back to those skills at times when they were struggling. The main lesson for me was to truly listen to those you are trying to help and to be willing to change your entire approach to better meet their needs, even if it might stretch the limits of convention.

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

When I first started my career, I was living under a scarcity assumption that I had to say “yes” to every opportunity that came my way or I would miss out and forever regret it. While being a “yes” person might work well for some people, it didn’t for me. I ended up becoming spread way too thin and couldn’t figure out how to stop saying “yes” and then feeling overwhelmed by the amount I had taken on. It also set a pattern that I was a “yes” person which meant more asks of me. It took a few years, but I ended up taking part in a training about learning to say “no.” Practicing after that course was great exposure therapy for me because I learned that by saying, “This is such a great opportunity, but unfortunately, I don’t have the capacity to take it on right now. Please reach out in the future as other opportunities arise for collaboration,” I was able to maintain healthy working relationships and healthier work-life balance.

Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?

Hopelab is a social innovation lab and impact investor supporting the well-being of young people at the intersection of tech and mental health. We focus on ways to support, affirm, and empower young people, especially those from historically underserved communities, such as BIPOC and LGBTQ youth. At the center of Hopelab’s work is a commitment to co-creating with young people to remove barriers to their mental health and emotional well-being — and have the research to back it up. For example, we worked with LGBTQ+ teens to create a free, digital safe space for identity exploration and mental health support. We launched imi during Pride Month 2022, but only after we conducted a randomized control trial to validate that it significantly improves coping skills among LGBTQ+ youth. Thrillingly, Healthy Teen Network recently named imi the winner of its 2022 Innovation Award.

Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.

Since my work at Hopelab focuses on the mental health and well-being of teens and young adults, I offer these 5 tips — specific to Gen Z:

Develop a healthy sleep routine. Being well-rested is key for so much of our life, especially mental well-being. Take some time to figure out what works for you and start doing it regularly.

Learn to accept and lean into your emotions rather than fight them or run away from them. By simply noticing rather than judging our emotions we can actually alleviate a lot of our struggles with them.

Let people know when you start to feel you’re struggling and ask for support to help you move through the more challenging times. Asking for help can be overwhelming, so it can be helpful to have a discussion with those close to you to let them know some key signs you might need help.

Create a personalized list of “things that help me feel good” when you are feeling good so that you can go to it to help yourself when you can’t think of anything that makes you feel good. Sometimes it’s too hard to figure it out when you’re feeling down, so having a list already made can really help.

Try multiple approaches to wellness. Not everyone likes the same things, and just because you don’t like one approach, doesn’t mean there aren’t lots of other approaches for you. You should be the one to define what works best for you.

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

Ten years ago, I would have said we need a massive movement to destigmatize mental health. The good news is that while we still have a lot of room to grow, there has been a great deal of success, particularly among Millennials and Gen Z, in destigmatizing mental health. The next “movement” is finding ways to increase access to mental health care for all. I’d love to see free public access to a wide variety of mental wellness options. Like physical health, there are lots of ways we can work on our mental health outside of “sick visits.” I’d love to see mental health treated in the same way where folks openly know their options, get to try out ones that work for them, get support in learning and doing those options, and then are able to integrate them into their daily lives in times of wellness and in times when mental health challenges arise. That’s why we are focusing our Hopelab Ventures work on startups that increase access and diversity of mental health and well-being solutions.

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

Be open: It’s fine to have a vision and a goal in mind for your career, but also work on being open to life outside of that vision and goal. Some of the most rewarding experiences in my career came from unexpected places. Being open to new paths and experiences provides a great deal of career flexibility and fun!

Seek mentors: If you see someone who is doing what you hope to do in your career, don’t be afraid to reach out to them for advice. Early in my career I thought doing this might be asking too much of someone. In reality, many people actually find mentoring others very rewarding and are happy to do so. Some may say “no” for a variety of reasons, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty who would say “yes” and the outcomes of those interactions can be super valuable.

Brainstorm with others: You don’t need to have a fully flushed-out idea and a completely logical execution plan before you run it by others. Getting input from different perspectives before you fully flush out your idea is super helpful and actually provides more flexibility for those giving input. It’s harder for people to give authentic feedback on something they can tell you have already put a ton of work into. And that authentic feedback is oftentimes essential for success.

Expand your skillset: Take advantage of professional development opportunities outside of your area of expertise. For years I focused almost exclusively on continuing education and professional development that was super related to research methods, psychology, and mental health. Focusing on more broad content areas such as communication, leadership, project management, and feedback provided so much more depth to my skills and abilities.

Take care: It’s important to check in on your own mental well-being, especially when you work in the mental health field. Just because you have typically felt strong and resilient, doesn’t mean that it will always stay that way. It’s not only in your best interest to do so, but also those you’re trying to help. It’s like in an airplane where you are instructed to put your own oxygen mask on before you try and help others to do the same.

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

While all of these topics are dear to me, mental health is always at the top because it’s so central to everything I do personally and professionally. Since the beginning of my career, my focus has always been on young people because I believe proactively addressing mental well-being when folks are young is the best approach to helping them develop a more enjoyable future. Right now, our nation’s young people are grappling with a large number of challenges including those related to environmental changes. By boosting mental health and wellness we can also boost the ability of these young people to participate in their communities and work to produce the change they want to see in the world.

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

Check out the Hopelab website and engage with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram.

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

Thank you!

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

Female Founders: Nadia Porter of Koope On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Nobody will work as hard on your brand as you will — Always work in extra time for EVERYTHING! Don’t expect people to make things happen as quickly as you make it happen. I call it ‘founder time’ and ‘army time’. Founder time is in an earlier time zone than everyone else!

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

Founder and CEO of Koope, Nadia porter is an esthetician and serial businesswoman who created a unique but wildly popular ‘skinimalism’ skincare brand, that makes only cleansers and moisturizers for an effective two-step skincare routine. After a decade in the corporate world, Nadia returned to her passion for skincare, and created her brand at the beginning of the pandemic to give customers a simple, but very effective alternative to complicated skincare.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

I started my career in skincare nearly 19 years ago. Becoming an esthetician was life changing. It set me on a new path to living a confident, successful life in business, rescuing me and giving me purpose from a childhood and youth with years of abuse and sexual exploitation. Anyone in the industry will attest to its welcoming nature and everyone has a place in it. Being an esthetician was the first thing that made me feel normal, and after years in the business, I earned an MBA and moved into the corporate world. Koope is like coming full circle by applying my experiences in business and the beauty industry to creating this amazing brand.

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

Finding the name Koope was unbelievably difficult. I wanted something unique, punchy and trademark-able. This was harder than I thought! It took 3 months and trademark searching over 1,000 names to find one that I loved AND that could be trademarked. People ask me what Koope means, and the answer is that we’ve defined the name ourselves to mean expression, simplicity and collaboration. [Hey @Webster’s Dictionary, Feel free to add our word!]

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 wasn’t so much a mistake, but certainly funny! Koope products are simply named after what they actually are. For example, our gel cleaner is named ‘Gel Cleanser’, our lightweight moisturizer is named, ‘Lightweight Moisturizer’ and so on.

The person processing our European application insisted that our names aren’t actually “names”, but simply just the product type. They said the names are more “fluffy”! I laughed so hard. That also made me realize how much the market needed a simple but high-quality product like Koope. (We eventually got them through!)

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?

It’s impossible for me to show gratitude to just one person. While I’m a sole founder, there have been a ton of people who have helped me throughout my journey. From mentors, to product development, branding, sales and so many more who have been vital parts to get us to where we are today, we also become friends. The message here is, you cannot do it alone. I promise you, it’s a team effort, even for a sole founder.

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?

Confidence is probably the most common reason in my opinion. Imposter syndrome is a real thing. Also, while this might not only be relevant to women, I believe systemized testing in the traditional school system doesn’t make it easy for people to think outside of the box. Founding a business requires flexibility and creativity. I wish that teaching young people how to harness these skills was part of the mandatory curriculum. You’d probably see a lot more female founders floating around.

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?

Government incentives are important. There’s limited funding available for startups, making it harder to obtain. We need to teach all people of all genders and identities that achievement in life is about identifying your own unique gifts, developing your interests and striving to be the best at what you love, rather than trying to fit into a box that’s been created for you by society.

There are other ways to get to the finish line. I didn’t finish high school and came from a very unorthodox childhood. But while incredibly difficult, I got my MBA and am running successful businesses without passing through the ‘traditional route’. Many successful entrepreneurs have, but they don’t teach you that in school. The fact is, it shouldn’t be that difficult. Offering accessible alternatives for people to make them ‘entrepreneur ready’ would, in my opinion, make a huge difference.

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?

The fact that 82% of women go solo into business (only 69% of men do) and studies have shown (Fidelity’s 2021 Women and Investing Study) that female investors capture stronger rates of return on investments than male investors is proof we can do it. Women are cautious and we have a unique hormone that responds to fear which acts as a built in navigation tool for risk. This also makes women strong leaders and smart in business. As Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code said, “Women are socialized to be perfect, to know everything before we take a step”. So ladies, harness these natural gifts in your pursuit in business!

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

“Starting your own business gives you flexibility.” HA!…with a capital ‘H’! Starting a business is HARD, it takes time, lots of it. There’s no 9–5, and I don’t just mean at your desk, I mean emotionally as well. You will live and breathe your brand. It’s the first thing you think about when you wake up, and last before bed.

“You have to have and follow a business plan”. Here’s the deal on business plans: No matter how much you plan, in the first 2–3 years, things will not go that way. You have to be nimble in order to move with the business in its infancy. A plan is a guide in the startup world that is definitely needed, but if you’re too structured, you might find yourself missing opportunities or failing because you didn’t pivot.

“You’re the boss”. No. Your customers are the boss. So are your board, investors, the bank, your personal bank account and the years of unpaid work you put in to get it going. It’s the most demanding job in the world.

“Selling on social media is easy”. Somewhere around 80% of eCommerce businesses fail and running out of money is a common reason why. That said, failure is because of a variety of things. Maybe the product-market fit was poor, or it was just a bad brand or product. But Instagram has become EXPENSIVE and it’s very hard to compete. Same goes for Amazon. eCommerce is a long, expensive game and not a get-rich-quick plan.

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?

Everyone is not cut out to be a founder. Being a founder is freaking hard and a lot of people just don’t want to do it. Without the want, you have no chance. I think the most important traits are:

Grit — It takes a lot of grit to start a business with the skills to survive in difficult situations, unwavering perseverance and seriously thick skin. This means endurance, resilience, openness, optimism and follow-through (OK I just listed a whole bunch of traits wrapped in grit!)

Ability to take risks — You’ll probably need to make some uncomfortable lifestyle decisions and take some risks. But risk is not the same as haste. The best way to mitigate this is by doing thorough research and diligence. This can help make the decision more comfortable. I did 3 months of diligence such as competitor and market research before starting Koope, which made the uncomfortable ‘risky’ decisions easier to swallow.

Integrity — This is one that I don’t hear about a lot, Integrity has brought me a huge amount of comfort in my journey. Some things in business will feel good and some will feel bad. But whatever happens, if you make choices that come from a core of integrity, with how you do business, treat and speak to people, that feeling is worth gold.

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

My answers to this are very product related, but i’m sure in every industry there are things everyone can relate to:

Nobody will work as hard on your brand as you will — Always work in extra time for EVERYTHING! Don’t expect people to make things happen as quickly as you make it happen. I call it ‘founder time’ and ‘army time’. Founder time is in an earlier time zone than everyone else!

Don’t quit your day job until you can sustain yourself — This is more general advice because I financially planned to work full-time with no pay from the first year at Koope as part of my ‘investment’ in the business. But generally it takes a long time to start making money, sometimes years. It’s hard to focus on your business when you’re worrying about paying the rent. One option is to reduce full-time hours at a job to invest time into your startup, then transition from there.

You’ll need help getting into retail — Some founders have left the industry they’re launching in with buyer connections already in their pocket. But for those of you who don’t, you might want to hire a sales broker to help make those introductions to buyers because it’s VERY hard to catch their attention on your own!

Beware of burnout — Founders need breathing room to process, create and plan. I try to front load my week to get all time-sensitive things done, so Fridays I can stop at 6, go to the gym, and allow myself to process the week. I work more efficiently and clearly when I take this time, more so than if I plowed through weeks on end with no break.

Brexit will mess up your anticipated launch date — Our products were developed in Europe so Brexit (and COVID) caused huge delays that pushed our launch 8 months later than planned. That’s 8 months without income or time to build brand awareness.

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

Shorten. 5 lines max. They will edit. Better if you abbreviate

Koope is based on a foundation that promotes self/artistic-expression and fighting the fight against sex-trafficking trough two programs. Our art program commissions a new piece that’s printed on our packaging each production run and our Koope Kommunity program donates $1 of every single product sold on Koope.com towards anti-sex trafficking initiatives, and up to $1 for each purchase at one of our retail partners. We did this from day one, not dependent on profits, it’s a core part of our brand mission.

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’m very passionate about raising awareness of modern sex-trafficking. The uproar of Epstein and similar cases has sparked the fire, but there’s still an enormous amount of work to be done. It happens everywhere, not just in distant underdeveloped countries. It’s the silent endemic which has an estimated 24.9 million victims worldwide at any given time. Teach your kids, students, family and friends warning signs, so they can say #imaware and stop sex-trafficking.

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

I’m going to be cheeky and name two! The first is Sarah Blakely, founder of Spanx. She is a hard-core hustling businesswoman who I admire and respect immensely. I would love to soak up her energy and talk about her education for women program. We both live in Atlanta. So Sarah, if you’re reading this, let’s meet up for lunch, or maybe I’ll attempt ‘Hell on a Hill’ next year for sex-trafficking awareness!

The second is Oprah. I mean, is there anyone in the world you’d rather have lunch with?! But seriously, I feel a common soul with her. Both of us started from humble beginnings and pushed through to get to our today. We’re both here to make a difference and it would be an honor to combine my voice with hers to create lasting change.

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

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