An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Make constant time for your children thus as you have work appointments and meetings, you should have an adequate amount of family/children appointments and meetings. Play dates, movie dates, museum dates, etc. Your children must be an active part of your schedule and day-to-day.
As a part of my series about “How extremely busy executives make time to be great parents” I had the pleasure to interview Gabrielle Gambrell.
Gabrielle Gambrell is a mother to #BabyGambrell and #GigiGambrell, a consultant, speaker, professor, communications, branding and media expert devoted to empowering excellence. She’s currently serving industry leading and award-winning sports, media, entertainment, consumer, technology and lifestyle brands, as well as talent and influencers. She is a faculty professor at NYU teaching integrated marketing, digital media, media relations and communications. She’s also a Board of Trustee member at Iona University, her alma mater. Originally from Los Angeles, she currently resides with her husband, son and daughter in Westchester County, N.Y. You can learn more about Gabrielle at www.giftofgabrielle.com and connect on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us your “childhood backstory”?
I am a proud fourth generation college graduate. Education was always stressed in my household and from my grandparents. My father’s parents born in 1912 and 1917 both held several degrees with honors from Eastern Michigan University, Smith College and Howard University, which is not something that can be taken lightly as Black scholars of their time. I always understood that my education would open great doors for me, and it truly has.
Can you share the story about what brought you to this specific point in your career? After serving industry leading organizations, from ABC to Paramount, CBS, Comcast NBCUniversal, Interpublic Group, FCB Global, Columbia University, Yahoo, Verizon, and more, I have the experience and confidence in knowing that the sky’s the limit for what I can do as well as what I will do. Moreover, I know that the best is yet to come.
Can you tell us a bit more about what your day-to-day schedule looks like?
Being a mother of two, as soon as I open my eyes one or both of my children need my attention, and I’m grateful to start my day by tending to my children as they’re the most important people in my life. After preparing my children for school, I mentally prepare myself for my day ahead with meditation, prayer and then proceed to knock out my daily to-do list, as my calendar is usually full from 9 AM until easily 7 PM, ET (keeping in mind those on the west coast). I try my best at 7 PM to cut off work unless it’s an emergency to be present for my children until they go to sleep, and then I usually catch up on emails and do a few more hours of work. My personal goal is to work more now, to truly enjoy tomorrow, and more importantly an early retirement. Family time is by far the most important part of my day.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the core of our discussion. This is probably intuitive to many, but it would be beneficial to spell it out. Based on your experience or research, can you flesh out why not spending time with your children can be detrimental to their development?
As a professor and mother, I know that children are constantly learning and observing. Their very first teachers are their parents and it’s important to my husband and I that we teach our children the significance of “the family-first model” noting that jobs may come and go, but nothing is more important than life. There is a famous adage that children will follow your example, not your advice, so any unhealthy practices can easily become generational. It’s imperative to teach our children what love looks like by being attentive and present and it’s vital for them to know they’re our priority; first and foremost above anything or anyone else. This is something that we strive to have passed down through our children. Furthermore, an inattentive parent may miss more than just critical milestones; especially when they are young and vulnerable with little means of communication. Attentiveness to our children’s nonverbal cues and demeanor are important for monitoring health, growth and safety. Thus, being present and making time just for them is imperative.
On the flip side, can you give a few reasons or examples about why it is so important to make time to spend with your children?
A few reasons why it’s so very important to spend time with your children is to teach them the value of family time, letting them know that they’re your first priority and supporting their respective love language whether it is words of affirmation, acts of service, gifts, quality time, etc. Additionally, you want to know your children more than anyone else, you don’t want to be surprised or learn from others who they are — knowing who your children truly are should come from firsthand knowledge and experience. Lastly, allowing your children to see first-hand what an example of balance and success looks like, while valuing them makes a blueprint for a healthy lifestyle.
According to this study cited in the Washington Post, the quality of time spent with children is more important than the quantity of time. Can you give a few stories or examples from your own life about what you do to spend quality time with your children?
My husband and I strive to be our children’s first teachers and we believe in the educational power of traveling. Rather than traveling with just the two of us, we make it a point to always travel with our young children. Both of our children had passports shortly after their birth and both have traveled quite a bit, flying at just a few months old. Though they’re still very young we’re teaching them the immense value of traveling to different regions of and how the world is truly theirs to experience and learn from.
Also, organized sports and activities are imperative and teach children practical skills. My husband and I are present at every practice and game, no matter what. Celebrating life is very important, and it’s something that has been cherished in my family. Every year of life, I’ve had a birthday party and usually more than one. We teach our children to be excited about growing older and we celebrate them every chance we get — dance parties, multiple birthday parties, it’s imperative that our children know they’re worthy to be praised and celebrated. We also do family TV and movie nights bonding over common interests and last but certainly not least, eating together at our dinner table after having family prayer.
We all live in a world with many deadlines and incessant demands for our time and attention. That inevitably makes us feel rushed and we may feel that we can’t spare the time to be “fully present” with our children. Can you share with our readers 5 strategies about how we can create more space in our lives in order to give our children more quality attention? Please include examples or stories for each, if you can.
- Being able to bounce a situation off of someone trusted and respected — having mentors and sponsors is pivotal. Before making a quick and perhaps wrong decision, ask yourself, who can I run this by and why.
– When I am weighing my options about a tough decision, even if I have more or less made a decision, a gut-check with trusted confidants provides another perspective from someone who knows me and has my best interest in mind. - You have to have a team, a very strong team at that. You cannot be all to everyone, nor can you be present for everything, but if you’re surrounded by a skilled, trusted and savvy team, collectively, you can still be successful even when you’re being pulled in multiple directions.
– I’ve often heard parents refer to their village. My colleagues become an extended part of that village when their collaboration allows me to be present in every part of my life. - Things may not be as urgent as they seem and appear to be, thus being able to decipher what truly needs your immediate attention versus what just needs your attention.
– Occasionally, I will get an urgent message that requests immediate action, which can be alarming. More often than not, urgent requests are not emergencies. I have learned to quickly think through the request; very rarely are they truly crises. As a leader, a process of quick evaluation allows me to maintain a level head. I reason by asking myself, what happens if I don’t take action? If I take action right now, will that have an immediate impact on the situation or can it wait? Is prioritizing this request over what I am currently doing going to come at a greater cost? In my industry, I can easily ask if by not taking action are we risking a reputation, life or livelihood? Opportunities come and go, but unless inaction will cost a career or a life, it can wait and that’s a helpful decision tree. I can typically finish my child’s game or doctor’s appointment or family outing and then come back to what is needed. - Ask! Ask your children what they want to do and take into consideration what brings them joy and make that a part of a routine. When you do this, put your phone down, mark time off your work calendar and devote time to your children.
- Make constant time for your children thus as you have work appointments and meetings, you should have an adequate amount of family/children appointments and meetings. Play dates, movie dates, museum dates, etc. Your children must be an active part of your schedule and day-to-day.
How do you define a “good parent”? Can you give an example or story?
A good parent is committed to the welfare and overall well-being of their child and they’re steadfast about their child’s protection, profit, interests and to the very best of their ability. Good parents put in never-ending work to ensure their child is truly set up for success, stays true to their morals and values and is supported and loved in all that they do. Doing whatever you can to see your child succeed, making sure they have necessary tools for success and giving safety and unconditional love helps to define a good parent. My children are my best friends and I do think that parents should be friends with their children. How you love your friends, you should love your children even more as they’re your responsibility, represent your hopes and are the present and future. Your relationship with your children also impacts your grandchildren and others to come.
How do you inspire your child to “dream big”? Can you give an example or story?
Every day, I ask my children what they want to be and who they are and I champion whatever their response is for the day. Different from yesterday, no problem, I support you. It may not be what I would do, and it’s ok; I love and support you. I remind my children that their dreams are never too big or even too small. If they want it, I want it for them and will do whatever I can to support and see it come true.
How do you, a person who masterfully straddles the worlds of career and family, define “success”?
I define success by seeing your dreams come true and living your dreams along with those who love you, cheer for you and comfort you by executing a life of intention, love and happiness. My family loves me, cheers for me and brings me great comfort. There’s definitely a hierarchy for me, my family first, career second and everything career wise must understand that family is first. There can never be confusion amongst the two. Additionally, partnership is pivotal. My husband is a phenomenal partner and helps me to juggle it all so well.
What are your favorite books, podcasts, or resources that inspire you to be a better parent? Can you explain why you like them?
I hold near to me the lessons of the bible, as I look to God to anchor my life and my journey as a mother and wife. I believe as the bible teaches in Romans 8:28: “All things work together for good of them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.” It is my destiny to be a mother to my beautiful, brilliant children as they will know that the sky is the limit for them and they too are destined for greatness. Additionally, “Year of Yes,” by Shonda Rhimes is one of my favorite books that reminds me how much power there is in taking advantage of opportunities that come your way and literally saying “YES” to your destiny and to success. And, you can say YES while still being present for your family and a loving parent as long as you’re staying true to your core values.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite life quote that I often say to myself, and tell my children is also one of my favorite bible scriptures: Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.” It’s relevant because life is difficult and challenging obstacles surface daily, but knowing that in the end it’ll all work out is what should keep us going. That is something that I want my children to know and understand — life will have many battles and weapons in various forms may attempt to come your way, but it’ll all work out in the end, and moreover you will be victorious.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I cannot wait for the day when supporting and fostering mental health no longer comes with stigmas. Just as we see a doctor for our physical health, partake in preventive care and visit the dentist often, we should respect and honor our mental health paying close attention to it, triggers and remedies. I’d love to see those efforts be championed and normalized.
Thank you so much for these insights! This was so inspiring!
Gabrielle Gambrell On How Extremely Busy Leaders Make Time To Be Great Parents was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.