An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
To start, I think one of the most important things a woman or anyone needs to thrive in business and succeed as a powerful woman is support. I started my business thinking and wanting to do it all. I felt like I knew best, that very few people could understand why I kept going, that If I had people help me, it would mean I couldn’t do it myself, and I felt that if I shared my enormous successes, I’d lose friends. I was overwhelmed, burnt out, and feeling so alone in everything that I did. I had almost no one to lean on, no one to celebrate my achievements with and no one to bounce ideas off of. My business was doing well, but it felt hard and very alone.
How does a successful, strong, and powerful woman navigate work, employee relationships, love, and life in a world that still feels uncomfortable with strong women? In this interview series, called “Power Women” we are talking to accomplished women leaders who share their stories and experiences navigating work, love and life as a powerful woman.
As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Carrie Cardozo, The Soul Prophet. She is a psychic, a healer, an energy worker and an activator of gifts. Carrie teaches energy work and psychic development at a level most have never experienced. She works with those who are ready to dive deeper into energy than they ever have before to help them make a stronger connection to their soul, their psychic abilities and the reason they’re here.
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 small town with two brothers, one of which has special needs. My parents spent a lot of time taking him to doctors as a young child and working. I spent a lot of time with my other brother or alone. When alone, I saw things, heard things, and experienced things that at the time I believed were just like every other child. At the age of 5, I lost my best friend to cancer. I remember the day my mother told me. I remember not understanding what death was or why I couldn’t see her anymore. But I continued to see her in my mind. My entire childhood I experienced feeling energy, seeing people around me and knowing things about people that were unspoken. Each time I tried to tell anyone about it I was told it was my imagination, or I was just brushed aside.
During those years, I saw very explicit things about my own life. I saw my parents divorcing; me getting pregnant at a very young age, having cancer, and even losing people I loved.
By the age of 27, I realized that almost all the things that I saw as a child had come to fruition.
Can you tell us the story about what led you to this particular career path?
At the age of 33, I was deeply involved with an amazing man. It was at a time in my life when I finally felt like things were turning around for me. I had been struggling in the years prior, feeling like life just kept handing me things to overcome. I had a baby at 20 and chose to leave college, had cancer at 26, left a toxic marriage by 29. I felt like each choice I made led me deeper into struggles, but then I met Mike and started to see everything shifting. We both had children previously, and we were planning on moving all of us into one big house. We had picked the perfect one. The kids knew the plans and were excited. We had everything planned out for the life that both of us dreamed of.
Then, the morning before we were putting in an offer on a house, I woke to find Mike unresponsive and not breathing. At the hospital, they informed me of what I already knew. He had passed away. This led me to a very dark place. I felt totally alone; abandoned by the Universe. I felt like I was being punished. Everything I had wanted had suddenly been ripped away. I didn’t have him, our dreams, the house, or his boys anymore. Life had completely changed.
At first, I was in a very dark place. Completely lost. But soon I realized how much my kids were suffering from the loss as well and my focus shifted to healing. I set out on a path to uncover what happened to Mike. Not how he died, but more of where he went. What happened after death? I met several shamans, mediums and angel channels who each kept circling back to me that I was psychic and that I could connect with him. What I wasn’t telling anyone was that shortly after he passed, I started seeing him. I could feel him. I could even hear him.
I thought people would think I was crazy. But the professionals I was consulting with all affirmed my connection. I was psychic, a VERY powerful one. Soon after this realization, I knew that this was a huge part of my journey.
Shortly after I started uncovering my abilities and healing, the company I worked for went under and I was left on my own. I knew straight away that there was something I needed to do with my abilities, my experience and my business passion.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Oh boy, there are so many. Working with spirit, with dead people and with healing, I think that each day is incredibly interesting. The stories that make up my life weave together to create a powerful experience full of lessons, healings, and expansion that make me the person I am today.
One thing that really stood out to me in the beginning of my career was how much others believed in me and turned to me for guidance and direction, even though they had been in the industry longer. In the early part of my career, when I was building my business and growing my psychic abilities, I was led to many different psychics, shamans, mediums and energy workers. At the time I believed I was being led to them for them to help me master my craft. What I soon realized was that I was being led to them to help them master their craft even though some of them had been in the industry longer than I had been alive. This was a powerful confirmation that I was doing exactly what I was meant to be doing and could make it a success.
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?
For one, my connection to spirit and my psychic abilities. From the moment my life shifted with Mike passing, I have been led down a very direct path. Each time I struggled, my psychic abilities would lead me to where I needed to be. When I was first starting my business, I struggled a lot. I didn’t want anyone to know that I was psychic. I kept trying to hide it in my work with others. Each month that passed, I’d get more and more frustrated that I wasn’t making money. Each time I asked with my abilities why, all I would hear is “You must tell people you are psychic.” I refused for months to do this. Bringing in on average $1,000 a month. Then one day I decided to just try it. I started telling people I was psychic and what I really did while guiding them in business and that month I brought in $9,000. I have followed the guidance of my abilities since.
The second character trait I know has been incredibly important in my life is my determination. In life, I have been through a lot. Each time life has knocked me down, I have gotten back up. When I was young and single with kids, when I had cancer, when I was a single mom, struggling to keep my house, building a business, my determination is what got me to where I am today. I was told by many to not risk it, to go back and get a job, that I couldn’t do what I wanted. But I have never given up. Each time I desire something, or see something is possible for me, I do not quit. I might change directions, take a step back to refocus, but if there is something I know I am meant to achieve, something I desire to achieve, I will find a way to do it. I always have.
The third thing, and I personally think it’s the most important one for me, is my level of integrity. In everything I do, in each step of business, I lead with integrity. It’s one of those traits that people comment on because of how high I hold my standards for myself. I will not work with someone who is not ready. I will not take money from others if they are not aligned and I will only use my psychic abilities when it’s for the highest good of others. I have had people come to me to invest in a $20,000 program where I have told them not to because they were not ready for it. I have shown them what to do to prepare, but I would not take their money till they were ready. In all of my business transactions, as well as my personal life, I make sure that my integrity level is of the highest, no matter what.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. The premise of this series assumes that our society still feels uncomfortable with strong women. Why do you think this is so?
First, I think it has gotten SO much better over the years. I think successful women are much more accepted and appreciated than they were in the past. I see two very deep aspects of this.
For one, many successful women look like they have it all together. They have the ability to juggle million dollar businesses, keep the home organized, raise kids, have a personal life, and find time to help others out. Not to mention, they are incredibly confident. And most do it in a way that LOOKS effortless. For many, this is very intimidating because people don’t see or even know how they can possibly help a woman who seems to not just have it all, but have it all together. People don’t understand where they fit in or how they can add value to a life that looks so great and that seems to be in such flow!
For some people, it makes them feel less valuable because they can’t help, and for others it creates jealousy because they see in the successful women all that they desire to be but haven’t achieved yet.
What I think many don’t realize is that we don’t always have it all together. That we actually do need help, putting us on a pedestal isn’t helping nor an accurate representation of what we desire.
I’m a psychic and an energy reader, and when you look at this energetically, there are a few very interesting things that come about. Something that is very prevalent is the shift of masculine and feminine energy that has gone on over the years. Each person has a disposition to hold more of one energy or the other. Meaning that coming into this life, you are more likely to have either a dominant masculine or feminine energy. What has been happening over the years is that more and more women are tapping into their masculine energy to compete and create success where it wasn’t as readily available as had been in the past. At times, tapping into that masculine energy can create a forcing energy if not maneuvered correctly. That imbalance of energy can be felt by others and if they are not secure in their own masculine or feminine energy, can be seen as combative or uncomfortable.
What I have seen in the energy reading and energy work that I’ve been doing is that the world is trying to balance the masculine and feminine flow more and more. This means that masculine will feel more at ease and the feminine will feel more accepted and the roles each chooses to play will be more aligned.
I feel this is what causes the uncomfortable energy people feel when women are in power. Hopefully the more people master their own energy and heal their own shortcomings, the more powerful and successful women and men will be accepted by all.
Without saying any names, can you share a story from your own experience that illustrates this idea?
For me personally, I’ve always been one of those women that just does everything myself. It was taught to me and although it’s served me well at times, it’s come as a detriment and a challenge when in relationships or even in receiving. I’ve worked for years to unlearn this and still keep growing my success.
When I first started my business, I had a lot of people who I deemed as friends become very uncomfortable with my success. I remember one time specifically. I was putting together an event and had invited several friends to join me. During the entire process, there were several times that I heard statements like “How come it’s all about you?” “Why is it always Carrie this and Carrie that?” And the one that hurt the most was when a woman I considered a really good friend of mine said “Well we can’t all be as great as Carrie Cardozo now, can we?” when I was giving her advice on her business that she had asked for.
The level of jealousy and judgment that often comes with this level of success can be very disheartening and can cause you to feel very alone at times in the success and building process.
What most people don’t realize is that this jealousy is not necessary. We all need help. We all need support. And we very seldom have it all together. But even in these situations, we are still able to reach enormous success.
Although the process may look effortless, the determination required to move beyond your comfort zone and ask for help, let others in, or whatever that looks like for you, to be the leader you are meant to be sometimes requires moving through the stumbling blocks placed in front of you to embody the feminine and masculine energy required of a leader. I believe that once you master the energy you are meant to hold, no matter if you are male or female, it allows for others around you to feel more at least and be more accepting of your leadership because YOU are in balance.
What should a powerful woman do in a context where she feels that people are uneasy around her?
Being really successful can be challenging. On one hand, it feels amazing to reach all these new levels, to achieve goals you never thought you’d reach and to see all of your dreams unfold. But on the other hand, it hurts when you’re stereotyped for the money you make or judged for how you choose to live your life, or people you love most feel insecure with their own success when they compare it to yours.
What I do is powerful. It’s unusual for a lot of people and frankly, it can freak people out. I not only do what most people can’t do for work, but I also am very successful doing it. When I know that people are uncomfortable around me, I meet them where they are at. I have very strong beliefs and opinions. I see things most can’t. I know things that others don’t. And that makes people uncomfortable and guarded. So, I meet people at their level. I talk in a way that helps them feel heard, seen and comfortable. I allow others to see that although what I do is incredible, that I can show them how to do it.
The main focus of my work is to teach others how to tap into their psychic abilities and show them how to build a business and life with them. I show people how to create their desired level of success with the gifts they were born with.
I work to allow others to see that my success is incredible, but that I’m not an anomaly. I have 100% confidence and believe that others can have it as well and I do my part to show them how. I allow people to see that I’m real. I have had my struggles; I have failed; I have broken; I have felt totally lost, but I have also worked through everything that life has thrown at me and I have CHOSEN, and that is the key. It’s been a choice each and every step. I’ve chosen to keep putting things back together and never given up on my dreams, even when others try to make you feel bad for the success you have.
What do we need to do as a society to change the unease around powerful women?
Boy, would I love to see this. I believe it will take a few things. We need to start by normalizing success in whatever way it looks like for each person. Whether it’s money, accolades, impact, or being famous, we need to bring more acceptance into those achievements.
We also need to celebrate other people and help those around us to see that it’s possible. I think that very few people see their desires and dreams as possible. I think a lot of people still see the “American Dream” as something that they have to achieve.
We need to start celebrating people who do things differently. Kids who don’t want to go to college, moms that don’t want to stay home with their kids, people who want to travel.
I have high school and college-age kids right now and I can’t tell you how many teachers and adults have made comments to my children about how if they don’t go to college and get a good job, then they won’t be successful. How doing what they want isn’t going to give them security.
I didn’t go to college.
I didn’t follow what most people thought I should.
I turned my back on everything that others told me was the right thing.
As a society, we need to start showing people that there are many more ways to become successful. We need to start guiding people to follow that deep inner knowing. And most importantly, we need to help people see that in all of this, you still need to show up and do the work. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is handed to you. Your level of commitment and determination are necessary for success.
The more people who truly get to see what this is all about, the more this level of success will be accepted by all.
In my own experience, I have observed that often women have to endure ridiculous or uncomfortable situations to achieve success that men don’t have to endure. Do you have a story like this from your own experience? Can you share it with us?
I grew up in a family where I was always told I could do anything the boys could do, so this was very much not an issue for me. I competed with the boys. I was as smart as them. I was able to get jobs just as they were. I’ve never felt less than.
I have, however, seen that my looks have caused me much more unwanted attention than most men receive. This has been my biggest struggle.
I hear a lot that I’m really smart for being so pretty. Or that they didn’t expect someone like me to be so good at what I do.
I’ve received a lot of undesirable attention for my looks and my skills were an afterthought.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women leaders that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
Although I don’t often feel at a disadvantage in my leadership, I can see a few things that are bigger challenges. The biggest one being credibility. I have seen that men have a more favorable view from others when it comes to credibility and trust as a leader in most industries. If a man is in a leadership role it’s assumed that he knows what he’s doing and others willingly trust him. I’ve often seen that women are made to prove their credibility and expertise before someone trusts their leadership.
Let’s now shift our discussion to a slightly different direction. This is a question that nearly everyone with a job has to contend with. Was it difficult to fit your personal and family life into your business and career? For the benefit of our readers, can you articulate precisely what the struggle was?
It absolutely was challenging. When I first started my business, I was a single mother who had my three young children 80% of the time. I had been working outside the home, but upon starting my business, I moved everything to the house. Navigating that switch was not easy for me or the kids. To them, me being home meant I wasn’t working. They even used to tell people that I didn’t work anymore. They had to relearn that if I was in a specific room that it meant they couldn’t interrupt what I was doing.
It also was very challenging to juggle everything. I was committed to building my business. Reaching certain levels of success. Some of those levels were even just to afford the house, car, food and activities that my kids and I were used to. So me putting hours and energy into my business was key. But I also committed to being the mother I desired to be and had been for my kids. Navigating everything was not easy. I never missed a sporting event, a Dr appointment, a parent meeting, or family dinner time. I was there at everything my kids did, from getting them to and from school and doing all the activity drop-offs. This often meant that I was up at 3:30 am to finish a project or I brought my laptop and worked in the car while I waited for practice to end.
There were times when it was so busy that I was getting four hours of sleep at night, juggling everything and still focusing on my healing. It was a time that I was 100% committed to me, my kids and our future and although it was incredibly challenging with very little support, it was the best decision I made!
What was a tipping point that helped you achieve a greater balance or greater equilibrium between your work life and personal life? What did you do to reach this equilibrium?
A true tipping point for me was when I realized I shouldn’t be doing it all on my own. When I first started my business, I had no idea how hard it was going to be. I knew I could do it all, focus on my healing, be a great mother, build my business, take care of all the household things, and still have time for me. As dedicated and determined as I thought I was at the time, I didn’t realize just how stressed out I was and needed help.
I remember one time I was prepping for a big in person event. I had people coming in from all over the world, people who needed to be picked up at the airport, things to still be purchased, and kids who needed to be an hour away from home at the same time that I had to pick up clients. Organizing it all was stressful. I had navigated all of it except for a client pickup at the exact time I would be at the opposite end of the state. I had asked someone close to me to help and hours before I needed their help that person decided to start an argument and throw it in my face that they were helping me.
I remember having a complete breakdown emotionally. I felt so unsupported and exhausted. I knew that if I was going to make all of this work, in the way I needed to, then I had to find people in my corner who wanted to see me succeed and were working on my team. That moment stays so prevalent in my mind. It was the tipping point of the shift that happened in my business to give me more support, more freedoms and an entire team of people around me and in my business who desired to see me reach all of my goals. From that moment on, I made the decision that I was done giving my energy to things or people that didn’t help me achieve an amazing personal and business life.
I work in the beauty tech industry, so I am very interested to hear your philosophy or perspective about beauty. In your role as a powerful woman and leader, how much of an emphasis do you place on your appearance? Do you see beauty as something that is superficial, or is it something that has inherent value for a leader in a public context? Can you explain what you mean?
Personally, I place very little effort into my outside beauty. I don’t dye my hair, I’ve done no beauty treatments other than a facial once a month, I only wear mascara (except on photo shoots), and I can be ready, out the door in less than 15 minutes. I also would rather someone else pick my clothes for me.
For me, it’s all inner beauty. It has everything to do with your energy, how you make others feel and how you show up to serve others while still respecting your own boundaries and standards. Your energy has such a powerful impact on how people respond to you. You could be the most beautiful woman in the room, but if your energy is low or off, it’s going to be hard to take who you are or what you do very far in life.
I absolutely agree that a beautiful face or a well put together body will grab the attention of both men and women, but if you truly desire to serve, to lead those around you, your looks hold very little importance in comparison to what you hold inside.
How is this similar or different for men?
I think this holds true for men as well. The way they hold themselves, how they show up, how they treat people is so much more appealing and attractive than just a handsome face or a nice body.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your opinion and experience, what are the “Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Powerful Woman?” (Please share a story or example for each.)
To start, I think one of the most important things a woman or anyone needs to thrive in business and succeed as a powerful woman is support. I started my business thinking and wanting to do it all. I felt like I knew best, that very few people could understand why I kept going, that If I had people help me, it would mean I couldn’t do it myself, and I felt that if I shared my enormous successes, I’d lose friends. I was overwhelmed, burnt out, and feeling so alone in everything that I did. I had almost no one to lean on, no one to celebrate my achievements with and no one to bounce ideas off of. My business was doing well, but it felt hard and very alone.
When I started to allow people to support me, everything changed. I had help around the house, people to consult with, an entire team to take so much of the weight of the work off my plate, and friends who truly wanted to see me succeed and to celebrate with. The support that I receive now is a total game changer for myself and my business. The level of ease it’s created and the flow that’s been established, as well as feeling as if it’s not just me building this legacy, is such an amazing feeling.
Second, you have to have a focus. You have to know why you’re doing what you’re doing. You have to have a bigger reason for getting up early, doing things you don’t want. Failing, getting up, trying again and then failing again. When you don’t have a why, then you don’t have a bigger pull to keep going. Without your why your soul is just not in it. I meet so many people who are struggling in business because their ultimate goal is just to prove they can be successful. To prove to others that they can make something. The majority of these people are unfulfilled and exhausted. They often say they are working for the money, to make millions and thinking that they have to keep selling or pushing harder to make it. When you have a reason why, not only does the money come much easier, but the journey you take every day to reach your greater goal is so much more fulfilling when you finally attain it. Following that calling deep within your soul that quietly guides you forward creates much greater results that are much more fulfilling!
Next, I truly believe that your level of belief in yourself is KEY! I see people every day who are amazing at what they do. For years, I helped people design and grow their businesses. I guided them on how to share their gifts with the work. Now I train psychics, healers and energy workers. The men and women are truly talented and powerful in their work. What I have seen is that the individuals who truly believe in themselves and what they do sell faster, attain more money, and become more widely known simply because of their belief, not their talent level.
As an entrepreneur, there are very few people out there screaming your name, being your biggest cheerleader, especially in the beginning. That is all up to you. You have to tell people who you are, what you do and how you can help them, and if you don’t hold that belief in all of it, then others want to believe it either and it’s going to take a heck of a long time to reach your goals.
The next thing I believe is incredibly important for attaining levels of success is your faith and truths. I’m not religious, never have been. There have been times in my life that I’ve felt completely lost. But one of the things that has shifted the entire focus of my business and my success is my faith and truths. Believing in yourself is crucial, but so is believing in something much bigger than you and holding those beliefs even in the most uncertain of times. There are certain beliefs that I have that help me to hold a level of certainty, trust and knowing in all the experiences I have been through. These truths that I have built my business around, when held to, have never failed me. Understanding what my truths were was difficult. It forced me to question what I knew, to evaluate what was truly unfolding, and to lean into a deeper understanding of how the Universe worked. But for me, my faith and my beliefs are what guides me through every single challenging moment I face.
I have a belief that every single thing in life happens for a reason. I have the belief that everything always works out in the end. I believe that I am always supported by the Universe and it’s never let me fall. I believe that energy is the core of everything. I believe that I am always led exactly to what I need to learn, heal and grow to continue to succeed. It doesn’t matter what your actual beliefs are. Find things that resonate, that have been proven over and over again to you, then hold on to those beliefs as you navigate down the winding path toward success.
The final thing I believe is crucial for success is integrity. It’s what I’ve built my business around. It’s why I have 90% repeat clients. It’s how I’ve gained enormous amounts of respect, admiration and trust. It’s built my reputation and allowed me to be part of life altering events with so many clients. Integrity for me is not just doing what I say when I say I’m going to do it. It’s also about doing what’s for people’s highest good, even if it means it’s not the best for me. It’s about always leading with full transparency and truth. Never putting money ahead of what’s right and always yielding the power I hold for the good of others.
I’ve seen a lot of people, especially in my field, shove away their integrity to make themselves seem more important, to put others down, and to make more money. I have never and will never do it. For me, it’s not just about getting to the top of my industry. I’m great at what I do. I’m one of the best. But what’s most important is to pave the way for others to do it as well and not just show them how to get there, but to turn around and help them make the way. In business, I’ve seen how competition, jealousy and abuse of power can literally destroy people. I choose to work with others, to teach them what I know and to celebrate all of their victories without worrying that their success is taking away from mine. Integrity is the most important thing I believe a successful, powerful woman should hold!
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
If I could choose one person to have lunch with, it would be my future self. The future is filled with possibilities, with different options and pathways. The actions we take and every choice that we make creates our destiny. Although I can see the future, I’d love to chat with myself 10 years from now, or 15 years and ask what I need to know most to get to where I desire. I don’t want to know everything, but I’d like a little insight into what is important, where I’m wasting my time, what I should stop worrying about, and if it’s time to give up on certain things? Our future self holds so much valuable information and a lunch with her would be amazing!
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Power Women: Carrie Cardozo On How To Successfully Navigate Work, Love and Life As A Powerful Woman was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.