Category: Featured

Female Disruptors: Kelly Walter of Daily Orders On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your…

Female Disruptors: Kelly Walter of Daily Orders On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Assumptions about women in business. I really hate it when people ask me, ‘How is your little business going?’. Would they say that to a man? Unlikely. We turn over $1 million in revenue per year and employ three people full-time — that’s not small in my books. There is this assumption that because I’m a woman and my business supports my parents, it must be small or in some people’s eyes, even a hobby! It’s wrong and we need to challenge these assumptions. We’re in a growth phase and not slowing down anytime soon. It’s time for assumptions to catch up.

As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kelly Walter of Daily Orders.

Kelly Walter is the founder of Daily Orders, a Australian-based business selling time-saving planners for busy families. As a busy mum herself, Kelly knows first-hand the importance of being organised and has made it her mission to help other families achieve a better work/life balance by helping embracing the ‘Daily Orders’ method.

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?

The mental load has been an invisible weight that women have carried for generations, and it’s time for change. When I was on maternity leave with our second child, one question kept running through my mind: how would I ever get anything done again? Why can’t I handle this? So, I turned to a planning hack used in the Navy where I’d worked for many years as a Naval Logistics Officer called ‘Daily Orders’ to help me take back control of my life. In the Navy, Daily Orders is the primary method of communicating. Published daily, it tells everyone exactly what is happening and when. I wanted to test whether it could make life that bit easier with a baby at home and it worked. I took this concept and created Daily Orders family wall planners for parents just like me.

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

We manufacture and sell a range of family wall planners that help families get organised, display all the things that need to be done, and make it fun too! The work we do is disruptive because we are changing the way families operate on a day-to-day basis. We are giving parents the tools they need to take back control of their lives and share the load with the rest of the family.

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’s only funny in hindsight, but at the time it was a disaster! I had arranged a major collaboration with a huge Australian Thermomix group to co-design a menu planner to go on the fridge. We’d never mounted our planners with magnets but the demand was huge so we naively gave it a go. After sending out more than 300 planners, they started falling off people’s fridges. Of course, we received a bunch of complaints and despite doing my research and testing, it turns out that these strip magnets weren’t suitable for actually mounting anything, rather they were just meant to be stuck on racking for electrical cables. The lesson I learned here was to always triple test your products before you launch them and to trust my gut. I knew I didn’t want to use button magnets as they are a common choking hazard, but I was swayed by the customer’s desire to have magnets. Always listen to your gut!

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

I started out listening to James Tuckerman from The B2B Group who is an exceptional businessman. He helped me grow my audience on Facebook and generate sales through Facebook ads. The biggest lesson I learned from him was ‘not to propose on the first date’ i.e. it is highly unlikely that the first time someone sees your product that they will buy. You need to warm them up first, by giving value and letting them know, like, and trust you, before you ask them to give over their hard-earned dollars. More recently, I’ve been working with business coach Lisa Jones to work on my business, to help me get out of working in the business. She encourages me to make better use of my time, outsource where I need to, or where I am not skilled, and really delve into the numbers behind the business to work out what needs improvement.

In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?

I generally believe that disrupting an industry is positive when innovation leads to improved outcomes for consumers. In the parenting space, there are a lot of products and services that have largely remained unchanged for decades, despite the fact that families have become more diverse and parents have less time and more obligations than ever. The needs of parents will continue to change, and we need to be prepared to change with them.

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

Never propose on the first date — it is going to take time for people to warm up to you and trust you and your brand. They’ve worked hard for their money so you need to work hard to get them to trust you with it.
Numbers don’t lie — You can have all the feelings you like about how you think business is going, but when you look at the numbers, your truth will appear.
Avoid having all your marketing eggs in one basket — Facebook Advertising was initially our main source of customer acquisition and it worked really well for us. But as our business has grown, so have our marketing channels. Since the iOS14 privacy upgrade and significant changes in privacy settings, advertising through Facebook has, for us, become unreliable and expensive. Diminished reporting capabilities mean it’s hard to attribute which ad made a sale. This has made the job of making informed data-driven decisions very difficult in our experience. We’re now exploring other advertising channels such as Pinterest and public relations to help us reach untapped markets.

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

We’re looking at new products to support our National Disability Insurance Clients with their independence, communication, and organisation. We’ve also got another product coming soon which we’re excited about as it will complement our planners beautifully!

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

Assumptions about women in business. I really hate it when people ask me, ‘How is your little business going?’. Would they say that to a man? Unlikely. We turn over $1 million in revenue per year and employ three people full-time — that’s not small in my books. There is this assumption that because I’m a woman and my business supports my parents, it must be small or in some people’s eyes, even a hobby! It’s wrong and we need to challenge these assumptions. We’re in a growth phase and not slowing down anytime soon. It’s time for assumptions to catch up.

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

No — to be honest!

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

Donate what you don’t need. Ultimately a lot of business owners are in business to make a living for themselves, but if you don’t need a bazillion dollars, there are always people who do. We currently donate a percentage of revenue to SoldierOn to help veteran mental health and rehabilitation which is something I’m particularly passionate about after my time in the Navy.

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

You can’t afford to worry about what you can’t control. My husband and I met when we had both broken-off engagements. We sat on the floor of his apartment in Sydney one day when we were just going out and looked at each other and said, “Are we doing this — are we together?”. The answer was a resounding yes, but we needed to get out of our own heads and stop worrying about the past in order to move forward. So we came up with this phrase, “you can’t afford to worry about things you can’t control” and we have used that throughout our 12-year (so far) marriage.

How can our readers follow you online?

On Instagram, Facebook, and on LinkedIn. To browse our range of family planners, please visit: https://www.dailyorders.com.au/

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

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

Lessons from a Thriving Power Couple, With Joe and Brionna Barksdale

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Effective communication — You can’t move forward if you can’t communicate (because of me being autistic and mentally ill, it’s that much more important for us to communicate because our brains are hardwired differently and we see the world differently.

As a part of our series about lessons from Thriving Power Couples, I had the pleasure of interviewing Joe and Brionna Barksdale.

Joe and Brionna Barksdale. Joe, a 2011 third round draft pick in the NFL — and Brionna, a driven entrepreneur shares what it’s like being in love on the spectrum, having two daughters, and navigating their new life as a family without sports.

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

Bri: I started planning events in the 8th grade, it’s a long story, but I fell in love. This passion carried through high school and college where I produced and executed events of all sizes. When I graduated I started my own event planning company which allowed me to work wherever my husband was. While in California I met a really good friend who worked in real estate, and she thought it would be something I’d have success in as well. While I was interested at that time, I didn’t want to start something so focused on a geographic region when mine kept changing, so I waited to explore that field until Joe retired and we settled on one area. It just so happened that when we relocated, COVID hit and the event industry came to a halt. Well, I used that time to learn as much as I could about the Austin, TX market. I drove around while the roads were mostly clear, I took the appropriate classes, passed my exam, and started working to build my business. Now, I take my love of working with people, coupled with my appreciation for design, both exterior and interior, working as a REALTOR® in Austin, TX. I specialize in relocation, and work with many families making the move. As someone who has moved a lot, I know of the many hurdles, only one of which is finding a home, and do my best to help them every step of the way.

Joe: Being autistic and mentally ill it’s very difficult to communicate with people on top of not having a voice while in the NFL. I was almost fined $20k for writing “I can’t breathe” on my cleats after someone that looks like me was murdered by the police. Living the life that I have with the challenges that I’ve been facing, I have a lot to say and I wanted to do something that helped me communicate effectively with people and I found that in the arts of Music and Standup Comedy.

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

Joe: The most interesting story for me will always be seeing a child being born. It’s inexplicably beautiful and fear inducing at the same time. “Look at this life that didn’t exist before!” But at the same time “I need to do everything that I can to protect this child”. The duality of the situation makes it forever beautiful and interesting to me.

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?

Joe: The funniest mistake that I’ve made is taking a roadtrip with Brionna and her family and drinking a milkshake (I’m lactose intolerant). We drove from Michigan to Oklahoma and I was faking sleep and farting for most of the trip.

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

Bri: I feel my work as a Realtor stands out because I do my best to learn as much as I can about my clients wants and needs so that I can curate a personalized experience just for them. There is no “one shoe fits all” in this business and I meet people where they are with exceptional service from start to finish.

Joe: Moonbeam music aims to produce music that people have never heard before, but have always wanted to hear. We are also huge believers in art reflecting life and being able to help people that are like us by telling our stories. I think that that combination of a refreshing sound and relatability through the truth in the music help us stand out.

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

Bri: Yes, so I’m still very active with events, it’s a great real estate referral source for me, so event wise I’m working 3 large scale events for 2023 that will be announced soon.

With regard to real estate, the market is ever changing, but I’ve been working in the background on my branding and marketing, and some tools that will streamline my process.

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

Joe: Treat them like people. Love makes people more loyal than fear.

Bri: Find out what they are passionate about and then figure out a way to support that passion. Oftentimes there is a way to incorporate a person’s passion in what they are doing and you bring out the best in individuals who are passionate.

How do you define “Leadership”?

Joe: Being the person that you tell other people to be and knowing that you don’t know everything.

Bri: For me leadership has always been about setting a standard and being the first example.

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?

Joe: Charleston Fobbs and Kobe Bryant. I know that I picked two people but they both played the same role in my life as a mentor/big brother figure that I never had. I don’t really have any interesting stories but I will say that I used to get very nervous before football games and I would always call Fobbs, he was my confidence, because I don’t have any in myself. I hate myself in fact, but he was always there to help reassure me when I needed it the most. He started out as my high school coach and stayed a very important part of my life until his untimely death. I’d say that Kobe Bryant helped me reexamine my life and see what my real dreams were as an artist. He gave me the courage and knowledge to start on this whole professional artist path in the first place.

Bri: I am very grateful for my mother. She made several sacrifices for me to be in the position that I’m in now and she’s still such a very strong support system to our family. She’s always a call away and there when you need her. A few weeks ago while picking up Joe’s Father’s Day gift I ran over something and got two flat tires. She came and picked me and the kids up, pretty late in the evening, as opposed to me calling an Uber, just because that’s who she is. I definitely have her servant’s heart.

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

Joe: Community service and bringing hope to people on stage. I love giving back to the community and always have. I believe the strength of a community lies in the people which is why I love investing in people. I like to think that I bring hope to people during my comedy and music shows by sharing my story and hopefully helping people feel seen and know that they are not alone.

Bri: Joe and I love to do things for the community. A few years back we started an Annual Backpack Giveaway with the goal of giving kids bags they could be proud of. We purchased bags from Sprayground and handed them out with school supplies. While Joe was with the Chargers in Orange County I organized with the department of family services a give back program where we adopted families with kids in the foster care system. Each year several of his teammates stepped up to adopt families.

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

1.Effective communication — You can’t move forward if you can’t communicate (because of me being autistic and mentally ill, it’s that much more important for us to communicate because our brains are hardwired differently and we see the world differently.

2.Sense of Individual Purpose- Joe and I have found that having an individual purpose that we can both support works better for us then both working on the same thing.

3.Team Oriented Attitude- Both Joe and I come from competitive sports backgrounds, So we look at our family like a team, and we both like to win. We share our goals with each other and then both do as much as we can to help the other achieve their goals. Sometimes that could mean Joe coming with me to an open house so that I’m not there by myself which is unsafe or me helping plan events around what Joe is doing to get him in front of more people.

4.Honesty — It’s important that we’re honest with each other, because the last thing you want is someone from outside the house to tell your spouse something that you could’ve shared with them prior. For example, when I first started doing comedy I would run all of my material by Bri. Her feedback helped me shape some of my jokes to make them funnier and remove those that weren’t funny at all. That helped me get better.

5.Trust — Trust is so important because we know that we have each other’s best interest at heart which allows us to receive feedback from the other objectively and grow from it.

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

Bri: If I could inspire a movement it would be called the Give Love, Give Kindness movement. I think there are so many people in the world just starving to feel loved, or that someone cares about them. Sometimes it’s just one act of kindness that could impact how someone views themselves or their life here on earth. Also, giving those two things away is free, and no one can “run out” of either, so this is something that could, and should, go on forever.

Joe: I’m behind that!

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

Bri: Seek Qualified Advice. I’ve found that many people seek out advice prior to making a decision; however, there are many times where the people they are asking for advice aren’t qualified to give advice on that topic. For a long time I went to only one person for advice, but it wasn’t until I realized that person had not done some of the things I was trying to do, that I branched out and found mentors that could give me advice based on their experience.

Joe: A poem entitled, “The View From Halfway Down”

The weak breeze whispers nothing

the water screams sublime.

His feet shift, teeter-totter

deep breaths, stand back, it’s time.

Toes untouch the overpass

soon he’s water-bound.

Eyes locked shut but peek to see

the view from halfway down.

A little wind, a summer sun

a river rich and regal.

A flood of fond endorphins

brings a calm that knows no equal.

You’re flying now, you see things

much more clear than from the ground.

It’s all okay, or it would be

were you not now halfway down.

Thrash to break from gravity

what now could slow the drop?

All I’d give for toes to touch

the safety back at top.

But this is it, the deed is done

silence drowns the sound.

Before I leaped I should’ve seen

the view from halfway down.

I really should’ve thought about

the view from halfway down.

I wish I could’ve known about

the view from halfway down —

This is a poem that I read at least once a day to remind myself of what is on the other side of suicide attempts if that makes sense. I love this poem and the show that it comes from (Bojack Horseman) and think that this show and episode that this poem came from in particular will save many lives. It helped save mine.

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

Joe: Dwayne Johnson. He’s been such an inspiration to me and is one of the reasons that I was comfortable walking away from football to chase my dreams because he walked away from wrestling to do the same. He’s also talked about his struggles with mental health and he’s just been such a huge part of my life without even knowing. It’d be nice to meet him so that I could say thank you.

Bri: If I could have lunch with anyone it would likely be Mark Cuban. He seems like such a brilliant guy and I love it when he talks about how he’s raising his kids. You can tell he has a good heart and I really appreciate that about him.

How can our readers follow your work online?

Bri: instagram is best @BriBarksdale

Joe: instagram is best @jbdale72

This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!

Lessons from a Thriving Power Couple, With Joe and Brionna Barksdale was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Melissa Eamer of Modern Age on the Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support…

Women In Wellness: Melissa Eamer of Modern Age on the Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Most people are fairly risk averse. So, when you are hiring a team to build something that doesn’t yet exist, you have to paint a very clear vision and have a strong mission that they relate to.

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

Melissa Eamer is the CEO of Modern Age, an evidence-based aging wellness platform that empowers people to take control of how they age. Prior to starting Modern Age, Melissa served as the COO for Glossier. Founded in 2014, Glossier is widely touted as one of the earliest breakout successes of the DTC model, and raised its Series E last July at a $1.8 billion valuation.

At Glossier, Melissa led teams responsible for e-commerce technology, offline retail development, digital innovation and revenue generation.

Before joining Glossier, Melissa spent 19 years at Amazon, most recently as Vice President of Amazon Devices, where she managed a team of over 800 people across engineering, product management, branding, marketing, demand planning and retail partnerships. Over the course of her career at Amazon, she held many different roles, across both retail leadership and product development and grew P&Ls from less than $1B to greater than $12B in annual revenue.

Melissa received her MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and holds a BA in English from the University of Vermont. Prior to business school, Melissa owned and operated a restaurant in Richmond, Vermont. She lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys spending time outdoors racing and riding with an all-women cycling team.

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?

Thanks for having me! My interest in why people age differently began as I watched my mother and grandmother get older as I was growing up. I was curious as to how much of aging was due to genetics versus lifestyle, and if there was a reasoning behind why we age the way we do. I went to graduate school with the intention of getting into long-term care management but struggled to find any innovative companies in the space at that time (1998) who were willing to hire a newly minted MBA. So instead, I decided to take a job at a startup called Amazon as a product manager. I ended up spending the next 20 years there building new products, including Look Inside the Book, Kindle, and Echo. I learned an incredible amount over those years, but really missed being in a smaller company, and that curiosity and interest in aging had always been in the back of my mind. So I decided to start Modern Age, a holistic wellness company, with the mission of helping people take more control over how they age.

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

When I worked at Amazon, I was asked to take over a project that was in real trouble. It was one of those ‘offers’ you couldn’t really refuse. Unfortunately, it was a very high-visibility project that had already experienced several public missteps. The team was under a tight timeline to fix the problem and deliver the product, so I felt an immense amount of pressure to quickly provide results. But as I dove into the work that had been done so far, it became clear that the team was incredibly demoralized and many didn’t have the necessary skills or experience for the task at hand. After a few very stressful days of thinking through my options, I realized I would have to deliver a very unpopular recommendation to my manager: I needed to push the launch out eight months so that I could make the team changes needed and start rebuilding. I laid out a balanced and realistic list of the risks and opportunities of trying to launch quickly versus taking the time to do it right, and thankfully, he trusted me. After hiring the right team, we built and launched the project on the timeline we committed to and it was a huge hit with customers.

This is one of the more interesting projects I worked on because it required a lot from me as a leader and taught me a great deal about how to motivate a team. The biggest lessons I took from the experience were:

You have to ask for what you need to be successful. If I had tried to hit the original delivery date with the team I inherited, I would have failed.

Having the right talent is critical, particularly in your leadership roles, because they allow you to do better work faster.

When you are tackling something hard, it’s really important to set a clear north star and remind people of where they are headed. You can never remind them of the mission and why their work is important too often.

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?

Early in my career at Amazon, one of the department leaders asked me to pull together a report to send to a partner. At the time, I thought the request was really strange–we did not typically share this type of reporting. But because the request came from a senior leader that I didn’t report to, I ignored my intuition, didn’t ask any questions, pulled together the information, and sent it out. It turned out that my intuition was correct — the information I shared was very strategically sensitive. In fact, my manager was almost fired over the incident. It was an important lesson about ownership to learn early on in my career — just because the request came from someone more senior, I still had a responsibility to speak up and ask questions.

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

We have spoken with hundreds of people through our research, and two things really stand out: 1) aging is a topic filled with anxiety, misinformation, and feelings of helplessness; and 2) people don’t know where to turn for advice and help.

The great news is that so much of how we age really is in our control–only 20–30% is based on genetics. There is a tremendous amount of research that suggests taking steps to feel younger can actually add many years to your lifespan. People who feel younger have better strength, brain function, and even healthier biomarkers. So our mission at Modern Age is to help eliminate that fear of aging, help people take steps to feel younger and ultimately live happier and longer lives.

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.

Optimize your sleep quality — Having high-quality sleep is essential to overall health. Establishing proper sleep hygiene is key, specifically minimizing exposure to screens within two hours of bedtime. For many people, supplementation can be helpful and melatonin can be a useful tool to ensure that people are able to fall asleep and stay asleep effectively.
Proactively manage stress — The negative impacts of stress on the human body are now well established. Yet, it is nearly impossible to avoid stress in daily life. The best approach is to build in strategies to proactively address stress. Habits like daily meditation, gratitude journaling, and mindfulness can be very helpful in building up “reserves” to help handle stress when it inevitably comes. A useful supplement to boost your body’s ability to handle stress is Ashwagandha, which helps to control the response of your adrenal glands — the organs responsible for pumping out the stress hormone cortisol.
Maintain healthy levels of key nutrients — specifically Vitamin D and Omega 3 — Eating a well-formulated diet free of refined carbohydrates and processed foods can go a long way toward giving your body the nutrients it needs. However, there are some that are hard to get sufficient amounts from diet and daily life. These are Vitamin D and Omega 3, both of which have been shown to be beneficial in a variety of ways, including strengthening the immune system, reducing inflammation, and controlling the risk of cardiovascular disease. Taking both supplements daily can be helpful in achieving and maintaining well-being.
Correct meal timing — While there continues to be much debate about what foods to eat, the question of when to eat is a bit more clear. For example, research consistently finds that eating meals within 2 hours of sleeping causes weight gain and disturbs sleep quality. Therefore, it is important to give yourself time to digest prior to bed.
Exercise with the right recovery regime — Most people know about the benefits of exercise, but fewer people think about recovery from exercise. Without the right recovery strategy, you don’t get as much benefit from the exercise you are doing. Using a post-workout massage gun or cold immersion (if you are up to it) can be very beneficial. Taking supplement creatine before or after workouts can also boost muscle recovery from exercise.

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

Empowering every individual to take control of their aging journey. I’d love to educate people on the options they have to age the way they want to, and that it is never too soon to start.

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

Most people are fairly risk averse. So, when you are hiring a team to build something that doesn’t yet exist, you have to paint a very clear vision and have a strong mission that they relate to.

Starting something new is a bit like kayaking in the ocean on heavy seas — you will have lots of ups and downs that are often unpredictable and not within your control.

It’s really easy to get caught up in the day-to-day, so it is important to be intentional about spending time with people who can share diverse perspectives on whatever challenges you are facing.

Set interim goals that you can celebrate with your team–building a large sustainable business is something that takes years, so you need to find joy in the steps in between.

Remote work allows you to hire great talent wherever you find it but it also requires an extra and deliberate level of effort to keep everyone engaged and excited about what you are building.

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

I do think these are all important topics, but to me, mental health really stands out. As a society, we have collectively been through so much in the past few years and I think it has taken its toll on our mental health in ways many of us may not even realize. I know from my research on aging that things such as optimism about the future and feeling a sense of purpose have real measurable impacts on your physical health. Personally, I observed how my mother’s health rapidly degraded as her optimism and sense of purpose declined. Therefore, I believe it is critical to provide resources and support for improving mental health for every individual.

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

www.modern-age.com and @hellomodernage

This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!

Women In Wellness: Melissa Eamer of Modern Age 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.

Women In Wellness: Ajona Olsen of Arizona Healing Collective On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will…

Women In Wellness: Ajona Olsen of Arizona Healing Collective On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Seek out a therapist and don’t settle, really find someone you connect with. Investing in your mental well-being is the most important thing you can do for yourself but the ripple effects from your healing have the potential to reach further than you can possibly imagine.

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

Ajona Olsen MSN, APRN, ANP-C is a nurse practitioner who opened her own private Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy practice in Mesa, Arizona, to help treat those suffering from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, addiction, and anxiety. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is a therapeutic method of treatment used to address mental health conditions. Using ketamine, an FDA-approved synthetic pharmaceutical compound, KAP may facilitate psychedelic experiences such as expanded consciousness that will in turn rewire the brain to think of the person’s mental health differently and ultimately improve their mental health.

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

I went into healthcare with the intention to serve and to help people restore their health. This sounds cliché but helping people feel better actually does make me feel better. There’s something very symbiotic about a healthy provider-patient relationship. I started in 2001 as a registered nurse in the hospital and became a nurse practitioner in 2006. I worked with a population who had either progressive brain diseases like Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia, as well as structural brain damage from major strokes or traumatic brain injuries. These patients also had chronic conditions like diabetes, heart, and lung disease, as well as major depressive disorder, anxiety, bipolar disorders, etc. It was my job to manage their illnesses and typically prescribe medications. I rarely took away or tapered patients off medications but rather had to add more because of worsening symptoms. I spent so much of my time as a nurse practitioner working with brain disorders that were resistant to change that I forgot how malleable the brain can be and is in a “healthy” (i.e., not diseased, or damaged) brain. I saw this fact validated time and time again with each research article about psychedelics having profound healing effects on Veterans who suffered from PTSD and suicidality. This made more intuitive sense to me. Once the pandemic hit, my career path and the system of care I worked for no longer made much sense to me personally. That’s when I found Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) and trained in it as a provider in 2021. I then opened my own practice this year.

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?

Before opening my KAP practice, I had to attend a meeting with executives of the company I worked for because I was deemed someone who could take on a “leadership” role. I remember one executive explaining our role as “leaders,” saying, “think of it as if you’re in the jungle with your team, you must stay on the elephant so that you have a broader view of what’s going on around you and your team. You must not get down on the ground with the others.” I really thought this was so bizarre because our teams were all healthcare providers, and we were taking care of sick patients. If our team members are in need of help, that means our patients are suffering because their provider is compromised. That’s exactly when to step in and assist…if our mission was to provide high quality care. This is when I understood, the “mission statement” was a smoke screen and this form of healthcare was really about business. My drive to make gains as a leader in our company was never the same. If you are in business or politics perhaps seeing the big picture is important but in healthcare as a leader, being on the ground, helping wherever you are needed, educating, and showing support is going to give you the strongest team you can get. It’s really about collaboration and cooperation. This type of servant leadership is precisely what we need more of in healthcare and what seems to being most lacking in my opinion.

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 biggest mistake I made was presuming I knew more than my patient knew about their own health. I learned early on, through plenty of failures in trying to pursue my patient to do what I thought was best and what evidence-based practice proved to be most effective, that I needed to be a partner with my patients rather than a dictator. I could offer options based on evidence and needed to always make sure I added the option of “do nothing.” In the end, it’s the patient who knows what is best for them even when the decision isn’t what I would choose. There is something about self-advocacy that is extremely healing and empowering. Acknowledging a patient’s innate wisdom can spur better self-care practices as well. The result of this is always better health.

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?

Ketamine assisted psychotherapy in conjunction with psychotherapy works to treat mental illnesses including anxiety, depression, and PTSD on a deeper level than anti-depressants or therapy on its own. The need for this type of medical care is enormous and has grown tremendously because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, our country and even society can experience all sorts of economic implications with so many of its individuals suffering. Psychedelics act as nonspecific amplifiers; they are neutral and simply reveal to the person what’s inside. They can help us access places within our lives that we may feel stuck in or continue to relive something over and over again. Achieving access to deeper levels of our brain essentially allows the client and therapist through ketamine assisted psychotherapy to integrate meaning from the psychedelic experience and heal from the past. Helping people improve their well-being impacts individuals and their families, which ultimately helps communities and society.

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.

Seek out a therapist and don’t settle, really find someone you connect with. Investing in your mental well-being is the most important thing you can do for yourself but the ripple effects from your healing have the potential to reach further than you can possibly imagine.
Seek out an outlet that allows you to move your body, such as dance, and practice something that makes you stay present and feel sensations in your body like yoga.
If you know a new mother, give her support in whatever capacity you can. If you have time, then give her some minutes of alone time or even much needed sleep and you take care of the baby. If you cook, then offer her a home cooked meal. If you have money and she’s in need then offer her that. Offer her support with kindness and love. Feeling supported allows her the ability to connect with her new baby so she can form a healthy bond. This will serve in more ways than you can imagine in the days, weeks, and years ahead of them.
De-clutter your closets, garage, and junk drawer regularly. This has symbolic and energetic implications for your own mental health. Letting go of what no longer serves you can allow you to make space for new things to enter your life.
Practice standing up for yourself. One way to do that is to take a martial arts class. Actively participate in how to be powerful, not trapped, stuck, or held back. Learn and prove to yourself that you are not a victim but an active participant in your life. Understand that this is not proved by demeaning someone or putting yourself above anyone else. You are not more powerful by making someone else weak.

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

Connect with each other. Technology can be used appropriately, both at work and to connect with people far away. If you are in the presence of others, put the technology away. Be attuned with everyone you meet, but especially children. We all need to be seen and heard and it’s essential we feel comfortable with this again. Particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, but this issue was beginning before the pandemic even hit. Our brains need to relearn that not everyone is a threat unless we are six feet apart and masked. It sounds strange but many of us became conditioned into thinking this when our fear response was so enormous in the beginning of the pandemic and the fear was validated every time we tuned in to the news. We are a social species and can only survive and thrive when we have social networks.

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

Learn the difference between compassion and empathy. Both are important but being too empathic can be overwhelming after a while and doesn’t serve a purpose when someone just needs to be heard.
You don’t know everything, and you are not expected to. It is alright to ask questions and seek support.
Starting a business is going to test your capacity in ways you did not even know existed. But you will also learn more about yourself than you ever imagined possible.
When everything is difficult and you think, you are not going to make it, take a deep breath and maybe move your body a little. Then, look at your problems from a different perspective after you have stepped away. Also, having a trusted support person/friend can help you with perspective when you simply can’t see clearly.
Know what your core values are and assess whether you are living a life aligned with them or not. If you aren’t, then make the necessary changes so that you are. When you do this, you will see things change for the better in your life.

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 dearest to me. There are nearly 50 million adults in the U.S. and over 2.5 million youth who are currently suffering from mental illnesses, such as anxiety and/or depression. The COVID-19 pandemic created a rise in mental illnesses, especially post-traumatic stress disorder. As a mother of two young girls, I think about their mental health all the time. I know there are forces beyond my control that only get stronger and more pervasive the older they get. My most important job is to model well-being for them and stay attuned to their needs. I am not going to be a perfect parent, but I can let them know I love them and that I am here for them when they need to talk or process something and will stand true to my word. Kids especially process what they see, such as the actions adults take, much more than they do words. Saying one thing and doing the opposite only leads to confusion and anxiety in children. Doing my best to model the behaviors I hope to see in them go a lot farther than constant lecturing. If your child or someone you know is suffering from a mental illness, it is important to show your support and just be there for them.

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

Visit www.ajonaolsen.com to learn more information or follow me on social media at @kap4healing on Facebook and Instagram.

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

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

Female Founders: Nesha Pai of Pai CPA On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman…

Female Founders: Nesha Pai of Pai CPA On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

It is very expensive to run a business, if you are doing it right and building it with a strong foundation. People always forget the hidden costs like taxes, and the importance of investing in a strong brand, accounting & legal set-up.

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

Nesha Pai is the founder of Pai CPA, PLLC in Charlotte, NC. Her firm focuses on advocating for the small business sector and hiring stay-at-home moms. Since starting her firm in 2011, Nesha has continued nourishing her vision by launching a podcast series, ‘Piece of the Pai,’ that focuses on successful entrepreneurs sharing their business insight. In January 2020, Nesha published her first book “Overcoming Ordinary Obstacles”, which won the award in the Multicultural Non-Fiction category by the American Book Fest.

Spending my entire accounting career in a male-dominated industry in the south really did not afford for me to have great mentorship or anyone championing me. I noticed that my personal consumer preferences coincided with my professional preferences and I became passionate about supporting the small business sector. In 2011, as a single mom, I pulled a “Jerry Maguire” (referencing the Tom Cruise movie) and walked out with one big client to start my own firm, Pai CPA. I was under the leadership of a mediocre boss who didn’t want to give me a raise (after having been there for 5 years) because of the mom-gap in my resume. I had decided to stay at home to raise my son for 6 years prior to re-joining the workforce and he used that as a reason I did not deserve a raise, because “I was not where my peers were”. I decided that I would start a remote-based accounting business and hire stay at home moms, the largest untapped labor force.

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

I picked up a well-established country rock band from Austin, TX (Reckless Kelly) because the drummer is from the Charlotte area and his business manager found me on LinkedIn when they were looking to leave their accounting firm out in Los Angeles.

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

I don’t think I ever had a funny mistake but I know that my biggest mistake was undervaluing my abilities and pricing. As time went on, I realized my intelligence actually surpassed accountants/partners in big firms. I found very large errors on their part, when clients left them and came to me.

My dad. He came here in the 60’s as an immigrant from India, on a boat. He left his family and everything he knew in order to have a good education and really have more opportunities because America was known to be the haven for freedom and education at the time. Seeing his work ethic and how hard he worked to climb the ranks of Corporate America to give me and my family a good life gave me the chutzpah to go after it!

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?

The lack of support in both social capital and monetary capital. It is definitely getting better, but it is not easy for women to find the support men have in this arena.

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?

Companies and financial institutions can have more funding programs and grants specifically aimed at women founders. We are starting to see that more now. As a CPA, I would love to see the IRS grant tax credits or breaks for female-owned businesses.

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders? We are very good at several things that men are not (sorry men, I am speaking from our biological make up). We are nurturing, which is great for leadership. We are multi-taskers which is required for having to wear many hats in running a business. We are very intuitive, which is needed because I have built my successful company from running decisions by my gut feelings and it has served me well.

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

That we have it easy now that we have created something successful. If anything, the more success equals more responsibility. We are typically working around the clock even if we have a team working for us.

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?

No way. It takes some very specific traits to be a founder. You have to be very resilient to adversity and failure. Founders are highly self-motivated and are very flexible to the unstructured environment as well as super disciplined in order to stay on track. Furthermore, founders understand the value of a strong peer network and rely on hiring people smarter than themselves to build a strong team. That takes humility.

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.)

It is very expensive to run a business, if you are doing it right and building it with a strong foundation. People always forget the hidden costs like taxes, and the importance of investing in a strong brand, accounting & legal set-up.
You need to have a thick skin. I have had everything from male clients hitting on me to screaming at me for their issues and you have to not only stand up for yourself in a professional manner, but you have to create strong boundaries to manage these behaviors that can come your way.
You never really stop working. You are always working, whether it is in the business or ON the business or just being on call.
Invest in your leadership skills. This is something that is developed and very much needed if you are going to own a business. Even if you are a solopreneur you will inevitably hire contract labor and delegate tasks. Many leaders out here cannot lead. It is important to keep honing these skills through workshops, reading, coaching.
Your emotions will be on a roller-coaster. This is the case as everyday there are highs and lows and you have to be emotionally intelligent to ride the wave.

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

By giving back: my knowledge, my time, and my money. I spend a lot of time giving free financial statement classes to entrepreneurs and I also sponsor and fundraise for non-profit organizations with causes near and dear to my heart. I wrote a book to help women mainly (but it has also helped several men) and I am using it to speak on stages-about mindset to women globally. I want to help women and entrepreneurs feel empowered!

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 already have something in motion! I wrote a book, “Overcoming Ordinary Obstacles”, and my mission with it is to help people step into the most soul-filling version of themselves and walking in their specific life purpose. It is about my own journey as a first-gen Indian woman born and raised in the American deep south.

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.

Oprah Winfrey! She is an icon, coming from nothing to being one of the most iconic figures in the world. She is a pioneer for women of color, particularly in a male dominated industry and through her love and light, making the world a better place. She created a platform to help and serve humanity and she has succeeded.

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

Female Founders: Nesha Pai of Pai CPA 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.

Modern Fashion: Jeff Anderlite of Baja Llama On The 5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion…

Modern Fashion: Jeff Anderlite of Baja Llama On The 5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion Brand Today

An Interview With Candice Georgiadice

Unshakable Persistence — This is extremely important for any entrepreneur, but especially when navigating a saturated, low margin, high-risk market. You must be able to push through failures, disappointments and struggles over and over and over again without losing faith that if you keep your head down and work your ass off, the end result will be worth it.

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 Jeff Anderlite.

Jeff’s a true global MisAdventurist. Before starting Baja Llama, he was the founder of the world famous Naked Tiger Hostel (recently closed due to covid) in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. He taught business classes in the Peace Corps, and drove a 1999 Ford Fiesta from London to Mongolia in the Mongol Rally. He lived, worked and traveled in over 60 countries around the world and is now on a mission to bring travel and storytelling to his international Fight Against Boring with Baja Llama.

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 grew up in a town called Walnut Creek, California which is just outside of Berkeley. I played sports, was a bit of a deviant, and always liked tinkering around building/inventing little things. I think one story that sums me up pretty well is when I was a freshman in high school, I took a remote control car apart and rigged the steering servos to an air horn so that I could remotely control the obnoxiously loud horn from a few hundred yards away. This got me in a bit of trouble as I was using it around school as a prank before I eventually got caught using it to terrorize opponents as they shot the basketball during a rivalry game.

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

I can tell you the impetus behind the idea that Baja Llama was born from. It all started on a typical Friday evening sometime in the warm California fall of 2017. My brother Jason and I were having a phone call, presumably still wearing our festive Friday shirts, which pre-covid had become quite popular during Hawaiian shirt Fridays in many corporate settings. Jason said he thought we could create better and much more interesting Hawaiian shirts than we were typically wearing. His bright idea was to make shirts with crazy themes and stories behind them. I thought this was brilliant. The initial prints were too out there and controversial for our target consumer, but the out-of-the-box thinking stuck and I was on a warpath to quit my day job to build something special where I could use my creativity to constantly create new and exciting products.

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

That’s a great question. Maybe one of the most interesting stories was when we drove our “Baja Llama Experience” 40’ converted prison transport vehicle from California to Florida last summer. Before we were able to do our cross-country road trip promoting our brand, visiting stores, attending trade shows and creating content for the brand, we hired a “Professional” Skoolie conversion company to do the retrofit. The story is long and painful, but the premise is this: We paid about 30k as a deposit for Lone Star Skoolie to retro fit our bus. After months of terrible communication and questionable updates on our bus’ progress, I had to fly to San Antonio to essentially steal the bus back from this guy. It turns out he used fake reviews to convince a well-known publication to come out with a top 10 list of best bus conversion companies in the USA with Lone Star Skoolie topping that list. That’s how we found him and as it turns out, there are numerous poor souls he wound up scamming from that article too. When we picked up the bus it was in shambles. It looked like 3 meth heads camped out in there for 2 months higher than a kite practicing their demolition skills. We had to rip everything out and start from scratch. A few months later I was contacted by someone else that had their bus destroyed to see if I would tell my story. Over the next few months, she was able to get a list of around 20 people that Ben from Lonestar Skoolie had scammed out of hundreds of thousands of dollars on his way to destroying buses and screwing over hard-working American lives.

We ended up getting the bus to my house where we spent 5 or so weeks working 100+ hour weeks retrofitting the bus into something magical. The end result is incredible but the path to get there was treacherous. We didn’t have it registered and only one of us had our proper Class B CDL license for the drive but part of our motto is “She’ll be alright!” Also, if we were ever pulled over the answer was always — Sorry officer, I didn’t know I couldn’t do that. Haha.

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?

Evolving Creativity — In order to find success with Baja Llama, I have been in a constant state of creativity. From product development to figuring out problems in each aspect of the company. Every adventure we go on, I’m always taking pictures for inspiration, meeting new people, and experiencing new cultures, food and activities. This all leads to our creation of prints based on our travel stories which resonate well with our customers, create opportunities for partnerships, and facilitate our need to consistently create innovative prints that no one else is coming out with. Recently, we went to Peru and negotiated a partnership with the Treehouse Lodge where we stayed in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest to create a line based on their eco-lodge. Not only was this amazing for our personal wellness and motivation (we got to experience a once-in-a-lifetime trip), but we also generated supreme content, and a new highly interesting partnership our customers will be able to enjoy.
Tolerance to Pain — Being able to suffer while building a company is a necessity. Often the more one is willing to suffer and deal with the pain that comes with starting a company, the more likely that person will be able to build long-term success. To grow Baja Llama, I had to sacrifice both financially and emotionally, which affected all aspects of my life. I was willing to live well below my means and reinvest in Baja Llama for years in the pursuit of building the brand.
Positive Attitude — Building and leading a lean team comes with some inherent challenges relating to motivation. The pay isn’t high, the uncertainty of success is high, and the failures are constant. A main worry is the negative effect stress or bad news can have on your team. Feeling defeated can derail a small team from accomplishing our goals and more importantly derail you, the leader, from maintaining a laser focus on achieving goals and pushing through adversity.

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

I believe our storytelling within our prints and our willingness and ability to live out our MisAdventurist lifestyle embodies our brand and makes us stand out from our competitors.

The first and most relevant story relating to this is how we launched Baja Llama. To drum up interest, get a bit of content, and really show the world what Baja Llama stood for, we decided to coincide the launch of our first line of button-ups with our 13,000 km drive from London to Mongolia as part of the Mongol Rally. Not only did this rally promote being a MisAdventurist, but they also donated to charities and encouraged going far and getting amongst the people. These things are really aligned with our core values, so it was a no-brainer. We bought a 1999 Ford Fiesta from the outskirts of London, spray painted it red and white, and put a stereo to rock out with that cost more than the car itself. Attached a roof rack and put a skid plate on, and we were off on a 2+ month journey across 16+ countries. We used this trip to create some of our first prints; one of which is making a comeback! The stories that came from this trip and all the succeeding trips are what keep Baja Llama flush with ideas, storytelling, and inspiration for the future.

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

Opportunities multiply as they are seized — Sun Tzu

I love this quote because I’ve found it to be so true over my life, and also because it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. It only works if you abide by the simple premise of taking advantage of the opportunity.

We stumbled upon a 40’ prison transport vehicle in Florida. I bought it sight-unseen with the radical idea to turn it into a mobile showroom and display piece. This one seized opportunity has led to countless new opportunities for our wholesale growth, brand recognition, partnership deals, and overall growth of the company.

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?

I see the continued push for sustainability across almost all sectors within the industry driven from both the end consumers’ purchasing behavior to brands’ sustainability and ethics-driven growth initiatives in marketing and production. The emergence of Shopify-like eCommerce platforms, easier access to manufacturers for new brands, and the shift away from consumerism driven by a handful of elite legacy companies have culminated in the ability for small story-based brands to carve out more and more of the pie. This means their brand stories and differentiation with product and sustainability will be the main points of interest for the purchasing decisions new prospective customers will rely upon.

The second trend I see is manufacturing, especially in Asia with smaller non low-cost brands from the USA, shifting production to the Americas and certain European countries. Sure, many apparel brands will still make garments in China but increasingly I’m seeing brands move more and more production to countries like Colombia, Turkey, and Portugal as a way to negate the negative effects Chinese manufacturing is having on their supply chain as well as increase the quality of their brands’ perceived value, reduce lead times and lower shipping costs.

The third and most exciting trend I see is the emergence of technology in the purchasing of fashion. I believe we will see more 3D and virtual website integration being developed and implemented into eCommerce sites. The possibilities are still in their infancy, but you can expect 3D virtual showings, full outfit try-on, and potentially consumer customization of products through these tools. The value for brands will be increased conversion rates, decrease in returns, and increased loyalty amongst their customers.

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

Sustainable practices — Each collection we create has new sustainable fabrics. We’re extremely excited about our newest LlamaSeal™ Tech board short fabric. This latest collection of board shorts includes our Shipwrecks and Remanso Board shorts that feature an incredibly soft, durable, and quick dry fabric made from up-cycled coconut husks and recycled plastic bottles. They are truly a marvel of design and ingenuity.
Positive inspiration — We tell stories of adventure to inspire as many people as possible to explore the world. Through this storytelling, we hope to shed light on the miraculous possibilities that come from international exploration as well as to inspire people to appreciate all types of cultures and see the beauty in what many consider hardship.
Charity / partnerships — We have partnered with a few charities for environmental protection, anti-poaching efforts and most recently with AquaChar to sustainably bring clean water to those most in need. We have some great things in the works with them that we’ll be rolling out in the upcoming months. You can read more about AquaChar and their mission here at https://www.aquachar.com/.

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

Improving our materials, fabrication processes and practices is extremely important to Baja Llama. We will not hire a new manufacturer without doing a comprehensive review of their factory, including site visits, competitor comparisons, and audits to make sure they are using fabrics they say they are using. When we pick out our fabrics we are first going after mills that have a track record for high quality, consistency in production, but most importantly a clean track record for adhering to the highest standards in their waste, chemical treatment and disposal practices so we can be sure no garment comes with the consequence of negatively affecting soil and water supplies through unethical practices. We also choose fabrics we have tested for durability since longevity has as much of an impact on overall sustainability as the way in which the fibers are created.

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?

We’re not big into fast fashion at Baja Llama. We strongly believe it’s better to build quality garments and charge a little more to the end consumer for a durable product than lower costs or raise profits by using inferior quality materials and fabrication processes. That being said, it would be highly insensitive of me to assume everyone could afford our products and thus dismiss low cost options that many American and international consumers depend upon for basic clothing needs. I think honestly the market dictates the result here for most people. The outliers are people that can easily afford nicer quality but don’t see the value in doing so. Education is the only thing that can really sway that perspective. I think it is up to us and any other brand in our relative space to do what they can to educate consumers on production waste, use of unsustainable materials and production practices and basic economics of paying for lasting quality over repurchasing inferior products over and over. Baja Llama is by no means accomplishing the end result we want, but we are constantly trying to show the value of buying lasting products made with sustainable materials and manufactured with ethical standards so that our customers can hopefully see the value in spending a little bit more for our products over lower cost competitor products.

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.

These are the top 5 things I need to lead a successful brand in no order of importance.

Constant Creativity — We as leaders are solving problems at all times. To effectively solve problems from ever-evolving situations, creativity is paramount. More than that, with a fashion brand you need to be creative in product development, storytelling, branding, distribution, etc. It is a constant struggle to maintain creativity. One thing I practice with my team is the art of creativity through questioning. Instead of finding the answers — find the detailed minuscule questions. These are hyper-focused but the answers are detailed and concise. If you ask enough questions you will get enough answers and that has proven over and over again to lead to creative problem-solving. For instance — even in art development, asking questions pertaining to coloring, print size, and organization of elements can lead to more creative prints.
Unshakable Persistence — This is extremely important for any entrepreneur, but especially when navigating a saturated, low margin, high-risk market. You must be able to push through failures, disappointments and struggles over and over and over again without losing faith that if you keep your head down and work your ass off, the end result will be worth it.
Willingness to Learn — It’s extremely difficult to lead effective teams, create quality products and solve complex obtuse problems if you’re not versed enough to have a productive conversion with those that can teach you things. I see massive value in finding out what I’m lacking and trying to actively educate myself on that issue, topic or point of view. Even better — finding an expert and trying to pick their brain on the subject. The number of failures you can mitigate or the problems you can effectively solve will increase exponentially if you’re willing to expand your knowledge base at a rapid pace.
The Art of Conversation / Negotiation — You must be able to connect with people when you are leading a brand. From connecting with retailers, convincing talent, lowering manufacturing costs, and building partnerships, the list goes on. You must be able to read people, start up a conversation and at least practice the gift of gab.
Vision — Having a clear vision of what you want your brand to be is crucial. That is obvious to most, but the nuts and bolts of what that vision means and breaking it down to steps manageable for your company to actually realize this vision is the important part.
Dependability — If my team, partners, and customers can’t depend on me, if they lose trust in me, it becomes much harder to achieve the company’s goals. Motivating people to do their best when you’re not dependable as a leader becomes almost impossible. Help people when they need it, show up, be on time, have an insane work ethic, and show you are dependable if you want to inspire your team to do the same.

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

This is a question I ask myself internally about Baja Llama all the time. I think as an industry and more specifically my little niche within the industry, there are a few factors that cause the most damage which should be addressed first.

Moving manufacturing closer to the end user can not only shift jobs closer to home, but decrease lead times, and reduce shipping costs and pollution as well.
Innovative use of new fabrics and construction processes. We haven’t created a revolutionary way to manufacture appealing fabrics or utilize inventive manufacturing processes in a long time.
Improve the upcycling process to reuse old clothing. Sustainability becomes less of an issue if we were able to recycle our old shirts and shorts easier. I think setting up more trade-in programs within the brick-and-mortar stores and potentially incentivizing trade-ins for online purchases should be a priority.

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 the Go Far — Say Yes Movement. The premise would be to inspire people to leave their comfort zone, travel by any means necessary, and say yes to any non-life-threatening situation. I believe that mass “good” can only be accomplished by having the masses ready and willing to do good. I also believe that the best way to inspire empathy and instill a genuine willingness to do good is to truly teach people appreciation and gratitude for what they have and empathy for those that don’t have the resources to help themselves. The most effective ways I’ve learned from those main tenets of altruism to shine through are to get out of your comfort zone by going far and saying yes. Additionally, it will be sustainable in exponential growth.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

You can go to Bajallama.com and sign up for our MisAdventurist email newsletter which contains stories of our global exploits, interesting travel-inspired stories, and news as well as special VIP discounts and promotions.

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

Modern Fashion: Jeff Anderlite of Baja Llama 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.

Modern Fashion: Caterine Lopez of Way Forward On The 5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion…

Modern Fashion: Caterine Lopez of Way Forward On The 5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion Brand Today

An Interview With Candice Georgiadice

One aspect that is integral to leading a successful fashion brand is having a social awareness and consciousness of what consumers are being influenced by. This is important because by understanding the values of consumers, and what influences them, a company is able to reflect their customers values, uphold a standard of transparency and communication and ensure that the products being made will make customers happy and confident.

As a part of this series I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Caterine Lopez.

Originally trained as a lawyer, López worked at one of the largest private infrastructure funds in her native Colombia before transitioning from finance to fashion. After some internal introspection, López came to the conclusion that her love for fashion was more than a hobby, and instead, became her career path. Therefore, she transferred to New York City to study at Parsons University. It was at Parsons where she came to know a Professor and Brooklyn-Based artist that became her first collaborator on the debut collection of premium limited-edition clothing featuring hand-woven, one-of-a-kind textiles.

As the Founder of Way Forward, Caterine López creates products that inspire individuals to never settle for the status quo. She also contributes to making the fashion industry more sustainable and transparent, valuing the time, skillset, and work of the individual artisans that make magic happen with their hands. All products are handmade in the U.S. using the finest, sustainable, authentic materials. The current collection includes hoodies and hats with the second collection set to launch this fall.

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”?

Since long before I can remember I have been passionate about fashion and design. I have many fond memories with my mother visiting dress shops and other clothing stores. I used to look in the mirror and envision myself as a leader who is creative and dynamic, always busy and engaged in my work. While I did pursue a successful career in law, my experiences as a youth, particularly with my mother and the integral role she played in my life, built the foundation for my interest in a career in fashion.

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

After working as a lawyer for 6 years at Colombia’s largest infrastructure private fund I came to the conclusion that my love for fashion could be not only a hobby but a viable career path that would fulfill me in ways that my career in law could not. I bravely decided to move to NYC to study fashion marketing at Parsons School of Design. While the journey from Parsons to launching my own company WAY FORWARD wasn’t easy, I learned from my mistakes and was able to overcome obstacles that helped shape me into the person I am today.

I launched WAY FORWARD in 2021, inspired by my desire to design products that push people to never settle for the status quo and contribute to the emerging movement of sustainability and transparency within the fashion industry. Additionally, the concept of WAY FORWARD supports the value of time and effort that individuals put into crafting unique products.

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

When I moved to New York City to study Fashion Marketing at Parsons School of Design I divorced my first love, which vanished all the joy that I was enjoying in my new career. However, one night, I watched “The Cruise,” where the main character, Timothy Levitch, a witty tour guide who exudes a passion for NYC, stated “I am equally in love with every aspect of my life and all the ingredients that have caused me turmoil and all the ingredients that have caused me glory.” This really struck a chord with me. Unlike Timothy, I had not embraced, let alone accepted, the bad “ingredients that caused me turmoil” like my divorce. So proceeded to make an effort to adopt his outlook. I began valuing every bitter and sweet moment equally because both the positive and negative events in my life were integral to who I am and who I can become. Without placing value on all aspects of my life, especially the setbacks and challenges, I can’t learn from my mistakes and evolve as a person. I learned how to pave the way forward and pursue a career in fashion despite obstacles that I knew I had to overcome.

Therefore, WAY FORWARD was born. A premium casualwear brand that combines street style with the magic touch of artisan hands to create unique, durable and multifunctional products.

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?

This is going to sound very cliche, but I strongly believe that passion is key. My passion for style and design is what drove me to leave my successful career in law, take a huge risk and move to the US in hopes of creating a long lasting and fulfilling career in fashion. Another key trait instrumental to my success would be persistence. Creating and launching my own brand has been very challenging, and it can be especially hard when you are new to the industry and are trying to form important connections which are integral to growing a brand and gaining potential customers. My persistence has allowed me to overcome obstacles and work to fulfill goals that I have created for myself and my company. The last trait key to my success is self-awareness. By understanding my own strengths and weaknesses, I have been able to put pen to paper and turn my ideas into products that I love and hope others can connect to. I understand my setbacks and welcome assistance and guidance from experts in the industry. By accepting that there are some aspects of the industry that I know less about, I use my connections to work with photographers, models and editors to help me grow and strengthen my brand in ways that I wouldn’t be able to do by myself.

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

WAY FORWARD’s commitment to showcasing unique and unconventional designs from artisan collaborators, whose hand-crafted pieces provide a glimpse into their stories and memories allows the company to stand out from numerous other companies. Along with WAY FORWARD’s commitment to representing unique stories is the importance of sustainability amidst an emerging movement within the fashion industry to take care of our planet and respect the time and effort put into each garment.

We call our first drop, CHAPTER # 1 — Forever & a Day- because it is the beginning of an infinite jourday. In this chapter, we worked with a Brooklyn based artist who is passionate about the beauty of the looms and their feel. She mainly uses recycled thread from materials she already used in her installations, as well as threads she spins and dyes by hand.

Another one of our collections, Amor Fati, which can be translated as “love of one’s fate”, is a collaboration with Colombian-born artist Natalia Swarz. The concept of the collection revolves around the human’s exploration of the concept of fate.

Our newest collection set to be released within the coming weeks focuses on handmade crochet designs that feature different messages or images of animals. A new feature we are implementing is creating customizable products in which individuals can alter and design their own products and create their own crochet designs.

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

This is not exactly a quote but is a phrase that I try to remind myself of everyday which is Amor Fati. As the title of one of our most prominent collections, Amor Fati revolves around the idea of fate and accepting the good and bad parts of life equally. This is relevant to my life because I have experienced many obstacles and challenges throughout my life and it can be easy to lose sight of your accomplishments and successes when you focus on what is not working. I embrace both the challenges and successes because they both have shaped me into the person I am today. I have learned from my mistakes and have grown throughout many of life’s challenges.

The most prominent development in the fashion industry that I am excited about is the emerging movement and focus on sustainability and transparency. For too long the fashion industry has been culpable for contributing in a significant way to climate change, especially given the focus on fast fashion and mass production. In the last 10 years there has been a significant shift in which numerous companies have made significant changes to their manufacturing processes in order to reuse materials, reduce the amount of water being used and create products that are far more durable. Amidst these positive changes in the fashion industry, during the creation of Way Forward I have followed in the footsteps of many brands and have made a significant effort to ensure that sustainability and transparency are at the forefront of my company and its mission.

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

Way Forward is helping to bring goodness to the world by giving a spotlight to artists and their creative designs that reflect their unique stories and perspectives. The products at Way Forward place value on artist’s handcrafted creations. Moreover, the products help to inspire people to never settle for the status quo, and ensure that people are helping to contribute to make the fashion industry more sustainable and transparent. It pushes customers to value the time, effort and work of individuals who make these projects possible.

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

First of all I just use natural fibers which are more responsible for the environment because when you dispose of them they naturally decompose. Additionally, natural fibers are more durable and help maximize the breathability of the garments. Additionally, I make sure to help represent unique textiles and fabrics of high quality that represent the artist’s stories and memories.

While fast fashion is far more affordable than higher end products, therefore making it much more accessible to the majority of customers, the environmental costs of fast fashion are impossible to ignore, not to mention the poor quality of products made under inhumane working conditions that ensure that most of its products can only be worn a few times. Thus, I strongly stand against fast fashion and believe that it is much more important to place an emphasis on sustainability, reusing textiles and handcrafting creations. Not only is this more sustainable and eco friendly, but it ensures that each product is unique and tells a story. Additionally, each product is of higher quality and can last a long time. The only disadvantage so to speak about higher end products are their prices which are more expensive but given their durability, in the long run customers can end up saving money. Way Forward reflects my ideas on sustainability and transparency, and while the products do come at a higher cost, they are sustainably made and of a very high quality.

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.

One aspect that is integral to leading a successful fashion brand is having a social awareness and consciousness of what consumers are being influenced by. This is important because by understanding the values of consumers, and what influences them, a company is able to reflect their customers values, uphold a standard of transparency and communication and ensure that the products being made will make customers happy and confident.

Collaboration is another aspect of creating a successful fashion brand and is especially integral with regard to Way Forward. It’s very important to be able to work with other people and help bring exposure to their creative ideas, perspectives and experiences. At Way Forward, our collaborations with artists allow customers to learn about new artists, engage with their designs and understand more about their personal journeys and philosophies.

Another aspect of leading a successful fashion brand is envisioning the identity of your brand and its primary purpose or effect on consumers. The purpose behind WAY FORWARD is that consumers are inspired to push beyond expectations and the status quo and forge their own unique path. It’s about acceptance and originality. The identity of the brand comes through not only the name of the company, but the original designs which reflect these ideas.

Another aspect of leading a successful fashion company is responding to feedback and listening to key voices. At WAY FORWARD we place a significant emphasis on customer engagement and try to take in which products customers feel particularly connected to. By embracing their opinions, we ensure that first and foremost we are listening to customers and serving their needs and wishes.

Lastly, addressing challenges and other faults is key to creating a successful fashion business. For example, the pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the fashion industry and has heavily slowed down many of the processes to obtain garments and manufacturing products which has made it far more challenging to release products when I want to. Additionally, given that I am the only person at WAY FORWARD who is essentially responsible for completing all of the necessary tasks and responsibilities, there has been a lot of pressure to uphold the standards that I represent and follow through with many of my ideas. When I do find myself in a situation of great challenge, I try my best to address the problem or to set new expectations to customers or anyone that I collaborate with to ensure that they are aware of my latest thinking and to honor my commitments.

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

Aside from the emerging movement of sustainability and transparency within the fashion industry, one key way that the fashion industry can improve itself is by prioritizing representation and inclusivity. For so long only one type of model was represented on the runway, and in campaigns and magazines. This has a detrimental effect on the mental health of young people, particularly young girls who compare themselves to models and feel insecure or less than. By being more inclusive in sizing as well as background and ethnicity, more people can feel seen and represented which makes a huge difference. It allows everyone to feel welcomed and seen. There have been significant improvements to increasing representation and diversity in the fashion industry but there is still a long way to go.

Through my experience being a lawyer for 6 years and the transition that I made when I decided to move from Colombia to America in order to pursue a career in the fashion industry I was able to learn many things and take away a new philosophy about life that would leave me more fulfilled and happy in the long term. First and foremost, I came to a realization that we live in a world that constantly convinces people that they are lacking, that they need to get a good job, make money and find a very finite version of success to truly be happy. Practically every industry, whether it be the beauty industry, fashion industry or even the financial industry indirectly convinces people that they need to buy products and focus on maximizing their own economic growth to find fulfillment in life. The key aspect that is left behind is true happiness, which is necessary to find fulfillment in life. I didn’t come to this realization until after I realized that despite making a good amount of money, and reaching a certain level of success as a lawyer, I still felt unfulfilled and happy, all because I was not pursuing what I was truly passionate about. By following my dreams and taking risks, especially through the creation of WAY FORWARD, I have learned to never take anything for granted, to always appreciate the failures and successes, and to stay positive above all.

Thus, the movement that I would start to bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people would to educate people on how my life’s experiences have allowed me to come to this realization, in hopes that people will also abandon the incessant desire to fulfill someone else’s version of success and fulfillment, and rather find their own success and happiness by pursuing their passions, staying humble and treating others with respect and kindness. This is harder than it sounds, but given the transformational effect that this realization has had on me, it is clear that it too would be transformational for others.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

You can find us at Instagram @wayfrwrd email caterine@wayfrwrd.com and website www.wayfrwrd.com

This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!

Modern Fashion: Caterine Lopez of Way Forward 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.

Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Rebecca Phillips, Mrs Heart, of Texas Plus America On The 5…

Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Rebecca Phillips, Mrs Heart, of Texas Plus America On The 5 Leadership Lessons She Learned From Her Experience

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Always be willing to take on a challenge. — When I was first starting out, my manager literally handed me a book for product briefs and said “here read these this weekend.” I had no idea what half of the terms meant but I asked questions. It was an unorthodox way to test a candidate, but it showed us each 2 things….1. I was willing to learn and ask questions. 2. I would face challenges and work through them vs walking away.

As a part of our series about “Lessons From Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Rebecca Phillips.

Rebecca Phillips is Mrs. Heart of Texas Plus America 2022. She is an advocate for women and girls in STEM. Her platform Robots & Rhinestones works to provide an exciting experience in STEM no matter what age! She is a technologist herself with over 20 years of professional experience in the high-tech field. Rebecca calls Austin, Texas home and loves her city — The Live Music Capital!

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

I started as an administrative assistant for a high-tech company while I was finishing my master’s degree course work. The VP of Marketing that I worked for quickly realized that I had marketing potential and moved me into a junior marketing role within 6-months. From there I never left high-tech, I found my passion.

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

I’d like to share a story from earlier in my career. I previously had the opportunity to start an industry tradeshow. This is a rare opportunity to have an idea and drive it to fruition on such a grand scale. By working with industry thought-leaders and rallying their support, I started a brand-new industry event. It was a 9-month project in the making and the event was a great success. I got to roll-up my sleeves and get into the weeds of making the event happen. Nearly 10 years later, the show still exists in a bit different of a format, but it has been adopted by the community. It was a fabulous experience and one that stands out to me as a once in a career opportunity.

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

When I was first starting out in my career, I traveled a lot for work. I was very new to international travel with my first out of country trip being a work trip to Taiwan. Prior to leaving, I read a lot of books and learned about local culture for business to try and make sure I could avoid mistakes. However, I still very much looked like a tourist upon arrival and in my downtime. I showed up with a large animal print suitcase and very pink outfits. It is important to note that today this would not be out of the ordinary but 20 years ago it was very different. From this I learned 2 things; One — travel is more than just your time in the office, you start to make an impression as soon as you arrive at the airport and until to you leave your home airport. Two — don’t lose your personality in your work, and when you do standout — embrace it and celebrate it! Though my luggage is much more subdued today, I still wear pink!

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

I have created a personal project called Robots and Rhinestones. (This is also the platform for my pageantry journey.) Robots and Rhinestones strives to empower women and girls of all ages in STEM. We work with organizations that encourage girls to get involved in STEM such as FIRST and ChickTech. We also have started meet-up groups of women in technology to get together socially. We plan social activities that encourage conversation and foster friendships.

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

We need to work to create inclusive support systems for all women in STEM. What we see today are very technical focused support groups geared for those with technical roles. However, there are a lot of women in STEM careers that are not in technical roles. By creating inclusive groups, we gain strength in numbers, share more stories, and create a greater bond.

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

STEM careers are traditionally male dominated. Women in STEM tend to lack support from other female co-workers mainly because of the numbers. We need to collectively start inclusive groups to support each other not only in career advancement but in social support. By sharing our stories and learnings we help each other. This means not just management roles but roles at all levels. We hear a lot from executives about how they got to where they are, that’s amazing. But what about the individual contributor that has had successes or failures? By providing them with a voice to share their story we help many others.

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

Women are just a diversity checkmark. I absolutely hate this myth. I truly wish I could say that it no longer exists. Women are just as qualified and, in many cases, more qualified than their male counter parts. However, until we finally have gender blindness this will be a myth that we will have to continue to battle.

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

1. Always be willing to take on a challenge.

When I was first starting out, my manager literally handed me a book for product briefs and said “here read these this weekend.” I had no idea what half of the terms meant but I asked questions. It was an unorthodox way to test a candidate, but it showed us each 2 things….1. I was willing to learn and ask questions. 2. I would face challenges and work through them vs walking away.

2. Never stop asking “why”.
Asking “why” uncovers details about the problem and the environment around it. If you ask and embrace the why from a place of sincerity and genuine inquiry you will learn a lot. Sometimes on the other side of the why is a wonderful a new opportunity that you did not know was there.

3. Listen more than you speak.

This classic piece of advice holds very true. Sometimes as women in tech we feel that we must be extremely vocal to be heard. That is not true. By listening and truly understanding the full picture a few highly informed words mean a lot more than several words that are there to fill the silence.

4. Empathy is a skill that is in high demand. Don’t be afraid to show it.

As women one of our great natural strengths is empathy. Empathy is a soft skill, and it is very difficult to be taught. If you can find your unique way to bring empathy to the table, you provide a skill set that many others do not have to share. In my career I frequently find that I am the team member listening and understanding the human side of why people are reacting the way they do. Maybe it is that there is an ill family member at home or maybe it is just that the garage door broke that morning before they came to the office. If we can understand the situation someone is in, we can begin to understand their reaction and motivation. This understanding helps us work together in a healthy and positive way.

5. Enjoy what you do. Find the fun in what you are doing.

It is super easy to get lost in the tactical day to day of our jobs. Are we checking off all the items on our to do list, meeting our goals, keeping a zero-email inbox? Stop and find the fun. This can be as simple as random taco Tuesdays — host a Tuesday that everyone gets together for lunch. Get an order sheet together on Monday place the order and everyone take over a conference room for Tuesday lunch. If it is organic from the team, it is usually much more engaging a than top-down corporate planned event. Personally, I am known to be the Holiday Cube Decorating Contest ringleader. If we have cubes or offices and we are in the office I am going to encourage cube decorating! I’ve hosted both decorating contests in the winter and the summer! Some of these contests have been epic in scale. We’ve had annual trophies! Have you ever had your neighbors cube “snow” all day long? Mildly annoying and absolutely amazing all at the same time!

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

My advice is to listen and never stop learning. I’ve worked for many leaders that stopped listening to their teams and as a result their teams stopped talking and eventually died off. Listen both with a logical and empathetic ear. Second, keep learning yourself. Take more than just new leadership classes. Go take a class or listen to webinars about new technology, and not just thought leadership. Get your hands dirty. If you haven’t written code or soldered a board in a while. Do it! Remember what got you into your career and how it got you to where you are today. Not only will you learn something new, more importantly, it will make you appreciate your team and where they are in their individual career paths. 🙂

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

Large teams can be tricky to manage but finding the way to have everyone feel included and knowing their sense of purpose is key. Have round tables with the everyone in the team to really get to know everyone. Include time for not just what projects are you working on at the office, but if they want to share, what projects are you working on at home? We have implemented virtual coffee time with our team. Everyone Friday for an hour, it is optional, we get together and just chat. Sometimes it is about home DIY projects, videos games, kids’ sports, and sometimes it is work related. We strive to let the conversation be organic but if it gets a bit too work related someone will say something and try to steer the conversation back to generic topics.

I have been blessed to have some really amazing people help me along the way in my career. But, honestly, the person I am most thankful for is my aunt. Though she is not one that taught me about technology she is the one that taught me about resilience. She is a multiple time cancer survivor and caregiver for my special-needs cousin. Through all of the ups and downs of health issues for herself and my cousin she never let any of it set her back. Sure, just like anyone she has her rough days but she lets those roll-off her like water and keeps moving forward. She has never lost her faith, her gentleness, her love for others or her positive outlook on life. She has always been someone that I’ve looked up. The skills that she taught me in person and by example have truly gotten me to where I am today.

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

By telling my story of how I came to high-tech I work with students to encourage their curiosity in science and technology and show them that there are a variety of roles in STEM. Just because you love technology you don’t have to be an engineer, maybe you want to be in graphic arts or maybe in finance — that’s great you can still work in technology!

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

I would love to inspire a movement to help make the technology workplace more welcoming and friendlier for women. We spend a lot of time and effort on getting young women and girls excited about STEM. However, if we are not actively working to fix the workplace for them then we are filling a pipeline and not providing a positive place for them to land when they start their careers.

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

My favorite quote is “Do one thing every day that scares you.” This reminds me to always push my comfort zone. It is easy to stay in our comfort zone but that is not where we grow. So, I strive to challenge myself to try new things. Most recently I entered the world of pageantry. I am not necessarily a ‘girly girl’. This spring I entered my first beauty pageant at the age of 50. It was a wonderful experience. I have met some amazing women that I know will be friends for life! I was way outside my comfort zone, but I learned a lot about myself.

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

Alecia Moore, aka P!nk. She is an amazing woman that has broken down barriers in her industry. She stands for what she believes in, she fights for those that don’t have as large of a voice as she does, and she encourages and empowers those around her and her fan base. She is much more than a singer, she is a working mom, an advocate, an athlete, and an entrepreneur. I’d love to have brunch and chat about her outlook on career and empowerment and talk about wine making.

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

Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Rebecca Phillips, Mrs Heart, of Texas Plus America On The 5… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Disruptors: Marilyn Pinto of KFI Global On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your…

Female Disruptors: Marilyn Pinto of KFI Global On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

I was sufficiently affected by imposter syndrome to ensure that I relentlessly questioned my thinking and my ideas. I read and studied incessantly because I was insecure about my competence and profoundly curious about what I didn’t know. I wanted to ensure that I was thoroughly prepared and better informed than anyone who could question my credentials. As Adam Grant says in his latest book, Think Again, ‘Humility is a crucial ingredient of the mind, and I made sure I was dosing up regularly.’

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

Marilyn L. Pinto is the Founder of KFI Global, an education company that specialises in teaching teenagers how to make smarter money decisions. KFI was recently awarded the Best Financial Literacy Project for schools by the Money Awareness and Inclusion Awards (MAIA) 2022. Marilyn is on a mission to bring this life-changing education to more youngsters across the world because it will empower them to step up, stand out and live life on their own terms. Her promise is a SMARTER, RICHER, BRAVER generation.

I didn’t start this company because I noticed a gap in the market, I started it because I noticed a gap (more like a deep gaping hole) in my then eight- and ten- year-old daughters’ understanding of money. While they were both academically smart, they were clueless about money, and this problem wasn’t specific to them. Everybody else’s kids seemed to have the same issue.

I didn’t intend to start a company, I just wanted to enrol my kids in a programme that taught them about money in a thoughtful, holistic and intelligent way. There wasn’t one. I knew what I wanted, and every programme I looked into came up way short. That’s how and why I started KFI. It’s a labour of love, created not just for my kids but for any kid who’d like to be financially empowered.

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

That we are teaching kids, teens and young adults a critical life skill that is missing as part of their regular education.

That we do it in a way that they not only benefit immensely from the program but that they thoroughly enjoy the learning process.

That our program doesn’t just focus on building awareness but more crucially on mindset and attitude, which are arguably as important, if not more, on impacting behaviour change.

That our programs include aspects of psychology & neuroscience, which teenagers find intriguing.

That we are using a model that involves multi-stakeholder partnerships, that involve the whole ecosystem– schools, parents, students and financial institutions. This then becomes a shared vision — not just a vision that belongs to one person or company.

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

I thought that once I was trained, I could easily teach this to my kids. That was funny. Kids don’t listen to their parents. And there is a term for that, it’s called ‘proximity bias’. We are too close to them for them to see the value we can offer.

When I saw how widespread this issue was, I stopped taking it personally and learned to leverage this so that we could effectively teach kids/ teens in a way that was most beneficial to them, and their parents.

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

I had so much help — mainly from the authors I love and follow. Adam Grant, Dan Ariely, Morgan Housel, Tony Robbins, Jason Zweig, Daniel Priestly, Adam Alter, John Holt, Dan Heath and so many others. (I did say I had a lot of help! ☺)

I am a voracious reader and reading all these different ideas and viewpoints helped me curate a vision that was unique yet resonant with my target audience.

I am not an academic. I do not hail from the hallowed halls of academia. For the longest time I demurred to them, thinking that they knew what was best for everyone, until I realised they don’t — not for everyone, not in all circumstances and certainly not on all issues. While they may have the best intentions, this does not always translate into doing what’s best for the student. While I initially felt like an imposter/ when starting KFI GLOBAL I had looked long and hard into what was being taught around money, how it was being taught, and more importantly what was not being taught, and it didn’t smell right.

I knew there had to be a better way. This was too critical an issue to leave to chance or experience, especially when I needed my own kids to acquire this skill soon. I couldn’t risk sitting and waiting silently on the sidelines, and academia is famous for its glacial pace of change. I was intrigued by what the entrepreneur Naveen Jain said in his article for Inc., ‘Why you should always bet on dreamers, not experts’: ‘Your ignorance is what makes you the best person to disrupt the industry.’

This is true because being ignorant allows you to ask the questions the experts can’t; you can think in ways the experts can’t, because they are boxed in by their assumptions; you can break rules the experts won’t ever dare to. People from within the industry tend to tweak incrementally. I knew that incremental change wasn’t going to cut it. A radical makeover was in order. I was also enough of an outsider to have no stake in the way things had always been done. I could tell the emperor that he wasn’t wearing any clothes.

I was sufficiently affected by imposter syndrome to ensure that I relentlessly questioned my thinking and my ideas. I read and studied incessantly because I was insecure about my competence and profoundly curious about what I didn’t know. I wanted to ensure that I was thoroughly prepared and better informed than anyone who could question my credentials. As Adam Grant says in his latest book, Think Again, ‘Humility is a crucial ingredient of the mind, and I made sure I was dosing up regularly.’

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

1. An old African proverb: “To go fast go alone, to go far, go together”.

It formed the basis of my vision for KFI GLOBAL. To use multi-stakeholder partnerships, that involve the whole ecosystem — schools, parents, students, financial institutions and the press. So that it isn’t just one person’s vision, but a vision that belongs to everyone.

I now work really hard to build these multi-stakeholder partnerships and it’s amazing to see the difference working together can make to the bigger vision.

2. Daniel Priestly says: “Don’t be in the spotlight, become the spotlight.”

This helped change the way I thought about publicity. Being inherently shy and an introvert — public speaking and interviews were things I avoided like the plague. Until this piece of advice changed the way I think. I don’t need to be in the spotlight, this wasn’t about me. I need to shine the spotlight on the issue of financial literacy for the younger generation. It helped me get over my neuroses of attention.

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

I’d like to continue to partner with financial institutions and bring this education to schools for free. It would be a win-win for all involved — the students get world class training for free, the school scores brownie points with the parents and the financial institutions get to deliver on their CSR/ Sustainability vision.

Keep in mind that we do not product push to any of our students in any of our classes, no matter who the sponsor is.

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

I think our biggest challenge is ourselves, we doubt our abilities more than anyone does. We constantly second guess ourselves, when we should be acting with boldness. We are victims of self-imposed perfection, when we should realise that prolific is better than perfect. We also take failure too personally.

Men don’t seem to have these problems; they act with a lot more confidence and assertiveness. They don’t wait till things are perfect, they make it up as they go along. And they bounce back from failure much faster too.

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

As I said before I read a lot and I’ve been very influenced by so many great authors. Cal Newport is one of my all-time favourites though. His book ‘So Good They Can’t Ignore you’ really opened my mind to the concept of mastery and I love his idea of “Passion is dangerous”. I agree, for me, financially educating youngsters isn’t a passion, it’s an obsession.

I often get told that I’m passionate about what I do, but I disagree. Passion is too mild a term for the way I feel about the work I do. I’m obsessive. That’s what enabled me to curate a programme and a methodology that has revolutionised the way financial education is taught to teenagers.

Being obsessive means I always want to do the right thing for the teens in my care. This has earned me the trust and gratitude of parents.

I obsess daily about how to reach more teens so they can leverage this knowledge for a brighter future and whether I am doing enough to further this cause. This is why I keep pushing every day, even when the obstacles seem insurmountable, and this is why I enjoy the journey.

This obsession is why I smile through it all.

Well, since I’m obsessed with the idea of financial education for youngsters, I’d like to inspire a movement to make this education available to all teens. And delivered in a way that we know is effective and enjoyable, while not pushing any products during the program delivery.

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

I love the saying by Bozoma St John “We spend too much time complaining about the way things are, we forget that we have the power to change anything and everything”

I was done complaining and I’d had enough of admiring the problem. I decided I was going to change the face of financial education for the younger generation.

How can our readers follow you online?

Social media handle: @kfiglobaltribe

I’m most active on Linkedin though.

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

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

Dr Bradley Nelson of Discover Healing On How To Develop Mindfulness During Stressful Or Uncertain…

Dr Bradley Nelson of Discover Healing On How To Develop Mindfulness During Stressful Or Uncertain Times

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Get rid of your “emotional baggage.” The energy of the difficult emotions that you have experienced during the low spots of your life may still be with you. Those emotional energies or “Trapped Emotions” can make it very difficult for you to truly relax and feel joy. The Emotion Code is a simple method that you can learn to do yourself, for yourself as well as for your loved ones. People all over the world have found that this powerful method is easy to learn, yet often is life-changing.

As a part of my series about “How To Develop Mindfulness And Serenity During Stressful Or Uncertain Times”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Bradley Nelson.

Veteran holistic physician Dr. Bradley Nelson (D.C., ret.) is one of the world’s foremost experts on natural methods of achieving wellness. He is the creator of The Emotion Code and The Body Code system, and is the CEO of Discover Healing, a holistic education platform that provides training and certifies practitioners worldwide. His best-selling book “The Emotion Code” provides step-by-step instructions for working with the body’s energy healing power. A newly revised and expanded edition of “The Emotion Code” is now available (May 2019, St. Martin’s Press). For more information and a free Emotion Code Starter Kit, visit EmotionCodeGift.com.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

When I was 13 years old, I began to suffer from severe pain in my back that would come and go, striking me unexpectedly and taking my breath away. My anxious parents took me to the hospital, where diagnostic tests showed that I was suffering from a form of kidney disease. Many years later, my mother told me that the doctors privately told her and my father that I had a fifty-fifty chance of survival, but that there was no medical treatment available for my condition. Since there was nothing Western medicine had to offer, they were on their own to help me. The doctors had no advice, except to say that I shouldn’t run or play, to avoid jostling my kidneys. I didn’t need to hear this, as it had become more than self-evident. Sometimes the slightest movements would result in excruciating pain.

Our lives were turned upside down. Suddenly my life was in jeopardy. My parents were deeply concerned, and I was walking on eggshells to avoid the sudden, stabbing pains that would shoot through my body.

When I was a young boy, I can recall making many trips to the health-food store with my mother. She was considered by many to be a “health nut.” This was long before it became popular or trendy. Back then, the medical profession seemed to think that anyone who took vitamins was actually a bit crazy and that people who rejected drugs and surgery as their main methods of health care were truly “nuts.”

Our shelves at home were stocked with all kinds of vitamin supplements, which my mother doled out to us regularly. She was very interested in health and was constantly studying natural treatments and remedies. She seemed to know just about everything that was related to health. People would often call her and ask her advice on various health topics, and she was never without an answer or a suggestion.

So when my parents were told that Western medicine had nothing to offer their sick son, my mother was undaunted. She and my father took me to see some alternative doctors. In fact, these doctors seemed to me to be an entirely different breed of doctor than those in the hospital who had not given my parents much hope. They didn’t practice in a hospital. Instead, they practiced out on the edge of town in a trailer house, situated in the middle of a wheat field. I can remember sometimes having to scrape the mud off my shoes when we would go to see them. I can also remember seeing busloads of people who had come from other states to see these alternative doctors, traveling hundreds of miles to get the help that they could not get anywhere else.

These two doctors did not practice Western medicine at all. Instead, they looked at the body as a whole. They began treating me as a whole person, giving me herbal drinks that were bitter tasting, and realigning the bones of my spine.

The result? Immediately, the pain began to be both less frequent and less severe. Within a few weeks I was feeling dramatically better. Before long, I was back to my normal life and had nearly forgotten that I had ever been sick.

Just to be on the safe side, my parents took me back to the clinic to have the same medical doctors run their tests again. As I recall, the tests were run not once more, but twice. They were negative. I was cured, but not by the medical doctors in that big, expensive clinic. I knew that they hadn’t actually done anything to help me.

Instead, those holistic doctors practicing out on the edge of town in an old trailer house in a muddy field had saved my life. I knew in my heart, at the core of my being, that what these people had done was exactly what my body needed. It seemed odd to me that the medical profession did not understand what to do for me. In fact, they had offered me nothing whatsoever. It was at that point in my life that I decided I wanted to grow up to be a doctor that knew how to help people get well.

If I needed to practice out on the edge of town in a trailer house in a muddy field, that was okay with me. As far as I could tell, that seemed to be the natural habitat of doctors who got results.

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

Morning sickness affects millions of women worldwide, and there is no effective treatment for it. There are medications that a pregnant woman can take but those are potentially harmful to both the fetus and the mother. When my wife Jean was pregnant with our youngest daughter Elisabeth, she was suffering with morning sickness. We had a family reunion to attend and Jean didn’t know how she could travel being so sick. She asked me to help her. I started thinking of all the things that I knew that were supposed remedies. There’s a long list of things that you can try and some of those things help a little, but none of them really fix the problem. Without any real viable options that I knew of, I decided to turn to the higher power and ask for some help. The answer that came to me was that morning sickness is caused by a disconnection between the mother and the growing fetus. What I found was the brain is sometimes not initially connected with this new life that is growing within. Essentially, the mother has to be connected both energetically and physically with all parts of the fetus.

I’ve seen a good number of morning-sick women over the years since I was led to this knowledge. I haven’t had anyone yet that this has not helped. Often the effect is immediate and quite dramatic. As soon as you create the energetic connections, the morning sickness is usually gone. Typically what women say is, “I feel better; I’m going to go eat something!” They’re hungry because they haven’t been able to eat due to the morning sickness. This is something that you won’t find anywhere else but in The Body Code.

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

People want to feel that their work is making a difference, that they have a level of significance in an organization. In our company, Discover Healing, Inc., we have a weekly huddle meeting where anyone can share what has been going on in their life, and where we read some of the latest testimonials that have been received, where people’s lives have been changed. We also have an annual company party, which has become like a family reunion, where our employees bring their children and we all have a great time together.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

I’m often asked this question, and my short list of the top five books that have had a big impact on my life is somewhat variable, except for the book at the very top of that list. The book that has had by far the biggest impact on my life is called the Book of Mormon. The spiritual lessons, the stories and ideas in that book have brought me closer to The Higher Power than any other book I have ever read, bar none. One of my favorite stories from the book tells of the visit of Jesus Christ to the ancient inhabitants of America, shortly after he rose from the dead in Jerusalem. Wild stuff. But then, truth is often stranger than fiction!

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

Mindfulness means you’re fully present and conscious of the moment you’re in. Research has found that people who practice mindfulness can have deeper relationships and enjoy life more! To boost your emotional health you might begin a meditation practice, spend more time in nature, or simply put your phone down while interacting with family or friends. Focus on being truly present and involved in whatever is in front of you right now — and notice how much richer your experience of that situation becomes!

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

Amid fear and worry over the pandemic, research shows that practicing mindfulness may alleviate symptoms of anxiety and can guard the immune system from becoming compromised by stress.

Ok. Here is the main question of our discussion. The past 5 years have been filled with upheaval and political uncertainty. Many people have become anxious from the dramatic jolts of the news cycle. From your experience or research, what are five steps that each of us can take to develop mindfulness during such uncertain times?

Try going on a media diet. Remember the news media lives by the axiom, “if it bleeds, it leads.” There is a tremendously powerful, built-in media bias to share bad news. And the worse the news, the more the ratings go up. I know people who during the pandemic were listening to news during all their waking hours. They found it very difficult to deal with all this stress. On the other hand, I know people who live without television, who would scarcely have known there was a pandemic going on except for their friends telling them about it. Going on a media diet for a while will help you to realize that the world is still turning, and there are lots of good things happening, in spite of the bad things that are going on in the world. Putting effort into resisting things that are going on around the world that you have absolutely no control over is not only pointless, but very hard on your own energy state.
Focus on love. At the beginning of the pandemic I found myself grocery shopping with my wife one day. It was the time of the toilet paper shortage that you may recall. The place was crowded. The sense of panic and anxiety was palpable. As I began to resonate with these feelings that were filling the store, I thought to myself, “I don’t want to feel this. I’m going to try something else,” and silently, in my own mind I began telling strangers, “I love you.” I tried to really feel that love in my heart for these people that I didn’t know at all. I believe that when you tell someone that you love them, even if it’s only in your own mind, if it’s coming from your heart they will feel it, it will register in their subconscious mind. In any case, the effect it had on me was magical. Within 60 seconds the anxiety was forgotten, my vibrational state was very high, and I had a smile on my face for the rest of that day. Try it!
Take a walk. If you’re feeling upset and you’re having a hard time being centered and being in the present moment, simply taking a walk for five or 10 minutes can completely change your state. It’s worked for me many times, and I highly recommend it.
Connect with someone. What meaning does your life really have without those people in your life that you care about? Is there someone in your life that you’ve lost contact with? Is there someone that you can reach out to and reconnect with? A simple note to let someone know that you still care about them, that you are thinking of them, may not only make their day, but may make yours as well.
Get rid of your “emotional baggage.” The energy of the difficult emotions that you have experienced during the low spots of your life may still be with you. Those emotional energies or “Trapped Emotions” can make it very difficult for you to truly relax and feel joy. The Emotion Code is a simple method that you can learn to do yourself, for yourself as well as for your loved ones. People all over the world have found that this powerful method is easy to learn, yet often is life-changing.

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

Encourage them to express their feelings. Talking about how you feel can help you process your emotions, and help you cope when you feel upset. Being honest, open, and vulnerable can help you move through any negative emotions, and allows you to connect more deeply with others.
Help them Improve their physical health. A healthy body helps support a healthy mind! When you get enough sleep, eat healthy foods, and move your body you are also taking care of your mental and emotional health.
Deepen your relationship with them. Having people to count on is helpful for emotional health! While being content alone is important too, knowing you can call someone up when you’re having a bad day, or share your successes with someone else, can be beneficial for your mental health.
Learn the Emotion Code. Releasing “emotional baggage” is so easy, fast, and simple that anyone can do it. Get a copy of the book, read it, and offer to help!
Recommend they Work with a Therapist. If you need help understanding your emotions, a therapist or counselor can also help. Therapists can also teach communication skills to convey those emotions.

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

I think that all of things we have talked about in this article are helpful, and I would add yoga and meditation to the list, as well as prayer and getting out in nature. There are many great books on mindfulness and beginning meditation practice out there, too. Enjoy!

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

One of my favorite cartoons has a guru on a mountaintop responding to a truth seeker by saying, “You’d better have a seat — people tend to fall down the mountain when I tell them the meaning of life!”

For some reason, I have been blessed with some profound spiritual experiences. I’ve learned for myself that we truly are all brothers and sisters in a most real sense, because I’ve learned for myself and know that we have a Father in Heaven, the Father of us all. Whether you refer to Him as “the Divine” or “Source Energy” or “Higher Power” or any other name, I think it’s all the same. To call Him Father is more accurate in my view, and feels more personal and familial to me.

I’ve also learned for myself that we are strangers here in this world. In the words of William Wordsworth:

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:

The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,

Hath had elsewhere its setting,

And cometh from afar:

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

From God, who is our home.

The best gift you could possibly give to yourself and to God is to consistently choose love, truth, forgiveness, and joy, to live a life filled with service, gratitude, and the highest good you can find, so that when you leave this life you will be comfortable returning home again, back to His presence, to your Father. Life is all about who we are becoming, ultimately. I think if we truly understood how important this is, we would probably “fall down the mountain” ourselves.

I love to inspire people to learn more about how energy healing can potentially remove emotional baggage, which may help reverse all kinds of discomfort — emotional and physical. The Emotion Code doesn’t require expensive therapy or the reexperiencing of trauma. It literally removes the energy of sadness, anxiousness, anger, loneliness, and other negative emotions in just a few minutes. This is something that has been life changing for many.

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

DiscoverHealing.com

DrBradleyNelson.com
facebook.com/DrBradleyNelson/

twitter.com/drbradleynelson

linkedin.com/in/dr-bradley-nelson-1392022/

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

Dr Bradley Nelson of Discover Healing On How To Develop Mindfulness During Stressful Or Uncertain… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.