Energy Efficient Buildings In Every Sector: Keng-Fu Lo’s Big Idea That May Change The World In The Next Few Years
When it comes to climate change, building construction is a major culprit. According to Architecture 2030, buildings make up nearly 40 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. When you incorporate other infrastructure expenses and various necessities, that number increases.
As a part of my series about “Big Ideas That Might Change The World In The Next Few Years” I had the pleasure of interviewing Keng-Fu Lo.
Keng-Fu Lo, one of the most sought after architects in Taiwan, is the founder and managing director of the Chain10 Architecture & Interior Design Institute. In 1996, he established Chain10 with the purpose of combining cutting edge design and research. The firm operates in every sector of design, with each project encompassing climate-focused and sustainable principles and design — he believes it is important to build connections between people and the environment, and strives for consistency in his designs, from architecture to the interiors.
While having no formal training in architecture, he has managed to assemble an impressive array of projects that have won over 120 awards, including the World Architecture Festival Award and the IIDA 2020 Global Excellence Award.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you please tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Coincidentally enough, architecture was not my original destination. After I graduated from university, I briefly sought employment but ended up with the decision to further my education — though I was unsure about what field I wanted to explore. For some time, I considered diving into economics, but that thought didn’t endure for long. I attended the Kaohsiung Medical School, and studied in the clinical psychology department. To support myself during the winter and summer breaks, I took a part-time job in graphic design — which led me to my first chance at designing a commercial space. This opportunity, in and of itself, encouraged me to deepen my knowledge and passion for design, and pushed me to explore more of the architectural realm.
Can you please share with us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
This is a difficult question — however, the first thing that comes to mind is the first time I met the famed Japanese architect Tadao Ando. During an event, a friend of mine introduced him to me, and it felt as though I met a rockstar. I managed to give him a copy of the Leicht Kitchen Yearbook that I was featured in — that was the icing on the cake. Meeting a true leader in my field of interest amplified the spark inside of me and inspired me to keep pushing forward in architecture and design.
Which principles or philosophies have guided your life? Your career?
All that I do, in my personal life and work, surrounds the idea of integration — whether it’s design concepts or mindful ideologies.
As an architect, I have come to realize that the field itself can be quite limiting. With this in mind, I particularly enjoy creating depth within space by integrating the external and internal environment. This allows inhabitants and guests to feel as though they are being enveloped in something larger, while pushing for harmony between nature and human beings.
As an individual, I have learned throughout my life that it is important to maintain three ideals: confidence, communication, and observation.
Ok thank you for that. Let’s now move to the main focus of our interview. Can you tell us about your “Big Idea That Might Change The World”?
When it comes to climate change, building construction is a major culprit. According to Architecture 2030, buildings make up nearly 40 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. When you incorporate other infrastructure expenses and various necessities, that number increases.
As architects, we know that this climate crisis is the fundamental design problem of our time. By building green, we can reduce the impact our buildings have on contributing to climate change while also building resilience into our homes and communities.
Currently (as of May 2021), Taiwan is in the midst of its worst drought in 50 years due to the increasing temperatures, lack of rain, and absence of typhoons making landfall. Chain10 seeks to combat the rate of climate change through sustainable design, while minimizing its impact on people who live, work and play in our developments. As an entity, we develop green spaces in a creative manner, by encouraging efficiency through design and utilizing sustainable resources. Our buildings ensure adequate ventilation and air flow to minimize the need for extra cooling. Additionally, we interweave natural light and artificial light to provide a sense of stability indoors. However, our work does not end there.
We aim to instill hope for the future by providing more energy efficient buildings in every sector. I believe that nature is perfect as it is — I have a responsibility to create projects that not only fit the surrounding environment, but help to advance the planet forward while mitigating the impact of climate change.
How do you think this will change the world?
Across the globe, higher temperatures are contributing to record heat waves and droughts, rising sea levels, more intense storms, wildfires, floods, and other extreme conditions — the effects of this climate crisis are clear. When people think about combating climate change, specific images arise in their minds: solar panels, recycling waste bins, and opting for their bikes instead of their cars. But what most people don’t picture is a building.
The average green building saves 25 percent more energy and uses 11 percent less water than a regular building. In fact, it’s possible for green buildings to produce zero emissions. These particular developments not only reduce the damaging effect on our surroundings with a decrease in usage of energy and natural resources — but can positively influence the environment by producing their own energy, reducing their own carbon footprint and expanding biodiversity.
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this idea that people should think more deeply about?
Outside of altering the ways in which we live to adapt to a new standard, I cannot imagine how building green can negatively impact, not only ourselves, but the land. I do think, as with all big ideas, it will take people time to reorganize their thoughts on how architecture can support, rather than hinder, combating climate change.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this idea? Can you tell us that story?
My home country of Taiwan has experienced the brunt of climate change. It has been suffering from a significant decrease in the number of rainy days each year since the 1960s. The sea around Taiwan is rising twice as fast as global sea levels and the temperature has increased by 1.4 degrees Celsius over the past 100 years, which is twice the global average.
I grew up in a different time in Taiwan’s history, where nature was a big part of everyday life. Looking from the time that I was a child to now, climate change has made such an immense impact on the land, and has been a driving factor in my designs. I truly worry about the future of Taiwan for the next generation, as well as the rest of the world.
What do you need to lead this idea to widespread adoption?
Successfully and efficiently creating an environment where green buildings are the standard requires the participation of all. However, I believe that the design industry must take a deeper look at the work we develop — past, present, and future — and how it affects the world. A challenge that we face is the lack of awareness, education and information on the benefits of green building construction.
There are many perceived reasons as to why designers shy away from green buildings — costs, government regulations, insufficient means of training, lack of research and funding. However, we should not allow these ideas to limit us as we progress forward. We should aim to overcome the lack of understanding of green building issues within society.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
The Importance of Observation — Regardless of who you are, being able to truly understand and observe anything around you is an essential skill. Being conscious of everything, from the smallest details to the largest factors, will allow you to have a stronger grasp on reality — this principle is essential in maintaining client relationships and sentiments. It allows you to give them what they want, and what they didn’t realize they wanted in the first place.
Have Confidence — It may sound cliche to say this, but if I had been more confident as a young designer, my career would be a lot further than it is. You have to own your opinion and be able to share it without regret. Be your own advocate.
Architects are Movie Directors — When you’re designing a project, you are not just creating a space, but a lifestyle for someone to dwell in. At that moment, their future is in your hands — it is essential to factor in every possible change into your designs. This especially holds true in Asia as housing tends to be multi-generational, so you are designing a place that will be inhabited for the majority of a century.
Communication — Sometimes, clients don’t fully understand what they want within their space. As an architect, you need to filter their desires through the prism of your own experience and understanding. The end result will be pleasing to both parties.
The Art Of The Sketch — Architecture tends to be realized with computers nowadays, but I believe the fastest way to conceptualize a structure is with sketching. I wish more young architects would incorporate this into their repertoire.
Can you share with our readers what you think are the most important “success habits” or “success mindsets”?
In my eyes, the most important habit to develop is continuous learning. I read religiously — you will often see me thumbing through industry magazines from a variety of sources. This acts as an inspiration for me.
When it comes to mindset, it boils down to passion — I am energized by design and architecture. Even more than that, I love to share this passion with those around me.
Some very well known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
For some time, it was often encouraged that we employ green products, services and habits for the sake of future generations. However, the climate crisis is steadily increasing and dangerously impacts us and the planet as we know it. Green buildings are a global solution for cities, communities and neighborhoods. While the benefits may not be easily visible, sustainable design achieves a great amount of good — lowering carbon emissions, energy and waste; conserving water; prioritizing safer materials; and decreasing our exposure to toxins. Designers across the world are in need of grants to make these possibilities a reality, so that we may create a world that is viable for ourselves, and those that come after us.
Rising Through Resilience: Athalia Monae of Pouches By ALAHTA On The Five Things You Can Do To Become More Resilient
Believe in yourself- Not everyone will support you, and some might even try to make you feel you aren’t worthy. Trust yourself and know that you are worthy.
In this interview series, we are exploring the subject of resilience among successful business leaders. Resilience is one characteristic that many successful leaders share in common, and in many cases, it is the most important trait necessary to survive and thrive in today’s complex market.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Athalia Monae. Athalia is the ALAHTA hairbrush pouch innovator and author of “Why the Secrets”.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory?
Yes, thank you for having me. I used to wrap my comb in a paper towel and place it in my purse. The objective was to prevent stray hair and hair products from transferring from my comb to the interior of my bag. Although the paper towel served its purpose, it wasn’t my ideal solution for my need, but it worked at the time. I preferred a pouch or case to store my hairbrush or comb while having it in my purse. Some cases exist, but they only accommodate one shape, one size comb, or brush. My hairbrushes and combs vary in shapes and sizes, from a wig brush, paddle brush, rake tail comb to a wide-tooth comb, and I needed a case or pouch that could store either one of these shapes. After an extensive search and not finding what I was looking for, I designed and patented my own.
Can you share with us the most exciting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
One of the most interesting stories so far has been a situation I had with the first patent attorney I hired. He and I had a few conversations where we discussed in-depth the product design that I was interested in filing a patent application for and the patent classification he felt would be best for my product. This particular attorney was one of three attorneys I contacted. I asked them all if they could provide references, but they all told me they couldn’t give out clients personal information, which was understandable. One of them provided me with the business website of his most recent client. I reached out to her and asked about her experience working with him so far. She spoke highly of him and his staff. She told me he had done everything he was supposed to have done so far. After talking with that client, I decided that that’s the attorney I would like to file my patent application. I contacted his office, but at that time, he wasn’t available. After leaving my contact information, I waited to hear back. About three weeks had passed without me hearing anything from his office, so I decided to work with one of the other attorneys. I started the application process with this attorney. Some time had passed without hearing anything regarding any next steps, status, etc. Over the next 2–3 weeks, I attempted to contact this attorney via phone and email, with no follow-up. To make a long story short, I paid the attorney and application fees and provided everything the attorney requested. I was advised the filing of the application would then start. After finally speaking with the attorney, I found out that wasn’t the case. I requested my money back in full. I received it. Two days after receiving my refund from the first attorney, the office of the attorney I wanted to work with initially contacted me. We immediately started the application process.
After I started the application process with the new attorney, the designer and I talked about the unfortunate incident with the first attorney. The designer asked the name of my current attorney. After telling him the attorney’s name, he told me I was in good hands. He and this attorney worked together in the past. Hearing this solidified what the attorney’s client shared with me, which made me sigh of relief. Three years later, I received my patent. My takeaway from this experience is to have patience. Having patience can save us from unnecessary, frustrating negative experiences. Another takeaway is to listen to your gut feelings. The gut feeling I had was signaling something other than patience, but I ignored it. In the end, everything worked out.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
ALAHTA is a new business, but I strive to provide excellent customer service, more than anything. Excellent customer service is critical to me, whether I’m the consumer or the merchant. I want my customers to have a great experience. I’ve sold some of my product in person, just by chance. I enjoyed my interaction with those few customers. We had a brief but pleasant conversation about my product and why I designed it. Being able to connect with your customers is always good for business.
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?
I know you asked for a person, but God is that person for me. I’ve always worked hard for whatever my children and I wanted or needed. I have always been a great person, pleasant and caring, but some people wanted others to see me as the total opposite. Because of this, they created baseless, degrading, and vicious rumors regarding me. I’m grateful to God for the strength, self-love, resilience, talents, and curiosity that I have within me. I’m just as thankful for being able to appreciate that I’ve lived a life where these non-truths NEEDED to have been created about me because telling the truth, although not perfect, wouldn’t have been as bad. These rumors could have broken me, in multiple ways, but they didn’t. God’s guidance helped me along the way and is the only reason I am where I am today. Being able to put things into perspective is one of the places where I’ve gotten my strength. As long as you’re doing right, it doesn’t matter what anyone has to say; continue to do right. Stand firm in your truth and be comfortable and happy with who you are.
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. We would like to explore and flesh out the trait of resilience. How would you define resilience? What do you believe are the characteristics or traits of resilient people?
I would define resilience as being able to bounce back from difficult experiences as quickly as they surfaced. Courageous, perseverance, mental strength, willpower, endurance, goal-oriented, and a can-do attitude are all characteristics of resilient people.
Has there ever been a time that someone told you something was impossible, but you did it anyway? Can you share the story with us?
After I decided to apply for a patent for my idea, I shared my intentions with a few people. One of them told me she felt I wouldn’t receive a patent for my product. She wasn’t nasty or disrespectful about it, though. I asked her why she felt that way, based on what? She didn’t give me a specific reason as to why. She just felt a product like mine wouldn’t be eligible for a patent. I continued working on that project. I’m optimistic about most things, so someone feeling like I was wasting my time didn’t make me second guess if I should continue applying for the patent. I had my prototype constructed, met with an attorney, then a designer, had my ups and downs, learned some lessons, and in the end, I received my patent. Someone doubting my efforts was not my focus. I firmly believed in my idea. The worst that could have happened was, I failed after trying, but I wasn’t going to fail by allowing someone to discourage me. Do not allow your critics to distract or discourage you.
Did you have a time in your life where you had one of your greatest setbacks, but you bounced back from it stronger than ever? Can you share that story with us?
Yes, and it was self-inflicted. I’m very hands-on with anything I do. There was a time when I worked on multiple projects, and I was trying to do it all alone. I loved it, though. I loved every aspect of what I was doing, no matter what the task entailed. I was learning a lot while building relationships. Trying to do it all also caused me to miss some great opportunities. After I noticed that my efforts could be more fruitful if I hired people to help out, that’s what I did. After I started delegating, things began to pick up.
Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share a story?
Growing up, I had a simple life, but I would say, a horrible relationship I was involved in, in my early twenties contributed to building my resiliency. After that relationship ended, I became more assertive, more steadfast, and more confident. I learned my self-worth. The older I got, the more I loved and appreciated myself. I knew what I deserved and what I would no longer accept. I knew if I felt disrespected and unappreciated, then that’s a relationship I don’t want. That applies to any relationship. I never reverted to that young lady who didn’t know her worth. That experience shaped me in so many other areas of my life.
Resilience is like a muscle that can be strengthened. In your opinion, what are 5 steps that someone can take to become more resilient? Please share a story or an example for each.
*Be your own biggest cheerleader- It’s always nice to have support, but no one should be cheering for you more than you cheer for yourself.
*Stay focused on your objective- Don’t allow distractions to cause you to lose focus.
*Redirect- What you tried initially may not work, but that doesn’t mean you give up. Try something different.
*Be grateful- Don’t only be thankful when things are going your way; learn how to appreciate some of the negative things as well. Use them to evolve.
*Believe in yourself- Not everyone will support you, and some might even try to make you feel you aren’t worthy. Trust yourself and know that you are worthy.
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. 🙂
Wow, good one. Some people have a false sense of entitlement. They’re not as grateful for what they have because they’re not aware of how truly blessed they are. I’m thankful that I don’t know what it feels like not to have my mental, physical or terminal health. If I could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, I would encourage everyone to understand that when you wake up in the morning, with your physical, terminal, and mental health, that’s a form of wealth, as far as I’m concerned. It shouldn’t be taken for granted because not everyone has their overall health. It’s human nature to want more than what we have, but understanding that not everyone has their overall health, but you do, should make you more grateful. This realization should put things into perspective for you. All the other great things will follow. If we valued stuff like this more, things that money and power aren’t attached to, I believe our society would be better.
We are blessed that some very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them 🙂
Yes, Sarah Blakely, because we both created a product for women out of a need. There’s one thing I would love to pick her brain about.
The Future Is Now: Michaela Berglund of Terranet On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up The Tech Scene
Be yourself fully. No matter what the industry, they need your skills, knowledge and personality. We often have prejudice on what is expected of us, based on history, culture and others but it’s not necessarily the right way to be. Focus on trusting yourself and doing what you do best.
As a part of our series about cutting edge technological breakthroughs I had the pleasure of interviewingMichaela Berglund.
Michaela Berglund has an extensive background working with startups and established companies around marketing strategy and communications. She is a communications specialist passionate about entrepreneurship and investments. Her drive is to combine business with doing good. She is currently leading the marketing for the exciting company Terranet and is the CEO of Feminvest with the vision to educate, challenge and inspire more female investors and entrepreneurs by giving them access to capital and financial advice.
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 have been involved in marketing for a number of years, but more recently made the transition to focus on technology. I am a value driven investor at heart and always seek exciting business opportunities via the stock market and career opportunities with companies who are invested in disrupting the future, so Terranet, an autonomous driving (AD) software company focused on comfort and safety, was an obvious choice. I was actually sitting in on a panel discussion on private equity and why female entrepreneurs don’t get the equivalent funding to men when I was asked to meet up with Terranet. I met with the CEO directly after the panel, and we hit it off.
After that, I did some work for Terranet and saw great opportunity for their technology itself, but also with an eye on shaping their messaging and positioning. It’s always exciting to join something at the beginning, and at the time, Terranet was in the process of making some big changes around the direction of the company and its offerings. So after doing some work for Terranet, I was intrigued by the chance to contribute to the company’s transformation and came on board full time.
I did some work for Terranet and thought both the positioning and the potential are great for the VoxelFlow technology. I also noticed the strategic pivot the company had made was not thoroughly picked up by the market so it was intriguing to contribute to that transition and positioning in the marketplace.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
A few years back, I was asked to take over and scale a small business. But more generally, I would say fearfully quitting a job is probably one of the most life and career altering decisions one can make and it is certainly a great way to help build one’s confidence. Commiting to make an active decision to choose the exact type of work you’ll be doing is liberating. That freedom changes everything, and once discovered, it will keep you on the right track.
Can you tell us about the cutting edge technological breakthroughs that you are working on? How do you think that will help people?
Terranet’s VoxelFlow™ is a solid-state system that will allow AD/ADAS vehicles to perceive the world in 3D voxels, a stark contrast to today’s 2D pixel-based vision systems that struggle to react quickly while simultaneously producing high quality imagery. Technology designed specifically with vehicles in mind, VoxelFlow’s™ low latency caters to object detection within 30–40 meters, it shortens the braking distance for the vehicle. On its way to becoming an industry-standard AD system, VoxelFlow™ will enhance existing radar, lidar, and camera systems that especially struggle in inclement weather.
What all of that really means is that Terranet will make the roads safer. Our first of its kind 3D tech offers both accuracy and low latency, something yet to be seen in AV system reaction times. By being able to differentiate between a moving child and a stable mailbox for example, Terranet can provide next-level vision perception, enabling vehicles to make the split second decisions that save lives.
How do you think this might change the world?
Terranet is on the forefront of automotive safety technology. According to the National Safety Council, this past year, there was a 24% spike in the roadway death rate despite a dramatic drop in miles driven. Further to the point, road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5–29 years and the eighth leading cause of deaths globally. Recognizing that 95% of all road accidents are caused by human error, autonomous vehicles can actually make the roadways safer than traditional means of driving. And Terranet is building the systems and software that can help get us to a world that is drastically safer for drivers, passengers and pedestrians.
Keeping “Black Mirror” in mind can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
Regardless of whether or not vehicles incorporate Terranet’s VoxelFlow into their systems, the bigger threat is not setting standards and practices to ensure the safety of those on the roadway. With shows like Black Mirror, for example, consumers’ perceptions around autonomy can become skewed. As I said, 95% of all road accidents are caused by human error. In this case, not embracing autonomy and prioritizing roadway safety is one of the worst case scenarios.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?
When I joined Terranet, the VoxelFlow technology was already in development. With that in mind, what really sold the technology to me was when I realized AV/ADAS systems would not only save the lives of people embracing autonomous driving functions, but also cut down on roadway fatalities altogether.
VoxelFlow has an incredible potential and I would say it’s a perfect storm, being able to develop a sensor technology that could revolutionize the car industry and move the industry forward to a fully autonomous future.
What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?
When it comes to implementing VoxelFlow and ensuring an autonomous future, two of the most important factors are infrastructure and standardization.
President Biden’s focus on infrastructure is already paving the way for electronic vehicle success in the United States. As most, if not all, autonomous vehicles will be electrically powered, the U.S. is taking preliminary steps to allow for AV integration. Similarly, poor road maintenance is one of the most consistent challenges for driverless vehicles to overcome. As such, the country’s overall focus on infrastructure repair over the next four years will further enable autonomous vehicles to hit the roads.
The second factor to consider is standardization. This applies to standardization in both the technology itself and regulation across the United States and the rest of the world. Ultimately, over 1.35 million people around the world lose their lives to driving related accidents. With that in mind, we need to take industrial and scientific collaboration seriously if we want to ever reach a safer, autonomous future.
What have you been doing to publicize this idea? Have you been using any innovative marketing strategies?
When it comes to working with the automotive industry, Terranet considers both safety and comfort. As such, we’ve recently partnered with the innovative and Audi-backed startup holoride to work with them on enhancing their in vehicle extended reality (XR) experiences.
Through the partnership with holoride, Terranet’s VoxelFlow — originally designed to deliver ultra-fast data points to a vehicle — will instead send those data points to holoride-enabled smart devices and headsets, allowing the extended reality content to adjusts to the vehicle’s travel time and route, so that it’s perfectly in sync with the passenger’s journey. In leaning on the software capabilities of VoxelFlow, Terranet is able to decrease their go-to-market time, as well as expand to other verticals and access potential clients and collaborators.
Additionally, we’ve been really honored with some of the top tier guests we’ve had on our podcast series, The Terranet Podcast. From industry leaders like Larry Burns to executives from Ericsson and even a future episode scheduled with U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. The podcast has allowed us to not only take a deep dive into more niche, nuanced conversations within the autonomous automotive industry, but also strengthen our connections with our peers.
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?
Sometimes I have been given more than I asked for in my career. I am so grateful I get to work with people, visions and companies I love, but even more the companies that see the potential in others, including myself. I remember a specific situation when an owner of a company asked how much I wanted to own as a CEO of that company. I said a percentage and he increased that ownership. In other words he literally gave me more than I asked for.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Throughout my career, I have been a strong advocate for both female investors and female entrepreneurs, hilightling the lack of access female founded companies have to funding and opportunities. I am fortunate to work closely with women who have a strong sense of financial ambition, and ambition is exactly what I want to focus on. As such, a big focus area of mine is working with the women around me to help build their confidence and ultimately their sense of financial agency and ambition.
Beyond that, Terranet’s mission is to make roadways safer for pedestrians and drivers alike. And as we continue to work on VoxelFlow, we are getting closer and closer to eliminating roadway accidents caused by human error, making the world a safer place.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
Be yourself fully. No matter what the industry, they need your skills, knowledge and personality. We often have prejudice on what is expected of us, based on history, culture and others but it’s not necessarily the right way to be. Focus on trusting yourself and doing what you do best
Insecurity is not a bad thing, it will help you grow confident in what you want to achieve.Take the time to challenge yourself to feel insecure and learn from it. It’s in uncomfortable situations you will grow.
Do your foremost at all times. Hunger and ambition will lead you to great places. People see if you are ambitious or not and it triumphs past experience.
Think outside the box, the best deals are initiated outside of the ordinary. I learn from what other people do that wasn’t expected or ordinary.
Remember to stay focused on what you care about. To be value driven is actually a supplement that is strengthening your career path, and it will help you stick to a vision when times are more challenging. Find your inner drive and stick to it.
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 read a report from European Commission on the potential if female entrepreneurs got more funding. According to the report, it would increase 26% of global annual GDP and $160 trillion of human capital wealth. It surprises me we haven’t come further in the ways we ensure women are equally given the opportunity to take financial risk and that is something I will always stand up for. I am working with technology developed for the future of vehicles and more women in this industry will create wonders. I am confident.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“You are responsible for your own decisions, emotions and ambitions. Use that to your own advantage.” I think agency is something extremely important, especially when it comes to women in business and tech. My career has consisted of many leaps and risks. Having that confidence that comes from knowing you are in control of your own life and future is essential to success in your career, but also general happiness throughout your life.
Some very well known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
VoxelFlow provides the car with lightning-fast sensor technology so that the car understands what it has in front of it and acts accordingly — within three milliseconds. With a laser, three cameras and high-sensitivity 3D scanning, VoxelFlow responds ten times faster than today’s ADAS system and acts according to the prevailing situation. Smart, fast and accurate in real time.
The Future Is Now: Raheel Hasan of 1APP On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up The Tech Scene
Cloud-based interactive streaming is the next generation of mobile technology and the natural evolution of streaming. Two-way cloud streaming takes the friction out of app usage, allowing developers to put their product in front of potential users without the potential friction of discovery and install.
As a part of our series about cutting edge technological breakthroughs, I had the pleasure of interviewing Raheel Hasan.
Raheel Hasan is a serial entrepreneur who has been working with cloud-based technology since the 90s. He is the founder of 1App, a cloud-based streaming platform that provides instant access to mobile apps without having to download anything, this technology is revolutionizing retail apps — where before buyers were locked into having to download a store app, now they can simply stream, scan and buy.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Back in the 2000s, I worked with Synopsys that specialized in chip design and developing complex software around this. Before the word ‘cloud’ was hot, we were developing software that needed some of our top clients to deploy 100,000s of computers running our software to verify their chips as they become larger and more complex. We had to look for an additional source that could supplement the capacity of our clients on an as-needed basis. We approached a large company to help find this additional capacity on demand. This was my first exposure to public clouds and what is possible. We used our experience of building very high-performance software for large clouds to create a new company in the mobile space.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
It’s hard to pinpoint the most interesting story, but I can tell you the most interesting thing I learned. As many young employees did during that time, I attended a Franklin training course to set myself up at the beginning of my career. One of the off-hand recommendations that were made, was the idea that you need to let others outside your immediate team know what you do, making yourself known within an organization. EG, when I started out and learned this, I’d request lunches, meetings, coffees with senior management, other departments, meeting my bosses’ bosses. Becoming known within these organizations significantly accelerated my career and progress within organizations. Without people knowing what you do, how hard you’re working, and how well you’re doing, they may not recognize your potential and success. I found this effective as a young, curious mind!
Can you tell us about the Cutting edge technological breakthroughs that you are working on? How do you think that will help people?
Interactive low latency steaming which we believe is the future of streaming, in particular how we can use the power of the cloud to create two-way streaming platforms where users can interact with the streams themselves. One of the biggest examples of this is streaming mobile apps without installing them on your phone. For this example, let’s look specifically at how instant access to your mobile app through QR codes via interactive streaming can help to build an online and offline presence. Apps are hard to get installed, and it can cost between $2 — $50. A level of commitment is required where a has to first discover an app and then deem an app worthy of a space on their device and then go to the app stores to find and then install the app. If technology allows apps to be used at the time of discovery or need, without downloading, it opens up doors for the developer to instantly have a customer use their app without their full initial commitment.
Let’s look at some real examples. I loved going to bookstores, but instead of buying 10–15 full price books in the store, I would buy a couple but then would look online on Amazon, and see that they were half the price via that platform. That would lead me to buy the rest from them instead of the store. So the physical store brought me in but then sent the business over to Amazon. However, if that bookstore had the same books available at competitive prices via their app and I could buy them instantly using QR codes, they could close the deal with the customer there and then, rather than the customer being tempted by the product but looking elsewhere for buying it. A technology like this helps you attract traffic at a physical location to your online presence.
Another interesting example would be a retailer’s ability to merge their physical and online inventory and present more choices to a customer visiting a physical store. You walk into Walmart, find a sweater, they have 5 colors in-store, but you want a yellow one. Next to the display, you see a QR Code directing visitors to that item on the store’s app, where you can order a variety of colors. and order the sweater. You do this 5, 6 times on the streamed version of the app and then you may end up downloading the app. Allows people to see the value of the apps — thereby brining an offline user to your online presence.
What QR codes can do is convert visible presence into online where generally speaking there are more products available — for example, a Walmart might have 250,000 items in-store, then 5m million via their app, and a further 30m through partners available on the app. If a user in-store signs up for an online offering, we have a world of new products available to them. The key is organic discovery in the right places, connecting mobile users to a physical space to an online space and short-circuiting the entire experience. By short-circuiting here we can provide users with a taste of an app, and get them invested, cutting through the normal download funnel.How do you think this might change the world?
There are several different groups of people who’ll be affected by this.
For retailers, it gives a physical retailer a chance to connect directly, instantly with their users, and experience the online presence with the users. If customers are coming to your physical store, why wouldn’t you try and get them into your mobile app, and vice versa?
And on the other hand for users, it can enhance the retail offering , firstly by expanding the offering; what they can buy, new discounts, and where they can buy it. Also, this technology opens the door for consumers to experience and benefit from a wider variety of apps instantly when they need to without requiring a download or install.
Keeping “Black Mirror” in mind can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
The main issue is that cloud-streaming requires a good connection, and is latency-sensitive. Using this technology without the supported technology means the experience can be compromised. With the rollout of 5G, this technology will even be available to use in third-world countries which may not have been possible with the current infrastructure.
What the technology does is breaks down the barrier between your mobile app and the consumer. However, once the door is open, the user needs to have a good first impression of the app. . The user has instant access to the app, so it’s down to the developer to make sure they have a positive experience and keep coming back.
Another key consideration is how businesses can use this tech in a smart way, using two-way streams to create higher-quality app users. Any buyer who has downloaded an app by first trialing it is already a higher quality user, making a qualified decision, they know what they’re getting and therefore much more likely to use the app in the way intended. Developers and marketers need to consider how they present themselves in this first instance, the ‘trailer.’
For example — If a movie has a trailer, you want to use that to attract people. It’s the same thing developers need to consider. Maybe a game developer could put QR codes in their TV / physical ads which leads the user onto a curated gaming experience that exposes them to the most interesting elements of the game through instant interactive streaming.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?
The accessibility of QR Code readers over the last 18 months. Now you can access QR codes through any basic camera app, before that you needed another app. The rollout opened the door — the presence of integration of QR code readers with a camera app.
What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?
Firstly, Users also need to have a positive experience using the technology for this to be adopted, what can they gain from this — a discount code, a great experience using the app, convenience? To drive adoption, the right partners need to embrace the technology in a good way, creating memories and new, positive experiences through this technology.
Also, the want for a curated experience between an online and physical world. There is a two-way street between physical and online, and vice versa. Coming from a physical world and moving this online, users and retailers must need/want an interest in mirroring between both worlds.
What have you been doing to publicize this idea? Have you been using any innovative marketing strategies?
Some very well-known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
Cloud-based interactive streaming is the next generation of mobile technology and the natural evolution of streaming. Two-way cloud streaming takes the friction out of app usage, allowing developers to put their product in front of potential users without the potential friction of discovery and install. There are millions of apps in the app stores and they need to be discovered and used on demand when a user needs them. Low latency interactive streaming opens the door for many new ways for discovery and instant use of apps thereby opening new avenues for a developer to present and a consumer to fully utilize the power of mobile apps.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Our current food system is broken, and food security is a global, pressing concern. There are many variables that make traditional outdoor agriculture unreliable and affect the ability to predict yield, one being climate change. California is plagued by wildfires and the Southwest U.S. where our country has traditionally grown much of its fruits and vegetables is drought-stricken. In February of this year, we had major ice storms that dipped as far South as Texas and stopped imported fruits and vegetables from coming across the border where we have typically sourced most of our vine crop production. Those fruits and vegetables get shipped thousands of miles to make it to our plates — with questionable practices around labor and pesticide use.
As a part of my series about “Big Ideas That Might Change The World In The Next Few Years” I had the pleasure of interviewing Jonathan Webb.
Kentucky native Jonathan Webb is the founder and CEO of AppHarvest, an AgTech company that is building a resilient food system through a network of large-scale, high-tech indoor farms from the heart of Appalachia. AppHarvest is currently one of only four publicly traded companies that is both B Corp certified and a public benefit corporation (PBC). The company combines agricultural techniques with technology such as robotics and artificial intelligence to grow more with less resources, producing non-GMO, chemical pesticide-free produce for the top 25 U.S. grocers.
Before founding AppHarvest, Jonathan worked with the U.S. Department of Defense on large solar projects. The project was designed to achieve a White House goal of ensuring the military’s hundreds of installations generated resilient on-site power and received 20% of the electricity from renewable sources by 2025. While living in Washington D.C. and developing these sustainable energy farms, Jonathan researched another type of farming based in the Netherlands with high-tech greenhouses that yield 30 times traditional agriculture and virtually eliminate the use of chemicals.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you please tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I grew up in Central Appalachia, and my great-grandfather’s death in a coal-mining accident marked my grandmother‘s childhood with the kind of uncertainty that no child should ever endure. Central Appalachia has long powered our country, but the rapid collapse of the coal industry in the wake of the positive advances in renewable energy has left our community in dire need of a more resilient economy.
My background is in large-scale solar development projects for the Department of Defense, one of the country’s biggest energy consumers. When I was in D.C., all the talk was about energy security. But an even more pressing issue is food security. Our current system is broken due to the increasing number of variables such as extreme weather, droughts, fire and contamination by animals that make our food system unreliable.
Studies by the United Nations predict that we’ll need 70% more food by 2050 to feed a growing population. If we continue farming as we do now, that would mean we would need a second Earth to have enough resources. That’s why I founded AppHarvest — controlled environment agriculture (CEA) solves for many of those challenges.
Can you please share with us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Every day is interesting at AppHarvest, and one of the reasons for that is the folks I’ve come in contact with while building this dream of becoming one of the world’s most trusted sustainable foods companies. That trust starts internally, with treating your people right, which is part of our social mission. We’re a certified living wage company and offer a benefits package we think is best-in-class for the agriculture sector. I was very humbled by seeing some of our team members brought to tears because they had never owned a car or a house and were finally able to afford those things by making a living wage and receiving benefits that can equal up to hundreds of dollars a month for employees and their families.
One of the most interesting moments in my life was the first time Martha Stewart tasted tomatoes from the farm. I spent a good amount of time hand-picking each tomato to put in the box we sent her, and I barely made the deadline to overnight them to her. I held my breath almost the entire time until I heard back, but Martha loved them and said they were fabulous. Fortunately, our customers have been agreeing and asking for more. We’re all looking forward for our next two farms that are currently under construction to produce a harvest so we can let Martha try our leafy greens and berries to get her feedback.
Which principles or philosophies have guided your life? Your career?
I believe in the collective benefit over individual gain. When I founded AppHarvest, I wanted it to be a mission-driven company focused on environmental, social and governance principals. We are now one of only four companies traded on any exchange that is both a public benefit corporation and B Corp Certified, which means we have set ourselves against the highest ESG standards. Everything we do is for positive change in agriculture, the environment and the communities we’re in.
Ok thank you for that. Let’s now move to the main focus of our interview. Can you tell us about your “Big Idea That Might Change The World”?
AppHarvest is an AgTech company that is working to build a resilient food system through a network of large-scale, high-tech indoor farms that can be replicated anywhere across the globe. We are farmers and futurists, setting a new standard for sustainable, ethical agriculture.
Our flagship farm spans 60-acres in Morehead, Ky. and is designed to grow 40 million pounds of tomatoes on 720,000 plants annually. The facility takes advantage of natural resources to maximize efficiency and sustainability. With almost 60 acres of roof surface area and 10 acres of pond surface area, the facility’s gutter system collects rainwater for irrigation so it is independent of municipal water, and because of the closed-loop irrigation system which delivers the exact amount of nutrients to the plants, AppHarvest is able to use 90% less water than traditional open-field agriculture models with zero agricultural runoff.
We chose to plant our roots in Central Appalachia because it is less than a day’s drive to 70% of the U.S. population, which can lower transportation costs by about 80% compared to foreign imports, allowing AppHarvest’s produce to be harvested at prime freshness for a high-quality product.
How do you think this will change the world?
Our current food system is broken, and food security is a global, pressing concern. There are many variables that make traditional outdoor agriculture unreliable and affect the ability to predict yield, one being climate change. California is plagued by wildfires and the Southwest U.S. where our country has traditionally grown much of its fruits and vegetables is drought-stricken. In February of this year, we had major ice storms that dipped as far South as Texas and stopped imported fruits and vegetables from coming across the border where we have typically sourced most of our vine crop production. Those fruits and vegetables get shipped thousands of miles to make it to our plates — with questionable practices around labor and pesticide use.
The U.N. predicts we will need 70% more food by 2050 to feed a growing population. If we continue farming as we do now, that means we would need a second planet Earth to have enough resources. The world doesn’t have land, and it doesn’t have fresh water. But what we do have at AppHarvest is the technology and a solution. In Central Appalachia, we’re fortunate because climate change is making our region wetter, with the past decade seeing the most rainfall in Kentucky history.
Our technology and approach can enable us to get up to 30 times the yield of traditional agriculture — using up to 90% less water, and only recycled rainwater, with zero chemical pesticides and zero agricultural runoff.
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this idea that people should think more deeply about?
I am confident that our AppHarvest model will continue bringing positive change for generations to come. As a country and across the globe, the focus has to be on greening the grid to create a broader system where all the individual components working together are equally sustainable supporting one another. I am encouraged by the prospect of expanding these renewable energy sources in the U.S.
AppHarvest is addressing environmental challenges by leveraging sustainable alternatives, allowing us to operate more efficiently, to create higher quality yields and to extend harvesting days. We use 100% recycled rainwater in a closed loop irrigation system, which allows us to produce zero agricultural runoff and water waste, and we use passive solar with supplemental hybrid lighting array of LEDs and high-pressure sodium (HPS) lighting, to name a few.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this idea? Can you tell us that story?
The more I dug into our country’s need for both a resilient food supply and greater access for all to nutritious foods, I realized America’s food systems have failed us.
As coal mines closed and no businesses replaced them, we saw nearly 30% of our friends and neighbors in Appalachia, including 37% of children, enduring poverty. This region desperately needs investment from responsible companies, creating jobs that prioritize the employee.
America has fashioned a neatly coined term of “food deserts” to explain how difficult it is to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. But access is just one part of the problem. We also lack the education to teach kids why it’s so important to eat healthy. Obesity has long reached epidemic proportions. Outside of
Appalachia, 27% of Americans are obese. Inside Central Appalachia, that rate is nearly 30% higher.
Beyond making it difficult even to buy fruits and vegetables, America’s decision to outsource their farming has left us with tasteless, chemical pesticide-laden produce at grocery stores. More than 70% of fresh vine crops, everything from tomatoes and berries to cucumbers and peppers, started their journey here from foreign countries. Traveling days on trucks, they ripen along the way, having been picked by workers earning far less than living wages.
It’s past time for America to address these failings and time for businesses to take the lead.
What do you need to lead this idea to widespread adoption?
Controlled environment agriculture is now what wind and solar were ten to fifteen years ago, and we pumped billions of dollars of funding into that field. CEA is the third wave of sustainable infrastructure — following renewable energy and electric vehicles. We have to create awareness and funding to expand the industry.
We know that part of that awareness is education. AppHarvest has built a program to work with Eastern Kentucky high schools to incorporate AgTech curriculum through high-tech container farms retrofitted from shipping containers. Students have the opportunity to grow their own food and learn about nutrition.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
I wish someone had told me to expect the challenge to be so much harder than you ever can anticipate but the harder the work, the more meaningful the impact. If you want to radically change something, nothing about it is easy. Setting a vision is the easy part. Shaping how culture forms over time — making sure that folks are motivated by purpose and mission and sticking to your guiding light when you’re faced with many divergent opinions — that’s the challenge and where being authentic to your founder’s vision and yourself is so critical — and what will create your sustainable success.
Can you share with our readers what you think are the most important “success habits” or “success mindsets”?
To be successful, you have to have the faith and grit to refuse to back down from challenges. There will be instances when people will say your vision can’t be accomplished. Less than two years ago, AppHarvest broke ground on our 60-acre flagship farm in Morehead, Ky. — that’s 50 football fields under glass. We completed construction and assembled a 500-person operating team in the middle of a global pandemic. And we’re just getting started, with plans to build and operate 12 farms by the end of 2025. If that’s not faith and grit, I don’t know what is.
Some very well-known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
AppHarvest grows healthy and nutritious produce on a large scale, sustainably, using a fraction of the resources required in traditional agriculture. We do this by leveraging technology, infrastructure and our location in Appalachia, which benefits from climate change increasing our annual rainfall as well as its access to about 70% of the U.S. population within a day’s drive.
Our tomatoes are sold in the top 25 retail grocers and food service outlets, like Kroger and Wendy’s. Grocers and consumers increasingly are requesting U.S.-grown and chemical pesticide-free produce from companies they trust. Despite that, in 2019, more than 2/3 of vine crops for the U.S. market were imported. Because we’re doing this at scale — we can deliver this produce for about the same price as standard.
Our first Morehead facility is about the size of 50 football fields and is designed to produce more than 40 million pounds of tomatoes annually — and we expect to have 12 high-tech farms operating by the end of 2025. We will expand beyond tomatoes — next to leafy greens and strawberries. Our long-term strategy is to build AppHarvest into one of the world’s most trusted sustainable foods companies in the U.S., which can be replicated globally. That provides opportunity in the future for value-added products and international ventures. This is farming now.
The Future Is Now: Nathan Holman of RxBenefits On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up Healthcare
Gaining direct access to actionable pharmacy plan-specific data is the best way for employers to understand their employee populations, predict future spending and healthcare needs, and make better pharmacy benefits decisions to improve the quality and affordability of their benefits plans without sacrificing service experience.
As a part of our series about cutting edge technological breakthroughs I had the pleasure of interviewing Nathan Holman, Vice President of Information Technology at RxBenefits, the employee benefits industry’s first and only technology-enabled pharmacy benefits optimizer (PBO).
Nathan joined the RxBenefits team in 2017, bringing more than 20 years of operational IT experience. His resume includes 15 years in senior leadership across the healthcare, manufacturing, and financial sectors in rapidly growing, emerging companies and billion-dollar entities. In addition to technology leadership, he also brings vast experience running sales and operations organizations. Nathan is a Cum Laude graduate from Reinhardt University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Growing up my father was an engineer and my older brother was into technology, so as a kid, I was always playing with computers. Fast forward to college, I didn’t think much of my technology skills, I just knew I was really good with computers. I found myself always helping out friends and family members and ultimately found myself in an entry level IT admin job running database updates after class in the evenings. My career grew from there as I was always looking for a better way to do things. It was then that I realized that I had both the technology skills and the passion — and decided to pursue a business degree to round out my capabilities. This is why I am here today — a technologist/engineer with a business degree and background.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
You are never too high up the chain to get down on the floor and work with your team on the IT equipment. Just make sure you’re caffeinated! I learned that when I fell asleep under the floor in a data center while doing some legacy cable removal in the late 1990s. I had just been promoted to management and was onsite with my team after hours removing the old cables under the data center floor. This was an old data center with over 3 feet of clearance between the floor tiles and the concrete subfloor, so it was roomier than usual under the floor tiles. It was about 3 am and the combination of white noise and cool temps from the massive air chillers lulled me to sleep. My team thought I had left for the night, so when I awoke at 7 am and crawled out of the floor I scared the heck out of some network admins who were beginning their day. It’s one story I’ll never forget.
Can you tell us about the cutting-edge technological breakthroughs that you/your company are working on?
Absolutely. Let me start by explaining what RxBenefits does. Prescription drug costs are rising and are of significant concern to employers, who are struggling to reduce their pharmacy benefits costs while continuing to protect the health of their employees. In fact, over 60% of employers say their prescription drug and medical spend is costly and unsustainable. As the benefits industry’s first and only Pharmacy Benefits Optimizer (PBO), our pharmacy experts work on behalf of self-insured employers, independently of their medical carrier or pharmacy benefits manager (PBM), to lower purchasing costs, eliminate wasteful spending, protect employee health and safety, and boost employee satisfaction. Our PBO model utilizes advanced Business Intelligence capabilities and data modeling derived from our proprietary analytics platform, RxAnalyzer, combined with clinical expertise to identify potential risk areas in a company’s claims data and recommends hyper-targeted strategies to address them.
We’re incorporating AI/machine learning and predictive analytics into a new technology platform called ONE.RxB. This platform, along with many other capabilities, will enable us to analyze employer trends, patient demographics, prescription patterns and more, model that data, flag important insights and share recommendations to employers in real time. The pharmacy benefits industry has a strong thirst for not only more robust data but also understanding of that data. Our technology will provide employers with deeper insights and enable them to make more informed decisions tailored to the risks and trends in their specific benefits plan.
How do you think the tech/product will help people/industry at large?
The pharmacy benefits industry is very opaque, and the reality is, most employers are significantly overpaying for pharmacy benefits — on average 14% per year — while receiving suboptimal clinical management and customer service. This is often due to misaligned pharmacy contract terms or a lack of a pharmacy contract altogether. It’s essential for employers to not only have transparent contract terms, but to have full visibility into the performance of their plans in order to improve the health of their employee population at the lowest net cost. Applying data analytics enables employers to evaluate and compare pharmacy benefits options as well as gain insights into their plan’s performance and utilization in order to make better decisions about their benefit plan. Advanced data analytics can uncover any potential financial and clinical risks within the prescription drug plan that would not otherwise be easily identifiable, and which can contribute to wasteful spending. Data and predictive analytics can also be used to analyze the cost and employee impact of any decisions before they’re made.
By using data-driven pharmacy decision making, companies are often able to reduce their pharmacy spend by more than 25% on average the first year, as well as protect themselves against future drivers of increased spend, like the rising cost and utilization of specialty medications. Not only that, but the insights provided can also provide opportunities to introduce clinical strategies that promote medication appropriateness, dose optimization and employee safety and quality of life.
Ultimately, optimizing pharmacy benefits with data analytics drives cost savings for employers and helps improve health outcomes for employees. In a competitive hiring environment like we are currently seeing, constructing a pharmacy benefits program that is attractive to current and future employees, optimizes employee wellbeing and reduces overall prescription drug costs can also help employers attract and retain talent.
What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?
Gaining direct access to actionable pharmacy plan-specific data is the best way for employers to understand their employee populations, predict future spending and healthcare needs, and make better pharmacy benefits decisions to improve the quality and affordability of their benefits plans without sacrificing service experience. Employers typically work with a benefits broker or consultant to design their benefits plans, so partnering with brokers is key to ensuring effective solutions like data-driven platforms are adopted widely.
RxBenefits partners with a large network of pharmacy benefits consultants who then share our solutions with their self-funded employer clients. One of the ways we work with consultants to share the impact of leveraging data analytics or the PBO model is by analyzing their client’s pharmacy claims data at no cost, and then forecasting the cost-savings and member impact of each pharmacy benefits strategy we recommend. We then share that data with the broker, who is then more empowered to help the employer make the best, data-driven decision about their pharmacy benefits plan for them and their members. Often when employers see how much more visibility, control, cost savings and member benefit they can achieve by leveraging a data-driven approach, they are all for it.
VR can create unique and consistent learning experiences at scale. For large enterprises that must continuously train thousands of employees across hundreds or even thousands of locations, VR provides the ability to offer engaging, impactful training experiences consistently and at scale.
The Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality & Mixed Reality Industries are so exciting. What is coming around the corner? How will these improve our lives? What are the concerns we should keep an eye out for? Aside from entertainment, how can VR or AR help work or other parts of life? To address this, as a part of our interview series called “Women Leading The VR, AR & Mixed Reality Industries”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Nata Kuribko.
Nata Kuribko is the VP of Product and Data at Strivr, a leading immersive learning platform that partners with Fortune 500 companies such as Walmart, Bank of America, Verizon, and more to provide VR training to their employees. Nata is leading Strivr’s Immersive Learning technology development and pioneering immersive data science techniques that analyze people’s behavior in virtual reality to evaluate their skills, traits, and performance in the real world. She has a long career in research and data science, formerly leading teams at Facebook and Stripe.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you grew up?
My story began in Kiev, Ukraine, where I was born and raised. It was a very interesting time to grow up in eastern Europe, especially during my school years as I witnessed first-hand, the dissolution of the Soviet Union. I watched history written right in front of my eyes as political unrest and people’s foundational beliefs turned upside down. I believe this experience heavily contributed to my own beliefs and behaviors later in life, especially in decision-making when it might go against widely-accepted beliefs.
I moved to the United States to pursue a graduate degree in Economics after completing my undergraduate studies in the Ukraine. After graduate school, I went into ligation consulting, where I learned a lot, but soon realized that the job was not necessarily the right fit for me. There were many precedents set and many rails to follow, so I felt I was missing an environment that promoted more trial and error of new ideas. This led me to leave consulting to join Facebook and then to a payments company called Stripe to focus on product analytics. This was a much better fit for me and it was my intention to stay in this industry, until I came across Strivr.
Is there a particular book, film, or podcast that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
Early in my career, I read an article that really resonated with me. It argued how the path to success cannot — by definition — be the one that is taken often since only a few ever make it through to the top. The quote from the article that stuck with me is, “The path to success is lonely.” You are often the only one on the path, and there is a lot of pressure from the outside to veer off to a more widely accepted path. This quote was a culmination of my upbringing, my education, and career experience, giving me an important north star to help guide my career. It also helped give me validation and the courage to make riskier decisions that might not have been perceived as the most rational and safe.
Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue a career in the X Reality industry? We’d love to hear it.
A career in the VR industry was never something I had planned or expected. In fact, Strivr reached out to me as I was about to accept another offer and my mind was already made up by then. So, I rejected a generous invitation to try Strivr’s demo, even though -ironically- I imagined spending my break between jobs experimenting with VR. Not long after that, I mentioned my decision at a family dinner and my daughter told me that she would have never given up the chance to try out VR and encouraged me to give it a go. So I thought, why not?
The next day I reached back out to the company and shared my interest in trying out Strivr’s Immersive Learning platform. I was then able to experience some of the most engaging and impactful training modules I’d ever seen. First, I was a Verizon employee facing an armed robbery at gunpoint, which as you can imagine, left my heart racing and my hands sweating. I was so impressed by the way VR captured the exact intent of the training and how it actually works so much better than traditional training. Next, I was a technician doing a safety inspection for a JetBlue plane, and then as an associate at Walmart engaging with a customer. When I took the headset off, I immediately knew this was where I needed to be.
I realized that VR was about to bring a new era to learning just as the Internet had done with sharing information. And it was not the question of “if”, but “when” VR would re-shape how we interact with learning content and provide us the ability to experience situations exactly like we would in the real-world, but in a safe environment. Immersive Learning wasn’t a trend or fad. Strivr was driving real evolution in learning, and leading the “wave” of innovation that will change the way people are hired, trained, and promoted. I decided then and there that I didn’t want to pursue a position simply because it could provide more compensation in the short term, but instead I wanted to play a part in defining a new industry and guide its developments from a product and data perspective.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this fascinating career?
One very memorable story was a trip to a FedEx facility in Chicago to get feedback from users on VR and Strivr’s Immersive Learning technology. I met an older gentleman who told me that he was absolutely thrilled from using our technology, and for the first time he was able to go home and share something his grandchildren could get excited about. This moment stuck with me to this day. We are driving real impact across generations.
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?
My parents have provided me with a tremendous amount of support, especially when I became a mother and had to balance my career with raising my daughter. Having my parents step in and help with childcare allowed me to feel comfortable and free to continue pursuing my aspirations. With their help, I haven’t felt guilty for working full-time. In fact, I hope that my daughter sees me as a role model based on my commitment and dedication to my career.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
One of the most exciting projects that my team and I are working on is the ability to evaluate learners based on their behavior in VR rather than what they say or claim to have experience in (based on past roles/jobs). For companies hiring or promoting their employees, this can provide unique insights to complement a candidate’s resumé. Traditionally, most recruiters and hiring managers rely on a resumé as the best reflection of a candidate’s abilities, but what if they can see a candidate in action? Sure, they may be able to test for technical or “hard skills”, but evaluating someone for harder-to-measure “soft skills” like leadership or communication abilities is very time-consuming and challenging to do in a typical interview process. This is where VR comes in to allow companies to simulate real-world scenarios such as de-escalating a situation with a difficult customer, which can provide a clearer view of how a candidate might respond. Rather than making a decision based on appealing credentials, background, age or other bias, businesses can decide with the added insights of real performance.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. The VR, AR and MR industries seem so exciting right now. What are the 3 things in particular that most excite you about the industry? Can you explain or give an example?
1. VR can create unique and consistent learning experiences at scale. For large enterprises that must continuously train thousands of employees across hundreds or even thousands of locations, VR provides the ability to offer engaging, impactful training experiences consistently and at scale.
2. VR allows learners to practice potentially dangerous situations in a safe environment. Take a driving test for example. There is a multiple-choice exam and a behind-the-wheel driving test. We can use e-learning to prepare for the written exam, but there isn’t a substitute for real-world driving lessons, which can be terrifying, dangerous, and potentially expensive for new drivers. With VR, however, we can put on a headset to practice driving in an immersive, safe environment, with the ability to make mistakes that can be corrected and practiced.
3. VR provides the ability to evaluate learners based on behaviors that most closely resemble real-world performance. As I said earlier, VR is going to allow us to evaluate learners in a new way — based on their behavior in VR rather than what they say or claim to have experience in (based on past roles/jobs). So, rather than making a hiring or promotional decision based on fancy credentials, background, age or other bias, businesses can decide with the added insights of real performance.
What are the 3 things that concern you about the VR, AR and MR industries? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?
1. Data Privacy: VR can be an incredible tool for gathering information from individual responses and behavior, but my concern is the need to have specific security and privacy policies in place to ensure personal information is not misused or compromised. With Strivr leading the industry of Immersive Learning, we responsibly partner with the provider and developer ecosystem to guide the security and privacy policies around this new modality.
2. Hardware advances and consumer space is ahead of the enterprise space. Many enterprises are still in the phase of replacing manuals and classroom training with e-learning. Or many are resistant to changing their learning practices at all. When discussing the power of VR with some of these companies, we often feel our competitor is the status quo.
3. We tend to overlook the learnings we can take from learning, and the impact human analytics / intelligence can have on our business. “Learning from learning” is a very important aspect of what we as solutions providers should recognize and promote. When companies come to us, they initially think about putting in new learning technology for time-savings and more effective learning. This is great, however we often also discover insights about how their procedures could actually be improved as we start to design and initially deploy certain training. VR provides unique insights and very few companies have actually been able to uncover and integrate knowledge gained from learning back into their operational procedures. This would ultimately require less training! For example, a company may learn from training that most learners do not notice a stop sign which proves to be the most common hazard in their warehouse. They may address it with additional training, which is great, but we want / expect in the future, that the company will not stop there but will follow up to adjust the physical environment — e.g., make the stop sign more visible by adding blinking lights to it. It can be taken to the next level, where each warehouse setup is tested for the most common hazards and made safer based on people’s behavior.
I think the entertainment aspects of VR, AR and MR are apparent. Can you share with our readers how these industries can help us at work?
There are many ways XR technologies can help us at work. First, studies have found that VR-based Immersive Learning is much more effective and engaging than most traditional training and e-learning methods. Another benefit is the ability to practice without dangerous consequences and risks from failure. Finally, VR offers a simulated environment where users can act freely within scenarios and see the outcome of their actions first-hand.
Are there other ways that VR, AR and MR can improve our lives? Can you explain?
With the rise of automation, there have been fears that workers will be replaced and become unnecessary in certain fields. However, the advent of these new technologies can drastically improve an individual’s capabilities through training, upskilling, and active assistance. This may allow employees to grow their career path in ways they may never have been able to before, which can lead to longer-term success for both the individual and the company overall. These technologies can also enhance a worker’s capabilities to accelerate their on-the-job performance and results. For example, a construction worker can practice a new task in VR, have safety alerts through AR glasses, and use MR to help design building plans. We are just scratching the surface of these technologies’ capabilities and future advancements will bring even more benefits to our daily lives.
Let’s zoom out a bit and talk in broader terms. Are you currently satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? If not, what specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?
Overall, I think society (specifically in the U.S.) still battles with the perception that women are not good at STEM. I have witnessed this first hand in America after living here for years and now raising a daughter here as well. The issue I believe starts within the schools. Studying or focusing on STEM subjects is not encouraged at a young age, and this has a discouraging effect on young girls who may become reluctant to pursue the STEM field. I personally had a different experience growing up in eastern Europe, where girls were believed to be better at sciences (and studying in general) because boys were believed to be less focused at young ages. Regardless of the perception, girls were indeed top performers so I don’t believe there should be a socially-constructed ability gap.
Furthermore, traditional social expectations of a good mother were ones that sacrifice her career for her children. Certain careers, including those in STEM, require putting in 100% presence during workinghours. As young girls grow up observing their mothers acting on this, they pick up on these social cues and feel confident that they could pursue the same for themselves.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about working in your industry? Can you explain what you mean?
Many people believe that building a scene in VR is costly, resource intensive, and time consuming. This belief many times keeps learning leaders from leaning into the technology and choosing to leverage as part of their learning programs. However, today there are off-the-shelf modules that make it more accessible and cost-effective to acquire, as well as point-and-click authoring tools that make it easy for a non-expert to put an immersive environment together.
What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience as a Woman in Tech” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
Having a senior female leader increases chances of women to be hired, promoted and “taken seriously” in the company.
We are often not given the benefit of doubt. The first couple of months are the toughest while we prove ourselves.
You have to be strong to be a successful leader, but you cannot act like a strong man without being considered aggressive. Finding the right balance is an art.
Strong does not mean not showing vulnerability. Admitting that you don’t know everything and accepting that you make mistakes is the best strategy. Otherwise, others will point it out for you 😉
Being comfortable being yourself, being different.
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. 🙂
WIth VR being such a powerful tool for learning, I believe providing access to school kids as part of their academic education would open up a whole new world of learning. To experience something that they previously could only read about, or exposing kids to scenarios that place them in someone else’s shoes to provide a different perspective and to develop empathy would elevate the level of learning we could provide. This could be especially powerful for students who would otherwise never have the opportunities to travel to visit other cultures, or for students who would otherwise never be exposed to underprivileged situations. The opportunities to learn and grow are endless.
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 like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
There are many prominent leaders I would want to meet for so many of their admirable qualities. But if given the opportunity to choose a person that I think would be interesting to meet, I would choose someone that faced hardships and criticism in their career so that I could learn from how they responded (or didn’t) to touch situations. In this case, Marissa Mayer comes to mind. She is definitely not a “fan favorite”, but to me, it would be very interesting to hear firsthand how she chose to navigate so many tough situations that a successful woman could face. I’d like to understand what influenced her actions and decisions.
Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!
Brand Makeovers: Lars Lehne of Incubeta On The 5 Things You Should Do To Upgrade and Re-Energize Your Brand and Image
Start with your customer — The most important aspect of creating an effective, strong brand is to really understand your customer. You have to deeply understand what makes them tick and what inspires them. Great brands reflect their customers and identify with or even create Zeitgeist. The good news is that businesses have tools available that enable them to understand their customers in a much more detailed way than ever before. Social media especially is a game changer for brands when it comes to understanding customer sentiment. It says a lot about who you are analyzing — the way you present yourself in social media.
As part of our series about “Brand Makeovers” I had the pleasure to interview Lars Lehne of Incubeta.
Lars Lehne is Group CEO of Incubeta. He has an extensive background in the marketing and digital industry having previously spent four years as Global CEO at SYZYGY, a publicly listed WPP company. Prior to which, he spent seven years at Google as Country Director Agency DACH, paving the way for the tech giant quadrupling revenues in Germany. With over 30 years of industry experience, Lars also held various senior management positions in agencies including Maxus, GroupM, Carat and MEC.
Thank you for joining us in this interview series. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Originally, I wanted to be a graphic designer. While preparing my university applications a professor of mine at an evening art school told me that while I was quite talented, he didn’t see me making any money at my level. He cheered me up by encouraging me to join the advertising industry instead. He said, “People like you, who are good at many things, but not exceptionally talented in one specific skill, can have a great career there.”
Can you share a story about the funniest marketing or branding mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
In my early days as a media planner I was lucky enough to work for Swatch. In an attempt to create noise for the brand, we negotiated an ad to be printed diagonally across the magazine centerfold. The idea was so successful that we won awards for it, but the internal fall out behind the scenes for ruining the original campaign design, which had not included a diagonally placed watch, was unimaginable. Not only did the watch look different, but the logo had to be placed somewhere else, some of the copy got chopped off. In the end, however, it was considered very creative and resulted in a lot of buzz.
Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Is there a takeaway or lesson that others can learn from that?
The tipping point would probably be the moment in time when endurance, experience, passion and age came together. It was at this time that an opportunity to revive an old legacy brand from GroupM called Maxus came my way. I was given total freedom about how to do it. I started on my own, cycling to pitches in the city and arriving for presentations with a helmet under my arm. It was great fun and at the same time, surprisingly successful. Less than two years later I was headhunted by Google for a very senior position in DACH and that changed my career entirely. For me, success was all about timing and actually enjoying the process.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
I’m blessed to have so many new and exciting things on my desk right now. From exciting acquisitions and joint ventures to the development of groundbreaking proprietary technology. The latter is actually set to be a game changer for us as a company and likewise for our clients. Our “Seamless Technology Suite” will truly help businesses to overcome many of the barriers to growth, enabling them to do things they couldn’t do before, such as manage their search capabilities holistically across paid and organic and allow them to drive personalization at scale without compromising consistency and quality.
What advice would you give to other marketers to thrive and avoid burnout?
Burnout is a highly individual phenomenon and there isn’t a silver bullet to solve for it. But I’m happy to share a few things that help me deal with stress, uncertainty, constant change and maybe even fear. Stay curious, embrace change, seek for positive rather than negative stress, work on your time management and always build in enough time for things that distract and cheer you up. You are the master of your schedule, so build any given day and week in a way that you are capable of coping with and don’t forget to bake in enough time for yourself. A highly respected colleague at Google once told me that what isn’t in your calendar isn’t going to happen. That means if you don’t plan for lunch, exercise or breaks from email you will end up being stressed and unsatisfied.
Ok, let’s now jump to the core part of our interview. In a nutshell, how would you define the difference between brand marketing (branding) and product marketing (advertising)? Can you explain?
I’d argue that for both brand and product marketing to be successful they should be closely connected. The brand won’t be honest if it isn’t true to the product and conversely the product marketing will be less effective without the credibility of a strong brand. Advances in technology have made it easier than ever before for marketers to link their brand and product marketing using data to create a joined-up customer journey.
That being said, building a successful brand marketing strategy requires a different approach to building a successful product marketing strategy. The best brands were built from a strong and consistent identity. If you think about the likes of Apple or Coca-Cola it is easy for customers to quickly recognize the key traits of their brand, whether it be tone of voice or use of colors. Contrary to this, the best product marketing strategies connect with consumers by driving high levels of personalization, adapting messaging based on customer groups and stages. In short, the brand marketing is the overarching ‘what we stand for’ with the product marketing being ‘why that matters for you.’
Brand = future and sustainability
Product marketing = sales and distribution
Can you explain to our readers why it is important to invest resources and energy into building a brand, in addition to the general marketing and advertising efforts?
Building a brand is the Holy Grail of marketing. Once a brand is successfully built many other marketing functions become much easier. Building a brand ensures credibility and builds trust amongst consumers. A strong brand is like a lighthouse in unknown or troubled waters. A strong brand creates a feeling in and of itself. An effective brand will increase the impact of advertising, increasing engagement as well as conversion rates. As a result of this a strong brand will lower the required investment in paid media.
Let’s now talk about rebranding. What are a few reasons why a company would consider rebranding?
There are several reasons why companies might consider rebranding. First and foremost, the world is constantly evolving and it is important that brands remain relevant to consumers as tastes change. The world’s most successful brands are constantly tweaking elements of their design and messaging to ensure that they remain relevant.
A rebranding may also signal a change in direction for a business. Apple famously used their ‘Think Different’ rebrand to relaunch what they were all about, positioning themselves alongside counter-culture. This rebrand wasn’t just done for external purposes, it set a new tone and direction for the employees of the company.
Finally, a rebrand may be appropriate when a business is seeking to create clarity on what they stand for. This can be important for businesses that have resulted from mergers or conglomerates who are looking to consolidate their positioning.
Internationalization
Innovation
Competition
Lifecycle
Zeitgeist
Are there downsides of rebranding? Are there companies that you would advise against doing a “Brand Makeover”? Why?
If you have succeeded in building out the core functions of successful branding there is, in fact, a lot to lose by rebranding. A brand serves as a sort of lighthouse for consumers. It attracts, gives direction and has earned the trust to do so. It sticks out amongst competitors and ideally becomes the first choice, like a lighthouse is in troubled water. It has built up that necessary credibility and trust over time. Undergoing a rebranding puts those achievements at risk if it is done poorly or doesn’t respect the heritage of a brand.
Ok, here is the main question of our discussion. Can you share 5 strategies that a company can do to upgrade and re-energize their brand and image”? Please tell us a story or an example for each.
Start with your customer — The most important aspect of creating an effective, strong brand is to really understand your customer. You have to deeply understand what makes them tick and what inspires them. Great brands reflect their customers and identify with or even create Zeitgeist. The good news is that businesses have tools available that enable them to understand their customers in a much more detailed way than ever before. Social media especially is a game changer for brands when it comes to understanding customer sentiment. It says a lot about who you are analyzing — the way you present yourself in social media.
Love the details — The personality of your brand stems from the detail, the things that it is very easy to gloss over. The use of different type-faces, colors and tone of voice all help customers to understand your personality even if that understanding is subconscious. Think in customer journeys and picture your brand in this journey. Try to exceed customer expectations at every step in the journey.
Be ruthlessly focused — When creating a brand, it can be easy to try and incorporate too much and dilute the personality that you want to reflect. Great brands create clarity through simplicity, and part of the way they achieve this is by being ruthless about what they include and what they exclude. The French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry once said: “Perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add but when there is no longer anything to take away…”
Consistency is king — Whilst personalization can help brands drive improved results from their advertising it’s important that your brand remains consistent. Branding tells people what you stand for and if you start to deviate from this then your overarching message can be easily lost.
Know who you are and who you are not — Great brands are true to the business that they represent and they have a clearly defined purpose. The Disney brand represents excitement and imagination because they are key values of the business itself. Disney’s purpose is “to entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling…” — clear, simple and on target. If you build a brand that doesn’t reflect who your business actually is then customers will quickly figure it out and lose trust.
In your opinion, what is an example of a company that has done a fantastic job doing a “Brand Makeover”. What specifically impresses you? What can one do to replicate that?
Having spent half of my career traveling the world I have a natural closeness to airlines. As a German, one tends to use Lufthansa more frequently, but it was more than just the patriotism that made me admire the brand and its heritage. The brand became my travel compass, my backbone, my safety net and even home away from home, considering how much time I have spent with the brand. So, when a few years ago Lufhansa did a complete makeover I was very curious to see how and what they would come up with. As a marketer and a fan, I was absolutely thrilled by the result. Andreas Schlaubitz, the CMO at the time, phrased it very well when he said: “we are standing on the shoulders of giants.” Everybody on the team was well aware of the heritage they were about to change. They owed this brand to many of their predecessors and it was the respect they paid to the past which laid the foundation for success. Very nicely transformed and adapted to a more digital world, letting the brand assets shine better on screens and uplifting the brand with an upgraded color scheme that highlights their value and quality. If I compare the “old” to the “new” Lufthansa I can’t wait to finally go back to travelling with one of my most favorite brands.
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.
When I attended the “House of beautiful business”, an alternative business summit in Lisbon during the Webex 2019, I bumped into Laura Franois who gave a fantastic keynote on the idea of circular economy in the field of fashion and design. When I came back I did some more reading about the topic and got familiar with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation which specifically focuses on driving the idea of a circular economy where economy & design is thought and built out, holistically, following three principles:
Design out waste and pollution
Keep products and materials in use
Regenerate natural systems
Ever since, I’ve been absolutely fascinated with the idea and would love to get people to think more in “circles” and create awareness about the impact of their actions and behavior.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I have always admired the idea behind the following quote: “Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.” It’s all about believing in yourself and your ideas, it’s about rolling up your sleeves, without fear of mistakes and about acting quickly and embracing change rather than protecting the past.
Non-Fungible Tokens: Photographer Chris Cuffaro On The 5 Things You Need To Know To Create a Highly Successful Career In The NFT Industry
…To be honest… I just have to say I do not fully understand the NFT game just yet. I’m still learning and like all new technology I got some serious help. I got a friend who understands the game and teamed up with him for my first drop. I’m taking baby steps so that I can learn about how this game works. I’m excited about what I’ve learned so far. In a nutshell I think of it as digital versions of physical art.
Many have observed that we are at the cusp of an NFT boom. The thing is, it’s so cutting edge, that many people don’t know what it is. What exactly is an NFT and how can one create a lucrative career out of selling them? To address this, as a part of our interview series called “5 Things You Need To Know To Create a Highly Successful Career In The NFT Industry”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Chris Cuffaro.
California native Chris Cuffaro has shot the best of the best in the world of entertainment — actors, models, athletes and musicians — for more than 40+ years. He began his career by shooting local rock shows for fun, then moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980s to create eye-popping images in the commercial and editorial space.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you grew up?
I grew up in Northern California. Moved to Los Angeles when I was 21. Started photography at the age of 10 and never looked back. I had business cards and clients by the time I was 12. I knew this was gonna be my life so a gave it everything I had and still do. I like to say I started photography because it was fun and still do it cuz it’s fun.
Is there a particular book, film, or podcast that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
When I was 10 years old I saw the movie Funny Face with Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astair. Fred played a photographer and fell in love with Audrey. That was the movie and moment when I said I want to do that and meet my Audrey. Because of this movie I was exposed to Richard Avedon. His work, his photos, his life was my biggest inspiration. I have spent my life trying to be like him. To this day I look at his photos in awe.
Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue a career in this new industry? We’d love to hear it.
If yer talking about this new NFT world… I just saw other photographers testing the waters and seeing what is possible with NFTs. I thought I would see as well. These first 5 are a test and I just want to see what happens with them. Then I will go from there.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this fascinating career?
This is always the toughest question for me. As I have said for years… I have a million stories and the photos to prove it. My Greatest Hits project that I started 10 years ago is ALL about the stories behind the photos. My website CuffaroHits.com has so many videos telling the stories behind my iconic photos.
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 was so lucky to have great mentors from an early age. I’ve made every mistake you can make in business and life. My motto is simple… live and learn. Some of my favorite lessons are simple… work smart, be the best, have a plan, save your money, be nice and most of all have fun. Best advice I got when I was 14 was… “the most important piece of equipment you own is your reputation.”
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?
Like I said I’ve had so many great mentors and teachers who put up with me and helped me. My number one is my bestest friend Jack. I met him the day I move to LA. He has taught me so much and supported my dream since that first day. He’s the one voice I hear in my hear when doing anything creative. I was also lucky to have a business manager for 25 years that loved me, supported me and taught be everything I know about business and life. I lost her 11 years ago and miss her every day.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
For the last 10 years my life is all about my Greatest Hits project. This is everything to me. My goal from day one is simple… share my passion of music and photography to everyone. I know from the exhibitions so far that I make people smile. My photos bring back memories and it makes everyone smile. How cool is that?
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. I’m sure you get this question all the time. But for the benefit of our readers, can you explain in your own words what an NFT is, and why people are spending so much money on them?
To be honest… I just have to say I do not fully understand the NFT game just yet. I’m still learning and like all new technology I got some serious help. I got a friend who understands the game and teamed up with him for my first drop. I’m taking baby steps so that I can learn about how this game works. I’m excited about what I’ve learned so far. In a nutshell I think of it as digital versions of physical art.
The NFT industry seems so exciting right now. What are the 3 things in particular that most excite you about the industry? If you can, please share a story or example for each.
3 things… the opportunity, the creativity and the challenge. The opportunity to share my iconic photos to a whole new audience in a whole new way. The creativity of presenting my iconic photos in a new way is big for me. The challenge of learning and working in the NFT world. I think that’s the basics.
What are the 3 things that concern you about the industry? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?
Copyright and usage are the two big things that worry me. I did my research and talked to lawyers. I talked to photographers as well. I wanted to understand the legal side of the NFT. I needed to make sure all was good before I moved forward. Everything I was told made sense and helped me make the decision to move forward. I advise everyone to do their homework before they jump into the NFT world. The Clubhouse app has great rooms all about NFTs and the business behind them.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about NFTs? Can you explain what you mean?
I can’t answer this cuz I’m new to the game. I do know this… do the work, learn all you can and get people you can trust to help.
What are the most common mistakes you have seen people make when they enter the NFT industry. What can be done to avoid that?
The one mistake I have seen and did not want to repeat was not being ready or to fulling understand the NFT game. It’s not a new game, but it’s blowing up now and you need to understand before you start. Again, do the work!
How do you think NFTs have the potential to help society in the future?
I’m not sure it can help society as a whole, but I do think it can help the creative world. I also love seeing a lot of NFTs being sold for charity and that is always a good thing.
Ok, fantastic. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Know To Create a Highly Successful Career In The NFT Industry?” (Please share a story or example for each.)
I’m new to this. I’m learning as I go along. I’m not looking for a career in the NFT industry, but I will say this… I was told from my team at the beginning to make sure the NFTs were special, had a story behind them, keep it simple and promotion is everything. I don’t care what yer selling, NFTs or cupcakes, IF nobody knows it’s doesn’t matter. I think my team is solid and we are all passionate about the NFT game.
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. 🙂
WOW! Now that’s a question I’ve never gotten before. I’m basic when it comes to life. I like to keep things simple. I believe in doing the work, being nice and helping everywhere I can. I guess if I had to say… I wish people would respect everyone and just be nice!!! Manners go a long way!
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 like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I’ve had a “hit list” of who I’ve want to photograph my whole career. I have a list of so many people from all sorts of worlds that I would love to meet. IF I had to choose one… Barack Obama. Not cuz he is great or the best president, but because I have so many questions for him and I want to shoot a nice portrait!
Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!
Share your idea with others. In the beginning I was so worried that people were going to “steal” my idea, but it’s really all about the team and execution. It is so important to get feedback from family and friends and it also prepares you for future questions from partners, investors, social channels and even the media.
As a part of my series about “Big Ideas That Might Change The World In The Next Few Years” I had the pleasure of interviewing Ashley Saye Co-Founder of Presence from Daily Rays Inc.
Ashley Saye is an entrepreneur from Southern California with a unique idea designed to radically change how we get and stay inspired everyday. A graduate of USC with a degree in economics, Ashley’s professional journey began in the cutthroat world of commercial real estate across the US which inspired her “Big Idea” that lead to her co-founder and brand ambassador position of one of the most anxiously anticipated digital devices of the year, “Presence,” a digital, motivational quote board designed to stream positivity into your home from the world’s most inspiring voices and passionate artists.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you please tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I was beginning a career in commercial real estate, and unlike residential, commercial retail investment sales is an entirely male dominant industry with a very small percentage being female. At my first firm, not only was I competing with all men, but they were also two or three times my age. I will never forget during my interview process, I was told “you have to be a shark to be successful in this space”, “most people don’t make money for years”, and “it’s hard to have a family with this career.” It felt personal and as if they were trying to talk me out of my chosen career path. I didn’t fit the mold and went headfirst down a spiral of self doubt, which can sometimes happen to the best of us. In a desperate effort to stop the repetitive self deprecating thoughts that ran in my head I knew I needed to transform my environment with positive and inspiring stimuli. I decided to purchase a blank pack of chalkboards from Amazon and then write famous quotations, like “Everything you want is on the other side of fear,” and positive affirmations, like “This is your year!” Throughout the day, when the negative self talk started to creep up in my mind I would glance over to the chalkboards that I had decorated around my house. Over time, these words helped me feel more motivated, focused, and feeling positive. However, I started to crave new quotations and affirmations and a simpler process for creating the boards. Solving that problem led to the birth of Presence.
Can you please share with us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I started making cold calls on practically day one at my first real estate firm. It was very intimidating because I was in the center of a cubicle arrangement that allowed all my colleagues to easily listen in on every call. Naturally, I felt the pressure of potentially screwing up in front of everyone and the prospects on the other end of the telephone would probably know I was brand new. The first few calls were very uncomfortable and I could swear the whole office around me grew quiet to hear me struggle through. The industry jargon didn’t flow naturally and I couldn’t yet run the cap rate calculations quickly in my head. I thought “Who would trust a young girl in her early 20’s to sell their most expensive asset, a retail building?” Words of affirmation and diligent study of the industry helped my confidence level tremendously and my calls began to improve. Within the first few months of calling I got my first client, and he also happened to be a Nobel Prize winner! I realized I had to experience a lot of discomfort upfront to gain the confidence needed to be successful.
Which principles or philosophies have guided your life? Your career?
I believe you are the sum of those around you. I have experienced first hand that toxic people can drain your enthusiasm and negatively impact your energy level, happiness, and even success. Studies have shown that surrounding yourself with toxic people can cause serious stress and long lasting negative effects on the brain. I realized the importance of avoiding them in all facets of life.
Another principle that guides me in both my personal and professional life is to have a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset. I now see challenges and setbacks as opportunities for growth. I never let fear stop me on my path to success. Ultimately our belief in ourselves determines our level of success.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now move to the main focus of our interview. Can you tell us about your “Big Idea That Might Change The World”?
My guiding principles morphed into a product designed to help people feel inspired. Presence is a digital quote board designed to stream positivity into your home from the world’s most inspiring voices and passionate artists. With the press of a button, you can discover and connect with content that transforms your mood and your day.
How do you think this will change the world?
Our society is moving at a faster and more stressful pace. Presence creates a much needed moment of reflection. It is designed to help people erase and reprogram negative internal dialogue. With the power of words and art, Presence can lift you up after a breakup, energize you to pursue your dreams, motivate you to start that workout, help you practice better self care, and remind you to simply be more present.
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this idea that people should think more deeply about?
As a society, we are becoming completely dependent on screens for entertainment, schedules, and communication. Unlike any other device or screen, we pride ourselves in improving peoples’ self image, and their ability to live a happier and a more successful life. Most other devices promote an agenda, a lifestyle, or specific objective. Presence is the only device that comes to mind with the sole objective of creating a happier, more secure state of mind. It’s hard to believe how this could lead to any negative unintended consequences.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this idea? Can you tell us that story?
In commercial real estate, I was required to make 75 to 100 cold calls per day. In order to get to a single positive conversation, you experience tremendous amounts of rejection and negativity. As a result, I had a bad habit of allowing negative thoughts to consume me. I was determined to stop doubting myself and began searching for ways to feel inspired and motivated. A change wouldn’t happen overnight, but if I could infuse positive stimuli in my daily life, over time it would seep in and transform my self image. It became a tedious chore to find daily inspiring quotes and nothing existed in the market that could simplify this process for me. The idea of Presence came as a result of this dilemma.
What do you need to lead this idea to widespread adoption?
We have a top notch team of designers, artists, software engineers, marketing gurus, and the factory is ready to go. A significant investment in marketing and sales will be needed to help people understand and feel the transformation that this product will bring to their lives. Partnerships with additional influential voices and artists will further expand the market for this product.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
Share your idea with others. In the beginning I was so worried that people were going to “steal” my idea, but it’s really all about the team and execution. It is so important to get feedback from family and friends and it also prepares you for future questions from partners, investors, social channels and even the media.
Failure is a detour that takes you closer to success. I think back on my first few years in commercial real estate when I had to make 100 cold calls every single day. I’ll admit I came close to tears a few times in the beginning. Eventually I grew thicker skin, and was able to reframe my mindset; the more rejection I received, the closer I got to the wins.
Optimize through outsourcing and automation wherever you can. There is no fast track to success, but there are so many tools and resources out there to help you organize certain tasks.
Success takes time. Early in my career, I was told the average business takes 3–5 years to turn a profit. It doesn’t happen overnight!
You don’t need to be an expert at everything. When the idea for Presence was born, I didn’t have any experience building consumer products. I had to lean on my network and brought in a CEO to help me build a kick ass team.
Can you share with our readers what you think are the most important “success habits” or “success mindsets”?
The first quote I wrote on a chalkboard is “Everything you want is on the other side of fear” by Jack Canfield. This is something I always refer to when challenges present themselves. Nothing is gained by staying in your comfort zone. You won’t grow or experience the spice of life.
“Old ways won’t open new doors”. When reaching an insurmountable roadblock, try a new path.
“None of us is as smart as all of us” by Ken Blanchard. You can go much farther if you build a great team to lean on.
Some very well-known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
We are on a mission to make people feel happier and more inspired. We’re doing this by delivering personalized inspirational content from the world’s most inspiring voices right into people’s homes. Presence is the first digital quotation board which will retail for $200 along with a $6 monthly subscription to personalize the experience. We’re going after the “wellness” market and in particular women/men in their 30’s, which we believe to be a multi billion dollar market opportunity. Our team is led by a product designer who helped develop Siri, a New York Times illustrator who runs a column for Modern Love, a Red Dot award winner Industrial Designer, and a marketer that generated the highest revenue generating pre-order worldwide.
The Future Is Now: Prasoon Shrivastava of Prasoon Design Studio On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up The Tech Scene
The biggest setback I experienced was during my tenure as Director of Arkiplan International, a global architecture firm, when we decided to take our international practice to the Southeast Asia market during the 2009–10 economic meltdown. We made decisions based on our gut feeling instead of data, which cost us dearly and impacted the overall business.
As a part of our series about cutting edge technological breakthroughs, I had the pleasure of interviewingPrasoon Shrivastava.
Prasoon Shrivastava is the Founder and CEO of Prasoon Design Studio, a new-age architecture and design firm with headquarters in Dubai and an office in India, specializing in hospitality, residential, commercial, retail, and institutional projects. With a background in construction and sustainability, Prasoon is an architect by profession, an entrepreneur by DNA, and a storyteller by practice. Prasoon’s curiosity has guided the studio’s distinct design approach, where each individual is encouraged to create architectural narratives that connect buildings to their community and context.
Founded in 2020, Prasoon Design Studio delivers iconic concepts deeply rooted in environmental mindfulness, leveraging cutting-edge technologies and bio-climatic design to arrive at bespoke architectural solutions. Resolutely experimental in approach, Prasoon Design Studio’s work extends the boundaries of efficiency and sustainability.
Prasoon Shrivastava comes from a background immersed in the construction industry geared towards sustainability. Under his guidance, Prasoon Design Studio pursues each project as a matrimony of art and conscience to create innovative architectural solutions with a goal to optimize market and environmental viability. The company constantly strives to produce ethically valid architectural stories that impart public interaction fueled through form, function and materiality.
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 come from a family of engineers. My father is a civil engineer with a well-established business, and because of this I became familiar with the ins and outs of the construction industry at a young age. My father was the one who introduced me to architecture as a career path. As I began practicing in Dubai and India, I was exposed to so many new technologies and ultimately came to realize that technology is the way forward. Once I came to this realization, I started investing heavily in new technologies, and eventually founded Prasoon Design Studio.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
In 2006 as a young reckless entrepreneur I conducted my business on speculation and had a limited understanding of finance, sales, business, etc. I relied more on my gut feeling than data to make my decisions. I assumed that I was entitled to get business and that it would come to me with limited efforts. Unsurprisingly, the speculation backfired and I was left with just $10. This experience taught me to value money and invest in learning the nuances of running a business.
Can you tell us about the cutting edge technological breakthroughs that you are working on? How do you think that will help people?
Traditional architecture studios just focus on design, and this is where we set ourselves apart. Prasoon Design Studio is fundamentally experimental. We aim to disrupt the design and construction industry and extend the boundaries of efficiency and sustainability. Our studio not only focuses on innovative designs, but also enables efficient delivery of those designs. We are one of the first architecture studios to offer end-to-end project lifecycle management from design to construction. We achieve this through a suite of technologies, including intelligent project management, 5D BIM delivery, and robotic integration.
During the design process, we use computational design algorithms to create complex geometries, as well as simulate and analyze the building performance. With our intelligent in-house construction management platform, Zepth, we ensure that a project is delivered on budget, on time, and with the highest quality. Zepth is driven by artificial intelligence and streamlines all aspects of the project lifecycle by integrating all project stakeholders, owners, developers, contractors, and consultants. The program facilitates real-time project visibility and faster decision making with modules for project financials, quality and safety, document management, team collaboration, and powerful analytics. This is a truly forward-thinking collaborative system that incorporates all aspects of a project lifecycle. This collaboration is further supported by 5D BIM delivery, which creates a shared data environment for all information and activity, facilitating a more fluid design evolution. Rather than sticking to a frozen design, 5D BIM delivery helps teams revise and make changes to meet evolving needs.
On top of this, we are exploring the boundaries of robotic integration. We are proud to be the second architecture studio in the world to integrate Spot by Boston Dynamics. For those who may not be familiar, Spot is a mobile robot that navigates terrain and can be programmed for repeatable autonomous tasks. Spot, alongside drone deployment, enables us to capture limitless data through automated inspections and to create hyper-realistic site models. All of these technologies come together to facilitate safer, more efficient, and more predictable operations.
How do you think this might change the world?
Maximizing efficiency in building design and delivery will have a hugely positive impact on the world through sustainability. Sustainability is more than just environmental mindfulness and reducing a building’s carbon footprint on the planet. Sustainability also means taking a crucial look at the resources that we utilize during the building process and how we consume them. These new technologies will help us to eliminate waste, utilize natural resources, and save the industry millions of dollars in the process. It is imperative that the industry is open to adopting these new technologies, so that we can pave the way for a more sustainable and efficient future.
Keeping “Black Mirror” in mind can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
There is a common apprehension that automation technologies will take jobs away from humans. While this is a valid concern to address, it is misguided. If you look closely at technological advancements over the last few decades, they are seeking to replicate repetitive tasks, as opposed to analytical jobs. Artificial intelligence is not the same as human intelligence. Technology is far from achieving the perceptive abilities that define human creativity and innovation. These new technologies are born out of a desire to make our lives easier, not to create problems.
The idea of artificial intelligence also tends to conjure up horror scenarios induced by an over-saturation of science fiction movies. In reality, there is no evidence of robots taking over society or going on homicidal streaks!
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was the tipping point for me. Not even the best business contingency plans could have accounted for a global-scale lockdown! I had already been thinking deeply about the inefficiencies and communication lapses within the architecture industry at large, and the lockdown really threw these concerns into sharper relief. It made me reassess how I wanted to move forward. I started thinking very critically about how these inefficiencies could be eliminated with the proper technologies and documentation processes. The pandemic gave me the push I needed to establish a new-age architecture studio, where I could be free to make investments in forward-thinking technologies and push the envelope of design.
What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?
Partnerships and deployments with major leaders will be critical for getting these new technologies adopted on a larger scale. As industry influencers begin to utilize our solutions, it will instill a lot of trust throughout the industry at large. These kinds of partnerships will validate everything that we are doing and talking about.
What have you been doing to publicize this idea? Have you been using any innovative marketing strategies?
Our goal is to spread the word on an international scale. We are working to achieve this goal through a variety of tactics including media interviews (like this one!), social media, and word of mouth. We’ve even engaged a public relations firm in New York City to help us expand our message in markets outside of the Middle East. The more people we can start to engage with this kind of thinking, the more influence we can have on our industry.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I am most grateful to my father for introducing me to the field, and for guiding me in my professional journey. He always taught me to measure myself against client success. There’s a popular saying in India that “the client is king,” and I try to follow this outlook. If a client is satisfied with your work, then your success is guaranteed. This panned out really well for us in one of our projects, Anichi Resort & Spa in Dominica. We had a first-time client and when we had started working on the project, it wasn’t a Marriott International’s Autograph Collection hotel yet. Because of our undeterred resolve to create the best and most intuitive experiences for the end users while working with the client’s vision, the project became an Autograph Collection hotel and is currently under construction.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I was one of the first five people in Dubai to practice green architecture, and this is a key component of my design philosophy. As I mentioned before, by adopting new technologies that will facilitate more efficient building practices and resource utilization, Prasoon Design Studio is helping the industry to become more sustainable.
Beyond this, I believe that design itself has a transformative power to bring goodness to the world. From luxury resorts to gleaming skyscrapers, our designs are a vehicle for storytelling. They create cherished experiences by shaping bonds between memory and space.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
As the area of our knowledge grows, so does the perimeter of our ignorance.
The biggest setback I experienced was during my tenure as Director of Arkiplan International, a global architecture firm, when we decided to take our international practice to the Southeast Asia market during the 2009–10 economic meltdown. We made decisions based on our gut feeling instead of data, which cost us dearly and impacted the overall business.
2. When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that is in itself a choice.
In life, we are always choosing, and our choices determine where we go. I always tell my colleagues that not every opportunity in life is meant to be taken. My decisions are driven not by fear of missing out but are carefully selected in all aspects of my business and my personal life.
3. Uncertainty is the only certainty in life.
We live in a complex world of interdependent ecosystems and often have to depend on so many unknown factors. No matter how many business plans we make or strategies we deploy to achieve our goal, the journey is full of surprises and we have to keep adjusting. COVID-19 is one recent example of how timely maneuvers and strategy changes enabled us to overcome challenges.
4. Someone else’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality.
At the age of 26, I decided to set up a business in Dubai while practicing in a small town in India. I was told that this was overly ambitious and that I was living in a fool’s paradise, which did discourage me a bit. It worked out just fine with hard work and a bit of luck!
Translation: Anger leads to clouding of judgment, which results in bewilderment of the memory. When the memory is bewildered, the intellect gets destroyed; and when the intellect is destroyed, one is ruined.
I have learned through experience that I make my best decisions when my mind is calm and not agitated. If I make an impaired decision, it can snowball and impact others, and can even have financial impacts on projects and business. In 2006, one of my mentors told me that whenever you have an issue that agitates you, sleep on it and take another look at it the following morning. This has helped me a great deal in my decision-making throughout my life.
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 would want to inspire a mindfulness movement. Mindfulness relates to how we consume as businesses and as individuals, and how we view the world in general. Whether in the process of designing a building or within our personal lives, being more mindful about our choices can only have a positive impact. Too often we are on autopilot and forget to truly analyze our impact on the world around us.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I often think back to Michael Gerber’s book, The E Myth Revisited, in which he highlights a fatal assumption: “If you understand the technical work of a business, you understand a business that does technical work.” Having the technical skills necessary to a certain industry does not automatically make you a good businessperson, and on the flip side, many great businesspeople are not highly skilled in technical matters. This has been a very interesting duality to explore as I work to translate my experience in architecture into running my own business.
Some very well known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
If I had 60 seconds with a VC, I would highlight all of the benefits that Zepth, our intelligent project management system, can bring to the industry. If we can get other studios and firms to adopt our systems, we can start to bring about large-scale change. Zepth uses artificial intelligence to fully streamline all aspects of a project lifecycle, integrating input from all team members from architects to engineers to contractors. With this system, we can enable greater efficiency and sustainability in the industry. Let’s change the world together!
Brand Makeovers: Rhea Freeman On The 5 Things You Should Do To Upgrade and Re-Energize Your Brand and Image
Share. Tell your customers what you’re doing and why. Social media helps us to build tribes of engaged, loyal followers, and the least we can do is share our journey with them. Better still, get them involved in the process so they feel part of the decision. This can be a great way of building engagement and strengthening those all important connections.
As part of our series about “Brand Makeovers” I had the pleasure to interview Rhea Freeman.
Rhea Freeman is a social media expert and small business coach based in the UK. In addition to running membership groups, Rhea is also the founder of the Small & Supercharged Podcast and a Facebook group of the same name designed to help small businesses and influencers in the equestrian and rural space. She’s an award winning PR adviser, #SheMeansBusiness accredited trainer and Facebook Certified Lead Trainer. She’s worked with small businesses for over 15 years.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit more. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I started offering a freelance PR and marketing service to small businesses, predominantly in the equestrian and rural sector, some 15 years ago. Eventually, I went to work for one of my clients in a full time capacity as their marketing manager. After a few years, I moved back to being self employed, but this time with a clearer focus on social media and working closer with small business owners to help them develop and grow their brands. Over the last 10–11 years, social media has become a bigger and bigger part of what I do, simply because of the awesome power it has. Now, in addition to working with my clients and helping them grow their businesses and their audience through their usage of social media, I am also a #SheMeansBusiness accredited trainer and a Facebook Certified Lead Trainer too.
Can you share a story about the funniest marketing or branding mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I guess mine would be connected to colours. This was really just when graphic design software became more available to non graphic designers (so a while ago!) and, as such, I was learning everything as I went along. I decided a good project would be to redesign my own logo (no idea why I thought this was a good call as I am not a graphic designer!). Anyway, I persisted and got something I was fairly happy with, apart from the colour, as I was struggling to match that by eye. Of course, I then found various tools that could provide the hex code to make colour matching a breeze- but to think of the hours I wasted on that!
Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Is there a takeaway or lesson that others can learn from that?
I think success is a combination of many things, and these things take time. There’s no substitute for getting in the mileage as it means you are better equipped to handle and help with so many situations, which is now hugely useful to my clients too. When I decided to really focus in on what I wanted to do and what I was good at vs. trying to be everything to everyone, and putting the time and energy into achieving in this area, it really helped.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
Well, I have written a book which is due out really soon! It’s all about how to elevate your brand on no or very little budget, and I know that if people read it and apply their learnings to what they’re doing, they will see results that will make a big difference to them and their business. I also have a few digital courses I’m working on.
What advice would you give to other marketers to thrive and avoid burnout?
Don’t be afraid to say no. I said yes to too many things for too long. When I realized that for every yes I say, I’m saying no to something else, the bits started to fall into place.
Ok, let’s now jump to the core part of our interview. In a nutshell, how would you define the difference between brand marketing (branding) and product marketing (advertising)? Can you explain?
Branding is part of everything you do. It’s more than your logo and your color palette, it’s your brand voice and it helps people to know it’s ‘you’ on any platform you’re on. When it comes to advertising, this is specific content you create with the sole aim of achieving the objective you set. You would still apply your branding to your ads, but branding should be part of everything you do rather than just ads.
Can you explain to our readers why it is important to invest resources and energy into building a brand, in addition to the general marketing and advertising efforts?
Yes. Your brand is the core of everything you do. It’s what people believe about you, say about you, and share about you. It’s what they expect when they deal with/work with you. It’s everything. If you don’t have a brand that people understand and want to get behind, your advertising and general efforts will have reduced impact as even if people get the product, you’re out there competing with everyone else with that product. If people get you as a brand too, you’ll appeal to your target market all the more because in addition to the product, they know and trust you and the service you’re offering too.
Let’s now talk about rebranding. What are a few reasons why a company would consider rebranding?
To modernize, to show a new direction or to show an expansion. These are the main reasons I see.
Are there downsides of rebranding? Are there companies that you would advise against doing a “Brand Makeover”? Why? The ‘worry’ is that people won’t understand the rebrand or, if it’s a dramatic change, they won’t identify it as you as your appearance has changed so much! If you’re updating fonts to more modern ones, and maybe tweaking your logo but keeping the colours the same/very similar, then it’s not such a big deal. If you’re rebranding everything- the colours, the fonts, the tone, the messaging, then it can feel like a whole new business. One of the key things I’ve seen, particularly during the pandemic, is when companies and associations have rebranded in a big way when they’re having to make cuts in other areas. This doesn’t always sit well with a following. It could well be that all of this was decided and agreed way before other things have impacted on this business, but the story might not look like this to the outside.
Ok, here is the main question of our discussion. Can you share 5 strategies that a company can do to upgrade and re-energize their brand and image”? Please tell us a story or an example for each.
Fonts. I love a good font as much as the next person, but they can and do date, and free ones can and do get overused. If you have a font that has dated, then it might be worth considering an upgrade here. A few rebrands ago, I picked a font that, when I selected it, wasn’t that popular- and I liked that. Then, one day, I received a parcel through the post from a high street chain which had ‘my’ font on the side with a tagline. I decided it had become too common then. Looking to adjust fonts can be a simple and effective way of refreshing a brand and bringing it up to date with minimal effort.
Colors. Work with a designer on your colour palette. With social media and all the different types of content and imagery we are meant to create nowadays, it’s nice to have more than one or two colours to use on your content, but you also want to make sure these work together. There are lots of amazing designers out there who can help you make better decisions when it comes to this.
Consistency. When we upgrade our branding, sometimes it isn’t upgraded on every platform we use. And this can just look a bit lazy on our part. Try your best to change everything if you decide on a more dramatic change, so things don’t get forgotten.
Share. Tell your customers what you’re doing and why. Social media helps us to build tribes of engaged, loyal followers, and the least we can do is share our journey with them. Better still, get them involved in the process so they feel part of the decision. This can be a great way of building engagement and strengthening those all important connections.
Sit on it. Make sure you REALLY like what you’re changing for. When you have your proposals in from your designer, don’t jump in. Ponder the suggestions. Speak to people. Think how they’ll work on each platform/product/service. Take your time. Because you’re going to need to do a lot of work to implement these changes across your website, stationery, socials, etc… and you want to make sure that you’re really proud of it when you do.
In your opinion, what is an example of a company that has done a fantastic job doing a “Brand Makeover”. What specifically impresses you? What can one do to replicate that?
Oh gosh- now you’re asking! I like the makeovers that show an evolution rather than the ones that jump from one thing to another without any real warning. One good example of this would be Instagram. As they grow, they tend to update and change their branding, but you always know it’s Instagram because it still has that all important DNA.
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. 🙂
We see a lot about the #bekind movement online- and with good reason- but I really want people to think beyond an on trend hashtag and start applying this kindness to every interaction. This doesn’t mean they should be walked over- you can be kind and assertive- but I’ve seen too many examples of people promoting one thing and doing another. If you’re in doubt about whether to send a DM or add a comment, give it some time and then rethink when you’ve had a moment.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
‘You either win or you learn’ I don’t know who first said this (I’ve seen a lot of different versions online) but it’s so true. This shift in mindset, which eliminates failure and looks for the learning, is huge and has allowed me, and so many others that I mentor, to try new things safe in the knowledge that everything we do will be a win of some kind- either an obvious one, or we will learn something valuable.
Barb Hazelton & Jo Briggs of The Single Process: 5 Things You Need To Know To Survive And Thrive After A Divorce
Prepare for big financial changes. Can you afford to support two households on the same income? Probably not, so either lifestyle or income has to change! Scale back sooner rather than later. And if you’re relying on alimony, be realistic about how long it’s going to last and the time you’ll need to ramp up before it does. Time and time again we see women wait too long on building their skill set and getting back into the work force.
As part of our series about the “5 Things You Need To Know To Survive And Thrive After A Divorce Or Breakup” I had the pleasure of interviewing Barb Hazelton &Jo Briggs of The Single Process.
Single Process is the girlfriends video guide to divorce.The only resource of its kind, each segment features an expert who provides practical advice aimed at making the process of going from We to a Me less daunting. Barb and Jo leverage their experience and deep knowledge of all phases of the divorce process to bring viewers information and solutions in a relatable, engaging and positive way.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to ‘get to know you’. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
Barb is originally from the Midwest and is the oldest of four children. Barb’s family moved a great deal and she lived in Texas, Illinois, Virginia and NJ, before finally settling down in CT. Barb met and fell in love with her ex-husband in college at Miami of Ohio. Barb’s parents divorced when she was in her 30s and they were a model of how to do it correctly: They have always put each other first then and still, they are good friends to this day, and it is never awkward when they are all together. Barb was married for 20 years, most of which were happy and very busy as she raised 4 children and pursued careers in production, recruiting and real estate. When Barb realized that her marriage had run its course, she was determined to follow the example her parents set. Barb spent the years after her divorce focused on work and her children. She also went on at least 30 first dates (the stories are just priceless) before recently meeting someone who has serious potential.
Jo is from Johannesburg, South Africa. Her parents had a very happy marriage and Jo imagined the same for herself. After completing law school, Jo came to the US to study further and is still here 24 years later! She met her ex-husband through work, and they were married 14 years. It was a difficult marriage throughout, but Jo was reluctant to leave and disrupt the lives of her two children. After the divorce Jo was excited to rebuild her life and continue her search for that seemingly elusive happiness her parents had found together. Two years later, she fell madly in love and remarried only to discover her second husband had started having an affair two months into their marriage. Jo spent the next couple of years trying to figure out if there was a way to make it work (she was so reluctant to get divorced again) and also dealing her ex-husband’s cancer diagnosis and death. Jo is now divorced for a second time and an only parent, but optimistic that there will be a happy next chapter.
Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Barb and Jo both made so many mistakes during and after their divorces and couldn’t figure out why there wasn’t a more accessible, intuitive and practical step-by-step guide to the process…something or someone that could quickly answer their FAQs, point out the pitfalls and help them feel less alone in their journeys. They were also frustrated by how taboo the topic of divorce remains and were determined to find a forum to talk about the process in an open and honest way. Barb’s background in production and Jo’s proficiency in research helped them get started…but it was really their passion for helping others navigate divorce in a healthier way that propelled them into this career path.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?
In our case, it’s not really one interesting story, but rather the multitude of small stories we get from viewers on how watching the series has improved their divorce process. We are constantly amazed at how a little information can make a big difference…and most rewardingly it is often the children who benefit from having parents who are better informed.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
We prepped all our experts well ahead of time and for the most part the interviews went as planned. We were on a tight schedule and didn’t have time for re-shoots. One expert, however, veered so completely off topic that the interview was unusable. Jo was new to production and would frequently forget that her microphone was “hot” (on) when she walked off set. Jo and Barb took a “private” moment to discuss the bombed interview…only to discover everyone on the crew and the next guest heard every word! Lesson learned!
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
Barb: “A rising tide raises all ships”. When I was overwhelmed by the process of divorce, my dad gave me some great advice. He said when you are overwhelmed with your situation, pick ONE thing to work on it and it will raise your game across the board. For me, that was my health. I focused on losing weight, getting mentally strong and being present with myself.
Jo: “Live out your imagination, not your history” (Stephen Covey). Divorce is an opportunity to re-invent yourself and pursue your dreams. Too often people get stuck dwelling on their history — the wrongs they have suffered, who was to blame etc. I believe we should take the lessons from the past forward with us but leave the hurt, heartache and disappointments behind. Keep dreaming and imagining a better future and you will make it happen.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
We are currently pitching the Single Process concept to television networks as a regular series (Dr. Phil meets divorce) highlighting real life divorce dilemmas and having our experts weigh in on the issues. Divorce has become so common: 43% of first marriages fail on a national level and 67% of second marriages. People are desperate for information delivered in a simple and positive way.
Ok. Thank you for that. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Can you tell us a bit about your experience going through a divorce, or helping someone who was going through a divorce? What did you learn about yourself during and after the experience? Do you feel comfortable sharing a story?
Barb: I always thought it was a pretty decisive person but going through a divorce made me question so many things. My kids didn’t want it, my ex-husband didn’t want it, our financial picture was bleek. In essence I “kicked the can down the road” by nesting for 3+ years, trying to please everyone and smooth out the process. [** Nesting is when you leaving the kids in the marital home and the parents move in and out of the house based on the parenting schedule]. About a year ago my kids said to me that they wished we had moved forward with the divorce sooner and never done the nesting. They said they could tell that Dad and I were better apart and happier now. That was a shock to me and a real eye-opener. I have so many friends say that they’re going to wait until the kids are out of high school. But what your kids really want is a stable happy home. If it comes down to a toxic marriage or a healthy divorce, I choose divorce.
Jo: Hmmm, I learnt so much, where to start? Possibly the greatest lesson was to trust my intuition. I discovered my second husband’s affair by simply observing an interaction between him and the other woman (we were invited to their house for dinner!!!). For days afterward he told me I was crazy / making things up. A little research into our cell phone bill proved I was right. It was a profound moment for me realizing that my gut instincts were right on. I’m now a lot more atuned to my instincts and have learnt to always to listen to my inner voice.
In your opinion, what are the most common mistakes people make going through a divorce? What can be done to avoid that?
Barb: Choosing the wrong process. There are three ways to go about a divorce and choosing the wrong one can set you back financially and add years of emotional stress. For example, mediation can be very productive and expedient, but if you aren’t in the same place with the same end-goal, it’s almost impossible to get to the finish line.
Choosing the right attorney is also critical. Make sure the two of you communicate really well, that you understand the fee structure and what their strengths and weaknesses. If you hire a “shark” that over-reaches, don’t be surprised when he doesn’t quickly reach an amicable resolution on your behalf.
Jo: Not focusing on what’s in the best interests of the children: I cannot tell you how often I hear “he / she is threatening to fight for sole custody,” “we are still fighting over the parenting plan,” or “he / she is trying to alienate me from my kids”. In the majority of instances, it is absolutely in the best interests of children to have both parents equally involved and for the kids to think highly of both their parents. The idea that you are “winning” by sidelining the other parent is such flawed thinking. We learned so much that made it clear how much damage you inflict on the kids when you engage in these tactics.
Not understanding your finances: And I’m mostly talking to the women out there! I have 2 graduate degrees and plenty of smarts, but I had completely lost track of our finances during the course of our marriage. As I started the divorce proceedings (actually in the months before filing!) I should have rolled up my sleeves and made sure I understood exactly where things stood and what my finances would look like post-divorce. Instead, I asked my soon to be ex-husband to fill out my financial affidavit for me! It created an uneven playing field (of my own doing) during the divorce negotiations and made it more difficult to plan for my future.
Some people are scared to ‘get back out there’ and date again after being with their former spouse for many years and hearing dating horror stories. What would you say to motivate someone to get back out there and start a new beginning?
Barb: My ex-husband was the only person I ever dated seriously so the idea of putting myself out there was scary! But I decided to treat it like a job because having a successful relationship was important to me. I signed up with multiple online dating sites, researched how to make an engaging profile that accurately reflected me and the kind of relationship I was looking for and attacked it. A couple years into it I met my current boyfriend John on Bumble. He is amazing. I feel so lucky but if I hadn’t done the work it wouldn’t have happened. Nothing worth winning comes easily. Plus, I’m having the best sex of my life! (Maybe I should be careful saying that my dad’s going to read this!)
Jo: I just started dating again and it is overwhelming but I’m having a great time meeting new people. I think the best strategy is to think about each date as one hour of your life. No commitment, no expectations. For me, that took the pressure off and allowed me to simply enjoy my dates. Barb assures me that it’s just a numbers game…and you gotta be in it to win it. I’ll let you know in a year how I’m doing!
What is the one thing people going through a divorce should be open to changing?
Barb: In terms of change, I think you have to be completely open to scaling back your lifestyle. I went from living in a 5000 square-foot home to a one-bedroom apartment where I sleep on the couch. But it has been enlightening and empowering. My girls have learned to live on a shoestring and be more creative with their space and time. You also need to be open to changing who your friends are. Not only are you going from a couple to a single, but sometimes it’s uncomfortable for people to be around you during or after divorce; maybe they’re afraid to look too closely at their own situation or feel threatened by your new-found independence and lifestyle. Use it as an opportunity to make new friends.
Jo: If there are children involved, you may need to change your desire to know everything your children are doing at all times. Your children need to feel it’s okay if they are happy and have fun while with the other parent. They should not be required detail their time away from you…it will often only serve to make them feel guilty if they had a good time. You need to be willing to relinquish control…something so much easier said than done!!
People generally label “divorce” as being “negative”. And yes, while there are downsides, there can also be a lot of positive that comes out of it as well. What would you say that they are? Can you share an example or share a story?
Barb: I don’t tend to look at life in terms of negatives and positives, just experiences & choices. There are good and bad outcomes to everything. So, for me divorce was a choice that opened up a new life. So many good things have come of that. I’ve explored a new career, I have a better relationship with my kids because I’m more present, and I have a new boyfriend who gets me and makes me a better person. But even without all of that, I’M a better person. Divorce forced me to take a hard look at myself and decide what kind of person I wanted to be.
Jo: A huge upside is that my children are happier. Living in an unhappy home is miserable for everyone involved. I have also taken it as an opportunity to re-evaluate my priorities and find new meaning and direction in my life. I feel I’m living a more purposeful life that I have designed, rather than constantly reacting to the status quo. I can no longer use my marriage as an excuse for unhappiness…it forces me to be accountable and make sure I’m taking the steps necessary to change anything that isn’t working for me!
Ok, here is the main question of our discussion. If you had a close friend come to you for advice after a divorce, what are 5 things you would advise in order to survive and thrive after the divorce? Can you please give a story or example for each?
The five things we would tell her friends:
Prepare for big financial changes. Can you afford to support two households on the same income? Probably not, so either lifestyle or income has to change! Scale back sooner rather than later. And if you’re relying on alimony, be realistic about how long it’s going to last and the time you’ll need to ramp up before it does. Time and time again we see women wait too long on building their skill set and getting back into the work force.
Ask for help, you cannot do this alone! Don’t let the perceived stigma of divorce stop you from seeking the help you need. Whether it’s watching every episode of the Single Process, finding a great therapist, engaging a financial consultant, reaching out to others who’ve gone through divorce…put a team in place to support you through the process. And don’t limit that team to what you might consider the “essentials” — one of our viewers found her best ally in the form of a personal trainer. It helped her lose weight, reduce stress, and feel much more confident and positive.
Figure out the right divorce process. Litigation, collaboration and mediation are the three options, and you need to explore which best suits your situation. A friend jumped into mediation because she thought it would be the least expensive. But she and her spouse were NOT on the same page, so the process dragged on for years as he delayed one meeting after another, and they ended up spending more time and money than if they’d gone with collaboration or litigation.
Don’t be afraid. Change is a wonderful thing. This will be hard, but it is also opening up a world of new opportunities. You get to design an incredible new life for yourself! One of our viewers shared that this simple piece of advice encouraged her to pursue a lifelong passion for photography. She used her no-kid-weekends (which she initially found terribly sad and lonely) to develop her skills and she recently had her first photograph published in a well-known travel magazine!
Take the highroad at all times. Don’t disparage your spouse / ex-spouse publicly or privately…it simply serves no purpose. It may feel good in the moment, but you will feel so much better in the long term if you take the high road and act with integrity. This goes double when you’re talking with your kids. Your children are equal parts both of you, and they hear criticism of a parent as criticism of part of who they are. Recently, a friend told us how she’d painted her children’s father out of the family portrait after the divorce. It came out in the children’s therapy session that they felt she was erasing part of them.
The stress of a divorce can take a toll on both one’s mental and emotional health. In your opinion or experience, what are a few things people going through a divorce can do to alleviate this pain and anguish?
We are fully in favor of working with a therapist throughout the divorce process. Too often people rely on their lawyers for emotional support….lawyers for legal, therapists for emotional! Worrying about your children’s well-being can also be very stressful. We think it’s a great idea to establish a relationship between your children and a therapist. They may resist going but having ready access to someone they can talk to if they choose is important. Many therapists are covered by insurance and there are great tele-health therapy options which makes help so readily available.
The benefits of exercise, sleep and good nutrition are undeniable in helping with stress. Taking care of yourself in these areas is key. Our segment with Kristina Hess on sleep and nutrition delves into this.
Spend time alone, spend time without noise or distraction. At first this may make you feel more anxious but if you power through the initial discomfort, we think you’ll find a greater sense of calm, peace and relaxation. It will give you an opportunity to recharge and rest and make the inevitable stresses more manageable.
Our series also includes a segment on the impact of stress on your health, featuring Dr. Sharon Karp. Often you hear of someone going through an emotional time ending up physically ill. There’s a direct correlation between stress and physical disease. It’s something to be aware of, and you want to pay more attention to any health concerns during stressful times.
Do you have any favorite books, podcasts, or resources related to this topic that you would recommend to our readers?
Barb: There are a couple of authors I really love: Dr. Wayne Dyer and his book Real Magic in particular which talks about manifestation and creating the life you want. It’s been transformative for me and the things I’ve wanted have come true over the years. Post-divorce, I highly recommend The Rules of Dating which talks about the differences in men and women and how each approaches courtship.
Jo: I’m also a huge fan of all Wayne Dyer’s books, especially when trying to re-imagine your life. Another really insightful and fun book that may help you re-define your future is The 7 Questions to Find your Purpose by Richard Jacobs. Lastly, if you’re dealing with infidelity, the books of world-renowned expert Tammy Nelson (who is an expert in our series) are really helpful.
Because of the position that you are in, 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. 🙂
We would want to inspire a movement to bring awareness to the harm inflicted on children during an acrimonious divorce. Parents love their children and if they fully understood the negative consequences of their behavior we believe they would stop the fighting and find more amicable solutions. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could swing the way people approach divorce from conflict driven to peaceful resolution?
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 and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
Melinda Gates — she has the ability to make changes and influence so many through her philanthropy. So far she seems to be the model for “divorce done right” and we’d love to have her spread a message that you’re better off in a healthy divorce than an unhappy marriage. And she is absolutely taking the high road. Bravo!!
Don’t compare: Everyone’s life is different and what you see is not the whole truth especially on social media. So do not compare your success, challenges, efforts or ability to cope from setbacks with others. Take pride in the fact that you’re unique and there’s no one else like you.
In this interview series, we are exploring the subject of resilience among successful business leaders. Resilience is one characteristic that many successful leaders share in common, and in many cases it is the most important trait necessary to survive and thrive in today’s complex market.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Mamta Suri.
Mamta Suri is a seasoned leader with 18+ years of demonstrated expertise and experience developing products spanning different industries such as Cloud Applications, SaaS, Medical Instruments, Marketing, PaaS. With her diverse education and diverse work experiences, it gives her unique perspectives. She’s a mentor to women and encourages them to take the path to leadership. She is the Diversity and Employee Resource Group Leader working on intersectionality initiatives for racial equality, equity and justice. She is an active volunteer in her community.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory?
I am an immigrant, a person of color, caregiver, avid questioner of status quo, continuous learner, and a believer that goodness prevails. My background is in Computer Science and Molecular Biology. I am a people leader and have built products and services for Fortune 500, Cloud and SaaS companies including Identity Management, security, data storage, marketing, and platform Services. I have managed multiple teams in different locations around the world. I have rich experience in change management and have successfully taken my teams through various acquisitions. It’s been very fulfilling for me to mentor, inspire and grow my teammates.
I am also a Diversity leader working for racial equity, justice and inclusion. I have been helping strengthen an inclusive workplace environment that enables the maximum potential of employees’ talents, skills, and abilities, as well as provides new perspectives that enhance positive collaboration and communication across our organization.
Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
This pandemic has taught me a lot of things. One thing I have learned is that when life gives you lemons, you can complain about the lemons or you can make delicious recipes like lemonade, lemon pickle and lemon sorbet. My daughter started middle school last fall in the middle of the pandemic with remote schooling. Usually there’s walk throughs and shadowing to make it easier for kids and their parents to transition to middle school from elementary school. This was not easy to do over virtual engagements. I could have just sat there complaining about all of the different issues and challenges. Rather, I suggested creating a group for parents of incoming 6th graders so that we can share information, answer each other’s questions and support each other. The suggestion got thumbs up from a few parents. I immediately created the group and sent out the link and made it easier to share. This group has been a great support system and resource for us during remote schooling this school year.
Another such example is the Covid Crisis in India. I can complain about a lot of things that have gone wrong and can feel helpless. Since I wanted to focus my energy on being part of the solution, I created an information hub curating all the available resources India wide and also in each state so that people can get timely help. This hub is providing support and help to the needy by making use of the resources and solutions available and putting it in one easy to use place. My kids are also helping out in this effort. It’s gratifying to be able to do my little part in helping people.
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. We would like to explore and flesh out the trait of resilience. How would you define resilience? What do you believe are the characteristics or traits of resilient people?
Resilience is unique to everyone. It doesn’t have to come after a big setback or be marked by a big event. It could be as simple as making dinner for your family at the end of the day when you are tired. It could be taking 15 minutes for yourself to do meditation or a hot bath. Resilience, to me, is to the act of moving forward and to not give up on the things that matter to you. Resilience also means to be ok with letting go of things that drag you down.
All of us are resilient in our own ways and in our day to day lives. This pandemic has increased resilience in all of us even if we don’t realize it. Reflect back and think about how much you have grown in the past year. The main thing is not to compare your lives to others and your resilience to others. Trust me if you are reading this after going through 2020, you are resilient.
When you think of resilience, which person comes to mind? Can you explain why you chose that person?
My father was a true embodiment of resilience. Both my parents migrated to India (when they were kids) after the India-Pakistan partition in 1947. My dad’s family had lost everything. My dad, when he was a teenager, used to work during the day and study under the streetlight at night since they couldn’t afford electricity at the time. He started his own business and was a self-learner. There were times when the business would not make much, but he kept going, pivoted when needed and never gave up. He always had a smile on his face no matter what else was going on. I grew up seeing him display courage, resilience, and grit. He instilled the value of hard work and education in me and my siblings. I am here today because of his efforts and practicing resilience in the face of hardship.
Has there ever been a time that someone told you something was impossible, but you did it anyway? Can you share the story with us?
When someone tells me the word “impossible”, I take it up as an opportunity to prove them wrong. One example is during undergrad, I decided to pursue Computer Science along with Biology. There was no such program for undergrads at that time, so I decided to pave my own path. Carrying huge biology books in programming classes and vice versa was quite an experience. Computer Science classes had only a handful of girls but that didn’t intimidate me. I worked hard and I got perfect scores in classes from both disciples. I graduated with honors for both degrees and was chosen as the class speaker for the Computer Science department graduation.
Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share a story?
I immigrated to the US from India during 11th grade. It’s not easy to go to a new high school let alone in a new country. I had to get acclimated to a new school, new people, and a new culture. In addition, I had to complete my credits for graduation, learn about something called SATs, and learn about the college admissions process. I spent my weekdays trying to fit it in, studying till late to maintain the GPA, and spent weekends studying for SATs and writing college applications. There were so many changes in my life all at once. I felt tired, sad and overwhelmed but I was always hopeful. I learned quickly that instead of looking at the mountain ahead of me, I just need to focus on my next few steps. As long as I can keep moving forward and don’t give up, I’ll be able to finish the climb and get to the mountaintop. That’s what happened and it was a great crash course in resiliency.
Resilience is like a muscle that can be strengthened. In your opinion, what are 5 steps that someone can take to become more resilient? Please share a story or an example for each.
How does a baby learn to walk? The baby falls often, takes help of surrounding furniture, slowly learns to gain balance, and finally learns to take one step, one more and then one more until she can walk by herself. Resilience is built into us, and we have been doing this ever since we were babies. To keep building up the resilience inside us, here are 5 tips.
Mindset: We need to be a little easy on ourselves when there’s a setback, hardship, or a failure. We need to realize that setbacks and challenges are part of life. We need to get up and keep going just like the baby falls a few times but eventually learns to walk.
Stop ruminating: It’s very easy to get lost in the spiral of negative thoughts when something doesn’t go according to the plan. In those moments, we need to take some deep breaths, focus on what’s under your control and let go of what’s not. Practice gratitude to come out of rumination. It’s very beneficial to think from a long-term perspective. Ask yourself, would it matter in 5 years? If so, then let’s learn from it and keep going. If not, then let it go.
Don’t compare: Everyone’s life is different and what you see is not the whole truth especially on social media. So do not compare your success, challenges, efforts or ability to cope from setbacks with others. Take pride in the fact that you’re unique and there’s no one else like you.
Appreciate yourself: I bet you are really good at criticizing yourself, all of us are. You need to be intentional about appreciating yourself. Take a moment to acknowledge when you do something good, when you overcome a challenge and when you don’t give up. Resilience is a muscle, so remind yourself of your daily resiliency and it’ll start to build up. As a bonus, you may start feeling happier
Ask for Help: None of us are superman or super-woman, so stop pretending to live up to this false image. When you ask for help it takes courage and shows your strength. You don’t have to do everything alone. So, ask for help when needed such as hiring a babysitter or relative to look after kids, taking some time off from work when feeling overwhelmed, ordering takeout instead of cooking, and seeking counseling. Mental health is equally important as physical health. You’ll be surprised that people are willing to help if you allow them.
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. 🙂
Take at least 15 minutes for yourself everyday. These 15 minutes are yours and spend it doing something you like such as listening to music, singing, dancing, walking, exercising, meditating etc. It could be for anything you enjoy doing but it should not include looking at a screen or device.
We are blessed that some very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them 🙂
I would love to meet Melanie Perkins who’s the founder and CEO of Canva. I would love to have a conversation with her about her experience as a female founder in the tech industry.
The Future Is Now: Ray Shingler of Spotselfie On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up The Tech Scene
It’s going to take longer than you think. This one would have helped with my frustration level at times with the market and user adoption. Sometimes your idea or product is so far ahead of its time that you need to wait for the demand or use of the product to get traction. It took years for some of my ideas to be of consumer value.
As a part of our series about cutting edge technological breakthroughs, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ray Shingler,
Co-Founder and Vice President of Product Development for Spotselfie™, with over 25 years of experience and numerous awards in developing digital solutions for online and mobile products, microsites for educational and commercial content, social networking sites, and video games. Ray specializes in digital product development with an emphasis on creative direction, management and gamification. He has a proven track record in producing, managing, and launching digital environments for Fortune 500 companies such as Intel, Cisco, HP, and IBM in both the B2B and B2C markets.
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 was a mechanical engineer by trade early on in my career. I was introduced to 3D CAD back in the mid 1980’s and loved the creative aspects of it, which took me to my next career phase — in 1997 I built a 3D interactive game, which I controlled all aspects of from storyline to mechanics. Called “Time Engineers,” the game was built with a grant from Eli Lilly, and helped teach science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to middle school students.
A large media company in England, United Business Media (which was eventually acquired by Informa), then heard of the game and contacted me to build them a microsite to teach technology to students. I soon became an employee of the company and worked in their new Chicago studio to build other microstites and virtual event platforms for Fortune 500 companies such as Intel, Cisco, and IBM. That is when social networks started to grow across the nation, and I built a few smaller versions for a niche field of engineers at these companies to help increase collaboration amongst the different groups.
After the dotcom era bubble burst I was laid off, and was still following the tech scene when I first heard about the new buzz of Augmented Reality (AR). It clicked with me early on that a platform that used AR alongside the concept of current social networks would create the perfect storm to help people get back out in public to socialize, while still providing them with the digital tools they love. My idea to combine the two technologies to build the first AR powered social network was incubated in December 2015, and my team launched the “TeepeedU” social app in August 2016, when our patent was filed with USPTO. Since then, we were awarded our patent in late summer 2020, and have revised the technology and rebranded the platform as the “Spotselfie App” which is now available in the App Store and Google Play.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I have had five primary careers so far in my life; a Mechanical Engineer, 3D Game Designer and Producer, Director of Development Web Studio, Director of Digital Content Simulation for Military Training, and finally, the VP of Product Development for a Social Network. There are stories from every one of these stages!
No matter how small of a team you are on or how few resources you may have, you can still achieve accolades and product development wins, just like larger companies with 100 times the personnel and resources. I have been on small teams that have won numerous awards in the video game industry and innovative web design; teams that have built one of the top used simulated training systems for the US armed forces; and teams that beat out Silicon Valley big technology companies to secure multiple patents in the next generation of social media networking through mobile devices and augmented reality. All to say, small and agile companies have the power to be more productive and inventive than giant corporations, which face more roadblocks that slow down innovation.
Can you tell us about the cutting-edge technological breakthroughs that you are working on? How do you think that will help people?
Spotselfie™ is the first patented augmented reality smartphone application that allows users to post pictures, videos, stickers and other digital material geotagged to locations across the country. Created specifically for social interaction programming, other users on the app can view the posted content in AR via their own phones, as they simultaneously walk throughout the digital landscape. These posts promote user engagement, with fun social interactions that subsequently take place in the real world, allowing people to connect with others faster and with more physical interaction than they normally would while using traditional social media platforms.
Augmented reality is the future of all social networking. Not only does the app connect users with one another, but there are endless possibilities for local businesses and brands to advertise to new customers in real time. Spotselfie works to unveil the future of social apps by combining emerging technologies like AR with the existing technology of social media, creating an app that is innovative and keeps all consumers at the heart of its purpose.
How do you think this might change the world?
As more emphasis is being placed on real-world interaction than strictly online relationships, consumers are becoming more aware of the amount of time they’re spending on devices each day by utilizing screen time tracking apps. With the COVID-19 vaccinations moving forward and people starting to return to a more normal lifestyle in the coming months, we’ll still see the need for both in person and online interaction. Spotselfie provides a way for people to connect online based on similar interests and then bring this connection to the real world. While the communication begins online, the level of engagement through augmented reality that Spotselfie allows enables individuals to foster relationships in real time. This is how we can help foster a hybrid environment as individuals take on their new normal.
Keeping “Black Mirror” in mind can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
As with most social media platforms these days, people are worried about their privacy and want to ensure that their data is protected. To combat this, Spotselfie is giving the control back to the user. This means each individual chooses if someone can see their profile in AR, whether they appear in profile searches, and what image is displayed. No GPS data is saved or shared with others and GPS movement cannot be tracked by other users. In addition, no data is shared with third parties.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?
Watching my teenage daughter and her friends with their heads down into their phones at dinner one night and noticing how detached they were from what was going on around them, combined with my recent research into how Augmented Reality (AR) could help. I knew we could never get rid of their devices, but knew I could transform it into a more face-to-face experience. These two goals created the perfect storm for a vision to build a new social platform powered by AR.
What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?
Spotselfie fosters social engagement on new levels for individuals, brands, and local businesses. During a time where individuals cannot always connect with others due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, this augmented reality connection is necessary to create and maintain social relationships. To reach widespread hybrid adoption, Spotselfie needs to continue expanding its user base through in-person community connection.
What have you been doing to publicize this idea? Have you been using any innovative marketing strategies?
By using an open beta, our team at Spotselfie has been able to update the application based on user feedback. We began inviting both individuals and organizations to participate, allowing for a broad range of user engagement. We also included a ‘feedback’ button directly in the application so users could provide their suggestions quickly and efficiently.
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?
As a child and into my teenage years, I came up with several different ideas that I wanted to do, and my parents were very supportive and did not stop me from pursuing them by saying, “How are you going to do that? How are you going to pay for that? Do you know anything about how to do that? Try something easier first.” I read everything I could get my hands on about each subject matter, and my parents never got tired of my dreams as a young man. I wasn’t raised to think, “Can I do it?” but more, “I CAN do it.”
Since then, I’ve built complete processing plants in 3D on CAD systems before it was mainstream to use 3D engineering and design. I designed and developed my own 3D educational video game that beat LucasArts and Walt Disney productions in game design at the Bologna New Media Awards for Time Engineers. My game was in the finals against Nintendo and a few other large gaming corporations for the award. I also won numerous awards in web microsites design at UBM Studios for tech Fortune 100 companies such as Intel, Cisco, and IBM. I had the vision and directed the development of an AI-powered video concierge that would lead you to content on their websites based on the information you already had consumed off their sites. It was a new way to immerse web visitors into the site’s content.
I have been part of a team to rethink military training into a simulated digital environment to protect our Armed Forces in battle better so they can return home safely from defending our country and our way of life. Currently, I’m working on a new experience in social networking powered by augmented reality (AR) to facilitate more face-to-face interactions between users. I hold three patents in the AR social media tech industry and four continuation applications.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
My video game inspired young students to become engineers to solve problems in the world with science, technology, engineering, and math. It made engineering fun to get them on the right path to a college degree at an early age.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
It’s going to take longer than you think. This one would have helped with my frustration level at times with the market and user adoption. Sometimes your idea or product is so far ahead of its time that you need to wait for the demand or use of the product to get traction. It took years for some of my ideas to be of consumer value.
Marketing and PR is a must! Great ideas are just great ideas sitting on the shelf if no one can hear or read about them. Allow money and effort to market your ideas. Get a good PR firm to work with you on exposure. No matter how good the idea or product is, that alone won’t get adoption or sales. BUT, don’t let that stop you from building it! Keep the process moving forward.
Get the IP first (patents) Cover your ideas right off the bat with a provisional patent. You don’t have to have the concept built yet before you apply for it. That cost me seven months of prior art coming up in my first round of patents and kicked my idea out. Put away money for the patent work and don’t touch it for anything else. Protect your IP.
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. 🙂
To bring back our society from being in their rooms by themselves, endless scrolling in their social feed, and getting them outside walking through the social feed around them with more face-to-face interactions with people from their community. I want my technology to bridge back to humans’ live interaction and stop being mean by hiding behind their digital posts, criticizing someone they don’t even know. We will always have smartphones, but life passes you by as you spend hours a day captive. We need a good mix between the two.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“If that is the worst thing that can happen to me today, I’ll be alright.” Don’t take failure as the end of the world. Don’t worry about money. Don’t worry about a mistake. I didn’t get the job or promotion, my car broke down, etc. It applies to them all. That in life, something terrible could happen to you or your family, so anything other than that will be fine and will pass. Stay focused on your career goals with more positivity when ideas or products fail at different levels during development.
Some very well-known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
Spotselfie is the first patented augmented reality social platform. With the Spotselfie app’s urMojo feature, users have more control over who views their content by answering 16 questions about individual traits, preferences, intentions, personality, and interests. The Spotselfie interface then provides the user with a list of other users in percentage order of how they match up, allowing users to moderate their content/community in a safe, vetted way. In a time where security over user data is top of mind, our platform provides peace of mind. As we all adjust to life after COVID-19, Spotselfie is able to give users a hybrid environment of online interactions that can lead to in person conversations.
The Future Is Now: Rudi Lueg of Exotec On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up The Tech Scene
Explore other post graduate education options like an MBA. I earned a Master of Science from The Nuremberg Institute of Technology in Germany, and it was one of the best things I could have done for my career.
As a part of our series about cutting edge technological breakthroughs. I had the pleasure of interviewing Rudi Lueg.
Rudi Lueg, Managing Director of Exotec North America, is responsible for leading Exotec’s expansion into the North American market. Exotec is a global robotics company, building Goods-to-Person (GTP) System based on 3D robot fleets for Fulfillment Centers. The company recently raised a $90M funding round and signed Gap as the first North American Customer. Rudi has three decades of experience in the supply chain industry at industry-leading companies including KNAPP, Fortna, and SDI among others.
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 ended up building my career at the interception of logistics and robotics primarily due to my fascination with mechanical engineering and information technology. The first time I saw a conveyor system in a warehouse, I was instantly drawn to the combination of technology, infrastructure, and operational systems. Since then, I dedicated my career to finding the best ways to route, sort, sequence, store, and fulfill goods with various technologies. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have found my passion and did so at the time when retail is embracing this massive transition from brick and mortar to ecommerce, which presents a host of interesting logistics challenges to be solved.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
When I was still working at Dürkopp (later acquired by KNAPP) in Europe, I remember celebrating our team reaching 10,000 items processed in one shift. It was a monumental effort from the entire team, and we could not have been happier about hitting that milestone. Just a few weeks later, when I was chatting with one of my American peers, I learned that they have been routinely processing that volume in just one hour, every single day. This piqued my curiosity about the scale and the efficiency of their operations and sparked my initial interest in coming to work in the U.S.
Another story that jumps to mind is from the first time we tried to build an online fulfillment system at SDI leveraging already existing retail equipment. It was a very painful process. It took us several attempts and many changes to build an acceptable system from the solutions that were available on the market at the time. This experience opened my eyes to the fact that the “retail equipment” that was designed for getting goods to brick and mortar was not suited to meet growing ecommerce fulfillment needs. This is why I am so excited about the solutions that Exotec is bringing to the market. I am motivated to help logistics professionals solve incredibly complex challenges like ecommerce fulfillment.
Can you tell us about the cutting-edge technological breakthroughs that you are working on? How do you think that will help people?
My current focus is to bring sophisticated robotics and automated order fulfillment systems to fulfillment centers in the U.S. and around the world. For nearly a century, the retail industry designed material handling systems to deliver goods to, brick-and-mortar stores from a centralized distribution center. However, today the retail landscape is much more complex. Decentralized, omnichannel shopping is commonplace and ecommerce sales account for more than 20% of U.S. retail. While the retail landscape and how consumers purchase goods has evolved, brands’ logistics infrastructure is still catching up.
Many retailers tried and failed to shoehorn their brick-and-mortar supply chain infrastructure to meet growing ecommerce demand. One of the primary challenges was reconciling inventory inaccuracies with brick-and-mortar equipment. For example, oftentimes manufacturers send additional inventory — 32 red shirts as opposed to 30 because they have additional materials. For a brick-and-mortar store, this margin of error is acceptable because the shirts are distributed to stores in large volumes, so it became a common practice. Ecommerce is an entirely different story because apparel orders are fulfilled as individual items, making inventory visibility and accuracy paramount. This is just one of the many challenges logistics professionals face when deploying an ecommerce fulfillment strategy.
How do you think this might change the world?
Robotics and warehouse automation will increasingly become the foundational infrastructure for modern life. From clothes, electronics to groceries to beauty products, everything that we buy online will depend on a highly efficient order fulfillment system. To be clear, malls and brick-and-mortar stores are here to stay, but I believe they will look much different in the near future. Instead of supplying massive stores with a ton of inventory, I envision retailers adopting a “showroom” approach to in-store shopping, similar to what Ikea has been doing for the past 40 years. This model has already been adopted by many successful brands including Warby Parker, Bonobos, and Glossier.
Keeping “Black Mirror” in mind can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
I often encounter the myth that AI and robotics will eventually control humans or kill jobs. I highly doubt it. Rather, I believe we are at the turning point in the latest industrial revolution that will enable machines to empower humans. Put in a different light, most individuals reading this consumed food that they did not grow, harvest, and prepare. This was not the norm multiple generations ago — all of our ancestors were farmers. Technology changed the way we procure food so that we had more time to do different kinds of work. I think the same is true with supply chain automation. Human-centric technology has the potential to improve warehouse working conditions and create a better environment for operators.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?
When I worked for a traditional equipment manufacturer serving retail, I witnessed the company attempt to pivot their approach to better support direct-to-consumer retail. This is no small feat. To me, the transition was akin to GE or Toyota pivoting to electric cars or Nokia launching a touch screen. I realized how difficult it is for companies to disrupt themselves. I was inspired to be part of a company driving innovation and change in warehouse automation and happened upon Exotec’s automated storage and retrieval system.
What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?
As with any innovative technology, we need to identify pioneers and early adopters who understand that supply chain automation is inevitable. Since Piggly Wiggly®, invented self-service grocery store in Memphis, Tennessee in 1916 consumers have been retailers’ primary “pickers” within brick-and-mortar stores at no additional cost to the retailer. Now that more goods are purchased online, brands are taking on more picking responsibilities. To put things into perspective, if all consumers stopped going to physical stores tomorrow, we would need more than tens of million people to accommodate direct-to-consumer sales. We’re approaching a 5th industrial revolution where consumers will continue to want their goods and services quickly, affordably, and conveniently. Meanwhile, brands face the pressure to customize and personalize their product to compete. Robotics and engineering aren’t the end. They are the means to a reality that we have not yet invented.
What have you been doing to publicize this idea? Have you been using any innovative marketing strategies?
The Exotec Skypod system is a combination of hardware and software, but it is an inherently physical product. Many supply chain leaders want to see how it works with their own eyes. For this reason, we prioritize live demonstrations as much as possible. This fall, we are installing a demo system in our North American headquarter in Atlanta and by the end of this year we will have our systems set up in Gap and Decathlon facilities.
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?
Don DeSanctis, founder of SDI, changed the course of my career. Back in the eighties and nineties he was working on distributing supply chain automation solutions for apparel retailers, a field that I found to be incredibly interesting. He discovered me in Europe, took me under his wing, and encouraged me to move to the U.S. Don taught me many valuable lessons about client management and the importance of trust and loyalty. I fully credit him for transforming me from a German geek into an executive and strategic thought leader. His impact on my career cannot be overstated.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I am a big believer in paying it forward. In Don’s footsteps, I am extremely intentional about making time to coach young engineers and make sure that the next generation of talent has all the tools that they need to succeed in leadership roles. Beyond that, my work creates tangible value for Exotec customers — retailers and brands — and their employees. Our technology helps improve working conditions for millions of warehouse workers around the globe and that change can meaningfully contribute to the quality of their lives and long-term well-being.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
Explore other post graduate education options like an MBA. I earned a Master of Science from The Nuremberg Institute of Technology in Germany, and it was one of the best things I could have done for my career. I focused on studying artificial intelligence and wrote my thesis about self-organized neural networks. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of education, and I encourage all those fortunate enough to have the opportunity to seize it.
Don’t get comfortable in your career too early. Often, I find young professionals are so eager to get a job and do well in that job that they will settle and get too comfortable with the first company that offers them a role. However, I believe there’s tremendous value in exploring different industries after college. Specifically, I think consulting firms provide new graduates with a unique vantage point into many different companies and fields.
Remember sales is king. It’s somewhat intuitive that sales are important to a company because without sales there is no company. However, too often young professionals overlook the art of selling and the critical professional development experience one can gain from a sales role. Regardless of an individual’s role at a company — marketing, engineering, accounting — I believe everyone must first learn how to sell the core product or offering in order to do their job effectively.
Prioritize soft skills. It’s no secret that soft skills are both the most critical to master, but the toughest to coach and learn. No one studies critical thinking, empathy, and patience yet they are fundamental skills required across every industry and at every company on the planet. Prioritize mastery of the soft skills because you will always need them in your professional and personal life.
Take care of your family and friends. The bleak reality is that at the end of the day we are all replaceable. Business will go on independent of any one individual. For that reason, we must always remember to take care of those around us and maintain a healthy balance between work and personal life.
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 want to inspire people to fight global systemic poverty. I believe that if we prioritize education and foster ethical and conscious capitalism, we can eradicate hunger and poverty worldwide. I believe capitalism, when properly applied, is the best model we have for solving large scale problems in the most efficient way. A good recent example of that is BioNtech, a company founded by two highly educated immigrants that delivered a COVID-19 vaccine in record time.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Always trust your gut, it knows what your head hasn’t figured out yet. As an engineer, I tend to be extremely rational in how I approach the world, but sometimes the best approach is to trust your gut feeling.
Some very well known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them
As more retail spend shifts online, the efficacy of a brand’s ecommerce operations will make or break the business. Enter Amazon that leveraged its unprecedented scale to set consumer delivery expectations. If you are in retail, it’s do or die, but few businesses can afford to match Amazon that spent nearly a decade automating and honing its ecommerce capability following the acquisition of Kiva in 2012. Retailers need sophisticated, easy-to-deploy, scalable solutions that can help automate their ecommerce operations to win market share and thrive in this new retail environment. Exotec is uniquely positioned to help customers meet that need with Skypod systems that have been deployed by some of the largest retailers in the world including Gap, Decathlon, and Carrefour.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Please reach me on LinkedIn to learn more about Exotec or if you are interested in joining our team — we’re actively hiring in the U.S. and around the world.
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
Test, test, test. We started a long way from where we are now. Without having tested and changed many things, we would not have been able to move forward, even with an outstanding amount of capital or mentorship. You have to test your idea on the field before you ask somebody else to believe in it.
As a part of my series about “Big Ideas That Might Change The World In The Next Few Years” I had the pleasure of interviewing Brian Pallas.
Brian Pallas is an Italian entrepreneur, CEO, and Founder of Opportunity Network, a private business matching network for highly vetted CEOs and private investors worldwide. Brian holds a B.S. in Business Management and an M.S. in Economics, graduating with honors from the Catholic University of Milan. He also worked at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he gained experience in private equity and investment banking, before being sponsored by them to complete an MBA at Columbia Business School in New York, where the idea of Opportunity Network first began.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you please tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
To be honest, I had no idea that I would end up being an entrepreneur. It has always fascinated me because I grew up surrounded by my father’s family business, but I didn’t expect to become an entrepreneur myself. I got my BSc in Business Management and I then went on to complete a Master’s in Economics, graduating with honors from the Catholic University of Milan. Then, I worked at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where I gained experience in private equity and investment banking. After working for two years, I was sponsored by the company to complete my MBA at Columbia Business School in New York.
While at Columbia, I decided to create a newsletter where people could share business opportunities in order to help my father expand our family business in Milan. He had always refused to create a sales or marketing team, and was relying on his personal network for work. While very successful, this approach never really allowed him to scale. The newsletter wasn’t very sophisticated. People would send me a three-line email about an interesting business proposition. I circulated it in a monthly email to the people in the club who knew and trusted each other. Soon, I found myself with almost a billion dollars’ worth of aggregate opportunities blowing through my business school email, and when I saw people making $10 and $20 million deals, I realized we had something.
I could have gone back to work for BCG or I could have tried to pursue a career in Private Equity, but when I understood that Opportunity Network was turning from an idea into a concrete project, and that it could make an impact on the world, I thought I couldn’t miss the chance to at least try to make it happen. Here we are, seven years later, hosting a network of 45,000+ CEOs from 130+ countries and in 100+ industries, with a total transaction flow of $400BN.
Can you please share with us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
At the very beginning, we were lacking scale and it was hard to match even the most standard deals.
One day a guy sent forward an US$10M project for the prospection of very specific, rare earths in Tanzania.
I thought there was no way that we would ever match that, and wondered whether to even share it. We did, and within a week the guy got two contacts. The second one reverted back asking us to take down the deal as they came in late and the guy had already closed the deal with the first contact.
This blew our mind, until we realized that those rare earths were critical for screening medical devices and that pharmaceutical companies were really struggling to find enough suppliers.
That day, we realized that what we were creating went way deeper than our industry knowledge or capabilities, and could stand to help so many companies grow.
We now have 45,000+ members and are able to match 70% of deals with 4 counterparts in 48 hours. We hear stories like this every day but the sense of wonder never left me.
We feel we’re scaling serendipity.
Which principles or philosophies have guided your life? Your career?
In Philosophy, there is a concept called ‘degrees of freedom’. When the degree of an individual’s freedom increases, the opportunity to get more results that are different from the standard arises. My philosophy as an individual, not simply as an entrepreneur (this was one of various options), has always been to keep as many options open as possible. My first job as a consultant expanded the range of options available to me. Similarly, the additional choice of the MBA was made with the idea to continue expanding my optional range further. I believe that, rather than specializing yourself, it’s better to have not only a plan A to move forward, but also a plan B, C and D, even within the same thing that you are doing. Obviously, this requires more time and effort, but it allows you to use the value from the different options and gives you a higher degree of freedom.
Ok thank you for that. Let’s now move to the main focus of our interview. Can you tell us about your “Big Idea That Might Change The World”?
We dream of a world where it won’t matter whether you’re located in New York, Bologna or Tanzania. A real global plain level field where every entrepreneur has equal access to business opportunities and grows based on merit. We believe that this will also propel the creation of jobs and increase wages in emerging countries.
Most companies’ success is driven by having access to the right people at the right time.
Finding an investor when capital is needed, new clients to expand, a supplier in times of crisis… These are the things that separate winners from losers, sometimes even more than the quality of one’s product or service.
Our purpose is to foster economic growth through providing all reputable CEOs and investors worldwide with equal access to business opportunities. Our network connects vetted CEOs and decision-makers worldwide with reliable counterparts for all their business needs. We aim to increase global GDP and standards of living in emerging markets as well as facilitate global business transactions by breaking down trade barriers and acting as a catalyst for business and economic growth.
Members simply have to post their business opportunity and our matching algorithm will share it with potential counterparts within our network of 45,000 highly vetted business leaders. On average, every opportunity receives at least one connection in the first 48 hours, and the total transaction flow on the platform is $400BN. This offers unprecedented scale and capacity for any type of company to grow faster than any competitor. Our innovation has changed the way business is done and transformed it into a simple and reliable process.
How do you think this will change the world?
All members are vetted by our trusted partners which are all prestigious financial institutions such as Banco Sabadell, The London Stock Exchange, YPO, Alfa Bank, UBS, BCI Bank, ABN Amro, Caixa Bank, BBVA, and Credit Suisse, among others. We believe that a reputable CEO in Azerbaijan should have access to the same opportunities as a reputable CEO from the USA. Therefore, by facilitating global business transactions and connecting vetted CEOs who may not have had the chance to meet otherwise, we are acting as a catalyst for businesses to grow and expand. This, in turn, will increase GDP and improve standards of living in emerging markets, as well as provide more job opportunities.
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this idea that people should think more deeply about?
Well, if we were to onboard a good percentage of all reliable CEOs, rather than facilitating the Enterprise Sales market ($100k — $10Bn market), we would become the main conduit for it. As a platform, Amazon and Alibaba go through significant scrutiny from regulations due to their power to drive market dynamics.
What we would have to face would be even more significant, as the decisions we make as a company would have the potential to shift market dynamics between countries.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this idea? Can you tell us that story?
With the goal to help my father expand our family business in Milan, we created a newsletter where the members of the Family Business Club of Columbia Business School could share business opportunities.
We soon found ourselves with almost a billion dollars’ worth of aggregate opportunities blowing through my personal business school email and when we saw people making $10 and $20 million deals, we realized we had something.
What do you need to lead this idea to widespread adoption?
More of the same! We’ve been running this company for 7 years now and have moved from 0 members to 45,000 CEOs using our platform to do business with one another, and a $400 billion deal flow. We’re here fighting hard to add the next 2 zeros to our track record.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
Test, test, test. We started a long way from where we are now. Without having tested and changed many things, we would not have been able to move forward, even with an outstanding amount of capital or mentorship. You have to test your idea on the field before you ask somebody else to believe in it.
Work with potential customers to create the perfect solution they want and ignore everyone else’s opinion. I’ve seen too many companies fail because they would close themselves in a room and come out of it with great, clever solutions that no one really wants.
If you throw money at a solution, you scale a solution. If you throw money at a problem, you scale a problem. 4 years ago, we did not have our technology team figured out and we threw a million euros at hiring a lot of very capable software engineers. A year later, all of them had left and we were in a worse position. We finally found an amazing CTO who, with much fewer resources, managed to put the house in order. Now our tech stack is top-notch. This applies to teams, products, customer management… Anything.
There’s a cost to coordination in terms of agility. Minimize your headcount until you have a solid core business that can sustain itself. I know a CEO who raised a 30M seed round and immediately hired more than 100 people. But he did not have a client value proposition figured out. He spent most of his time doing weekly all hand meetings with plenty of people, unable to catch up to the required strategy changes that every early stage start-up goes through.
The two most important skills for an entrepreneur are Sales and HR. As companies scale, the latter is what makes all the difference. It blows my mind that no MBA offers HR classes.
Can you share with our readers what you think are the most important “success habits” or “success mindsets”?
Success is a context-related concept. An idea is only a winning one if it serves someone’s purpose. If an idea doesn’t add value, it won’t work. If you look at the whole concept from this perspective, you shouldn’t focus on success itself but on the concept of utility: it’s inherent to the social structure of a country’s economic system and people’s habits. Once your idea creates (or adjusts) a system in a way that adds value, you’ll be successful.
Some very well known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
We’re solving the biggest bottleneck to global GDP growth.
What makes us wake up in the morning every day is the impact we’ll be bringing to millions of people around the world by enabling companies to grow, create new jobs and lift first vs third world barriers.
We operate in a 30T winner takes it all enterprise sales market, vs. the 25T Amazon retail market and 20T wholesale Alibaba market.
We have already reached the critical mass needed to prove that it works, and we now just need to do more of the same.
Will we win? We don’t know, but building our critical mass has been so hard that somehow, 7 years into this we’re the only horse in this race.
Debra Roberts of The Communication Protocol: Giving Feedback, How To Be Honest Without Being Hurtful
To build and sustain a thriving business, leaders must be effective communicators. A big part of being an effective communicator is learning how to give feedback. Honest and direct feedback is critical, but it will only be effective if the leader has established trust with their team.
As a part of our series about “How To Give Honest Feedback without Being Hurtful”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Debra Roberts.
Debra Roberts, LCSW, helps savvy businesspeople navigate important conversations. She is an author, conversation expert, public speaker, and developer of The Relationship Protocol communication model. Her proprietary and practical approach to communication revolutionizes how we work together. It is at the core of The Communication Protocol, an online professional development program for teams. She is a columnist for Inc.com, has written for Business Insider and been featured as an expert on multiple media platforms, including The New York Times. Visit www.therelationshipprotocol.com.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
I am Debra Roberts, LCSW. I started my career as a licensed clinical social worker and became an EMDR certified trauma consultant working in private practice and consulting with businesses. For a long time, I worked in the nonprofit sector, including an organization for troubled youths, legal services, a mental health clinic, and a national health organization.
For more than 20 years, I’ve been in the trenches working with people in all types of difficult and challenging relationships. I’ve counseled individuals and couples and consulted with family businesses, educational institutions, and small and large corporate entities.
I developed The Relationship Protocol® model because, throughout my career and during these varied experiences, one thing has been consistent: communication shapes relationships and impacts the quality of every aspect of our lives. But a lot of us don’t know how to communicate.
Good communication requires us to be vulnerable, honest, and real. It doesn’t come naturally to most people, but it is something we can learn. And when we know how to say what we need to say, our lives change for the better. Immediately. We engage with one another in a way that creates a real sense of community, connection, and belonging.
I’ve watched my clients and organizations learn and apply these practical and life-changing skills again and again. And as a result, I’ve seen their lives and relationships improve dramatically in many ways. It’s meaningful, impactful work because everyone deserves to feel heard.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
At The Relationship Protocol®, we have a proven and practical model for teaching people how to communicate with one another in a way that reduces conflict, honors the needs of both people in the relationship, and focuses on moving forward. My communication model is based on my extensive field research and 20+ years of experience working professionally with all types of relationships, both personal and business. I’ve worked with thousands of people, some who are struggling and some who simply want to stop avoiding conversations and resolve everyday problems. Through my work, I’ve become a conversation and relationship expert, and I’ve combined that experience with my training as a licensed clinical social worker and certified trauma therapist.
I’ve taken my expertise and translated it into helpful and actionable tools that everyone can use. The Relationship Protocol® communication model is transformative and actionable. It teaches the fundamentals for how to have the conversations that people want and need to have.
Good communication is a necessary life skill. Most of us did not learn how to communicate when we were growing up. Our parents didn’t know how to resolve their differences or have open and honest conversations because it wasn’t modeled for them. And no course in school teaches us how to be more confident communicators or deal effectively with conflicts. Yet communication is how we connect, and it is all too easy for us to fall into unhealthy patterns at home and work. The good news is that effective communication is a skill that everyone can learn.
When we launched The Communication Protocol™, an online professional development program for companies and teams, we brought our practical approach to communication to the workplace. We knew we were giving those who worked with us the skills they needed to defuse conflicts and create stronger, more positive relationships, but we didn’t fully understand the bigger impact the program would have on the companies we work with. Many of our clients report an increase in productivity, collaboration, engagement, and overall job satisfaction.
We recently had a follow-up call with a media company that went through our program. Like many companies, they have had frequent disagreements amongst team members during staff meetings. These disagreements were a long-standing and frustrating problem for both management and the teams. They decided to use the material they learned in our course to resolve their differences, and quickly, they got great results.
They realized they needed to change how they spoke to each other because it stopped others from feeling heard and led to fast-growing arguments. Now, for the first time, they have a plan for how to handle their differences productively for future meetings. They created communication rules for how to talk to each other going forward, and they are excited to see how much more productive their meetings will be!
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
When I first wrote my book, “The Relationship Protocol: How to Talk, Defuse and Build Healthier Relationships,” I didn’t want to be in the spotlight. I didn’t want my name or picture on my book. (I was overruled on that request!) I wasn’t on social media. In truth, I was happy to go about my day in relative anonymity and maintain my world as it was.
But I started to see people really respond to my book. I heard story after story about how my book changed someone’s life. And then it hit me: this is bigger than me. And by shying away from the public eye, I am standing in the way of reaching more people and helping them to become more confident communicators.
That realization changed everything. That’s when my work became my mission, and I pushed through my fears and stood a little taller. While it’s still not my favorite place to be, I’ve embraced the role as best I can, and I’m proud of myself for continuously stepping out of my comfort zone for the sake of reaching more people. Since then, I’ve been featured in The New York Times, The Cut, Real Simple, and Well + Good. I’ve also appeared on podcasts, television, and I’ve even become a columnist with Inc.com. It’s not what I expected, and it’s still a bit unreal, but it’s very exciting!
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?
Early in my career, I worked with a very animated person, and I imitated him without thinking. I leaned in towards him and I waved my finger in his face, just as he had done to me. My imitation of him was lighthearted, and at that moment, I asked him what he was hoping to accomplish by pointing his finger at me.
The second it came out of my mouth, I thought, “Oh boy, what did I just do?”
Thankfully, he thought it was hilarious and immediately started laughing. No one had ever done that to him. He was someone who imitated other people, not someone whom others would joke with. I learned that I need to be more grounded and present when I work with clients and not be impulsive. I was lucky that time. I got away with it, but it could’ve been a disaster!
What advice would you give to other CEOs and business leaders to help their employees to thrive and avoid burnout?
Leaders have a responsibility to teach their staff how to be more effective communicators. Basic communication is key to the long-term success of an organization. It reduces stress and increases staff morale. Good communication helps people feel connected and cared for, and when people feel connected and cared for, they are more engaged and happier in the workplace.
Employees must be given the tools they need to express themselves in an open, honest, direct, and kind way. They need to know that their opinions and feelings matter. It is up to us, as business leaders, to create a space where these conversations can happen. We have to set the tone and lead by example.
That also means that we are responsible for creating a sense of connection and belonging within our organization. Periodically, a manager or supervisor should contact every employee in the organization to connect with them, check in, and determine if they need any support. The conversation has to be a meaningful interaction, not just something to check off the list. By taking the time to talk with their team and get a true sense of how they are coping, business leaders can help stave off burnout by redistributing work or supporting their team in coming up with a plan. Over time, these conversations build a relationship based on trust, which allows their team to truly thrive.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
Leadership exists when the person at the helm is honest, communicative, inspiring, and intelligent. A leader is thoughtful in their decision-making, and curious about the people who work with them to build their business. They care about the people on their team, and they show it.
In my work, I often talk about how to release and relieve stress. As a busy leader, what do you do to prepare your mind and body before a stressful or high stakes meeting, talk, or decision? Can you share a story or some examples?
Before an important conversation or public appearance, I take a minute to become very aware of my breathing. I sit up straight and breathe until I feel grounded. Whenever possible, I go for a walk to release some of the stress. I prepare ahead of time, and I use the same techniques that I teach.
I have a worksheet called “How to Prepare for an Important Conversation” that I often share with attendees when I give a talk. I want people to feel prepared for all types of interactions, but particularly high-stakes conversations where they might not get a second chance with their audience. This resource helps them prepare for a conversation by planning how they want to come across, start the conversation, and navigate through it.
Ok, let’s jump to the core of our interview. Can you briefly tell our readers about your experience with managing a team and giving feedback?
I’ve been consulting with individuals and businesses, working with business coaches and advisors, and managing a team of employees and freelancers for many years. Teaching people how to give and receive feedback is at the core of what I do. I’ve helped teams communicate better with each other and with other teams within an organization. My work focuses on teaching people how to bring up topics and address conflicts to have more productive conversations and positive outcomes.
This might seem intuitive but it will be constructive to spell it out. Can you share with us a few reasons why giving honest and direct feedback is essential to being an effective leader?
To build and sustain a thriving business, leaders must be effective communicators. A big part of being an effective communicator is learning how to give feedback. Honest and direct feedback is critical, but it will only be effective if the leader has established trust with their team. To establish trust, the leader must temper that honesty and directness with kindness, compassion for the person receiving the feedback, and a focus on finding a solution instead of placing blame.
When leaders understand how to give feedback in a thoughtful, direct, and respectful way, it builds trust. It also leads to fewer mistakes and misunderstandings. Everyone knows what is expected of them because the guidelines and expectations are clearly laid out. That reduces stress and increases productivity and engagement, which improves both the company culture and the bottom line.
One of the trickiest parts of managing a team is giving honest feedback, in a way that doesn’t come across as too harsh. Can you please share with us five suggestions about how to best give constructive criticism to a remote employee? Kindly share a story or example for each.
Good communication is even more important when you’re giving constructive criticism to a remote employee because neither you nor your employee has the benefit of body language to help gauge the other person’s reaction. Here are five suggestions — really more of a sequence of five steps — for navigating that conversation:
State your intentions up front. For example, tell your employee, “We need to have a serious conversation about how we can help you to improve your time management and work product.” When you give someone the heads up as to why you are having the conversation, it puts their mind at ease. They stop wondering about your intention for the conversation.
Reinforce their value. Say to your employee, “You are an important part of our team.” Everyone wants to feel valued, connected, and important. Saying those words are just as important as showing that they matter with your actions. A meaningful interaction holds way more importance to them than you may realize.
Speak to the facts whenever possible. If there are any doubts about the information you are discussing, or it is an emotional topic, talk about the facts. That reduces the chances that the other person will object to your comments. For example, you can be prepared with actual dates, if relevant, or an accounting of what took place during an event without editorializing the details.
Give them a chance to respond. Feedback and constructive criticism shouldn’t be one-sided. Allow your employees to ask questions and express their feelings about the information you are sharing. You may hear a different perspective or understand more about why their work has not been up to par. And that information might help determine the best path forward.
Give them the benefit of the doubt. Go into the conversation believing that your employee is interested in what you have to say and that together you can come up with some solutions.
Can you address how to give constructive feedback over email? If someone is in front of you much of the nuance can be picked up in facial expressions and body language. But not when someone is remote. How do you prevent the email from sounding too critical or harsh?
Email is an imperfect form of communication at the best of times, and giving feedback over email is especially tricky. The more emotionally charged the interaction, the more important it is to have the conversation in person or over the phone.
Even minor suggestions are subject to misinterpretation over email. But, if you must provide feedback over email, start by writing something positive about the person or situation. That will engage them so they can read and begin to digest the rest of your email. Then follow the same steps outlined above: state your intentions, reinforce their value, and speak to the facts. If you fear a misinterpretation, mention your concern in the email. You can say something like, “Please don’t misinterpret my words as being angry or upset. I’m merely making a strong point.”
In your experience, is there a best time to give feedback or critique? Should it be immediately after an incident? Should it be at a different time? Should it be at set intervals? Can you explain what you mean?
Everyone deserves to receive some feedback, whether formal or informal, regularly. When your team is working day to day, offering some feedback can be motivating and helpful in gauging how they are doing. Otherwise, they may think they are functioning well while their supervisor gradually becomes more and more annoyed at their lack of attention to certain projects.
If there’s been an incident, it is best to address it as soon as there is an opportunity to do so. The longer you wait, the easier it becomes to push off the conversation. And if you wait too long, the conversation loses its context, and the other person might feel like it’s coming out of left field. They might focus their attention on why it took so long to receive feedback instead of how to resolve the matter and move forward.
How would you define what it is to “be a great boss”? Can you share a story?
A great boss is someone who cares about their employees and acknowledges their team’s efforts and commitment. One of the CEOs I’ve worked with makes an effort to have small group lunches with different members of her 100+ staff every week. Her goal is to check in, get to know her team, and take the pulse of her company. She wants to hear their feedback and ideas as much as she wants to connect with them as individuals.
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 love empowering people by providing them with simple and effective communication tools. As a part of that, I am a big proponent of being kind and giving others the benefit of the doubt. It doesn’t cost us anything to be kind to one another and think about the person on the other side of the conversation. And doesn’t everyone deserve to be given the benefit of the doubt? When we do, we are more open to listening to the other person. In turn, they receive us more positively.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Marian Wright Edelman, the founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, wrote an article where she described listening to Dr. Martin Luther King’s orations in the chapel at Spelman College when she was a young lawyer. She quoted Dr. King as saying, “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
That quote really resonates with me and is at the core of my work and my life. You can plan all you want, but sometimes you just have to get started.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can learn more about my work on my website: the relationshipprotocol.com. I am on Instagram and Facebook at @therelationshipprotocol, and I enjoy connecting with people on LinkedIn. Finally, you can read my biweekly column on Inc.com
Thank you for these great insights! We really appreciate the time you spent with this.
Rising Through Resilience: Berge Abajian of Bergio’s International On The Five Things You Can Do To Become More Resilient
The first step to being resilient is to remain laser-focused. You have to remain concentrated, and every time you are hit with a problem, to learn from it and keep moving forward. Another essential part of becoming resilient is having clarity on your future. If you don’t know your end goal, you cannot strategize your game plan to get there.
In this interview series, we are exploring the subject of resilience among successful business leaders. Resilience is one characteristic that many successful leaders share in common, and in many cases it is the most important trait necessary to survive and thrive in today’s complex market.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Berge Abajian.
Berge Abajian is the President, CEO, and Head Designer of Bergio (OTC PINK: BRGO), a global leader in jewelry design and manufacturing. Established in 1995, Bergio’s signature innovative design, coupled with extraordinary diamonds and precious stones, earned the company recognition as a highly sought-after purveyor of rare and exquisite treasures from around the globe. With family jewelry roots reaching back to the 1930s, Berge is a third-generation jeweler, blending superior knowledge in design to create unparalleled collections. He took the company public in 2008, allowing the Bergio brand to grow, diversify and increase its global presence. Most recently, Berge led the acquisition of Aphrodite’s, a fast-growing jewelry e-tailer, for $5 million, and announced the intent to acquire GearBubble, a B2B e-commerce fulfillment platform, for $3.2 million.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory?
As a third-generation jewelry designer, I have always been surrounded by creativity and a passion for design. Every aspect of running a successful jewelry brand, from the design conceptualization to the manufacturing, all the way to the customer experience, was something I was obsessed with continually perfecting. In November 2009, we became a publicly traded company under the symbol BRGO. We created a marriage between a long history of design excellence and a keen business understanding of the jewelry industry. I wanted to forge my own path to success and have always taken big risks knowing it was needed to reach my vision.
Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or “takeaways” you learned from that?
Often, I can connect the dots before those around me. I can see what others at first may not. It happens pretty often that I am trying to push a project or idea forward, and not everyone can see the vision. About 25 years ago, when we were just getting started, I launched the Yellow Diamond collection. Everyone thought I was crazy. And while a complicated process, it was one of the most successful collections I have ever brought to life. About a decade later, I launched a semi-precious stone collection that was really difficult to get off the ground. And again, it was a top seller. I like to write the book when it comes to the jewelry industry and never be a follower.
What do you think makes your company stand out?
We have an unwavering commitment to designing original pieces. When I set out to design a new collection, I painstakingly make sure that each piece is particular and nothing similar has been made by anyone else. At Bergio, we make sure never to follow trends; we prefer to set them. Our collections are always at the forefront of the industry, whether it is our ultra-luxury yellow diamond pieces or our recent top-selling fashion jewelry line — the designs are always making a statement and setting trends in the industry.
None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are?
There was not a single person I would point out in my entrepreneurial journey as the one who made all the difference. But rather, it was numerous people that contributed to my success, and I was able to pick up talents and skills along the way. They were all wise and significantly older, allowing me to gain a historical perspective and learn from their mistakes.
How would you define resilience? What do you believe are the characteristics or traits of resilient people?
Being resilient means not to be afraid and to keep forging on the path you have set out, even when things get difficult. I knew I wanted to do things differently from the very beginning, and I accepted that others would not always see my vision. Often, I can connect the dots before those around me. I can see what others at first may not. It happens pretty often when I am trying to push a project or idea forward, and not everyone can see the vision. But I find if you inspire those around you, it will help get them on board.
When you think of resilience, which person comes to mind? Can you explain why you chose that person?
When I think of resilience, I think of myself. My business has been public for over 13 years, and I have made it my personal mission never to accept failure. No just means not right now, and a mistake is an opportunity to learn. So many people quit just short of reaching success, and I make sure never to make that mistake. I stay on course and keep moving towards my goal.
Has there ever been a time that someone told you something was impossible, but you did it anyway? Can you share the story with us?
Everyone thought I was absolutely crazy when I decided to become a public company. Nobody understood why I was choosing this unique path for a jewelry brand. But the funny thing is that now after so many years of it working out, I have those same people asking me for advice on how to go public themselves. As a public company, I have raised millions of dollars without ever having to sacrifice the creativity of the business. So yes, some people might have thought and maybe still think I am a little unconventional with my ideas, but they have not failed me yet.
Did you have a time in your life where you had one of your most significant setbacks, but you bounced back from it stronger than ever? Can you share that story with us?
My most significant setback was selling in Russia. It actually started out quite successfully until their currency, the ruble, dropped drastically in value in a matter of days. Just like that, we lost two-thirds of our equity. I had to quickly exit Russia and move all that business back into the United States. Not wanting to go back into the wholesale business, we pivoted into retail. It was a bold move, but I moved forward with opening my first retail store in New Jersey. Shortly after, I was able to open our next store in Atlantic City. It has been a short five years later, and everything on the retail side has come together.
Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share a story?
I have learned that you gain your experience as you go to business. After graduating college, I dabbled in several industries and learned a little bit from each one. At each company I worked in, I learned a little bit more about resiliency. Resiliency is built over time. You may be born with it, but you become better at it as you encounter different situations that you have overcome.
Resilience is like a muscle that can be strengthened. In your opinion, what are ways that someone can take to become more resilient?
The first step to being resilient is to remain laser-focused. You have to remain concentrated, and every time you are hit with a problem, to learn from it and keep moving forward. Another essential part of becoming resilient is having clarity on your future. If you don’t know your end goal, you cannot strategize your game plan to get there.
Is there a person in the world with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why?
My favorite person in the world was Jack Welch, the CEO of General Electric. He sadly passed away in March of last year. He was and still is one of the only famous billionaires who I genuinely admire. His success didn’t come from luck; he was a fantastic businessman. His intelligence impressed me greatly.
Foster creativity. As a leader, it’s not just about my ideas coming through but setting up an environment for the best ideas to come through. Making it possible for people to feel empowered to come to me and say ‘I have a better way to do this’ or ‘I had an amazing idea and want to try it out.’
The Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality & Mixed Reality Industries are so exciting. What is coming around the corner? How will these improve our lives? What are the concerns we should keep an eye out for? Aside from entertainment, how can VR or AR help work or other parts of life? To address this, as a part of our interview series called “Women Leading The VR, AR & Mixed Reality Industries”, we had the pleasure of interviewingDr. Evie Powell.
Dr. Evie Powell is a games researcher and developer specializing in immersive interactions and prototype design. With a unique career bridging gaming and healthcare, she integrates game design and UX design to create meaningful experiences that help people learn, play, and work differently. At Proprio, her focus is on anticipating how surgeons think and designing a suite of tools to empower them to think and perform optimally. Previously Dr. Powell founded Verge of Brilliance LLC, an independent experimental games studio in Seattle, and worked at Microsoft on natural user interfaces and the Kinect technology at Xbox. She graduated from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte with her Ph.D in Computer Science. Her research centered on socially pervasive game experiences and context aware gaming using mobile technologies.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you grew up?
Ever since I was little, I’ve always been into video games. I’ve also always been into math, science and music and knew whatever I did, I wanted to be creative. I just didn’t know how to turn science or math into that. I was at odds with being a musician or math professor but video games seemed like a cool bridge. Games are the perfect combination of programming and engineering with beautiful stories that you can get lost in and the music is incredible. I realized from an early age I wanted to get into that space and use engineering and math for play. So I went to college, studied game design and development at UNC Charlotte and got into game-based research.
Working with my PHD advisor, Dr. Tiffany Barnes, I did a lot of research on games for education. I then pursued a graduate degree in that same area and went on to pursue my masters in graphics and visual arts and continued on to achieve my PHD in pervasive game design. Games not only have an innate sense of teaching and learning, but also this amazing ability to over time transfer that learning into the real world. Through game design and contextual systems, like pervasive systems, highly mobile and context aware systems, I realized I could further bridge the gap between play and things that can affect you in real life.
Is there a particular book, film, or podcast that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
There’s a nonfiction book by Johan Huizinga called Homo Ludens. It’s the idea of play theory and where you find play and games in society, in the things we do, in law, in war and all these things. It creates this sort of framework for people to think about how play affects people, even if they don’t think of themselves as gamers, and how play affects society. It talks about how the things we do for entertainment and enjoyment are also how we solve problems. It helped me think about if I was going to change the way people thought about games, I needed to think about all the ways we defined games. When we think about games being a very tightly bound game with rules, you can make things more discrete and constrain problems with special, temporal or social boundaries and that’s where we thrive. It helps us wrap our heads around ideas. That book really impacted my work and the way I view life.
Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue a career in the X Reality industry? We’d love to hear it.
Back when I started Verge of Brilliance, which is an experimental games company, I wasn’t really into VR/AR. However, I went to a hackathon and got to play with a prototype Oculus Rift when it was very early on. It was really neat but I thought I could really see this going somewhere in a year. Six months to a year later I was at another hackathon, Ludum Dare, and someone had a prototype of the Vive and I started working on a game there. I built this environment, got it set up, had a whole room with my team to ourselves. I remember getting the environment in place, putting the headset on and beaming myself into my own game and walking around in it for the first time and I was blown away that something that was in my imagination for so long, I was now in it! I was hooked. It was transformative. I had always imagined where the future was heading but I was shocked that my reality was what I created.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this fascinating career?
There’s this one game I put together, an epic snow day adventure, that stands out in my mind. I was actually contracting another VR game that took a long time to build — turning the code into something executable took some time for the computer to churn through. So while I was waiting, I pulled up another game engine and started building another game with whatever came to mind. I put together a snowy world and I remember thinking this goes really well with a song I was listening to over and over again. So I placed it in the background and it was such a nice little world that I ended up putting my headset on and laying in this virtual world (in reality I was laying on the floor in a collaborative workspace) and letting the snow fall on me, looking at this virtual sky, listening to my favorite song. I was like ok what do I want to do now — I want to make a snowball! What’s interesting is the mapping isn’t what you’d traditionally see. Typical controls map to game controls you put in your hands but in my world it was like you had to reach down onto the ground and pack the snow just like in real life and then actually throw it like you would in reality. I remember that being my first interaction and experience with embodiment. Just the idea that the person feels like they are there, that’s easy, but having the person behave and act like they are there is really special and triggers something in your mind. When you feel embodied you use all your senses and you’re able to feel and learn with your whole body rather than just a small part of it. People thought the effect was really interesting. In fact, that game made its way into the Pacific Science Center in Seattle where visitors get to play it.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Can you call them mistakes if you were doing them intentionally? For example, I was going to a lot of talks about do’s and don’ts of VR from folks who have been doing it a while. One person said to me, “just try it even if someone tells you it’s a bad idea. Try it and see if you can understand why they tell you not to.” So, one of the first things I wanted to try was to break that sense of trust that a person isn’t going to actually fall in real life when they fall in VR. I wanted them to feel the rush associated with falling in my virtual world. So I made it so the player fell into a level I was building. So when you first start the game, instead of just appearing in the virtual environment already standing, you would fall onto this platform. I would launch the character into the air and onto a safe platform but they felt like they were actually falling. People would brace themselves and their knees would give out — people actually fell onto the floor! I didn’t do that for very long but it drove home that even though the world I created was virtual, it was real enough to override the sense of being in the physical world. It was also enough to override logic. It was clear that the player was giving me access to their perception of physical presence. It’s important to take care of the player when you have that kind of influence.
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?
Dr. Tiffany Barns, my PHD advisor. I was one of her first students at the Games 2 Learn Program she started at UNCC, and she was instrumental in me pursuing my masters and PHD. If it weren’t for her, I never would have pursued my PHD or gone into the field I’m in today. It’s hard to find funding to help pay for your masters and that’s what I was interested in — I didn’t want to be a professor or get a PHD. A masters was good enough. But she brought to my attention that funding happens through the PHD program. She was right, I had the funding to complete the PHD and along the way I was doing such powerful research that to this day I try and repeat what I was doing at the lab. She helped me understand how to think about all problems and find answers when there are none.
She also helped me build the world I want to see and be in. There are many things about me that make me different from people in my field. One of the things I took away from her is to find a champion and then be a champion to someone. These words have a lofty sound but it’s simple. People don’t go through this world alone, even if they think they do. There’s always someone or a series of people who believe they can do what they set out to do. If you’re under represented, that’s harder to find so you have to make a conscious effort to find them. That’s something I sought out in her and others in my career, and inversely something I thought was necessary to give back. People don’t need much. They just need someone who knows the shortcuts and can remind them they belong here and that they know what they are doing. That has been helpful in my career in being able to stay in an industry that is underrepresented and find ways to make an impact.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
I am working on technology at Proprio, a company that is changing the way information flows in an operating room and transforming surgery through technology. It’s super exciting to work on something that directly impacts lives and is changing the way surgeons think about their patients. We are bringing a sense of embodiment to surgery. If surgeons have the feeling of being in the body or seeing the body in a way that talks to all their senses, I think that is something that will help focus them and help them do their jobs quicker, more comfortably and safer. There’s a lot we can do by introducing machine learning and contextual mental processing to help surgeons not just see more information, but see it differently and see it as it becomes irrelevant or relevant to them.
I’m working to introduce calm technology. Today’s surgical systems are big, gaudy and distracting. If you can create an experience that not only makes more information available but is smart enough to know when to take information away so surgeons can focus in a very busy operating room, you are creating something truly special. At Proprio we are taking information and layering it with contextual awareness and augmented systems. I’m really excited about how all that tech comes together because it’s going to change our operating rooms.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. The VR, AR and MR industries seem so exciting right now. What are the 3 things in particular that most excite you about the industry? Can you explain or give an example?
I already talked a bit about it above, but it’s exciting to think about how VR, AR and MR can help information become calmer. Right now, we are sort of at this crossroads with technology. When we think about the tech we access today such as a smartphone, it’s always on and always with you and always asking you about stuff or telling you about stuff. We spend a lot of time focused on our phones and that’s a problem. When you think about phones and push notifications, every app wants to tell you about something. Constantly fighting this idea of knowing what’s happening across all areas in different apps you’re interested in knowing about. With augmented reality, imagine wearing a set of glasses with built-in GPS, how do you show info about where you need to turn without distracting the user? How do you know when it’s safe if the user is focused on something else? There’s a lot of AR research and interest in answering those questions. What happens when something is always with you and attached to you, how do you create a level of awareness to know when and what info to show the user? If done correctly, information becomes quieter — you don’t have to search for it or dismiss it because it’s evaluating your world and what you are hearing, seeing and experiencing. I find that it’s hard for people to envision a world like this today because technology is currently rarely built with this in mind. Technology seems like the ultimate distraction nowadays.
My go-to example is if you have a set of glasses on and it’s evaluating the world around you and sees your mouthwash is low — currently it’ll say ‘hey your mouthwash is low’ and tells you when you’re in the bathroom when you can’t do anything about it. In the future, technology will tuck that info away and if you’re at the grocery store it’ll remind you your mouthwash is at 10% and there’s a sale on mouthwash in X aisle. It’s listening and knows you’re shopping and is a good time to remind you.
I’m also excited about this idea of asymmetric experiences. Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality are all tools people can use to complete a task and they have very specific purposes. AR, I think of environmental matters and it’s great for things where you need additional information overlaid on top of the real world. VR is virtual content that is best for story telling, empathy and putting yourself in someone’s shoes. Eventually, technology will converge so that both of these experiences are possible at the same time and it’s all based on what the person needs at the time. If they need focus, story telling or entertainment, the headset goes ok and transports the person into that world. When they need additional info about the world around them or the ability to tease out a lot of information, then maybe AR is more important. A world where people can get information in the most effective, efficient way and work together to solve the same task will be really cool.
Right now everyone can agree if they didn’t have their phones they wouldn’t be able to function. It’s one thing that’s good and bad. AR, VR, MR will bring us together in a way we never thought possible. One thought experiment is what if maybe in 5–10 yrs everyone has glasses or contacts where they have basic augmented info and what it does is inside the glasses there are microphones to hear what people are saying and parse whether it’s your native language and if it’s not, it presents subtitles over the heads of people talking to you and translates for you. Imagine this in a classroom where everyone speaks different languages but can all fully understand each other! That changes the way classrooms are done. People can go traveling without worrying about being unable to communicate with the locals ; people would be able to meet in groups of no one speaking the same languages but still work and get jobs done. The best of the best could come together to solve big problems.
What are the 3 things that concern you about the VR, AR and MR industries? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?
Downside of these technologies is for them to be really impactful, people need access and it needs to be affordable. That’s key to building a world like I just mentioned. Not having that tech could exclude a lot of people and populations. So while I’m excited about the future, I’m hyper aware and interested in making sure that everyone gets to have access to technology. It should be provided in public schools and libraries, so people can get familiar with how to use it so they don’t end up at a disadvantage.
Another concern is that not all data is good data. For every technology we’ve had there are ways people have exploited it. The ability for people to filter the content that’s coming through to them is going to be key. If anyone can throw up virtual data or alter data, it’s hard to know what is reality and what’s not. A fun thought experiment is to imagine a series of augmented reality, wearables, etc. that’s always processing — pervasive systems — a set of tech that’s always evaluating the world around you and adjusting for your own comfort. There’s a lot of value but the downside is the potential to lose shared experiences. For example, if it’s too bright out it puts a filter on. Or if you’re too warm, it’s regulating your temp through your clothes. If technology is constantly doing this stuff for you, the shared experiences of what the day is like will disappear. The idea of what is real and what’s not becomes a lot more blurred and subjective based on what personal settings you set for yourself. It’ll be interesting to see how people navigate that world. But indicates that level of control people need to be aware of and protect.
Another concern is the ability to turn things off so people can’t infiltrate your reality without your express permission. This will be imperative. And if you have a VR experience that scares or triggers you, there needs to be rules and ways for people to have a kill switch. When people get scared in games, they tend to toss the headset off and throw it because they were so shocked or scared. There’s a really good game that I saw that helped with this. I let my niece play a game that had zombies in it and she was surrounded and got really scared so she held her head down, looked at the ground and closed her eyes. She stopped moving and what was cool is that the game recognized, through enough user testing I’m assuming, that if they go into that stance they are likely not having a good time. I was watching her play and when she did that they all stopped moving and making noise — that’s smart design.
All of this is going to affect us in ways we’ve never experienced. Designers need to be more mindful as a result and people need to have more control. I’m hopeful for the future and there’s a net good that comes from technology.
I think the entertainment aspects of VR, AR and MR are apparent. Can you share with our readers how these industries can help us at work?
Context and focus are key areas VR, AR and MR can help. There are ways information comes to us using our eyes that are unfiltered and when we get information that way, there’s a lot of processing we go through. Same goes for selective hearing to filter out noise. Our brain has to do a lot to filter out noise we get from our environment. When I think about immersive systems, people always need more information but need to filter out the stuff that’s not relevant. For both sides of the spectrum in extended reality, both systems have a way that information can be created so most important info comes through and they can focus on what’s relevant and help the brain remove noise. I can imagine technology that can help enhance selective hearing, filter out your periphery for less distraction, highlighting a person of interest in a crowd so they are easier to find. Also there’s the concept of rerouting information. Maybe information coming through your ears might be better coming through your eyes through color or texture to help you better interpret it.
Two years ago I went to a talk where someone was working on a virtual reality for people that have trouble seeing. Most VR is focused on your eyes and showing information, so how can VR help someone who is having trouble seeing? They have technology that reroutes information that comes through your eyes. For a lot of degenerative eye conditions, it’s focused on the front of vision and not your periphery. Degenerative conditions can often leave your periphery intact. VR could take the letters on the page you are reading and redirect to the periphery so that someone who is legally blind can read because the text is displayed where they can still see!
Redirection, focus, filtering out noise and changing the way info gets to the brain will help people in the workplace in valuable and meaningful ways.
Let’s zoom out a bit and talk in broader terms. Are you currently satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? If not, what specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?
Well…no, not really. I think that depending on what industry you’re in there are steps that are being taken, but just because we might be on the path doesn’t mean we are where we need to be. The Seattle VR community, for example, is focused and committed to bringing more underrepresented people into this space and not just because of the goodness of their heart. We’ve learned very valuable lessons of what happens when you leave big chunks of populations out of the building process. When only one type of person is there to represent that type of technology, you end up with only a fraction of customers and consumers you would normally have. Not just that, you leave off the table a ton of ideas and walks of life for people who think differently. Ideas and innovation suffer when you don’t have representation. The Seattle community is aware of that and they host a suite of different hackathons with different focuses and try to get people involved in the design process even if they don’t have the engineering background. A lot of good work is being done ensuring these different ideas get through to the technology.
But more work can be done. For example, making it so people feel like they belong in a space and that they can do what it is they are setting out to do. A lot of the time, people think ‘oh if you get the education and you get the degree you’ll be fine and go do your job and that’s that.’ But it’s very trying if you only see one other type of person who resembles you, thinks like you, or lives like you. It’s tiring if you feel like people are constantly pointing to you as the example of diversity. Clearly it’s not very diverse if the same person is in every article focused on diversity and broadening participation. I’ve read articles and talked to those who have a degree and after a couple years say the industry wasn’t for them because it didn’t feel like a space that wanted to include them. There’s a lot companies can do to make sure that the people they hire, especially at the junior level, have the community they need. Companies can send them to conferences for example. For me, GDC is something I go to every year and I love it because I can’t help but meet other women like me who are focused on gaming and futuristic technology. That meeting once a year is so meaningful to me — it’s like having your champions surrounding you. The ability to talk about your unique challenges and ask for advice from people with similar experience and background who can validate your feelings or help you tackle a challenge is invaluable. Forming a community is very important.
There’s always room for improvement and a lot that has been done, but we are just scratching the surface so that women, people of color, LGBT, people who are neurodivergent, everyone can have a place and make an impact.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about working in your industry? Can you explain what you mean?
It depends on where you’re from. I don’t think this myth is as big of an issue in the PNW but one thing I fought with a lot as a kid and as a young girl was that engineers, scientists and mathematicians are people who have trouble holding conversations, are introverted and the like. I think in a lot of ways I fit that description, so I’m not going to say that’s not true. The myth is that the industry is ONLY made of people that fit that description. Building technology is a very human problem to work on. Especially nowadays with information and technology being a global scale problem. There are a lot of different types of people that build technology. Just because someone is an engineer doesn’t mean they have to abandon being social, being feminine, or being themselves. If you have a mind for engineering and you enjoy it, you should be an engineer.
Technology is built for all types of people across the spectrum so we need all types of people representative from all communities and genders and neurodiversity — we need that representation to make technology that works for everyone. If you leave it to the people you think fit that space, then that’s who the technology will be for. It’s not just for one type of person.
What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience as a Woman in Tech” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
Don’t be afraid of mistakes — they are a part of the process. They are just as important as successes.
Find your champion, be a champion.
Have someone you can talk to and talk through your concerns and doing and being that for other people. This also helps with imposter syndrome — a lot of people fight with that. To me, it’s not something I’ve fought with in the last couple years or for a while but that’s because I surround myself with people who are willing to help and I am that person for others as well. Hearing my own problems through other people helps me put things in perspective.
Foster creativity. As a leader, it’s not just about my ideas coming through but setting up an environment for the best ideas to come through. Making it possible for people to feel empowered to come to me and say ‘I have a better way to do this’ or ‘I had an amazing idea and want to try it out.’ This will help you be a better and more creative thinker by hearing all these thoughts from people but it will also help you create the next generation of people. When people feel heard and their ideas turn into products they will work harder, smarter and want to collaborate more.
“Maybe you can do anything, but you can’t do everything” Someone told me this and it’s a lesson I learn over and over every few months. I enjoy a large variety of hobbies, side projects, and research interests. There’s a lot of good that comes from my willingness to jump into a lot of different things, but focus is good too. Furthermore constraints are usually one of the driving forces of creativity. Figure out what your goals are, figure out the story you want to tell, no matter how ambitious, and use that focus to do something amazing. Oftentimes, it is not a matter of if you can do something, but will you stay focused and driven enough to do it.
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 would bring it back to the idea about people being left behind by technology. It would be to come up with processes for getting technology into the homes of people that are underprivileged. One thing that worries me, a social issue that keeps me up at night, is the idea that certain people who are perfectly capable to be the next gen of engineers or thought leaders will never get that opportunity because they don’t have access to the technology to explore now to help them become that person in the future. That to me is one of the greatest tragedies.
Technology is an enhancement, it’s not just a person’s brain that leads them to being the next generation of engineers, it’s the technology they get to work with and play with everyday. Working with big businesses and companies to redistribute technology into public school systems, underrepresented communities and into peoples homes will be transformative. I worked for Habitat for Humanity one year and set up computers in people’s homes and did tutorials for them on how to use the internet, Word, etc., and taught them how to get up and running with the computer. Something like that makes sure kids get access to resources for things like homework and starting to build games. Programs like that are instrumental to closing the technology gap.
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 like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I suppose at the moment, I have a lot of fond memories concerning VR games where Justin Roiland contributed. There is a chaotic, disorienting, and hilarious energy I feel when playing those games, and I would want to talk to him and some of the principles and thinking he uses to tell a story and how he translated his stellar storytelling abilities from animation into VR. I’m also just a really big fan of cartoons and it’s always exciting when two of my favorite worlds collide. I would love it if more of my favorite creators dabbled in VR!
Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!
Wisdom From The Women Leading The VR, AR & Mixed Reality Industries, With Gina Callari of EVOX Images
Support Other Women in Tech: Be supportive of competent women in your field. We all worked hard to get here. Male-dominated industries, such as tech, can create environments for unhealthy competition amongst women. Avoid that temptation and think of how you can coach and elevate others.
The Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality & Mixed Reality Industries are so exciting. What is coming around the corner? How will these improve our lives? What are the concerns we should keep an eye out for? Aside from entertainment, how can VR or AR help work or other parts of life? To address this, as a part of our interview series called “Women Leading The VR, AR & Mixed Reality Industries”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Gina Callari.
Gina Callari joined EVOX Images® in 2014, and prior to becoming COO in 2018, held numerous positions at the company, including Director of Operations and Vice President of Operations.
In her role as COO, Callari has led the efforts to create a mass, CG library of augmented and virtual reality automotive imagery. Additionally, Callari has signed key business partners for EVOX that include the likes of Amazon, Facebook, and Google. She also serves as the COO of EVOX’s sister-company, RelayCars,
Notable clients under Callari’s lead at EVOX include CDK Global, Dealer.com, Kelley Blue Book, Kia, Subaru, and TrueCar.
Callari has over 25 years of experience in the automotive industry and, throughout her roles, has been recognized for her innovation, strategic planning, and ability to create visions that help evolve organizations within the changing market.
An industry veteran, Callari spent more than 10 years with the Los Angeles Auto Show. She spearheaded the show’s support team and logistics and managed cross-functional teams. Before joining the Los Angeles Auto Show, Callari held leadership roles with the Houston Auto Show, Petersen Publishing, and Edmunds.com.
Callari currently serves on the board of the Women in Automotive organization. She is also a member of the National Association of Professional Women, SEMA Businesswomen’s Network, Automotive Women’s Alliance Foundation, and Sandpipers, a 100% women-volunteer philanthropic organization where she held both chair and board positions in the past. She graduated from Pepperdine University with a bachelor’s degree in business management.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you grew up?
Thank you for having me! To start, I grew up in California and am the daughter of an immigrant. I have two younger sisters and when one of them was diagnosed with a form of leukemia, my family’s world turned upside down. Thankfully, my youngest sister was a donor match, which ultimately led to my other sister overcoming her illness. I truly believe that this experience shaped who I am today. I was pushed at a very early age to grow up quite quickly and to learn to be more independent due to the pressures at home and my parents’ focus on caring for my sister. I began working at 15 and learned the importance of having a good work ethic. I have worked very hard ever since, even while attending college and being the first member of my family to graduate. My childhood made me the woman I am today.
Is there a particular book, film, or podcast that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
An insightful book that I read recently is Why We Can’t Sleep: Women’s New Midlife Crisis by Ada Calhoun. This book focuses on Generation X women and their struggles, that oftentimes can lead to a midlife crisis, including divorce, debt, unstable housing, and career development. As a woman, this book really resonated with me as sometimes I can feel like the world is on my shoulders between being a mom and a working professional. This book made me realize I am not alone in feeling this way and put into perspective why women feel that they sometimes struggle with balance. It’s great insight into the ‘why’ behind the societal pressures that women face.
Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue a career in the Mixed Reality industry? We’d love to hear it.
I have a very strong automotive background, with over 20 years of experience in the industry. Prior to working at EVOX Images and RelayCars, I held leadership roles within organizations such as the LA Auto Show, Houston Auto Show, Petersen Publishing, and Edmunds.com. Once I joined EVOX, what truly inspired us to get into the mixed reality industry was the need to make a pivotal shift with our work and gain a competitive edge over others in our space. EVOX leads the automotive imagery market with thousands of stock images, and we constantly pride ourselves on being the most innovative image provider in our space. With this, it wasn’t unheard of us to begin thinking how the automotive market could benefit from VR/AR back in 2014. We started to think differently about what we were producing and how we could change our techniques to capture everything stereoscopically. So, with the changes in those processes, we began to build a virtual reality automotive library as a new way to engage customers. Because my background was in auto and not in XR, I threw myself into the space and attended as many conferences and webinars I could register for, I met with developers, and conducted a ton of research — all to gain some background. We have since grown from just VR and have now taken our photo image library and created a full CGI library of cars to now be able to offer the experiences in AR. I really am inspired by the innovation and forward-thinking in this space, and it’s made working in mixed reality so exciting.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this fascinating career?
Interestingly enough, the COVID-19 pandemic truly accelerated our company’s use of augmented reality. For years, AR has had slower adoption with consumers and wasn’t necessarily becoming mainstream quickly. Once COVID hit, and businesses were forced to close, soon people realized they needed to change the way they were marketing goods and services. Without in-person experiences, there was a shift in the way we all were doing things, especially in terms of retail. Everyone started to think a bit differently, and business and consumers finally began to understand the true benefits of augmented reality. It was rewarding to finally see the lightbulbs go on.
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 first started working with mixed reality, I had no idea how to use the hardware. My first time using a headset, I had no idea where the buttons were and kept tripping over myself. People had to jump in to show me the ropes. Now, I’m able to help others who have never used a headset before and show them just how cool and exciting it is. This technology is still so new to many individuals and it’s so rewarding to see how they react when they experience it for the first time. I love being able to see how much joy the headset can bring.
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?
Having been in the industry for so long, I’ve had many mentors that contributed to the person I am today. David Falstrup, the founder and CEO of EVOX Images, is the individual who introduced me to mixed reality. David has taught me to be more open minded when it comes to production, and just because something works well, doesn’t mean we can’t think of new and exciting ways to branch out. EVOX has now survived three separate recessions because David has continued to put more money behind research and development during these times. He has truly taught me how to think differently to be successful.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
We are constantly working on new and exciting projects at EVOX; however, many are under NDA at this time. We are always creating new products and experiences that will enhance the car buying process and allow for consumers to shop from the comfort of their homes. Years ago, consumers would visit 5 or 6 physical dealer locations before deciding on a car. With our new technologies in place, including AR, customers can narrow down options online and ultimately not have to step foot on a dealer lot to make a purchase.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. The VR, AR and MR industries seem so exciting right now. What are the 3 things in particular that most excite you about the industry? Can you explain or give an example?
The three things that excite me most right now about the VR, AR, and MR industries are adoption, adoption, adoption! The most exciting thing to watch right now is seeing how people are finally taking to this technology. I can’t be successful at my job unless people are using AR and VR. We have been waiting a long time for these technologies to become more widely recognized and now businesses and consumers alike are finally understanding. As previously mentioned, COVID has finally helped to accelerate this mainstream adoption and consumers are no longer just associating this technology with gaming. Now, you can use the Target app to view a rug in your home, or try on glasses through Warby Parker’s app in AR. Amazon is even launching a hair salon in London that will utilize this technology and allow customers to test out different hair colors in AR before committing to a shade. Watching this take off in almost every single industry now is incredible.
What are the 3 things that concern you about the VR, AR and MR industries? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?
One of my main concerns are the perceived barriers to entry with VR headsets. Headsets are currently pretty cumbersome, specialized, and pricey which makes adoption an issue. Additionally, and especially since the pandemic, people do not want to share headsets to have experiences in public places like malls, stores, amusement parks, and more. For this to be addressed, headsets need to become more dominant in households outside of the gaming industry. To achieve this, developers must create VR experiences that people truly need, otherwise headsets will not survive. Additionally, education is key, as well as the rollout of a consumer-accepted headset. This is one of the reasons that AR is taking off a bit more quickly, as it can be accessed through a Smartphone rather than a headset.
Another concern is the speed of web AR implementation. The rollout of these AR experiences on the web need to perform faster. Web AR has severe limitations compared to straightforward Realtime engines that make experiences more difficult to deliver. Latency on tracking can pull users out of the experience and the realities get out of sync. There will need to be an advancement in the quality of assets that are formatted for the web to ensure these limitations get lifted.
From a business standpoint, my final concern is the protection of IP for content AR providers. We need to find ways to keep CG models secure so they are not stolen. Protection of IP is mostly a concern with web AR as it is much more difficult to extract content out of a compiled application.
I think the entertainment aspects of VR, AR and MR are apparent. Can you share with our readers how these industries can help us at work?
Utilizing VR, AR, and MR at work is all about the experience. A great example is with remote working becoming the new normal over the past year. Virtual conference rooms with avatars and boards for presentation purposes can make you feel as though you’re actually in an in-person meeting. These experiences can help to make working from home feel more realistic.
Are there other ways that VR, AR and MR can improve our lives? Can you explain?
Absolutely. Conversations about AR and VR now are already so different than they were a year and a half ago. COVID really transformed the way that we do things and people are shopping so differently now. Enhancing the buying experience with AR and VR capabilities really adds a new layer of convenience to shopping and can help to save time in the long run.
Let’s zoom out a bit and talk in broader terms. Are you currently satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? If not, what specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?
We really need to do a better job about educating females in high school and college about what job opportunities in STEM are out there. There is just no exposure or good information about what jobs exist. The more women know about these career paths, the more they will push math and science courses to the top of their lists. We need to start this at a younger level to really drum up interest. I have a very hard time recruiting women to work for me because women are simply not applying to these jobs. I’ve felt it’s my responsibility to get out to job fairs at high schools and colleges to inform these women what is out there. Bringing women into these jobs increases diversity in the industry and brings new ideas and fresh perspectives to the table. Especially in the auto industry, it’s key to have women in executive roles as women drive the force for purchasing decisions. Women are so capable for these positions and I hope to keep spreading the word.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about working in your industry? Can you explain what you mean?
One misconception I’ve encountered working in automotive is that women don’t have knowledge about cars. People assume you need to know all of the mechanics behind a vehicle to work in the industry or that a woman could never know this. The automotive industry is very male-focused, but you don’t need to know all of the technical aspects to successfully market a car through mixed reality. One of the most powerful people in the automotive industry is Mary Barra, the CEO of General Motors. She took the industry in an entirely new direction and it was incredible to see. At the end of the day, women know how to market to other women.
What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned from My Experience as a Woman in Tech” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
Support Other Women in Tech: Be supportive of competent women in your field. We all worked hard to get here. Male-dominated industries, such as tech, can create environments for unhealthy competition amongst women. Avoid that temptation and think of how you can coach and elevate others.
Keep Learning: Over the past 20 years, nearly every industry has come to rely on technology in some way. We all hear about the accelerating pace of change — this now affects almost every sector. Consistently dedicate time to continue your education. Being knowledgeable will give you the power to proactively direct your career into new growth areas instead of just following opportunities as they present.
Network: Attend industry trade shows, stay current with industry happenings, maintain a healthy network. The people you meet in these early roles can be colleagues for life. They will work for you and hire you. Nurture those relationships. Be kind to people at all levels; it’s both pragmatically good for your career and also nourishes you as a human being. Find a female mentor who can help walk you through the ins and outs of the industry.
Negotiate your Pay: All too often women take the first offer for a job or position. Educate yourself on the market value for the position. Then, build up an argument and negotiate. It’s uncomfortable to ask, but it’s worse to wonder.
Personal Space: Maintain a healthy work-life balance. Keep friends outside of your job and your industry. Keep savings to live at least six months on hand. Occasionally, you will be challenged to compromise yourself ethnically or violate personal standards. The ability to provide for yourself without a job protects you from undue leverage and pressure to compromise.
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?
As a mother, the idea of fair education is so important to me. Inequality in schools is such a real problem. In fact, my son is currently collecting book donations at his school to give to another school in the area that does not have as many resources. So many kids don’t even have a laptop, let alone Wi-Fi, which is a hurdle that truly showed the disparity during remote learning. I’d love to help give all kids fair access to education and the tools they need to be successful.
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 like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why?
I would love to have breakfast or lunch with Michelle Obama. She is the best! She is well rounded, classy, and intelligent. I truly love what she has accomplished professionally, but also that she exudes compassion and is a strong mother. I’d love to pick her brain for insight or simply hear her incredible stories.
Listen and engage with your customer! View them as the true experts. This means on social, phone calls, emails, retailers. Lots of times companies are so close to their product they make excuses when customers aren’t pleased. That is so dangerous. If you address every complaint as if it is true you will find you always live up to your customers’ expectations.
As part of our series about how to create a trusted, believable, and beloved brand, I had the pleasure to interview David Nicholson.
David Nicholson is the proud owner of Natural Body Spa Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia, an organic award-winning day spa, as well as being a Co-Founder and the Chief Branding Officer of The Good Patch, a wellness brand that offers a variety of plant-infused patches. He has been in the spa industry over 21 years, opening his spa in 2000 directly out of college. David’s passion for the spa industry comes from his passion for a balanced healthy lifestyle. He believes that the path to true happiness is through practicing mindfulness, self-care, gratitude, exercise, and eating healthy (at least most of the time). His friend Kelly Brock reached out with an idea of creating a plant-based & hemp product line, now known as The Good Patch, for their spa customers, and David jumped at the opportunity. “I spent the last 20 years working side by side the most talented and passionate spa technicians as well as a fantastic client base that rightfully demanded excellence. When creating The Good Patch with Kelly, and our third partner Betsy Scanlan, my contribution was what I learned from my staff and clients.”
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 working for Atlanta Sports Marketing right out of school and quickly realized I wasn’t interested in a traditional corporate career. At the time I was also very interested in eastern medicine and philosophy so when the opportunity arose to take out a loan and open a boutique wellness spa, I jumped at it. I love the wellness industry and I love working alongside people that love this industry for the healing and self-care aspects. What brought me down The Good Patch path is a lifelong friendship with Kelly Brock, co-founder of The Good Patch as well as fellow spa owner. We had always talked about creating something together so in 2017 when Kelly called me about hemp/CBD we jumped at the opportunity.
Can you share a story about the funniest marketing mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
YES! When it comes to designing the packaging I tend to drive people crazy because I’m never happy and feel it can always be improved. I ask for endless changes (even ones nobody would notice but me). I’m a people person so people tend to work with me but I was making graphic designers go mad… so much so that they had to very politely and sweetly break-up with me and The Good Patch. Have I learned a lesson here… yes. Do I still drive designers mad… yes. I think what I learned is to be more forthcoming of what it will be like to work with me, but more importantly, I’ve learned to not compromise on the details because the details are where I believe it becomes great.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
The Good Patch stands out from other wellness companies on the market because of the experience and life lessons we had as a collective group of founders across similar industries — spa and CBD. We saw our clients come in asking for natural remedies to help certain common ailments, such as joint pain, stress and fatigue — we listened to our clients and saw the opportunity to create something unique, but necessary. Between myself, Kelly Brock and Betsy Scanlan, we had a wealth of knowledge in the natural wellness spaces and understood our target audience’s needs. We were also all business owners prior to The Good Patch, so starting a company with a strong foundation like that set us up for great success. We all went through those learning curves earlier on in our careers, so we could pave the path for this new company by using our shared learning experiences.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
Currently, The Good Patch is expanding our retail partners in order to reach as many consumers as possible that are looking for relief to their common ailments. Additionally, we recently launched our newest patch — Relax. This patch is complete with ashwagandha, passionflower, black pepper extract, and other powerful plant-based ingredients to help users unwind and decompress. Due to the state of the world, more and more people are looking for ways to de-stress after long work days or just whenever they feel overwhelmed. At The Good Patch, we believe that self-care is essential to true happiness so we’re excited to welcome this plant-based patch to our existing line of patches.
In a nutshell, how would you define the difference between brand marketing (branding) and product marketing (advertising)? Can you explain?
I define brand marketing as preparing your product and company for the marketplace and ensuring it aligns with brand values and company strategy. Branding is the foundational work done for your overall business — determining the company’s mission, messaging, packaging, audience and how your product differs from competitors on the market. It comes down to the company’s logo, color scheme and messaging — all of which are ways the brand is represented in the public’s eye. It’s the image you want associated with your brand. While advertising is taking that brand image and spreading the word and message about your products and company to the marketplace.
Can you explain to our readers why it is important to invest resources and energy into building a brand, in addition to the general marketing and advertising efforts?
Branding, marketing and advertising all relate to each other and work together for a common goal, that being said it’s important to determine branding strategies before diving headfirst into advertising and marketing. It’s important to have the brand foundation that I mentioned above of deciding everything from overall message and goal down to the logo, color scheme of website and packaging. Once you have a brand strategy in place, you can work toward deciding where to spend advertising money and getting the word of your company/products out to consumers or whoever you’re trying to reach.
Can you share 5 strategies that a company should be doing to build a trusted and believable brand? Please tell us a story or example for each.
Love this question!
Be Authentic! I think now more than ever you have to be authentic. We are so lucky to have started a business in a field that we truly enjoy and believe in. If you are pretending to care and it’s just about the dollars, you most likely won’t enjoy your work and will lose to someone who does care & have that passion for what they are doing.
You have to surround yourself with people that truly care about their expertise. Take Betsy, co-founder and ingredient guru, I know she will spend sleepless nights working on ingredients to make it perfect…she never settles. In knowing that everyone in our company can speak confidently about our products and that shows.
Never ever settle! When someone says something is good enough that is a sign you have a long way to go.
Listen and engage with your customer! View them as the true experts. This means on social, phone calls, emails, retailers. Lots of times companies are so close to their product they make excuses when customers aren’t pleased. That is so dangerous. If you address every complaint as if it is true you will find you always live up to your customers’ expectations.
Focus more on relationships than conversions. If you only worry about immediate sales you will find you may have a spike, but long term your business will suffer. You must be willing to forgo sales today and build a business that people trust down the road.
In your opinion, what is an example of a company that has done a fantastic job building a believable and beloved brand. What specifically impresses you? What can one do to replicate that?
Patagonia! They 100% practice what they preach. My hope is more businesses will take their lead and focus on sustainability.
In advertising, one generally measures success by the number of sales. How does one measure the success of a brand building campaign? Is it similar, is it different?
I don’t really know the answer to this question. I think what is important to me is how the brand makes you feel. When interacting with our product do you feel uplifted and positive? Second, does it stand out from everything else? Is it unique? If the answer is yes, then that is a successful brand in my book.
What role does social media play in your branding efforts?
Social media allows a company to interact and communicate with its consumers on a personal level. How your social channels appear and operate can help improve your branding efforts and also influences how consumers perceive your company. Engaging with existing and potential customers regularly helps to enhance your image and is important for any business. One recent example I can highlight is an Instagram post we shared right before our launch of the new Relax patch I mentioned above. The day before the announcement, we posted an image with an engaging caption asking readers to guess what our newest patch would be for a chance to win a free sample. Our likes and engagement proved this stunt to be a success, which is a prime example of how you take your brand image to the next level through social media. It provides you a space to be creative and find your own voice, and hopefully engage with like-minded customers along the way.
What advice would you give to other marketers or business leaders to thrive and avoid burnout?
Don’t try to be everything to everyone. If you are passionate and skilled in an area, double down on that one thing and hire people to do the rest.
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 have meditation and mindfulness taught in schools from 1st to 12th grade. In today’s hectic world, students are struggling with the demands of school and personal life. Many times, they end up feeling overwhelmed. External factors, such as social media, peer pressure, and family problems, only make things worse. According to the NCCAM (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine), meditation helps reduce depression and anxiety. In the long run, it improves mental focus and brain function. This makes it particularly beneficial for young people.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I will give you one that is hanging up in my 7 year old daughters room: “Surround yourself with people who make you hungry for life, touch your heart, and nourish your soul.” — Anonymous
I just believe life is too short not to surround yourself with people that bring you up. We spend 40+ hours per week with our coworkers so I think this is very important.
Is there a person in the world with whom you would like to have a lunch or breakfast with? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Oh wow! I would love to sit down with Pete Nordstrom, Chief Branding Officer of Nordstrom. I worked at Nordstrom selling suits and loved every minute of it. I learned so much about company culture, raising the customer service bar, and above all about the importance of loving what you do. How they hire year in and year out people that connect and care is so inspiring.
Remember who you are. Who were you before you married? How are you still that person, only better now? When you stop defining yourself within the context of your marriage, you’ll discover that you have qualities — like strength, creativity, compassion, and resilience — that may not have been fully developed when you were part of a couple.
As part of our series about the “5 Things You Need To Know To Survive And Thrive After A Divorce Or Breakup” I had the pleasure of interviewing Kirsten Mickelwait.
Kirsten Mickelwait is the author of the upcoming memoir, The Ghost Marriage (She Writes Press June 2021). She’s also a writer and marketing specialist at UC Berkeley, as well as a successful freelance copywriter and editor. Her memoir details her 22-year marriage; her devastating divorce, which left her personally responsible for $1.5 million of her ex-husband’s debts; and how she re-envisioned herself to land solidly on her own two feet. A strong theme throughout her memoir is the critical step of forgiveness in order to be able to move on with your own life after a crippling divorce. Now a single mother of two grown children, she spends her non-writing hours singing, cycling, and hiking.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to ‘get to know you’. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I was raised in Palo Alto, California, when Silicon Valley was just a few guys in a garage. My dad worked in the electronics industry and my mom was a preschool teacher. Their marriage was as perfect as a marriage can be: respectful, loving, rational, and full of shared interests. They raised my sister and me within a big community of friends and I have such fond memories of play dates, art classes, cookie-decorating parties, Christmas caroling, and camping trips. I thought that a good marriage was the norm; I later realized what an achievement this was.
Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I was raised to believe that I could go anywhere and become anything I wanted. Most of my life I had studied to become a dancer, but in college my knees gave out and I pivoted to English at UC Berkeley. I’m so glad I did — I’ve built my entire career on writing and editing. I wrote my bachelor’s honors thesis on James Joyce, then my first job out of college was as an editorial assistant at McGraw-Hill’s San Francisco magazine office for Aviation-Week and Space Technology magazine. Talk about a paradigm shift! I suddenly had to switch from verbose academic writing to terse journalistic style. My career then traveled through positions in travel PR, as an entertainment press agent, nonprofit fundraising writing, and pretty much every other possible gig for a writer. It’s been an education of flying by the seat of my pants.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?
Saying you’re a writer can get you access to all kinds of fun things. I was living in Rome in 1984–85 and during the summer the Goodyear blimp “Europa” flew over the city each day. I talked my way (in bad Italian) onto the dirigible by claiming I was a travel writer (which was mostly true), even though Goodyear didn’t want any publicity about access to the blimp. The memory of sailing over the historic center of Rome will stay with me always.
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 you’re an independent contractor, you need to say yes to every assignment and then figure out how to fulfill it. As a typical woman — and already in my fifties — this was really difficult for me when I was starting out — I was mortified at the prospect of disappointing anyone, or failing in any way. I was not in the habit of over-selling myself, or even selling myself at all. But failure was simply not an option. I was a single mom, raising two children in an expensive town with zero alimony or child support. I became fierce about each new assignment, and Google became my new best friend. I’d learn just enough to get me through the kick-off meeting, ask probing questions and present an air of utter confidence. But it was a complete charade! Lesson learned: You really can “fake it ’til you make it.”
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
A.A. Milne wrote, “You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” I don’t think I discovered this quote until my divorce struggle was over, but it confirmed the journey I’d experienced. With every challenge or obstacle that was thrown at me, I refused to cave in. And I was miraculously given the resources with which to fight each battle — whether it was launching my freelance business or taking a real estate mogul to court or standing up to my powerful, angry ex-husband. If you resolve to fight the good fight, you’ll be given the tools you need to win. At least that’s been my experience.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
The Ghost Marriage was a book I didn’t want to write, but others convinced me that I should. I’m now at work on a novel that I’ve been thinking about since I was twenty years old. I’m obsessed with the “Lost Generation” of expatriates in Paris in the 1920s, and my novel focuses on one couple who lived and created in that remarkable culture. I’m not sure it will help people in any specific way, but if you love everything Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Stein, Picasso, etc., stay tuned!
Ok. Thank you for that. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Can you tell us a bit about your experience going through a divorce, or helping someone who was going through a divorce? What did you learn about yourself during and after the experience? Do you feel comfortable sharing a story?
Until I was thirty years old, I was a fiercely independent, curious young woman. It’s quite remarkable, actually, that I met a man who was willing to take me on. Our first 12 years were really quite happy, filled with children and friends and travel. We looked to many, I’m sure, like the ideal couple. But at about year 13, Steve began to change, and I had to make myself smaller and more compliant in order to keep things smooth on the surface, especially with two children involved. I’m quite sure there are many women out there with a similar story. Eventually it felt like I was directing all my energy into keeping him happy and the family intact. At one point, I’d just had enough, but standing up to him to say I wanted out of the marriage was the riskiest thing I’ve ever done. He wasn’t physically abusive, but he was a former litigator — manipulative, aggressive, and used to getting his own way. He made my life scary and miserable for about six years, until he died.
In your opinion, what are the most common mistakes people make after they go through a divorce? What can be done to avoid that?
I think, for most people post-divorce, it’s something that defines them for a really long time; often until they meet someone else to partner with. I don’t think this can be avoided, but I do recommend building your new life as soon as you can. Develop new interests, meet new people, find ways to define the new path you’re charting for yourself. Live proactively, not reactively. To the extent possible, wipe the slate clean. It’s so exciting and empowering to discover new aspects of yourself.
People generally label “divorce” as being “negative”. And yes, while there are downsides, there can also be a lot of positive that comes out of it as well. What would you say that they are? Can you share an example or share a story?
My horrible divorce was the catalyst for an incredible period of spiritual growth, which probably wouldn’t have developed if I hadn’t been pushed to an emotional precipice. I worked with a “spiritual life coach,” and I consulted with a medium to help me understand the lessons I was being taught. I began meditating and praying. I joined a chamber chorus, which was like church for me. Joseph Campbell said that “Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging,” and I’ve found that to be 100 percent true.
Some people are scared to ‘get back out there’ and date again after being with their former spouse for many years and hearing dating horror stories. What would you say to motivate someone to get back out there and start a new beginning?
I’d say that there are many ways to create a new beginning, and dating again is just one of them. I’d advise first working on really making yourself whole again before trying to find a new partner. Even in the most amicable divorce, we emerge feeling a bit battered and disoriented. That’s not the shape you should be in when you try dating again. Instead, get to a place of new equilibrium, whether that’s feeling financially secure, being healthy and physically attractive, or having a new creative outlet. Once you really feel great about yourself again, that’s the time to get out there and start dating. Having said that, online dating in midlife is a subtheme of my memoir, and let’s just say the results were somewhat tragicomic. In some ways, dating now is so completely different from when we were in our twenties, and in other ways, it’s exactly the same. Keep your sense of humor intact!
What is the one thing people going through a divorce should be open to changing?
Everybody’s experience is different, but in many cases, divorced couples find themselves in “reduced circumstances” once they’ve split up their assets. In my case, I went from living in a big gorgeous vineyard property to a much smaller house in a more urban neighborhood. I had to divest myself of about 50 percent of my belongings to make the move (my wine glass collection went from 40 to 8!). I would say, resist the urge to consider this a sad or shameful event. Change can be good for the soul, and ridding yourself of physical belongings can be incredibly freeing. I now live in a beautiful condo on the water, with about 25 percent of the belongings I had 15 years ago. It feels great.
Ok, here is the main question of our discussion. If you had a close friend come to you for advice after a divorce, what are 5 things you would advise in order to survive and thrive after the divorce? Can you please give a story or example for each?
Indulge yourself, then get on with it. For some people, the period of self-pity will last a week; for others, years. I can’t prescribe the right amount of time for you, but I can promise that the sooner you leave the pity party and start focusing on what you want next in your life, the sooner everyone will be happy (except, possibly, your ex).
Remember who you are. Who were you before you married? How are you still that person, only better now? When you stop defining yourself within the context of your marriage, you’ll discover that you have qualities — like strength, creativity, compassion, and resilience — that may not have been fully developed when you were part of a couple. This is particularly true for women, who often modify their careers or activities in order to support their husbands and children in the home.
Create self-worth. For many people, divorce can destroy their self-image.Now they may need to go back to work, relocate, or redesign their life as a single person and possibly as a single parent. Reinvent yourself professionally, find ways to be of service to others, discover a new passion. One thing you shouldn’t do is make your future happiness conditional on finding another romantic relationship. That may well happen in time, but don’t make it a requirement. Find your own balance. What makes you happy? Do that.
Let it go. Eventually, you’ll need to forgive your ex for all the ways he/she hurt you, all the damage they wrought in your life. You’re not doing this for them; you’re doing it for yourself, so you won’t go around with an angry knot inside your heart for the rest of your days. You’ll be amazed at how much love and energy it’ll free up inside you, which you can now spend on other things, like yourself and your children. When my ex-husband died of colon cancer three years after our divorce, he left me with $1.5 million of his debts that were still attached to my name. I had a very specific timeline for when I thought I’d be able to forgive him, which was calculated upon when I thought I’d be financially secure again. In fact, I spontaneously forgave him, quite accidentally, within a year of his death. I think my subconscious just knew that another eight years of anger would do me no good.
Make joy and love a daily exercise. Maybe it’s your kids. Your cat. Your friends. Whomever. Find someone or something to love each day. Recognize and celebrate that feeling. Be grateful for it. You’ve probably been through a lot since going through your divorce, but unhappiness doesn’t have to be a permanent lifestyle. The sooner you look toward the light, the sooner you can get to happily ever after.
The stress of a divorce can take a toll on both one’s mental and emotional health. In your opinion or experience, what are a few things people going through a divorce can do to alleviate this pain and anguish?
Develop at least one practice of self-care that you can follow regularly. Exercise is a must. Meditation can work wonders. I made sure to walk or cycle every day and went to yoga every Saturday. If therapy’s an option, definitely take advantage of that. If not, schedule regular dates with friends when you can complain, laugh, and let it all out. Community is such an important element of healing.
Do you have any favorite books, podcasts, or resources related to this topic that you would recommend to our readers?
It’s been almost 15 years since my own separation and divorce, and so many great resources have come out since then. I’d say find a good “how-to” divorce book and follow it closely. I wish I’d been more strategic about my own divorce journey, but when your soon-to-be ex is an accomplished litigation attorney, it’s hard not to be in a reactive position. My approach was to ensure my own success financially and emotionally so that whatever he did to me, I’d be okay on my own.
Because of the position that you are in, 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. 🙂
The theme of my memoir is that life isn’t limited to the tangible reality we experience on this earth, and that our worst adversaries can become our greatest teachers. I would love to spread that message: that we’re so much more than what we perceive, we’re here to learn some big spiritual lessons, and life continues beyond our physical deaths. It’s a message that not everyone is comfortable with, and I respect that. But this has been my own experience.
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 and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, or Amanda Gorman. Or all three! Can you imagine getting those remarkable young women together at brunch? All our world’s problems would be solved by noon.
Thank you for these great insights and for the time you spent with this interview. We wish you only continued success!
Never be afraid to learn something new. We’re in a world now where technology opens up possibilities that never existed before. I can reach a global audience with my brand. That’s an amazing thing. But it takes being open to learning new skills to realize those possibilities.
As a part of my series about “Big Ideas That Might Change The World In The Next Few Years” I had the pleasure of interviewing Kathrine Spurway, the founder of Nanducket, a children’s apparel & lifestyle brand designed to cultivate a culture of acceptance for all.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you please tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Almost 10 years ago, my life was changed when I was afflicted with Bell’s Palsy. My face was paralyzed and unlike many who suffer from the condition, I was only able to recover a small amount of movement. I found it difficult to adjust.
People treated me differently, and not always in a good way.
As a child, I was occasionally teased and bullied as well.
As a mom, I see kids treated as outcasts all the time. When kids are different, they are not treated the same by other children. I believe all people should be loved and accepted, just as they are. That’s the inspiration behind Nanducket. I wanted to create a brand with a mission to help people — especially kids — celebrate their differences, and learn to be inclusive.
Can you please share with us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Well, this might not be the most interesting thing that’s happened to me, but it is the most meaningful. One day I received a call from a mother whose daughter, Riley, has a serious health issue that has resulted in her being bullied in school. Riley had discovered my book at a store and read it, and it really caught her imagination — “Mom,” she said, “We have to get this book. I’m just like Ack.” It meant so much to hear that Ack’s story made an impact with a child like this.
Which principles or philosophies have guided your life? Your career?
Principle: Celebrating differences and accepting people for who they are.
Philosophy: The reason kids end up not embracing other kids with differences is that when kids see differences in others and ask their parents about it, all too often the parent shuts down the conversation, because they don’t want to call attention to or embarrass the person with the difference. So, they’re unknowingly teaching their child not to engage with those people.
Ok thank you for that. Let’s now move to the main focus of our interview. Can you tell us about your “Big Idea That Might Change The World”?
Our goal is to help build a movement about celebrating people for their differences, and as part of that mission we’re big believers in creating awareness for and providing funding to programs for Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). Differences can be anything: body size and shape; acne; wearing glasses or braces; ethnicity; disability; etc.
SEL teaches and promotes children’s self-awareness, collaborative problem solving and social decision-making skills in a proactive way. They help children feel better about themselves and others. In the long term, children who have access to SEL build a better social foundation and more self-confidence, resulting in better performance — academically, and later in life.
How do you think this will change the world?
Happier, healthier, and more successful children will grow into happier, healthier, and more successful adults. And when they have kids of their own, they’ll pass on their view of the world. It’s the trigger to a virtuous cycle. Ack can be a role model, an inspiration, and a voice for good.
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this idea that people should think more deeply about?
People might perceive our message is a political message. It’s not intended to be. In fact, we believe that it’s important to be accepting of political differences, too.
Also, there’s a difference between accepting differences and accepting bad or antisocial behavior. We are not in favor of the latter. Some behavior is objectively unacceptable.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this idea? Can you tell us that story?
I was spending some time with some distant acquaintances, one of whom had experienced a traumatic brain injury as the result of an accident with a drunk driver several years before. One of these people made a comment to him that I’ll never forget — “The way you act, you could be a professional clown.” It was said so casually, but it struck me as being so hurtful to that person, who was struggling through no fault of his own. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me.
What do you need to lead this idea to widespread adoption?
Our goal is to bring people together, and that starts with getting more people to participate in the conversation. So, we need to get more people talking about “accepting differences” as an issue. The great thing about it is that it’s something that I think everyone can agree on, regardless of their demographics or political persuasion. Once people start to realize how important this is, it will lead to more people understanding the benefits of SEL as a valuable program for all children.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
Be patient. It takes time to create things from scratch, whether it’s a book or a new dress. But quality is really important.
Stay focused. I have 100 ideas a minute and as someone trying to build a business, I can’t afford to run all of them down. Focus on executing against the best ideas is critical.
Work with people you enjoy. I’ve been lucky to get a lot of help along the way from some great people. Not everyone is always going to be a supporter. Try to identify the people who really believe in you, and put your energy into those relationships.
Be passionate. I’m really lucky to have the opportunity every day to work on something that I care deeply about. Starting a business can be frustrating sometimes, but my passion for our mission keeps me going even when I run into roadblocks.
Can you share with our readers what you think are the most important “success habits” or “success mindsets”?
Keep moving forward. I’ve learned that starting a business takes an unbelievable amount of work and persistence. You can never stop.
Don’t let your feelings get in the way of your goals. Sometimes the job requires that we have to do things, even if we really don’t want to do them.
Never be afraid to learn something new. We’re in a world now where technology opens up possibilities that never existed before. I can reach a global audience with my brand. That’s an amazing thing. But it takes being open to learning new skills to realize those possibilities.
Some very well known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
The newest generation can change the world that we want them to inherit. Our social-positive message resonates with tens of millions of parents, grandparents, educators, and child caregivers. The book and related products make a powerful statement — morally and financially. We’re on the ground floor of a movement that is going to change the world. Now’s a great time to get on board with a message that is hard to refute.
Non-Fungible Tokens: Bruno Škvorc On The 5 Things You Need To Know To Create a Highly Successful Career In The NFT Industry
Don’t be afraid to get creative. Lots of platforms support lots of formats — NFTs can be much more than things that collect digital dust. Try experimenting with minting code, PDFs, 3D models, even interactive games. Those who push boundaries are often rewarded. Our example is the RMRK2.0 standards — without pushing the boundaries on what NFTs can and should be able to do, we would still be stuck in Ethereum-land with simple collectibles that do nothing. But because we dared to move fast and break things to reach a point of extreme innovation, we succeeded.
Many have observed that we are at the cusp of an NFT boom. The thing is, it’s so cutting edge, that many people don’t know what it is. What exactly is an NFT and how can one create a lucrative career out of selling them? To address this, as a part of our interview series called “5 Things You Need To Know To Create a Highly Successful Career In The NFT Industry”, we had the pleasure of interviewingBruno Škvorc.
Bruno is an Ethereum OG who started out with training web2 developers on moving to web3 back in 2015. Since then he’s worked on Ethereum 2.0 and most recently as a technical educator in the Web3 Foundation which is spearheading the development of the Polkadot and Kusama ecosystems. He’s been working on RMRK, a protocol for minting NFTs on the Polkadot and Kusama ecosystem, since Q4 2020, when he noticed the NFT boom ramping up again and felt like it would be a shame for Kusama to miss out on it.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you grew up?
I grew up in Croatia, a small odd-shaped country in the Mediterranean. I used to be into animation and games as a child, so I became a Flash developer in my adolescence. Best development experience of my life, still. I then moved into web development and later on, as Ethereum came about, into web3 development. The rest is history, I got hooked on blockchain and never left. In whatever free time I find I like to be in VR, or go bouldering, running, or otherwise relax in some way with my wife, daughter, and beagle.
Is there a particular book, film, or podcast that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
I only remember Fight Club as the first “high IQ” movie I saw. I was unfamiliar with crazy twists until then. This made me pursue all non-action movies since, and so I’ve built quite a portfolio in my head. Interestingly, while none of this resonated too much with me in terms of impacts, it did drive me into piracy — I collected so many movies people wanted to buy them off me, so I bought a CD burner and started dealing movies no one else had yet in a little country such as Croatia. It was a fun part of my life for sure, one that luckily ended well (with me quitting the venture, and not jail, haha).
Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue a career in this new industry? We’d love to hear it.
Well, even just one single generation ago all the information my parents got was coming from state-sanctioned media: newspapers, TV, radio. With internet, that all changed, but now it’s changing again into censorship and political ideology, not to mention the financial imprisonment where a few institutions get to decide what YOU get to do with YOUR money.
So decentralization, censorship resistance, and the permission-less nature of public blockchains like Ethereum is what drew me to this space. I want to build technology that offers people a choice between total freedom and the safety of institutions.
If someone wants bank insurance but negative interest rates, that’s fine. But if someone wants 50% yearly interest in highly risky ventures, or wants to invest in tokenized real estate across the ocean, they should be able to do that too without having to ask anyone for permission.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this fascinating career?
I sold a crypto cat in 2017 for more money than my parents earn together in a year.
This was the craze of CryptoKitties back in 2017 as the first NFT wave hit the blockchain world. The game was so popular it crashed Ethereum at the time — well, not crashed, but increased fees so much it became too expensive to use Ethereum. Fun fact — that wave wasn’t even 10% of what we’re experiencing right now on Ethereum with DeFi, and yet no one seems to mind because there’s so much more we can do on the blockchain than we could back then.
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 learned not to day trade against the house by losing a whole bitcoin on Bitmex 🙂 I have no idea when exactly that was, I think around 2017.
I learned about this concept of betting on bitcoin price by betting with bitcoin. I decided to try it out and, of course, I used 100x leverage right off the bat. A few bad calls later I learned my lesson — up until then I had never traded, only invested in ICOs and developed. So this first trading experience made me learn what’s going on here actually, and since then I grew as a trader as well, I think.
It’s a type of expensive mistake everyone has to make before succeeding in this space, there’s just no other way to learn — other people’s mistakes simply do not teach. Not sure why that is, but once you burn yourself you kind of “level up”.
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?
Sure, Ophelie Lechat from SitePoint.com was my boss when I was editor of the PHP tutorial channel there. I’ve learned a ton from her, and this prepared me for a very fruitful writing and editing career in education — this was the base on which all my work since then rests.
This was a job I had for some 5 years before blockchain, and I was in charge of ~100 authors producing community-sourced tutorial content on this extremely popular technical education website. It took a lot of effort of wrangle all those people, verify their code, and fix their writing, and through guidance from Ophelie I believe I matured from “just a guy a bit higher up the ladder” to “competent lead” at the very least. With her help I also introduced some new concepts like Peer Review into technical writing of community sourced material, something I’ve since taken into two other jobs to form two similar community in a similarly successful way.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
We have just launched an NFT minting and trading UI on the Kusama blockchain. It’s called Singular, can be found at singular.rmrk.app, and it lets anyone mint clean (eco) NFTs for as little as 3 cents, and sell them to others. This is part of a big NFT drive on the Kusama network, and a huge ecosystem expansion plan — our focus is UX optimization so we want to make it all easy to use as possible.
Additionally, the standard will spread out between all the chains that connect to Kusama. Kusama is the chain that’s focused on connecting different blockchains together — like connecting Bitcoin to Ethereum and to Monero. In many ways it’s a tide that rises all boats — and our NFT standards are standards that will go to all those connected chains just through that connection. It’s all very exciting!
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. I’m sure you get this question all the time. But for the benefit of our readers, can you explain in your own words what an NFT is, and why people are spending so much money on them?
An NFT is anything that can be presented in a way that is unique to the observer. So a concert ticket, even if one of many, is special to the concert goer because it’s Theirs, same with art and similar. In layman’s terms, an NFT is quite simply just a database records of you having *something* that is not interchangeable with other *somethings* of the same type.
It’s important to note that fungibility (interchangeability) is a spectrum. Something that’s fungible to you may not be fungible to me. For example, my cat and your cat are non fungible — we don’t consider them identical. But two same-looking purple swords in a video game might be fungible to me and non fungible to you — you may value looks, in which case it doesn’t matter which one you have, but I may value the sword’s attributes and in that case they are absolutely non fungible to me.
The NFT industry seems so exciting right now. What are the 3 things in particular that most excite you about the industry? If you can, please share a story or example for each.
Composeable NFTs are very exciting to me — NFTs owning NFTs to alter visual and functional experiences. NFTs as DAOs also make sense — people democratically governing NFT functionality. And of course, multi-resource NFTs so NFTs can be multiple things at once. We call these Art Legos, and we built them as part of RMRK2.0, so this enables a very exciting use case. Imagine: a big digital billboard in some metaverse VR space, and then this billboard can have its shareholders (DAO) and big brands like Coca Cola and Pepsi can send it the ad they want to display on the billboard. So now the tokenholders of this NFT can decide which ad to show, and the corporations have to pay the tokenholders to vote a certain way. The billboard is an NFT, the land it is placed on is an NFT, and the texture of the ad to display is an NFT. You suddenly have community-governed metaverse real estate!
What are the 3 things that concern you about the industry? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?
Lots of people are minting just for the sake of minting and making money, and it’s all kind of losing its appeal due to lack of quality.
I’m also worried about the fees — people are paying too much unnecesarily, when they could be using almost free minting on something like the Kusama blockchain.
Lastly, I don’t think the approach taken by many NFT platforms is long-term healthy — too many rely on centralized servers to host the NFT assets, and so if those companies go bust, the NFTs do too. Missing the point of blockchain, no?
Instead, NFT assets should be hosted on something like IPFS so they can be fetched by any client at any time even if the project stops existing. You wouldn’t like your mona lisa to render a “404 image not found” 5 years after you buy it, right?
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about NFTs? Can you explain what you mean?
There’s a myth that an NFT is forever because it’s “on the blockchain”. But because many projects and companies rely on third party centralized hosting solutions to keep those assets around, if those central points of failures fail, then the NFTs disappear. Owners of the NFTs are left with an empty husk of what they once purchased. People should instead always check how an NFT is built, and how much of a longevity potential it has.
Another myth is that NFTs are bad for the environment. That’s a very silly gotcha attempted by the anti-NFT crowd, but in fact, those blocks would be mined regardless, and there’s plenty of Proof-of-Stake alternatives which don’t mine at all and thus don’t pollute at all — our platform singular.rmrk.app is built on one such chain so minting a thousand NFTs costs about as much energy as it would take nature to dissolve a breadcrumb.
What are the most common mistakes you have seen people make when they enter the NFT industry. What can be done to avoid that?
Minting on Ethereum while gas prices are high, and paying thousands of dollars in fees 🙂 They should wait for low gas prices (hard to do!) or just move to a cheaper platform.
The other mistake is not estimating their value properly — too many people undersell themselves, while others oversell themselves — both base their prices on outliers when they should be following averages and the wisdom of the crowd. In particular, Crypto Twitter is a good measure of current popularity.
How do you think NFTs have the potential to help society in the future?
NFTs as irrevocable passes and reputation-cards for access to platforms and protocols or even to track COVID vaccinated people are not far off. But here’s a more interesting case I am passionate about: in 5 years, we’ll all be wearing augmented reality glasses or lenses that have the ability to DELETE advertisements we see around us in the real world. What if you could sell that ad-space as NFTs to corporations and ad agencies you actually agree with, so you only see what you’re interested in?
Ok, fantastic. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Know To Create a Highly Successful Career In The NFT Industry?” (Please share a story or example for each.)
1. As an artist, it’s usually better to be good than plentiful (quality over quantity) but when there’s a crazy bull market, there’s no shame in taking advantage of it. Publish *everything*, feel shame later when you’re rich.
2. As a developer, the market has never been more ripe for disruption because it’s all disrupted all the time anyway. Go forth and hack! Build stuff that interacts with existing NFTs and maybe extends their functionality, and fame and fortune are yours. See what we did with RMRK — the Billboard example is a great one: https://url.rmrk.app/deck
3. If you have an idea about an excellent and highly complex NFT system, get in touch with us at [email protected] — our Art Lego system lets you build anything, and if it doesn’t, we’ll change it so it does. Anything is possible, and you’re just one daring and brave idea experiment away from success.
4. Using Ethereum is smart because it has the biggest audience, but don’t be shy about publishing your work on all the available platforms — Tezos is great with Hic et nunc, and Singular on Kusama is amazing (humblebrag). Diversify your portfolio of art platforms just like you do your portfolio of coins!
5. Don’t be afraid to get creative. Lots of platforms support lots of formats — NFTs can be much more than things that collect digital dust. Try experimenting with minting code, PDFs, 3D models, even interactive games. Those who push boundaries are often rewarded. Our example is the RMRK2.0 standards — without pushing the boundaries on what NFTs can and should be able to do, we would still be stuck in Ethereum-land with simple collectibles that do nothing. But because we dared to move fast and break things to reach a point of extreme innovation, we succeeded.
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. 🙂
Start educating your friends and family about basic financial hygiene — no banks, no loans, no credit, no mortgage. Go cash only, and then crypto. No savings account, save in DeFi. Try to interact with the blockchain world as much as possible, join the parallel economy and exit the tax-infested world of fiat. Unlock the potential of YOUR money without asking anyone for permissions, and you’ll encounter incredible amounts of freedom.
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 like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I would like to have breakfast with Joe Rogan, just to see what a high-octane steak-breakfast looks like.
Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!
Diversity attracts top talent from all available talent pools: Many organizations continue to recruit from the same talent pools they have always recruited from, and risk missing out on meeting talented people. This is an opportunity for recruiting to find ways to tap into these available talent pools. Some companies have moved to blind interviews where names and addresses, as well as race, ethnicity, and gender markers are removed from resumes. This enables screeners to focus on skills, accomplishments and education rather than other factors. Other organizations are using training programs for hiring managers and leaders to address biases.
As a part of our series about “How Diversity Can Increase a Company’s Bottom Line”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kevin J. Carrington.
Kevin J. Carrington, Senior Vice President and Senior Consultant at Segal, the benefits and HR consulting firm, helps organizations maximize their HR investments. He is passionate about assessing organizations’ HR landscape and identifying how improvements to organizational diversity, equity and inclusion can help solve critical business challenges. Kevin enjoys advising large organizations on how inviting more women and people of color to a company’s leadership can increase ROI.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive into the main part of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit more. Can you share a bit of your “backstory” with us?
I graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in Economics and significant course work in Computer Science and quickly began my journey to 30+ years of supporting the internal and external DE&I efforts across several organizations. I joined Xerox after graduating and worked there for almost 20 years. During that time I led the Illinois Xerox Business Services office, a multimillion-dollar profit center, as the General Manager with over 750 employees. I was also active as a local and national leader in Xerox’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) for Black employees. I helped to found the National Black Employees Association from the 10–12 regional affinity groups already in existence at Xerox (Xerox Corporate Few, Bay Area Black Employees, etc.). After Xerox I joined executive search firm Carrington & Carrington, LLC which specializes in DE&I searches across all industries and positions, and later joined Hewitt Associates, now Aon. There I also helped start up the Multicultural Leadership Advisory Council as a Hewitt Leadership Group member to help provide insight and guidance to Hewitt’s DE&I internal and external client facing strategies.
At Segal I am a member of the company-wide DE&I Steering Committee in addition to my role as Senior Vice President, Senior Consultant, Higher Education Southeast Market Leader, and Federal Government and Government Contractor Practice Leader.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? Can you tell us the lesson or take away you took out of that story?
When I first joined an executive search firm, I picked up a search for a Senior Vice President Corporate Controller in Washington D.C. The salary and bonus exceeded $1M which to me was a big role. I reached out to candidates in New York City that were in the finance industry and had the required skills and experiences. I was able to generate interest in the job with the first executive I engaged until he understood the position was located in Washington D.C. He knew the role would be too small, but I thought that $1M+ would be a game changer, until he share that his base was over $1M and with bonuses he exceeded $10M. I was stunned into silence for what felt like forever, but was only 10 seconds before asking “So, who else do you know that might fit our requirements?” He was very nice and did provide a couple of candidates, and I placed the right person for the role, so all’s well that ends well. The lesson that I learned, and still use today, is that regional differences are a bigger predictor of compensation differences for similar jobs than the scope of work or other factors.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you tell us a story about how that was relevant in your own life?
I have two favorite quotes: “Tough times never last, but tough people do,” and “If it is to be, it’s up to me.” Each one has a story. In college I ran track for a Division 1 program while trying to manage the course load at a top-10 university. There was little to no support for a freshman learning to balance school, sports, and all the other distractions and challenges that my newly found independence brought. I clearly tried to have it all my first semester, and to say that was hard is an understatement. The wake-up call came after first semester grades and the conversations from coaches, deans and parents. Though not terrible, my grades were not what I expected or was accustomed to. I then re-focused and realigned my priorities and was able to turn everything around and demonstrated to myself and others that these tough times were behind me.
During these challenging times the quote “If it is to be, it’s up to me,” would have also applied, but I didn’t hear that one till much later in life. One of my kids’ basketball coaches closed every practice session with a group circle to chant “If it is to be, it’s up to me.” That soon became the mantra for my son, and his other siblings that were not even part of the practice. I even found myself thinking during challenging situations, or after receiving a daunting task that “If it is to be, it’s up to me.” This has led to much success, and allowed me to be a better coach and mentor to others.
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?
Many, many people have helped me throughout my career. I’ve been fortunate to have people see potential in me and offer to mentor, or provide opportunities to build new skills, engage in new opportunities for growth and development, and to prepare for future success. I am grateful to some for the “gift” of their honest feedback that allowed me to course correct early, and to others who have helped me to see opportunity — where others see only chaos and disorder — to choose the road less traveled. I am grateful to still others who encouraged risk taking, and for recommending that I develop plan A, B, C, and sometimes D, so that I have options when plan A goes sideways. And to others who helped show me the power of resilience, and the need to take time to recharge when needed. So I can’t identify only one person to be grateful for supporting my career. The concept that it takes a village is probably the most appropriate metaphor for success, but what they may not tell you is that you need to seek out and participate in building your village.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Our mission is to “provide trusted advice that improves lives.” This short and concise phrase helps us to stay focused on our clients’ needs and their desire to improve the lives of their people. We have many clients that really count on Segal to help them make several critical business decisions that may determine whether they retain key talent, or even continue to successfully thrive as an organization. This is a tremendous responsibility that we don’t take lightly. We have several clients that have told us they are our partner for life because of the support we provided that saved their company or organization from “certain extinction” or just really bad times.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that might help people?
We are working on many new and exciting programs, and each is designed to help our client’s specialized needs to directly improve the lives of their people. Some of our new projects include developing more flexible health and welfare programs that allow employees to choose the benefits that are most relevant to them and their family’s needs rather than the standard set of offerings you see in most companies today.
We are working on health and wellness related analytics to help clients to better support employee decision-making to increase their personal health outcomes, which in turn helps them be more productive at work and in their personal lives. We are developing strategies to assist employers in creating hybrid work environments that enable more effective working practices to support the way employees want to work without compromising efficiency, effectiveness, or organization productivity. This helps retain and attract critical talent.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I have always been committed to seeking out ways to give back, usually through active participation in volunteer organizations that impact my communities. I am the former President of the Washington D.C. National Association of African Americans in Human Resources (NAAAHR) chapter. NAAAHR is focused on providing personal and professional development for African American professionals in HR. My goal was and continues to be on making the workplace better and more inclusive for all. This focus resulted in the creation of a Diversity Summit to create ongoing learning opportunities for HR professionals to begin to incorporate DE&I initiatives in the everyday processes like talent development, succession planning, workforce planning and other critical HR functions, so that it would become a way of doing business and not just a program or a single initiative. This Diversity Summit became an annual event for 6 years, culminating in a NAAAHR National Conference in Washington D.C. It made a difference in the workplaces in the Washington region as evidenced by the feedback and outreach throughout the community. It was gratifying to make such an impact!
Ok. Thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the main part of our interview. This may be obvious to you, but it is not intuitive to many people. Can you articulate to our readers five ways that increased diversity can help a company’s bottom line. (Please share a story or example for each.)
1 . Diversity creates opportunities to increase market share: Women and People of Color are increasingly becoming greater influencers and/or decision makers of buying decisions for more households as education levels rise, and opportunities increase.
“Women make up more than half of the U.S. population, and control or influence 85% of consumer spending” — Source: girlpowermarketing.com.
“POC buying power is growing faster than other populations with growth rates ranging from 48% to 89% and currently represent over $4 trillion in buying power” — Source: Catalyst.org.
2. Diversity attracts top talent from all available talent pools: Many organizations continue to recruit from the same talent pools they have always recruited from, and risk missing out on meeting talented people. This is an opportunity for recruiting to find ways to tap into these available talent pools. Some companies have moved to blind interviews where names and addresses, as well as race, ethnicity, and gender markers are removed from resumes. This enables screeners to focus on skills, accomplishments and education rather than other factors. Other organizations are using training programs for hiring managers and leaders to address biases.
“Women earned nearly 140 master’s degrees last year for every 100 degrees earned by men” — Source: aei.org.
3. Diversity of thought enhances customer satisfaction and reduces the risk of missteps: Having a diverse team will give organizations the opportunity to better relate to, and understand a wider range of audiences and issues. Being able to relate to your audience’s wants, needs and pain points will provide more opportunities to connect with customers and develop long-term relationships. Also, a diverse team increases the opportunity to reach new customers and new demographics within existing customers in ways that might not have been identified without the more diverse support team. And developing deeper and broader relationships provides tremendous opportunities for greater profitability. Greater diversity also decreases the likelihood that an organization will create policies, advertisements or take other significant actions that represent the organization, but could be viewed as culturally insensitive. Just being in the room during these conversations and decisions makes a difference. This one action could also save millions of dollars in cost avoidance.
4. Diverse teams increase opportunities for alignment with customers: Organizations want to do business with organizations they feel are in alignment with them. When they look across the table they want to feel you can understand them and their unique challenges. I’ve had many clients that are very upfront with wanting a diverse team to bring their different points of view as well as the ability to understand a variety of viewpoints during our assessments and data gathering.
5. Diversity drives innovation: It provides an organization with an expanded worldview by increasing understanding and insight to develop new products or services. These diverse viewpoints allow organizations to see, assess and interpret opportunities more effectively.
What advice would you give to other business leaders to help their employees to thrive?
Here are my top seven:
Live your values.
Inspire others to be better.
Hold yourself and others accountable.
Seek out the big picture, and help others see it.
Communicate often.
Build on your strengths.
Prioritize what is most important and focus on it.
What advice would you give to other business leaders about how to manage a large team?
Seek out ideas and input from diverse and nonconventional sources, and be intentional about how you build your executive team and those you invite into your inner circle. Those are the influencers that will shape your worldview and the world/culture experienced by those in your organization and diversity will provide balance that will be the currency of the future.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this 🙂
Former President Barack Obama. The ease, grace and humor that he brought to the office of the Presidency, and his ability to pull people in from diverse communities was remarkable, especially because of how difficult it is to do. He brought the country and the world through some very tough times, and ushered in some difficult conversations that we as a country have long avoided. Yes, it meant many people were going to be uncomfortable having to wander through these essential and difficult conversations, but this is the first step to creating change.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Normalize not being okay.Although it is important to do more than just talk, sometimes listening is the best medicine. We need to address how to overcome the stigma of admitting to being socially isolated and seeking treatment for mental health. Many people, especially older adults, carry the feeling that they somehow created their situation of isolation — for example, feeling like it may be different if they had a better [or closer] relationship with their children.
As a part of my interview series about the ‘5 Things We Can Each Do Help Solve The Loneliness Epidemic’, I had the pleasure to interview Dr. Robin Smith.
Dr. Robin Smith (Dr. Robin) is a licensed Psychologist and ordained minister with a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, who has worked with Fortune 500 companies and sports and entertainment professionals to offer conflict management, diversity and inclusion training, executive performance coaching and more. An experienced media and television personality, she is the author of several books including the New York Times #1 best-selling Lies at the Altar: The Truth About Great Marriages. Her other titles include Inspirational Vitamins: A Guide to Personal Empowerment and the soulful memoir, Hungry: The Truth About Being Full. She has appeared and shared her expertise on news and entertainment television programs including, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, NBC’s The Today Show, The Fox News Channel, The Queen Latifah Show, Anderson Cooper, and as the Therapist-in-Residence on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share your “backstory” with us? What was it that led you to your eventual career choice?
I was born to help people heal from unspeakable trauma and loss. My career was more of a calling than a choice. It was evident at a very early age that I had the innate gift of compassion, curiosity and understanding for people with broken hearts and lives, although the skillset and training came later in life.. My upbringing exposed me to multi-cultural, multi-ethic, and multi-religious experiences.
My father who was a physician, minister and civil rights leader. My mother, a psychiatric social worker, was one of the first African-American women to graduate with a master’s degree from Bryn Mawr College. They were extraordinary living examples of our collective responsibility to open doors for African-American and other disenfranchised people.
Without a doubt, I was born to help people navigate their suffering and reclaim their divine birthright to joy.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
I am currently relaunching my brand and taking the stage once again. After healing from a serious car accident in 2010, and a second car accident in 2016, I am grateful to be healthy and strong again, and excited about this next chapter in my career. I have a new website, podcast and other media related opportunities in development. My mission is built on the platform of “Transforming Trauma into Triumph,” through fearless truth-telling, and inviting people to Wake Up!, Show Up!, Grow Up!, Rise Up!
Can you share with our readers a bit why you are an authority about the topic of the Loneliness Epidemic?
I am a licensed psychologist with a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and have dealt with many patients experiencing social isolation, an issue that has only grown in the last year as we weathered the COVID-19 pandemic and were forced to stay home and remain distant from our communities, workplaces and social groups. Loneliness is an epidemic. It is important however, to understand the difference between being sad and lonely, compared to true social isolation. People who suffer from social isolation experience hopelessness and helplessness — and this has increased in the wake of the pandemic. I am passionate about shining a light on this issue affecting so many and why I was excited to partner with AARP Foundation and United Health Foundation to raise awareness on this issue.
According to this story in Forbes, loneliness is becoming an increasing health threat not just in the US , but across the world. Can you articulate for our readers 3 reasons why being lonely and isolated can harm one’s health?
Social isolation is more than a feeling of loneliness; it’s infrequent or no social contact with others. The long-term physical implications to one’s health include an increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and sleep disorders.
The mental implications of prolonged social isolation are an increased risk of cognitive decline, depression, anxiety and stress — which can manifest itself in many ways. There is a difference between being anxious and being paralyzed by anxiety. The pandemic has created a response that people are not able to feel hopeful to reach out for resources or to manage their connections.
Despite these mental and physical implications of social isolation, an AARP Foundation and United Health Foundation study found that although the pandemic has caused anxiety levels to increase for the majority of people, many are still not turning to anyone for help.
On a broader societal level, in which way is loneliness harming our communities and society?
Social connection is often the anchor to a productive and successful life.
When individuals are isolated, their access to support networks, information, and community resources are compromised — making it more difficult to seek critical information, access to employment and more. AARP Foundation’s Connect2Affect.org offers tools for assessing social isolation, along with a chat bot designed for friendly conversations and to guide people looking to rebuild their social connections.
The irony of having a loneliness epidemic is glaring. We are living in a time where more people are connected to each other than ever before in history. Our technology has the power to connect billions of people in one network, in a way that was never possible. Yet despite this, so many people are lonely. Why is this? Can you share 3 of the main reasons why we are facing a loneliness epidemic today? Please give a story or an example for each.
First and most obvious, the physical distancing and stay-at-home orders, while necessary to stop the spread of COVID-19 and save lives, led to isolation and loneliness for many older adults who are disconnected from their family or community. AARP Foundation and United Health Foundation’s survey, The Pandemic Effect: A Social Isolation Report, found that during the pandemic, only 11% of adults turned to a medical professional when feeling down or sad and almost a third of adults 50 and older reported that they did not look to anyone for support during the pandemic. This is why it’s so important that we raise awareness about social isolation and encourage people to check in on their loved ones who may be experiencing it.
While technology can help to keep people connected, it can’t replace in person interaction, which long term, has an impact not only on mental health but physical health as well. Social isolation has been linked to several serious health conditions, such as cognitive decline, depression, anxiety, heart disease, and even death. Studies have found the health risks of social isolation can be more harmful than obesity, and prolonged isolation is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
Finally, we don’t have enough safe spaces to talk about things like isolation and loneliness when we experience it, and this applied to pre-pandemic times as much as it applies to today. As we start to resume a little normalcy in our daily lives, we need to open up those lines of communication with each other, and let people know their concerns are being heard.
Ok. it is not enough to talk about problems without offering possible solutions. In your experience, what are the 5 things each of us can do to help solve the Loneliness Epidemic. Please give a story or an example for each.
Normalize not being okay.Although it is important to do more than just talk, sometimes listening is the best medicine. We need to address how to overcome the stigma of admitting to being socially isolated and seeking treatment for mental health. Many people, especially older adults, carry the feeling that they somehow created their situation of isolation — for example, feeling like it may be different if they had a better [or closer] relationship with their children.
Evaluate your emotions:Being anxious is different from being paralyzed by anxiety. Many normal feelings have become manifested in abnormal ways since the start of the pandemic. For example, many people struggle with simple decision making on things like what to wear or even what to order from a familiar menu when dealing with stress. A more extreme manifestation of this would be choosing to avoid going to restaurants or social events where making any type of decision is necessary. Identifying this is the first step to getting help.
Reach out to loved ones in need: We all have a role to play in addressing this complex public health issue. When experiencing social isolation, it can be hard to identify how or when to get help. Pick up the phone and call your neighbor, grandparents or even college roommate, you never know who may be struggling with isolation. If you’re worried about yourself or someone you know, visit Connect2Affect.org to see what resources are available.
Identify daily things to lessen social isolation. Small and manageable steps can help you feel progress at a slow but steady pace. Try setting regular communication with family or friends, taking a 15-minute nature walk or sitting outside to get some fresh air.
Jot down goals at the start of each week. Begin each morning by journaling three things that are good in your life. At the end of the week, evaluate your progress and take note of the little things that bring you the most joy day to day. If something or someone stands out, make a point to prioritize that in the coming week.
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.
It would be a movement that would eradicate economic and educational poverty, which would lead to access for all in economic health, physical and mental wellness, educational and vocational access, creating a sense of belonging to society and our world.
We are 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.
If Mr. Fred Rogers were living, I would love to invite him to join me for breakfast. He seemed to be comfortable coloring outside the lines, which is where I have found some of my greatest joys, ideas and courageous decisions. He also lived with brave integrity, and paid a high price to bring love, truth and inclusivity to the world.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
They can find me on Facebook here, Twitter here and LinkedIn here.
The Future Is Now: Tom Chittenden of Genuity Science On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up Drug Development
Find your calling in life and follow it. Whatever it may be, your passion will take you to amazing places. Mine is understanding the natural order of the universe and how life has evolved on the planet.
As a part of our series about cutting edge technological breakthroughs, I had the pleasure of interviewing Tom Chittenden, PhD, DPhil, PStat.
Dr. Chittenden is Chief Technology Officer and Founding Director of the Genuity Science Advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Laboratory. He is an Omega Society Fellow and an Accredited Professional Statistician™ with the American Statistical Association. He also holds faculty appointments at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Harvard Medical School.
His work has been published in top-tier scientific journals, including featured articles in Nature and Science. Recently, Dr. Chittenden was a winner of the Artificial Intelligence Excellence Awards presented by the Business Intelligence Group. In 2019, he was named among the top 100 AI Pioneers in Drug Discovery and Advanced Healthcare. He is regarded as one of the world’s leading authorities on AI and causal statistical machine learning in the biomedical sciences.
Tom holds a PhD in Molecular Cell Biology and Biotechnology from Virginia Tech and a DPhil in Computational Statistics from the University of Oxford. His multidisciplinary postdoctoral training includes experimental investigations in Molecular and Cellular Cardiology from the Dartmouth Medical School; Biostatistics and Computational Biology from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Harvard School of Public Health; and Computational Statistics, Statistical Methodology, and Statistical Machine Learning from the University of Oxford.
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 have always had a strong sense of inquiry. After three years of active service in Marine Corps in the early 1980s, I became fascinated with human biology as it is arguably the most complex system in the known universe. There are 37+ trillion cells in the average adult human body governed by still unknown rules of natural engineering and selection.
One of my defining moments was in a graduate school biotechnology class in the mid-1990s. The professor was discussing DNA microarray chips, and he was explaining the actual application of this new technology. The professor said that a single assay could capture the state of the entire human gene transcriptome. And at the time, we knew that there were about 22,000 genes, so there was something that just resonated with me. I had a strong sense that this newly founded technology would lead to future breakthroughs in medicine.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
It is the work we are doing now withcollaborators at the University of Strasbourg and Professor Seiamak Bahram and his team at the medical school. Together, we are looking at molecular drivers of COVID-19, and what we have uncovered is a complex disease whose etiology results in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. By inhibiting the expression of a specific protein on the cell surface, we have been able to block the virus’s ability of getting into human lung epithelial cells, which in turn significantly decreases viral replication.
Can you tell us about this cutting-edge technological breakthrough? How do you think that will help people?
Essentially, we are keeping the virus “out of the party,” so to speak. This is different from how some vaccines currently operate, in that they train our immune system to fight viruses. The work from Strasbourg is showing another mechanism to fight the SARS-CoV-2 virus in that we can prevent it from entering cells in the body. Our results indicate that the virus is unable to replicate because it cannot get into human cells in the first place, similar to how a security guard can prevent people from entering a party or a nightclub. The virus is blocked from invading human cells. And as a result of this work, we have found a therapeutic, currently in clinical trials for another condition, that could quite possibly block the abnormal expression on the surface of human cells of this “security guard” protein.
All of this is to say that we have quite possibly discovered another method to mitigate infection and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The technology breakthrough involved using AI and machine learning (ML) to better understand the etiology of COVID-19. This is something that we have replicated with other diseases — what is exciting is that our AI/ML approach is disease agnostic. For example, in collaboration with investigators at Yale University Medical School, the Advanced AI Research Laboratory at Genuity Science extensively studied cells, which make up blood vessels and the causal gene drivers that lead to thoracic aortic aneurysms. In experimental mouse-model systems, results from our AI team’s time-series analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing data showed that a single cluster of abnormal smooth muscle cells produced thickening of the vessel wall, which led to arteriosclerosis, and subsequently to thoracic aortic aneurysm.
What we are witnessing is the convergence of robust AI/ML technology, improved standardization of clinical data, and enhanced collaboration among scientists and clinicians to find working solutions for complex biomedical problems.
How do you think this might change the world?
Well, let me address how we can help the clinical trial process, which is a vital part of getting new drugs to patients who need them. The most recent credible study that I have come across was in 2015, where total revenue from the entire pharmaceutical industry was $1.2 trillion. Of that, $150 billion was spent on R&D. Now 75 percent of that, about $112 billion in 2015, can be directly attributed to failed clinical trials. Another figure that many people may not know is that 86 percent of all clinical trials fail.
We are now seeing an increase in the number and complexity of clinical drug trials. At Genuity Science, we believe the reason so many trials fail is because we do not fully understand human biology. By identifying the true causal drivers of human disease, we will be able to help pharma develop more effective therapeutics for complex pathologies, such as cardiovascular disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and central nervous system diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease.
I point to our 2020 paper published in Cell Stem Cell, which outlines our research with Professor Mike Simons MD, FACC, FAHA, and his team at Yale University Medical School. In this study, we were able to identify a small abnormal population of smooth muscle cells that cause thoracic aortic aneurysms. We were then able to identify the gene responsible for the aberrant cell behavior.
If we can help pharma companies improve the process of drug target discovery, it can yield benefits all the way along the drug development continuum. Ultimately, this means we can potentially develop drugs faster with smaller patient cohorts and with less cost.
Keeping “Black Mirror” in mind can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
There is a fair amount of apprehension associated with AI/ML. For example, some people I have talked to are fearful these technologies will eventually replace physicians with automated healthcare diagnostics. I believe this is simply fear of the unknown. A more realistic goal of AI/ML, in my opinion, is to greatly enhance the physicians’ ability to diagnosis and treat disease, as these in silico approaches are firmly rooted in science and evidence-based research.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?
I do not believe there has been a single tipping point. Sound science has brought us here. Genuity Science is using AI/ML, the most advanced technology in human history, to advance our collective understanding of human biology to better understand disease. In other words, I believe we need to gain a more comprehensive understanding of both human biology and disease before we can build more effective therapeutics.
Where we are today is exciting. With the application of these AI/ML methods, we are starting to learn more of what drives rather than what simply correlates to disease. These in silico approaches allow us to build robust methodologies to identify causal molecular drivers of disease. And we have a strong track record in this space, a scientifically, peer-reviewed published track record that indicates all of this is possible.
What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?
Time and teamwork. By working closely with our partners in pharma, biotech, and academia, I believe we will be able to address the most complex, fundamental questions in biology. It is going to take a team effort, and we are extraordinarily collaborative at Genuity Science. It will involve a lot of people, across many disciplines, thinking outside the box.
What have you been doing to publicize this idea? Have you been using any innovative marketing strategies?
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
There are many people helping with this endeavor. It starts with the patients who allow us to collect, sequence, and study their samples. It also involves the clinicians we work with, the data scientists who analyze patient data, and the pharma companies who see this innovation as a means to deliver more efficacious medicines to patients. My overall success stems from the collective efforts of all those working toward the common goal of eradicating human disease and the suffering that comes along with it.
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.
Find your calling in life and follow it. Whatever it may be, your passion will take you to amazing places. Mine is understanding the natural order of the universe and how life has evolved on the planet. I believe studying human biology with advanced AI/ML strategies will lead to a better understanding of the nature and origins of human disease. Thus, I am currently applying quantum information theory to decipher an elemental molecular code regulating patterns of biological complexity in order to better understand human disease initiation and progression. Once in hand, I believe we will be able to end disease and the suffering that comes along with it. My lifelong sense of inquiry propelled me from the enlisted ranks of the Marine Corps to leading a global research initiative in artificial intelligence and machine learning in the biomedical sciences.
“Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart” — Confucius
Some very well-known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
For the most part, we are still developing drugs with one-hand tied behind our collective back. Even though the Human Genome was sequenced 18 years ago, we have still not been able to fully leverage complex, high-dimensional biomedical data in our research and development pipelines.
Genuity Science is changing the way we target and develop drugs by using a combination of population-scale genomics and detailed medical and lifestyle data, an extremely robust software platform for analyzing data at scale, and a groundbreaking approach to AI/ML. Over the past six years, we have developed new paths to treatments in ways that are faster and less expensive than ever before. With better starting points, Genuity Science can vastly improve the success rate of clinical trials, bringing more effective therapies to patients.
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
You’re welcome. Thank you for the opportunity to share what we are working on. It is exciting to work on improving our understanding of molecular cell biology and what drives human disease. While these technologies will evolve, we now have the in-silico methodologies in place to eventually eradicate it. Perhaps not in my lifetime, but certainly in my granddaughter’s lifetime. This is what inspires me and many others in the biomedical sciences. It still gets me out of bed every day.
The Future Is Now: Dr. Niven R. Narain of BERG Health On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up Drug Discovery
…As we look to resume life in a post-pandemic world, our AI-focused approach and access to ORNL’s Summit supercomputer will become the standard for accelerating important research, discovery and development of life-saving drugs, and the preparation we need to manage the next pandemic.
As a part of our series about cutting edge technological breakthroughs, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Niven R. Narain.
Dr. Niven R. Narain is Co-Founder, President & CEO of Berg, a Boston-based biopharma driving next generation drug and diagnostic development by combining patient-driven biology and Bayesian AI. He is a pioneer in technology development at the intersection of Biology and AI and is inventor of the Interrogative Biology® platform that has unraveled actionable disease insight leading to both de novo and repurposed development of a deep pipeline of products in oncology, metabolic, rare, and CNS diseases, namely BPM 31510 currently in Phase 2 trials for cancer covered by over 650 issued and pending US and international patents.
Dr. Narain is a member of the NASA/Gene Lab Steering Committee, Advisor to US Department of Defense leadership on breast and prostate cancer and forged strategic partners with industry, academia, and US and UK governments. He serves on the Advisory Board of Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School and the Healthy Aging Initiative Commission at №10 for the UK Prime Minister. He is an industry thought leader in precision medicine, drug development, and AI/ML serving as a frequent speaker at Economist, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Wired, and Aspen Ideas and many international meetings on medicine and technology.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
In the early 90s, the rise of the computers and the Internet captivated the world over as we saw its emergence in homes, at work and in schools. I, too, was fascinated by the technology and as a high school student, saw this as an opportunity to pursue computer science in college.
As I embarked on the next stage of my education, my family and I, unexpectedly, lost my grandmother to breast cancer. The personal experience of seeing my grandmother endure the terrible disease and the subsequent impacts it had on me and my family and friends was a pivotal moment in my life. It led me to want to help people, their families and the world end the pain, suffering and emotional toll caused by deadly diseases and illnesses. This stark moment in time, coupled with my captivation of computers and the rising prominence of medical sciences research, helped define my college career path where I double majored in biochemistry and philosophy. I was able to blend the things I was most passionate about — family, computers and research — into a singular focus.
What ultimately defined my career path came when I was a college senior in 2000. It was history in the making as the first iteration of the fully sequenced human genome was unveiled to the world and I had the honor to listen to James Watson, the American molecular biologist who co-discovered of the DNA double-helix in one of my lectures. His discovery helped define the ability to fast track future cures and knowledge, and his words and work piqued my interest and thinking that sequencing the human genome could serve as a historical blueprint — our past, how we got here, how genetics drive individuality and how the environment and genetics interact. This concept helped create a chronological pathway, outlining how the healthcare industry at large could better understand a patients’ past and potential outcomes for the future.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Early on in my career, scientific and technological breakthroughs were reshaping the healthcare community at large and best practices around drug development. I remember seeing the first AI models being used in cancer applications around 2010. It was like seeing “Star Wars” for the first time, where I had the opportunity to see a drug derived from science and technology and its application within human beings. I look back to that day, and remember feeling a sense of purpose and responsibility that what I was doing was going to really help people.
Can you tell us about the cutting-edge technological breakthroughs that you are working on? How do you think that will help people?
If we look at traditional R&D, historically and currently, a new drug takes between 12 to 15 years with costs of up to $2.5 billion. Whether you’re a scientist, doctor or a patient seeking treatment, this is a long, daunting and costly process, and history has shown that an approved drug may not be as effective for one person over another. Never do two humans have the same biological footprint, however traditional R&D is set up is to find treatments for a majority population. After years of leading research in the lab and at the hospital, I wanted to take my learnings and experience to help patients not only manage their illness, but survive both in the near-term and long-term.
In 2009, I helped launch BERG with the mission to transform drug discovery and development, and in turn, help save patient lives. Our focus, and competitive edge, lies in a blended hypothesis-driven and patient-centric approach where we leverage real patient samples (via a comprehensive patient biobank) and AI to uncover and match the right drugs for the right patients in the right doses. Our approach led us to the development of our proprietary Interrogative Biology Platform in 2010, and the understanding of the mechanism of action of BERG’s leading drug candidate, BPM31510 (ubidecarenone). Our technology helps us better understand multiple forms of aggressive cancers, neurological disorders and rare diseases, including pancreatic cancer, epidermolysis bullosa and glioblastoma multiforme, and allows us to actively watch human health in real-time and intercept before patients’ conditions worsen. We are accelerating drug discovery from 12 to15 years to one to two years and dramatically cutting down on costs.
Our continued work drives both near-term and long-term success for both the patient experience and healthcare industry at large, where we are deepening the understanding of diseases more fundamentally to create better drugs and better diagnostics. For the future, we are driving more efficiency in how the healthcare industry delivers drugs to people — the development and distribution — in addition to bringing society and stakeholders across the ecosystem (hospitals, insurance and patient advocacy groups) together.
How do you think this might change the world?
We at BERG want to be the first company to digitize biology for the future of healthcare, and help patients take control of their health versus being dictated to — similar to how Google digitized information and access around the world and Uber has digitized transportation.
Against the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic, our platform and approach provided us the opportunity to fuel important research and innovation to combat COVID-19 infections before vaccines were discovered and approved late last year. We didn’t need to start at ground zero. Instead, we were able to focus on the ways our platform and expertise could better serve the population. Of note, we established several key partnerships, including a new collaboration with the DoE-funded Oak Ridge National Lab in July 2020 to blend BERG’s proprietary assets with the Summit supercomputer, one of the fastest and most powerful computers in the world, to identify and validate drug compounds that could fight COVID-19 infections. The use of BERG’s AI and the Summit supercomputer helped validate and screen up to 1.2BN compounds, which traditionally takes three to five years to identify a single drug target and into clinical trials. We then began working with AdventHealth, the nation’s third largest healthcare system, where they applied our findings to COVID-19 patients’ treatment plans. All in all, this was a great effort by BERG, ORNL and AdventHealth in the lead up to the discovery and roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines, and I see it as an important contribution to ensure patients have access to other treatments if vaccines are not viable based on their medical history.
As we look to resume life in a post-pandemic world, our AI-focused approach and access to ORNL’s Summit supercomputer will become the standard for accelerating important research, discovery and development of life-saving drugs, and the preparation we need to manage the next pandemic.
Keeping “Black Mirror” in mind can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
Technology has been a key component in driving the world forward, and the use of AI is no different, as it continues to drive innovation across multiple industries. However, like anything new that comes to the mainstream marketplace, the narrative surrounding its application has been bruised due to companies’ mishandling and extension of misinformation in the consumer mindset. Consumer trust should be the cornerstone of any technology.
For BERG, AI is used as a means to accelerate our hypotheses to help our ongoing drug discovery and development efforts. It is a critical component in how we can help patients manage their illness, and what I believe people need to see is that many companies want to use AI for the good and convenience of the people they are looking to serve.
Yes, like any technology, it can be used for good or bad, but we are seeing companies solidifying their commitment around the ethical use of AI via new ethics-focused committees, transparent company statements and more. As it relates to the healthcare ecosystem, my hope is that people can see AI as a prominent player in not only, discovering and delivering life-saving drugs, but its extension in decreasing drug costs and creating convenience between managing insurance company protocols to accessing critical patient information wherever and whenever one may be.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?
Personally, and professionally, I have had many moments where I saw firsthand the ways ego or internal politics could limit the opportunity or progress to help someone. As you can imagine, this led to a lot of pain and frustration for me and was one of the reasons that led me to creating Interrogative Biology®
BERG is centered on doing what is possible and right for a patient, and this means making sure things like egos or bias are not imbedded in the work we are doing and the problem we are looking to solve. At the start of any new project, we bring the best talent, tech and industry partners to the table as a means to collaborate and drive critical research and discovery faster. If COVID-19 taught us anything, its that collaboration is not a just trend for today, but should be an industry norm for the future.
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?
Life is full of cycles, and each cycle welcomes people who will have an integral part in fueling one’s passion and success. In addition to the ongoing support from my family, I have been fortunate to have mentors that have had a direct impact on every cycle of my career path and where I am today. It takes a village to continue to stay motivated and committed to your life’s work, and I am a product of the many amazing mentors, leaders and giants who took a chance on me as a student and in my career.
Dr. Robert Kirsner was my professor and mentor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. When I approached him at 4:30 p.m. for his signature on an NIH grant application due in at 5 p.m., he refused, stating “your emergency is not my priority” — a much-needed lesson, but not necessarily appreciated at the time! Dr. Kirsner also taught me about compassion and patient care. He treated open diabetic ulcers in HIV-positive patients because he understood that the humanity of a touch goes a lot further for a patient than a few comforting words from a doctor.
Chas Bountra, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Innovation at Oxford University, taught me the value of being a firm, but gentle leader. The gentleness, humility and care with which he conducts business, never getting angry or rising to the anger of others, while maintaining an unforgiving manner of getting things done, is inspiring.
Lastly and certainly not least, I offer my most humble appreciation to Carl Berg and Mitch Gray, the other two founders of BERG, Major General Elder Granger, and Sir Jonathan Symonds, Chairman at GSK, all of whom have taught me important lessons in what it means to be a forward-looking, business-savvy leader.
It is crucial to have mentors, people don’t become great leaders in isolation. If you look at the similarities between the people I have mentioned here, they are humble people focused on doing the right thing. You cannot lead with arrogance or selfishness.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Much of my success should be credited to the BERG team, past and present. Many of our team members are dedicated to the collective mission of saving patient lives, and their contributions and dedication have driven both the organization and industry forward. At the time of our founding in 2009, we were the first team in the industry to bring AI and systems biology into drug development, at least five to seven years before the world could see the value tech could provide.
Our overall approach around the use of human tissue samples and AI has helped established our reputation as the original biotech pioneer, and continues to serve as a key differentiator for us in the space. To date, our expertise and approach has driven real innovation and results for patients, established new and extended partnerships from big pharma to academia to government, and lastly, the opportunity to crowdsource different ways of thinking, an important consideration in the evolving landscape.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started”.
Never assume that what people say is what they are actually going to do
Always stay focused on why you started something when times get tough
Spend more time with people who do the work, than those who dictate what work should be done
Have fun
Try your best to live in the moment
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”?
“Believe you can and you are half way there, then work your butt off”
How can our readers follow you on social media?
For my professional channels, you can connect with me LinkedIn and Twitter. You can also follow BERG on LinkedIn and Twitter for the latest developments on our work.
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
Take pride in your work. Have an intrinsic set of expectations, an inner voice. Praise and compliments from the outside are nice, but you need to have an internal compass of the effort level and end result that you are proud of.
As a part of my series about “Grit: The Most Overlooked Ingredient of Success” I had the pleasure of interviewing Samantha Myers.
Samantha Myers and Judy Famigletti are the duo behind Let’s Dress Up, a fairy tale themed play space for kids in the heart of New York City. Samantha left a lengthy career in Financial Services in 2018 to be an entrepreneur and joined forces with Judy at Let’s Dress Up.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what events have drawn you to this specific career path.
After graduating from college at Tulane University, I read a book about the stock market and became intrigued. I got an entry level job in the Financial Services Industry and loved it. Twenty years later after various roles, a merger, countless restructurings, and a couple of moves I was burnt out and ready for a change. So I decided to answer that nagging voice in the back of my mind that told me I should own my own business and an entrepreneur was born.
Can you share your story about “Grit and Success”? First can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey?
There were many difficult times over the course of my financial career. Plenty of disppointments, times where I was undervalued, overlooked or passed over for a promotion. I decided very early on to stay true to myself, be honest, speak my mind and work my tail off. That way if I got disappointed at least it wasn’t for lack of effort. I was solely in charge of how hard I worked. I set high expectations for myself and developed a strong sense of professionalism.
Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?
I think it starts with your upbringing and then grows over time. Finance was a great and challenging environment for me to hone those skills. And they happen to translate seamlessly to being an entrepreneur. At the end of the day, you have to look yourself in the mirror and be proud of your effort and how you handle yourself. Tomorrow is always another day, another opportunity.
So how did Grit lead to your eventual success? How did Grit turn things around?
The only reason we have been able to get through the last year at Let’s Dress Up is through sheer grit and perseverence. After we got past the initial shock at the severity of the COVID situation, it was time to get to work and control what we could control. We secured financing, negotiated with service providers, we made improvements at the store, we found new ways to market, we listened to webinars on SEO and Social Media Strategies. Quite simply, we hustled, we tried things and we kept moving. We never gave up and now we plan to come out even more successful on the other side.
Based on your experience, can you share 5 pieces of advice about how one can develop Grit? (Please share a story or example for each)
Work hard. Period. Actions speak louder than words so get to work. Especially when you wear the many hats of a small business owner, sometimes the most important thing you can do is just get it done.
Take pride in your work. Have an intrinsic set of expectations, an inner voice. Praise and compliments from the outside are nice, but you need to have an internal compass of the effort level and end result that you are proud of.
No excuses. No one wants to hear that the dog ate your homework or it was someone else’s fault. Take responsibility.
Build on small successes. Everything is a learning experience so celebrate the wins, even if they are small, then move up from there.
Build confidence. As you learn more things and have more experiences, confidence will grow over time.
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 you when things were tough? Can you share a story about that?
I have a small army of people including my parents, friends and a handful of colleagues who have helped shape me, encourage me, let me be myself, told me when I was being crazy, been a shoulder to cry on, or celebrate with and everything in between. I am truly grateful and I like to think I have tried to be the same for them. And now it is my own family, my husband and my young daughter that push me to believe in myself and aim even higher.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
We have used our business to bring smiles and magical experiences to our little customers faces. I am very proud that we have also made it a point to collaborate with and support other women and other small businesses. We believe strongly in collaborating and being a positive member of our local community.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
Let’s Dress Up is a safe and fun place where kids can get back to being kids and having some fun. Which will in turn help parents get a break and relax knowing we are here for them.
What advice would you give to other executives or founders to help their employees to thrive?
You have to have honest and open dialogue. Welcome employee ideas, include them in the processes and encourage them to feel connected to the business. When everyone takes pride in the business the end result is a better product, a good culture and a stronger business.
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. 🙂
Let kids be kids. Let them play, imagine and dream. Let’s put down the electronics for a minute and get back to basic, old school fun.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I have a lot, but here are two relating to this topic.
The difference in winning and losing is most often not quitting — Walt Disney.
Let your hustle be louder than your mouth.
Essentially, I like anything about taking action, not procrastinating, not being afraid to try things, etc, etc. I find them everywhere from past presidents to songs (and many of them end up as notes in my daughters lunchbox, the poor thing). It is the way I try to conduct every aspect of my life and I find it motivating to remind myself from time to time.
The Future Is Now: Abhinai Srivastava of Mashgin On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up The Tech Scene
Focus on doing things the right way, even if it’s slow. When we first started out, we thought that we always had to keep our investors happy. As a result, we made a lot of short-term decisions that weren’t as healthy for the company in the long term, and at the end of the day cost us more time in successfully getting to market.
As a part of our series about cutting edge technological breakthroughs, I had the pleasure of interviewing Abhinai Srivastava, CEO and co-founder, Mashgin.
Abhinai Srivastava brings more than 20 years of experience in data science and machine learning to his role as CEO and co-founder of Mashgin, the world’s fastest self-checkout system. He is responsible for leading and executing the company’s overall vision and strategy and is passionate about the potential applications of AI-powered computer vision in the real world.
Abhinai began his career as a data scientist at Yahoo! in 2001, well before the term was coined. He then moved to Microsoft as a founding member of the adLab team, where he helped to create the relevance algorithm for all of Microsoft’s advertising and built the first version of the Bing Knowledge Graph. Prior to co-founding Mashgin, he worked as a data scientist for Facebook, where he built a highly relevant page recommendation algorithm that also reduced the number of spam pages by 60%.
Abhinai holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi. He enjoys thinking, exploring, creating and walking, as well as a newfound love: running as hard and fast as he possibly can for as long as he possibly can. He now runs at the speed of a six-minute mile.
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 was in love with physics for all of my life and was certain that’s what I wanted to do. I really hadn’t even touched a computer until I was in college. But one day, I saw a friend playing a computer game — he was doing something simple, like throwing a stone — and I was amazed by the potential of computers to ingest and simulate physics. This is really what got me interested in computer science and what you could do with it.
As for entrepreneurship, throughout my life I previously worked at big companies. In many cases I would act as an internal founder for a new product or innovation. However, the level of effort that I had to put in to justify these projects was often as much or more than the effort of actually building them. I witnessed this happen not just to me, but to many of my most brilliant colleagues. Sometimes, once a project garnered success, the same people who acted as blockades would swoop in and take credit from the builders who had dedicated their time and creative energy.
At Mashgin, we’re using computer vision and AI to make people’s lives easier. To achieve this, I wanted and needed to create an environment where people could innovate and channel their creative energy without the fear of these types of situations. I want to incentivize people to spend their time creating value, to be comfortable taking risks, and to celebrate one another for their achievements. That’s what makes a team thrive, and only a thriving team can take on the types of challenges I want to resolve.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
When we were applying to Y Combinator, it was a long shot. And when I say long shot, I mean we sent in the application weeks after the deadline with only a few days left before Mukul, my co-founder, needed to fly back to Europe after extending his time in the US for months while pursuing our “project” which would become Mashgin.
We waited and waited to hear back from them, but the time came for Mukul to get on his flight. And so off he went. From that moment, a few hours passed, and I got a call from Y Combinator. I knew this was good because they don’t call you to say no. Sure enough, they wanted us to come in and pitch them…the following day.
Mukul was only halfway through a 14-hour flight, and I had no way of reaching him. I called, texted, emailed, WhatsApped, Vibered — if it had a notification ding, I sent him a message on it. Of course, Mukul was asleep and his phone was in airplane mode. So when he landed, every electronic device on him was going crazy. Luckily, at least one of my messages got through, because the second he left his plane he grabbed his bag and got a ticket back to California — just another 14 hours. Lucky for us, that was enough time to sharpen our pitch and demo. With two hours to spare from touching down in San Francisco, Mukul and I were telling Y Combinator how Mashgin would change the world.
Can you tell us about the cutting-edge technological breakthroughs that you are working on? How do you think that will help people?
Our major breakthrough is utilizing computer vision to understand objects the same way the human eye does — in three dimensions. For the most part, companies that try to solve problems with computer vision use two-dimensional data. This isn’t a bad approach in a lot of situations, but it begins to fail when you have scenarios that require high precision in distinguishing between objects.
This is particularly true of checkout — you can’t charge a person for the wrong item. Any instance of inaccuracy results in a big disruption to your customer’s experience and will slow down lines, resulting in lost revenue. You need a system that is correct 99.9% of the time — and we’re able to do that by understanding objects in three-dimensional space.
By solving this accuracy problem, we can now ring up items entirely using computer vision — no need to find a specific barcode or to type an item in. This is important for two primary reasons:
First, it means the instant ring-up of items that never had a barcode in the first place. That opens up self-checkout to entirely new industries like cafeterias, quick service restaurants, and sports stadiums where many of the items sold come out of a kitchen and traditionally need to be typed in. Second, it allows the user to ring up multiple items at once, making the checkout process much much faster and dramatically reducing checkout lines. In the field Mashgin improves checkout throughput as much as 400% over using cashiers and traditional points of sale.
The net effect is that customers get what they want much, much faster, and businesses end up with more sales as a result. At Mile High Stadium, the Denver Broncos saw 34% more concession sales per game where they installed Mashgin as the primary checkout method.
How do you think this might change the world?
It has already changed the world of retail and food service. We’re giving people back the valuable time that they spend waiting to get what they need. We double, triple, sometimes even quadruple the speed that lines move in comparison to traditional means of checkout.
For each individual person, that may only be a few minutes at a time. But if you’ve ever been in a rush to go somewhere and needed to grab something on the way, then you know it can be a huge relief just to get a few minutes back. Have you ever been to a sports game and missed an important moment while waiting in line? By doubling the speed those lines move, we can reduce how often people have to deal with that disappointment.
Think about how long lines can become in the school lunchroom. Plenty of research confirms that recess and lunch breaks are very important for student development. But it’s hard for students to get the benefits of socialization and exercise if they spend half of their break standing in line. If we can bring technologies like Mashgin into schools and speed up that line, it could have a substantial impact on student health and performance.
We did the math on just how much time Mashgin has saved people to date, and even by our most conservative estimates we’ve given about 12 years of time back to humanity. And we’re just getting started.
As for future implications of the core technology and where it can go, there are some really big opportunities. Today, there are a lot of companies chasing the fully frictionless experience with no checkout at all. Most of them are reliant on tracking individual people and remembering where specific objects are in a store. However, they don’t have a true visual understanding of the objects themselves the way that Mashgin does.Our technology fills in an important gap that will be necessary in making full-frictionless retail something that can be accomplished at the accuracy level and cost-level necessary for it to scale into being a part of our everyday lives.
Outside of retail, we see a big opportunity in manufacturing. The quality assurance process of a lot of goods requires a large number of people spending time staring at and measuring items at different stages of the process. Mashgin is able to instantly build a 3D model of an object that is accurate at the scale of millimeters. When applied to manufacturing, that would allow it to detect even subtle changes from the quality standard. That means production lines that rely on visual QA can move faster than ever with fewer missed errors.
Keeping “Black Mirror” in mind can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
No, and that’s intentional. We specifically built Mashgin to work without needing to track people and their personal information, a common concern with fully frictionless checkout. Unlike a lot of technologies that focus on watching humans, our emphasis on recognizing objects has much less opportunity for harm.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?
One night I was taking a walk thinking through why we were able to reach high levels of accuracy, but not high enough to be truly relevant to checkout. I wondered, “Why are humans so good at this? How do my own eyes do it?”. I tried focusing on different objects from different angles and distances. I put my hand over one eye and tried to distinguish an object in a fairly messy group of things. I quickly noticed how much harder it was to make out each object individually with one eye. That’s when I realized how important depth of field is to vision and why understanding three dimensions was so important. If my own brain struggled when working in “almost 2D,” then it makes sense that even really advanced AI could be disrupted when dealing with groups of objects or very similar looking things.
What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?
People. A high-quality team is core to any organization. We’re lucky to already be working with the top organizations in every industry we’ve targeted, and have hit a period of rapid expansion within these groups. So, we’re focused on deploying at high speed and deepening the value we can bring those clients. To do that effectively, we need a Rockstar team of engineers and deployment engineers to keep moving quickly.
The great thing about Mashgin is that with every new location, we grow faster. People use the system once and they get it. So, when a potential customer sees us in the wild, they quickly become a real one.
What have you been doing to publicize this idea? Have you been using any innovative marketing strategies?
Our main clients are large enterprises. We do everything to ensure client success and partner with them to create an exceptional experience for their customers. That manifests in a number of ways of going above and beyond the norm. For example, even after setting up a location we’ll regularly send brand ambassadors to locations to introduce first-time users to use Mashgin. Our customer success team will help cafes optimize their menus to be even more efficient and speedy. We’ve even built entirely new products like mobile ordering because clients were struggling with their existing solution and preferred to work with our team.
In the case of Delek, one of our first customers in the convenience store space, we filmed a commercial inside one of their stores so that they could show customers the new faster, safer checkout experience they offer. This helped to tell their story as innovators who care about their customers.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I think part of the magic of Silicon Valley is how it brings enthusiastic people together in a really supportive way. There are several people who have helped me throughout my time as a founder just because they could. Both as advisors and as friends, they’ve been there when I needed them. Some of the names that immediately come to mind are Ben Narasin, Avichal Garg, Louis Beryl, Leonard Speiser, and Qasar Younis. I am so grateful for both their guidance and their friendship.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
The environment and how we treat it is really important to me. In the early days of Mashgin I noticed that whenever we received components or shipped machines there was a ton of unnecessary plastic in the packaging. So I specifically spoke to our vendors to make sure that the packaging we used was as sustainable as possible, whether by reducing the total number of components or changing the materials we use to ship and receive. In the end this costs us a good bit more for every machine, but we’re often able to re-use parts of it and recycle most of the rest. As we scale, we’ll continue with this policy and help keep sustainable packaging providers growing with us.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
Focus on doing things the right way, even if it’s slow. When we first started out, we thought that we always had to keep our investors happy. As a result, we made a lot of short-term decisions that weren’t as healthy for the company in the long term, and at the end of the day cost us more time in successfully getting to market.
Your first hire should be in either a HR/recruiting or business operations. New founders do not realize how much time goes into hiring and administrative tasks that you’d never anticipate. Taking these off your shoulders will open up a lot of time and mental energy for you to focus on key drivers of the business.
If you’re going to raise money, make sure that you’re ready for it and set clear expectations. A company can’t be a research project, it must be ready to build and ship actual products.
You get what you pay for, especially when it comes to employees and services. We saw this very clearly with the speed and quality of our patent lawyers. Early on, we took a low bid during our first round of patents. The resulting filings took a year and only ended up with a single weak patent. When we later shifted to a well-endorsed lawyer with a higher hourly rate, they had stronger patents completed within six months. We ended up spending less money overall to get better patents despite using a more expensive lawyer.
Great employees make it look easy. Usually, common sense is that if an employee appears relaxed, they must have been assigned an easy project and they seem to be just hanging out. What I’ve found is that those employees can be working very difficult or complex projects, they’re just finding solutions on their own and making things work rather than spending energy stressing out or complaining. That’s exactly the type of person you want to seek out, foster, and promote.
If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I would create a movement to instill greater awareness of our environmental impact. We only have one home and we are destroying it. I really think that winter is coming when we think about the environment. This will require global agreement that our actions impact the environment, as well as the acknowledgment that we can do something about it. So, I’d love to inspire a movement to spread information and compassion about these issues worldwide, because it will have to be a collective effort.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I have two, both from Paul Graham. The first is “Allow yourself to make mistakes.” Too often we let the perfect be the enemy of the good or a lack of information stop us from moving forward. It can be paralyzing. Focusing on this lesson helps me stay open to a lot more possibilities and be faster in taking action.
The second is “Fix your mistakes aggressively.” This is a really important companion to the first lesson. Just because you allow mistakes doesn’t mean you can ignore them. Don’t sink your ego into a bad decision. It’s pivotal to quickly evaluate, iterate, and fix things as you go along.
Some very well-known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say?
We’ve created a unique product that makes customers happy every time they use it. At the same time it makes retailers much more efficient and profitable in their operations. We are already the most popular computer vision powered checkout on the planet with over 13 million transactions to date. Yet somehow you haven’t heard of us yet, which is why it’s the perfect time to invest.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Believe it or not, I’m the very first Abhinai on twitter, so you can find me at https://twitter.com/abhinai. I also like to post my thoughts, experiments, and Mashgin successes on the Mashgin Blog.
Thank you so much for these amazing insights. This was so inspiring, and we wish you continued success!
Being an inclusive leader is about seeing employees as more than just that. You have to think about them as actual people and really get to know them. Understanding what interests your employees and who they are helps inform you and the way you lead.
As a part of our series about “How Diversity Can Increase a Company’s Bottom Line”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sharra Owens-Schwartz.
Sharra Owens-Schwartz is the Senior Director of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity at Rocket Software. Reporting to Tracey Leahy, Sharra will help elevate its RIDE program and lead the initiatives and programs focused on creating an inclusive environment, where Rocketeers are valued for their differences.
Sharra has committed her personal and professional life to the advancement of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She currently serves as Board Chair of the Diversity Committee at Belmont Day School. Most recently, Sharra served as the Director of Annual Giving at The Park School where she was responsible for raising 10% of the annual operating budget. While in this role, she was integral in the formation of an anti-racist task force to tackle and rebuild the development department with more inclusive practices and was on the team which assessed the School’s climate for inclusivity and multiculturalism. At The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, Sharra held a leadership role on the advancement team and was a key contributor to the first-ever Diversity Strategic and Implementation Plan. Prior to these roles, Sharra held various communications and policy roles in the public, private and non-profit sectors. She earned a B.A. from Bethune-Cookman University and an M.B.A. from The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive into the main part of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit more. Can you share a bit of your “backstory” with us?
I was fortunate enough to grow up in a tight-knit community in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston. It was one of those communities where everyone looked out for each other and it was a nurturing environment to be raised in. My immediate family in particular was really service oriented. My dad held an elected office in Boston and my mother had a leadership role with the city. From a young age, I was taught the importance of service, advocating and, overall, looking out for others so everyone can have a voice.
My father’s work has always reminded me that representation for underserved communities, especially through the political process, is pivotal. My dad was an advocate for movements and causes well beyond those that were “popular” — not only did he fight for the Black community in communities of color. He went against the grain and championed for gay rights before most people joined the fight. I believe that having a foundation where service, equity and equality was instilled as a child helped shape the decisions I have made growing up and in the work I do today. At Rocket Software, I’ve been tapped to lead our inclusion, diversity, and equity initiatives.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? Can you tell us the lesson or take away you took out of that story?
During my time working in higher education, I had the privilege of meeting a lot of interesting and successful people who were at different points in their careers. I connected with some of the younger professionals on a deeper level and this allowed me to understand their thought process during their undergrad experience. So many of them were hyper focused on figuring out their career trajectory when they hadn’t even figured out what classes they were going to take the following semester.
To my surprise, when I talk to people who are well into their careers, most of their stories had these winding paths of getting to where they are. There wasn’t a set trajectory to follow and often they truly didn’t know where they would end up. In my conversations, I find that most people major in something different than what they’ve dedicated their career to. Ultimately, this taught me that it’s OK to have varied experiences throughout your life, especially when you’re young. Somehow, these allow you to look at events or situations from a different perspective. Everyone has a unique way of getting to where they are, and the lessons and experiences are truly what it’s all about. The journey is fluid and that’s an important truth to embrace.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you tell us a story about how that was relevant in your own life?
“In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.” — Justice Thurgood Marshall.
This resonates with me not only with my work, but truly in the way I live my life. I’m constantly thinking about how people are crossing bridges and coming together to break down inequities, challenging systems of injustice all with the intention of creating inclusive environments. And all of this is really only possible with empathy. We have to take the time to really see and listen to each other and strip away biases and stereotypes. It’s critical that we look at people as individuals and honor our differences. This is how we break down barriers between cultures and generations. When you recognize the humanity in other people, you’re doing yourself a big favor; you allow yourself to be open to new things, people, and perspective and in the process unburden yourself from preconceived notions.
I often think about my ancestors and everything they’ve done to pave the way for me and being empathetic with people is a way for me to pay my respect to them. I’m a firm believer that it’s my duty to lead with empathy and recognize that everyone is human at the end of the day.
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?
Definitely my parents. When I showed up in this world, they had my back, and they continue to do so. They’ve always told me the truth and supported me, but most importantly, they’ve challenged me in my thinking. To this day, there is nothing that I can do, no decision I would make where they wouldn’t be there to support me. They have been and continue to be my foundation, my cheerleaders, my teachers, and support system.
More importantly, they are my role models. They’ve shown me what it means to be passionate and committed to justice and social inclusion and equity. While my parents have been the most consistent figures in my life, I do have to say that it’s also bigger than my parents. Throughout my life there have been several people who have been integral figures in supporting me throughout my journey. From teachers to colleagues, to random interactions, to my spouse there’s so much that I’ve learned throughout my life from people that aren’t part of my immediate circle. It really has taken a village to help mold me throughout my journey, including the tough times that are equally important. The tough times are the greatest times of growth. These are the moments that teach us resilience and add to our journey’s story.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
To me, what makes Rocket Software standout is our values. When I was going through the interview process, the values stood out and I found them really interesting: empathy, humanity, trust, and love. I wasn’t sure how these would apply at a software company, of all places, or if they’d even be real. I had my initial doubts, but I also decided I needed to dig in deeper to understand what these were about. The Rocket culture truly lives and breathes these values and embedding things like love into how we approach our work is really powerful. The values became the most compelling thing to me about Rocket.
I’m passionate about DE&I, so the combination of that with Rocket’s values, really made this a good opportunity. It was very apparent that Rocket employees applied these values not only in their work and interactions with other employees, but these also applied to customers. During my onboarding process it was reassuring to hear Andy Youniss, Rocket’s CEO, talk about these values in such a deep manner and it really resonated with me. It’s refreshing to work at a company that truly stands by their values.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that might help people?
Lucky for me, most of what I’m doing at Rocket right now is new. In fact, my role is an entirely new one. Last year, our CEO wanted to take a new focus and commit to diversity, equity, and inclusion, because it was something that was missing. While Rocket has these wonderful values, there wasn’t really a concerted effort to focus on these areas. Our company is diverse in the sense that we have employees and offices spread across the world, but we had to take a closer look at other aspects. My position was created to do this. I am so proud of the company for taking the steps to put the work in increase DE&I efforts. It’s vital and a tremendous opportunity for me to put my passion in play to make a difference.
One of the company’s first efforts was launching Rocket Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (RIDE) which is a diverse group of internal employees dedicated to bringing all of these elements to every corner for Rocket Software.
I’ve been tasked with taking a deeper look at what inclusion, diversity and equity mean for us and what it looks like across the organization. As part of this, I’m looking at things from a holistic view and putting strategic plans in place to execute. This includes widening the pool for candidates for open positions, helping women develop in their leadership roles, re-examining policies to be more equitable and inclusive. From an organizational view, we are doing some really wonderful and dynamic things and I’m excited for it!
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
It’s not so much about using my success to bring goodness to the world, rather it’s a part of who I am and what I do. I choose to spend my time outside of my job working with underrepresented, disenfranchised, and marginalized groups. I’m lucky in the fact that my passion for DE&I intersects with my professional work. Being able to spend time giving back to different communities where I spent my time as a kid has been and continues to be a wonderful experience.
I’m focused on giving my time back in consistent and intentional ways. Especially in the arts. My talents are certainly not in that area, but I truly appreciate the benefits and impact of the arts. For me it’s about supporting organizations in underrepresented neighborhoods. I focus on bringing access and opportunity to those who might not have it at arm’s reach. While this is an ongoing process, it really helps break down some of these barriers that sometimes seem unbreakable. Creating access and opportunity helps people thrive. This can only happen when you have people like me giving back and lifting up.
Ok. Thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the main part of our interview. This may be obvious to you, but it is not intuitive to many people. Can you articulate to our readers five ways that increased diversity can help a company’s bottom line. (Please share a story or example for each.)
When we talk about diversity and the bottom line, we can’t really separate the diversity piece from the inclusion and equity pieces. While diversity creates value for companies, on its own it does not create the highest levels of value. Diversity without equity and inclusion is just shifting around the numbers when it comes to your employees. There are two distinct ways in which diversity increases your bottom line: innovation and decision-making.
According to a recent McKinsey report, companies that have gender and ethnic diversity outperform companies who don’t, respectively by 15% and 35% than less diverse companies. I think that most people today agree that diversity is the right thing to do and businesses are increasingly realizing that it’s one of the best things to pay attention to in order for businesses to continue being successful. When you have diversity on teams and within your organization you get better outcomes.
It’s more than inviting diverse populations to work for you though, you need to provide an environment where people can truly show up and be themselves and know that they are welcomed. Employees need to know that they will be treated fairly and that they will have access to opportunities regardless of who they are, what they look like, where they are from or who they love. If you provide this type of environment, what you’ll see is deeply engaged employees which will in turn create space for broader levels of creativity, innovation and high performance.
The second piece is when you have diverse perspectives you boost your decision-making capabilities which is critical to any business. Again, it does not stop there. Leaders need to respect and seek out diverse and unique perspectives. People with different lived experiences and outlooks will approach problem solving differently. Imagine the possibilities. You enhance your capability to understand and anticipate the needs of your customers when you have diverse perspectives. Customers are paying closer attention to companies who align with their values and who are making decisions about products and services. Having diverse employees improves credibility in the market.
I don’t see there being five specific ways, rather, there are so many interconnected parts to the DE&I synergy — everything has to work together in order to be successful.
What advice would you give to other business leaders to help their employees to thrive?
Being an inclusive leader is about seeing employees as more than just that. You have to think about them as actual people and really get to know them. Understanding what interests your employees and who they are helps inform you and the way you lead. Cultivating these types of relationships provides engagement and safe spaces for people to be fully engaged in their work. Creating a space where people have a voice and feel connected helps get a job done, inspires new ideas and creates team comradery.
Regarding advice, I would ask any leader five things:
How do you lead? Really examine your style.
What does an inclusive leader look like to you? What traits does this person have? Perhaps an example comes to mind.
What does servant leadership look like?
How are you supporting your team members?
What are you doing to check your own biases?
I firmly believe the 360-review process helps examine different points of view from other team members. It’s truly a way for you to get a full picture of someone’s strengths and areas of improvement. It’s also really important to have ongoing check-ins to help foster an inclusive environment rather than just once a year.
What advice would you give to other business leaders about how to manage a large team?
This doesn’t really differ much from being an inclusive leader. First, you have to model what inclusive leadership looks like. When someone is managing a large team, it’s critical that you understand and know who your employees are and what drives them. Knowing who their families are, know something about them outside of work. Taking the time to truly engage with them makes them feel connected and that you are on the same team. Cultivating a genuine team dynamic creates a safe space and makes you seem approachable.
Giving feedback and also soliciting feedback from your team is critical. Adopting a growth mindset makes you a better leader. As a leader, you have to know how to give good and constructive feedback. While I agree that face-to-face feedback is often better to give/receive (there’s little room for misunderstandings like with emails), sometimes conflicting schedules, or a global pandemic, doesn’t always allow for this. However, it’s important to give as much feedback as you can, as well taking the time to know what people want from their careers and support this as much as possible.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this 🙂
I’m fascinated and always have been by Bishop Desmond Tutu. His journey really piques my curiosity. He lived through apartheid in South Africa all while becoming an integral figure and a symbol of liberation.
I would love to have a meal with him to really understand what this was all like. He worked with Nelson Mandela and I’m fascinated to learn more about the different layers of work that went in to navigating this entire situation. He constantly had to deal with a brutal environment and working on some of these intense negotiations with those that were progressive, liberal and conservative is really fascinating. Being able to understand the balance that he was able to find for this situation would be great to understand.
If you think about it, he was in the middle of different points of view while also working to abolish brutality and ease deep social, historical and political tensions.
His focus has really been about reconciliation and forgiveness, which is something I want to understand in a deep way. How do you live through brutality and come out so leveled? Getting a firsthand account of how he navigated this and what the process looked like in real-time might help me better understand how he was he able to be such a transformational figure.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
There are no shortcuts. You must work your way through everything that needs to be done. After successfully leading my university’s hockey team for almost two years, I thought I was ready to jump right to executive positions. But that was not the case, at all. So, I started from scratch, and I am thankful for it now.
As a part of my series about “Big Ideas That Might Change The World In The Next Few Years” I had the pleasure of interviewing Simon Vincze — Responsible Gambling Projects Manager.
Simon leads and manages Casino Guru’s long-term projects related predominantly to responsible gambling, with the goal of making the entire online gambling industry safer for everyone. He currently focuses on the Global Self-Exclusion Initiative, which aims to create a tool that will help vulnerable players restrict their access to gambling on a global level, and the Casino Guru Academy that hopes to better educate online casino customer support representatives and allow them to assist players more effectively and responsibly.
These projects are at the forefront of Casino Guru’s efforts to bettering the online gambling industry by increasing its standards and pushing online casinos to be fairer and safer for players.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you please tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I have always loved talking to people and listening to their stories, trying to understand the situation they are dealing with and possibly do something about it. Things like communication, learning, and finding solutions to all kinds of issues have been an important part of my entire life, including my professional career.
Ending up in the iGaming sector was more or less a coincidence, though. I knew very little about the industry, but I quickly understood how things work, thanks to the help of my knowledgeable colleagues. When I fully grasped what Casino Guru is trying to achieve and what kinds of issues it is facing, I knew that I could be of help. So, I joined the team and started taking care of Casino Guru’s two ambitious projects that aim to aid the entire industry — the Casino Guru Academy (educational courses for casino employees) and the Global Self-Exclusion Initiative, which we’ll talk about more in this interview.
Can you please share with us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I have learnt a lot since I started working on this project. For example, I genuinely thought that slot machines are using some elaborate algorithms designed specifically to manipulate players, for example to grant them some winnings only to make them spend as much money as possible down the line. Now I know that slot results are random, and, even though they give the casino an advantage, it does not work as I thought it does.
For me, the takeaway from this is that there can be so much more to see when looking at the entire picture. I was looking at gambling through my personal experience — an app with slots that I used a while back and lost all my credits. Afterwards, I deleted it and thought that there must be something fishy going on. I judged the entire industry based on my very brief experience and emotions. Now that I see things from the wider perspective, I know how things really work.
Additionally, it also shows the amount of misinformation going on in anything related to gambling. Many people take part in it, but only a small fraction of them know how it actually works, which leads to a huge number of myths believed by a large number of players. This is why we at Casino Guru put such an emphasis on spreading correct information and educating people about how gambling really works.
Which principles or philosophies have guided your life? Your career?
That’s a nice question. I’ve always tried to be righteous — to act and make decisions the right way. Of course, we cannot make sure everything happens the right way, as some things are out of our reach, but my moral compass tells me that I should do everything I can to do the right thing.
This approach has not always been beneficial for me and welcomed by people around me, especially in work-related situations where ‘the right thing’ did not necessarily align with achieving business targets and maximizing profit. I understood why it must be like that, but it just did not feel right. Trying to do the right thing can be perceived as a weakness, but I try to take a look at this principle as an opportunity to prove that moral values can work in business as well. Luckily, Casino Guru sees it the same way, and it’s one of the reasons why I joined the team.
Ok thank you for that. Let’s now move to the main focus of our interview. Can you tell us about your “Big Idea That Might Change The World”?
Self-exclusion is a tool that allows players to block their own access to gambling online, one of the commonly available self-limiting options offered by online casinos and bookmakers. Players can exclude themselves from playing at a single casino, but some gambling regulators have also implemented multi-operator schemes that allow players to exclude from all gambling sites that hold a specific license.
Self-exclusion is currently the most potent responsible gambling tool available to players in terms of minimizing gambling-related harm, but we believe it can still be greatly improved by creating a global self-exclusion system. We imagine a system that would allow players to self-exclude from playing on all online gambling sites at once, regardless of the player’s country of residence or the casinos’ licenses.
The issue with current options is that they can be circumvented. Players can easily find other casinos to play in, and that is an issue for players that resort to self-exclusion because they are battling gambling addiction and want to minimize its negative impact on their lives. Other casinos have no idea that the player is addicted, so they have no reason to deny them access to gambling. That’s something that we hope to change by creating a global self-exclusion scheme — our idea that might change the world, at least for people addicted to gambling who wish to stop playing.
How do you think this will change the world?
It is a very ambitious project, but I believe it could really make a difference in terms of reducing gambling-related harm and saving addicted people’s lives.
The thing is, gambling addiction is a really widespread issue. It is not given as much attention as other common addictions, like those to drugs and alcohol, but there are millions of problem gamblers around the world. This behavioral addiction can easily destroy the lives of its sufferers, as its negative effects can range from less serious social or financial issues all the way to suicide. If a unified, global self-exclusion system could help only a small fraction of these people get on the right track, it will be all worth it.
Now, I must add that simply blocking one’s access to gambling does not solve the entire issue. It only helps addicted players resist their urges to start playing again by limiting their access to gambling possibilities. That is why we would also like to focus on providing excluded players with resources and professional help that can help them overcome their addiction.
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this idea that people should think more deeply about?
Of course, there are many potential drawbacks and complications that will need to be taken care of and considered in the process. There will have to be a data- and experience-driven discussion about the specific technical details of the system. Also, current self-exclusion practices differ in terms of the enlisting process, self-exclusion duration, its revocability, as well as other types of help for problem gamblers. It will be difficult to find a generally applicable solution, but I am convinced that with the years of problem gambling research being done by professionals, we will be able to find the right approach.
Now, for the more serious and dangerous drawbacks, I am certain that we will have to put a lot of emphasis on privacy and security. We have seen casinos specifically targeting problematic gamblers in the past and inviting them to play. Yes, it is an absolutely horrible and immoral approach to business in the gambling sector, but it does happen. We will have to make sure to build a truly secure system, so that it cannot be misused by rogue casinos like this, for example.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this idea? Can you tell us that story?
It is hard to pin-point the moment that has had the biggest influence, but I would say it all started when we rolled out our Complaint Resolution Center, in which we directly help players with their issues related to online casinos. We have been working with casino complaints in one way or another long before that, but the Complaint Resolution Center has opened us to them in much larger quantities and in a more detail-oriented way.
That is when we noticed the number of players complaining about self-exclusion and other responsible gambling tools and principles. More specifically, we have seen a number of cases in which players used their national self-exclusion system to exclude from all casinos with a local license, only to find themselves playing in a foreign casino that offers objectively worse services. That is when we realised that, in the open and accessible online world, focusing on just one country is a bit short-sighted, and had an idea to build something with a larger scope. And the idea of a global self-exclusion system was born.
What do you need to lead this idea to widespread adoption?
As we outlined in our plan of action, we first need to discuss the idea with other stakeholders and raise awareness of the issue. We need to find out if other members of the gambling industry agree with our idea and see it as a suitable solution to the issue we are trying to address.
Most official organizations focus exclusively on their jurisdiction and players within it. Of course, that is understandable and completely normal, but we need to spread the idea that these things can be approached globally, and that the entire world would benefit from it. We need to help others see the bigger picture and venture outside of their current focus area.
Related to that, after spreading awareness and collecting feedback from others, we will look to partner with other gambling stakeholders interested to join the initiative.
Once we find the correct partners, there will be a long, long way to go, including fine-tuning the exact specifications of the global self-exclusion system’s technical solution, building a working system, and then getting other entities — those that have not joined the initiative by then — to get on board.
All of this will have to work out for us to be able to reach widespread adoption. We have a long journey ahead of us, but one that is worth taking, in my opinion.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
Sure, let’s give it a try. I can hopefully think of 5 things that would be great to know beforehand, but I doubt my past self would have considered them as important as I do now, after I have experienced them first-hand. Nevertheless, here we go:
There are no shortcuts. You must work your way through everything that needs to be done. After successfully leading my university’s hockey team for almost two years, I thought I was ready to jump right to executive positions. But that was not the case, at all. So, I started from scratch, and I am thankful for it now.
You can only truly rely on one person — yourself. I was definitely told this by my mother and countless other people when I was a kid… But who would listen to well-intentioned advice, right?
Online gambling is one hell of a complicated environment. I think I actually was told this as well, but I did not expect it to be this complex. On the other hand, I am learning new things every day, and I am thankful for that.
OK, we have 3 things. Maybe 5 is a bit too many. It is difficult for me to think about more of these things, especially because I think I would not have listened. It is one thing to get great advice, but only experiencing these lessons yourself gives you the perspective you need to truly learn from them.
Also, you can never prepare for everything and be fully prepared to deal with any obstacle that may arise along the way. And to be honest, I think it may actually be better for it to be that way. For sure, you need a realistic plan and vision, but there will always be things that come up along the way. The important thing is how you react to them. You can let them stop you, try to just ignore them, or do everything you can to overcome them. As long as you choose wisely, you’ll be alright. ☺
Can you share with our readers what you think are the most important “success habits” or “success mindsets”?
It might sound like a cliché, but I think that you really need to be persistent to be able to succeed.
However, being persistent is not a guarantee of success by itself. First and foremost, you need a good plan. Then, persistence will simply allow you to follow through with it, despite holdbacks that are almost certain to appear along the way. Even if you have a great plan, things will not always go according to it, and you need to adapt and remain persistent. Someone once told me that plans are nothing, but planning is everything. I like to remind myself of that every now and then.
Also, teamwork is very important. Everyone on the team should be working towards the same goal, with an aligned strategy. You need to communicate with other members of the team and be able to agree on how to move forward. This will also be important in our case, not only within our current team, but also when communicating with other members of the initiative in the future.
Lastly, you must be true to yourself about the work you are doing. If you are giving it your best, you cannot really fail. Well, you can, and you most likely will. But, if you stick to the other things I mentioned, at the end of the day you can always say that you have given it your best and learned from it. Then, just rinse and repeat (hence the persistence) and keep going.
Some very well known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them ?
Well, I cannot imagine that VCs would be interested in a non-profit project that aims to improve the entire industry without profiting on it. But if they have connections that would help us reach our goal, I will certainly be happy to hear from them.
Also, more information about the initiative can be found on https://casino.guru/initiative. On this website, you can learn about our plans and ambitions, as well as about the current best-practices and regulation landscape regarding self-exclusion and responsible gambling in general. I will also be publishing regular blog posts there, documenting the journey for anyone that wishes to follow along.
I would also like to encourage your readers to share our goals and ambitions with anyone involved in the gambling industry that might be interested to learn more or join the initiative. We need to find as much support as possible, and any seemingly random connection can be the difference be the tipping point that leads to success.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Company Values — As the world is changing, and diversity is reigning as a priority within our culture’s values, consumers will be looking more objectively at which companies they choose to partner with.
As a part of our series about “How Diversity Can Increase a Company’s Bottom Line”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Amanda Ma.
Amanda Ma is the Founder and Chief Experience Officer of Innovate Marketing Group (IMG) an award-winning event and experiential marketing agency based in Los Angeles. Innovate Marketing Group is known for producing remarkable corporate events by providing fresh ideas, infrastructure and logistics. Clients include TikTok, East West Bank and more.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive into the main part of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit more. Can you share a bit of your “backstory” with us?
Born in Taiwan and raised in Arcadia, CA, Amanda studied business at Boston University in Boston, MA and studied abroad in London, UK. Her entrepreneurial journey began in 2006 as the Co-Founder of Fresh Events Company, Inc. and Co-Founder of Pamper Me Fabulous in 2008. She then founded Innovate Marketing Group in 2014, which through her leadership has flourished into one of the most distinguished event management and design agencies both locally and nationally, with a team of dedicated event professionals that are ready to help bring client events to the next level.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? Can you tell us the lesson or take away you took out of that story?
This moment immediately came to mind. We were working on a 3,000 people corporate event at the LA Coliseum for a corporate family fun day. Based in sunny California we are usually blessed with great weather, however, that weekend it was tentatively forecast to rain. However, we got really lucky and it didn’t rain at all the entire time for set up or during the event. Sunshine all the way. However, literally one hour after we started to strike we heard a loud noise outside while we were packing up in the green room. The team ran out to see what was going on. And turns out it was hailing outside. Within minutes the entire field of the LA Coliseum was filled with hail and looked like snow. Whew, we thought, we got so lucky! We even took a video to show our client afterward and they were surprised. If the hail had happened a few hours earlier, we would have had to shut down the entire event. Luck was on our side on that day indeed.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you tell us a story about how that was relevant in your own life?
“I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.”– Thomas Jefferson
Every accomplishment that I have now it’s because of the hard work that was dedicated to making that happen. In some efforts, you see the results instantly, while in others it takes time. it is about continuously working hard and working smart.
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?
I considered myself lucky because I had wonderful mentors along the way. From my first professional job to today, they each made an impact on me. I remember one of my mentors said, “You create your value, no one can take that away from you.”
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
We are known as an experience company that specializes in event strategy and event management. However, for us, each event has a bigger purpose. The vision that I have for this company is we help fuel brands that change lives for the better. And we do that through event experiences. Each of our events is very purposeful and curated to fulfill that purpose.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that might help people?
We recently just finished a three-day virtual Women’s Leadership Conference. Full of dynamic speakers, and attendees walked away feeling more empowered and with more knowledge. It felt fantastic to know that our company helped with this conference because it truly carried out our vision of helping fuel brands that change people’s lives for the better.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Last year during the pandemic our industry was completed disrupted, and the entire industry came to a halt. During this time I leverage our resources and talent to do the following:
I joined the board of Entrepreneur Organization (EO-LA) as the Diversity & Inclusion Chair.
I joined the California Events Coalition as an advisory board to help advocate, support, educate, and provide resources for the events industry community in California.
Virtual speaking engagement to educate the 100+ non-profits on how to navigate their events/live experience during this time and what resources are available. E.g. Virtual events, virtual team building, etc.
Promoting local restaurants
We put together an ‘Overcoming Crisis’ webinar panel to be a resource to the business community leveraging our network of speakers and experts that we have access to
We collaborated with various other groups to put together virtual events covering topics such as mental health, diversity & inclusion, etc that benefit the community.
Ok. Thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the main part of our interview. This may be obvious to you, but it is not intuitive to many people. Can you articulate to our readers five ways that increased diversity can help a company’s bottom line. (Please share a story or example for each.)
In the wake of major social and political changes, many leading companies are now taking necessary steps to increase and improve diversity and inclusion within their workspace. The need for increased representation and support for all cultures and backgrounds is needed now more than ever and benefits both the people and the company.
Studies show that diverse teams (1):
33% more likely to generate better-than-average profits.
70% more likely to capture new markets.
Generate 19% more revenue from innovation than companies with below-average leadership diversity.
Since the beginning, diversity and inclusion have always been integrated into our framework here at Innovate Marketing Group. As a proud Woman and Asian Owned business, we have widely supported diversity in all forms: race, age, gender, and many more.
Expanded Target Audience — When you open your company to other possibilities, other demographics you have not previously targeted, you open a well of opportunity. Having a clear idea of who your target audience is, is key to determine how to market your service or product, however many times this idea can be superficial. Dig deeper and find what is missing.
Brand Relatability — Simply, if a individual doesn’t feel they can relate or see themselves within your company or it’s values, chances are they won’t be bought. Clients have diverse needs, and you need to have the solution. With a diverse workforce, you have the ability to offer different solutions that relate to those needs.
Representation Boosts Company Morale and Engagement — When an employee feels they are seen, acknowledged, heard, and included they feel connected and engaged. When your staff are comfortable, productivity is increased as well as motivation. Make your workplace a space your employees want to be.
Different Viewpoints = Fresh Ideas — Diversity within a company is a key factor in the creation of new and fresh ideas. Creativity and innovation come from different places within all of us. This leads to more appealing campaigns, messaging, and services
Company Values — As the world is changing, and diversity is reigning as a priority within our culture’s values, consumers will be looking more objectively at which companies they choose to partner with. It is not enough to use social media to spread a message. Specifically, how are you working to change it? Setting diversity and representation KPI’s into your company’s framework let’s others know you don’t just talk the talk; you walk the walk.
What advice would you give to other business leaders to help their employees to thrive?
At our agency finding time to connect and engage with one another is priority. Wea re aware that the more an employee feels seen and represented, the higher their productivity and output. At IMG, every month we have an employee engagement event we call ‘IMG Fun’. Whether it be a holiday celebration or to partake in a team building activity, we take the time to bond.
As well we incorporate a wins & recognitions section every single week during our weekly meetings. This is where we celebrate together, both the big and small wins. This allows the team to showcase the others hard work and show appreciation.
What advice would you give to other business leaders about how to manage a large team?
Share your vision, share your values. Have the team buy-in what it is that you are trying to accomplish. Think bigger about how you can make an impact and share that with your team and have them share how they can be part of that journey..
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this 🙂
Mark Cuban from Shark Tank. While I was on maternity leave, I watch so much Shark Tank. I just love his enthusiasm and his passion for business.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
If you want to build trust in your brand then look to communicate with your customers often, channel an authentic voice, treat your employees well, put the customers first and aim to do the right thing. Howard Schultz and Starbucks have done a phenomenal job of employing these practices. The result has been a loyal following and massive global growth. Starbucks has set a great example for smart entrepreneurs looking to build trust and respect for their organizations.
As part of our series about how to create a trusted, believable, and beloved brand, I had the pleasure to Interview Evan Nierman.
Evan Nierman is Founder of the PR and Crisis Management firm, Red Banyan. Evan possesses 20 years of high-level experience in public relations, marketing, crisis management, online media, international relations, and public affairs. Throughout his career, he has provided strategic communications counsel to top business leaders, government officials and presidential candidates, and private individuals.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you please tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I was working for a phenomenal organization that had a great reputation was unfailingly professional, really best class of what they did. Through no fault of their own they found themselves embroiled in a crisis situation. I saw from that experience that good people and great organizations can find themselves enmeshed in complex circumstances. I decided I wanted to spend my career focusing on how to help good people and good organizations get through tough times and not have other people spread misinformation, disinformation or attack their credibility.
Can you share a story about the funniest marketing mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
One of the funniest marketing mistakes that I made was launching my company Red Banyan with a horrible logo. It was supposed to be reminiscent of the name — and was a red banyan tree. But the dangling vines from the tree looked like dripping streams of blood.
I tried improving the logo to get rid of the sinister-looking tree but ended up with what appeared to be a mushroom cloud from a nuclear detonation. Eventually we got it right and I learned a valuable lesson about logos — hire a professional to design them!
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
We are updating and upgrading the diversity, inclusivity and sensitivity training that we offer to our team members. I think it’s important to ensure that we all do our part to make the world more equitable for all people.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
The thing that separates from us from other business is our relentless dedication to our core values: results, integrity, commitment & can-do, accountability and speed. This guides how we interact with each other and our clients and defines who we are as an organization. We introduce the concept of RICAS to every client and prospective client with whom we speak because it is important for them to know. We are very clear about who we are and what we value the most. If they appreciate those core values and if they resonate with them, we tend to have a great working relationship.
Ok let’s now jump to the core part of our interview. In a nutshell, how would you define the difference between brand marketing (branding) and product marketing (advertising)? Can you explain?
Product marketing is focused on a single product or an object. Brand marketing is much broader. It encapsulates the reputation of the provider, the ethos of the company itself. When you are marketing a product, you want to talk about differentiators and assurances that the product is high quality and worthwhile. When you are talking about brand marketing you want to introduce people to the folks behind the product and the service and really focus on building a reputation. For example, emphasizing the spirit of collaboration rather than just emphasizing an item. Product marketing is much more about a commodity whereas when you are doing brand marketing, it is bigger than any one object or product.
Can you explain to our readers why it is important to invest resources and energy into building a brand, in addition to the general marketing and advertising efforts?
As in life, you want to put your best foot forward. You want to be known and appreciated. If you do not invest in brand marketing, customers or clients may never get to know you. Even worse, they may make false assumptions if you allow others to define your brand. Do it yourself to ensure brand recognition.
Can you share 5 strategies that a company should be doing to build a trusted and believable brand? Please tell us a story or example for each. In your opinion, what is an example of a company that has done a fantastic job building a believable and beloved brand. What specifically impresses you? What can one do to replicate that?
If you want to build trust in your brand then look to communicate with your customers often, channel an authentic voice, treat your employees well, put the customers first and aim to do the right thing. Howard Schultz and Starbucks have done a phenomenal job of employing these practices. The result has been a loyal following and massive global growth. Starbucks has set a great example for smart entrepreneurs looking to build trust and respect for their organizations.
In advertising, one generally measures success by the number of sales. How does one measure the success of a brand building campaign? Is it similar, is it different?
In some cases, you can put metrics around the success of your brand building campaign. In other cases, it is more qualitative feedback. Consider such things as a Net Promoter Score, which provides metrics about customer satisfaction. Such information helps you gain insight into how they view your brand. You can also look at your business’s growth and the number of new customers and referrals. People wouldn’t give referrals if your business isn’t doing a good job.
Look for other measures like social media growth, earned media hits, visitors to your website, and the number and quality of testimonials and reviews talking about you and your business.
What role does social media play in your branding efforts?
Branding must play a principal role in today’s hyper-connected era. Social media is where your customers and prospective customers live and spend time. It is absolutely essential that your social media be taken into account. Social media is your voice to the world which is why it is so important that your social media captures your voice and the reflects positively on you.
What advice would you give to other marketers or business leaders to thrive and avoid burnout?
Dump your annoying customers and give up the revenue in short term for the experience of working with people who appreciate and trust you. There is nothing more demoralizing and annoying for team members, solopreneurs or business owners than to work with people who don’t reflect your values and treat you like hired help as opposed to a strategic partner. Having the courage to fire substandard clients is vital because it lifts the morale of your team and opens you up opportunities you would never have had because you would have been spending so much time and energy dealing with negative customers who consume your resources and sap your mental energy
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. 🙂
If people would commit themselves to a daily or weekly act of kindness for a stranger, I think there would be a dramatic improvement in their lives. They would be making the world warmer more positive and wonderful place.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My life lesson quote comes from John Lennon in the Beatles’ song “The End”: “And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make.” The poignant lyric that reminds us that material things ultimately mean nothing. The best thing we can do is leave behind a legacy of love.
We are blessed that very prominent leaders in business and entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world with whom you would like to have a lunch or breakfast with? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I choose psychologist and author Gay Hendricks. His book The Big Leap was a life changer for me — I reread it every year, recommend it to friends and family and gift it frequently. I think Gay is incredibly positive, inspiring and warm as reflected by his writing. It would be a true pleasure to have lunch with Gay and tell him face-to-face how much I appreciate his words of wisdom and how his book has helped me.
Divorce & Co-Parent Coach Trish Guise: 5 Things You Need To Know To Survive And Thrive After A Divorce
Failing to acknowledge that grief is part of the divorce process. — Regardless of who initiated the divorce and why it was initiated, the divorce is the end or death of a marriage. When a person enters a marriage, they usually enter in with hopes and dreams and a divorce ends all of those. If one doesn’t properly process their grief, they may find themselves stuck in the vortex of anger and resentment, unable to move on in life.
As part of our series about the “5 Things You Need To Know To Survive And Thrive After A Divorce Or Breakup” I had the pleasure of interviewing Trish Guise, MBA.
Seeking freedom from the narcissistic abuse she was experiencing, Trish Guise decided to divorce her husband and that decision initiated a 12-year journey comprised of multiple court battles, false allegations, alienation from her children, constant panic attacks, a PTSD diagnosis, and near financial ruin. Trish recently founded her Divorce & Co-Parent Coaching practice to provide education, tools and support to others experiencing similar traumas while going through a divorce. Her trauma-informed practice is a culmination of her Master’s degree, experience as an Executive Coach and everything she learned during her 12-year high conflict divorce.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to ‘get to know you’. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I was born and raised in Calgary, Canada in a middle-class immigrant family. My father and his family immigrated from Italy and my mother’s side of the family immigrated from Poland. I come from a family of teachers: My Nonna was a teacher in Italy and both my parents were teachers. In fact, my Dad taught at my middle school and was my teacher for a few classes. I was an only child until I was 11 years old when my sister was born. I had an ideal childhood; I was involved in gymnastics, dance, softball, basketball, volleyball, track and field and skiing. There wasn’t a sport or activity I wasn’t involved in. I also did very well in school despite having ADHD, which I did not find out about until my thirties. I spent a great deal of time with both sets of grandparents and was blessed to be surrounded by a close-knit family full of unconditional love.
Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
As I was preparing for a court date to fight my ex-husband’s application to terminate my parenting time, I thought about how difficult this road has been despite the unwavering support from my current husband and the rest of my family. To prep for our case, we read hundreds of court cases like ours. It was horrifying to read the details of what the families had endured prior to court, then how poorly the judge handled the case and the aftermath of the poor legal ruling. All I could think of is how impossible it would be for parents without support to endure such trauma and still be the best parent they can be for their children. All my life I have had a soft spot for the ‘underdog’ or for those who can’t protect themselves. And something in me just said that I need to figure out a way to help those in situations like I was in but who didn’t have the support I did.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?
Very shortly after opening my business I began to connect with a variety of people who were interested in doing business with me. It didn’t matter to them that I had been out of the workforce for so long nor did it matter that I had just started my business. I was asked to be an international ambassador for a new publication in the family law field, asked to collaborate in developing workshops for various groups in the family law arena, asked to join a counseling clinic as an associate because they saw the need for the clients to have access to divorce coaching, and nominated as one of Canada’s 100 Women of Inspiration for 2021. All of this occurred in the span of two months. As much as I believed I had a lot to offer, it surprised me that so many strangers saw that too at first glance.
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 honestly can’t think of any funny mistakes but that doesn’t mean I haven’t made mistakes. Things have been moving so fast some minor instances don’t stay long enough in my short-term memory to get stored into my long term memory. Check back with me in a few weeks and I’m sure I will have a chapter full of funny mistakes for you.
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
You can’t move mountains by whispering at them. — Pink
Throughout my difficult divorce I was routinely told to capitulate to my ex-husbands demands, not complain, not raise a fuss, not cause any more conflict because it would just make things worse for me and the children. My lawyer would often tell me that it will look better to the judge if I give in and don’t fight back on any demands, even if it was something I was entitled to.
It always felt wrong, but I listened to that advice for a while especially since I was paying $450/hour for it.
I noticed something interesting; the more I stayed quiet the more intense the abuse became and the more traumatized my children and I were. On top of that, none of my cooperation made a bit of difference in any judicial judgements. In fact, I was still blamed for causing some of my ex-husband’s abusive behavior even though I had done nothing but cooperate.
It became quite obvious that staying ‘small’ wasn’t protecting my children and I in any way, so I changed directions and went with my natural tendency, which is to fight for what is right. I figured if staying quiet resulted in the abuse getting worse, how much worse could it get if I actually spoke up. I was afraid that my silence was signaling condonement of the abusive behavior and that was not a message I wanted to give anyone, especially my children. I recognized that by staying silent I was giving myself the message that the abuse was my fault and that message needed to stop immediately.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
I am currently working to establish partnerships with a few law firms, mediators, retired judges, academic researchers, abuse victim advocates, and social workers to effect some substantive change in the Canadian family legal system at the grassroots level. Our Divorce Act was recently updated to acknowledge that coercive control is abuse and will influence judicial decisions regarding parenting time and other matters that are in the best interest of the children. As progressive as this change is, we need to recognize that law alone does not change behavior. We need to initiate that change before cases ever see the inside of a court room. I feel we can do this in a variety of ways.
In my practice I focus heavily on teaching my clients how to emotionally regulate themselves so they can respond and make decisions in a rational manner. This also will make them better parents. It is known that even in situations where one party is high conflict, if the other parent is emotionally regulated and uses effective communication strategies, de-escalation of conflict can occur.
I am partnering with a few men’s organizations to offer support and education for men going through a divorce, men struggling with co-parenting and men displaying abusive behaviors towards their ex-spouse or their children. We can all agree that abuse should never be tolerated and that all measures should be taken to protect people from abuse. We are making headway in recognizing abuse and making some progress on protecting victims, but our efforts are sorely lacking in the area of trying to educate the abusers on changing their behaviors.
I am working with various stakeholders in the family law system to establish better legal practices when dealing with coercive abuse within divorced families. Canadian lawyers nor judges are trained in screening for abuse nor are they trained on how to manage an abusive situation. Most lawyers prefer to steer clear of abusive situations and rather than fight for the victim’s protection, the standard pattern is to coerce the victim to capitulate to the abuser’s demands, just to ‘get it over with’ and ‘not add to the conflict’.
I am also working on a long-range plan to establish workshops for school aged children about handling conflict, learning to emotionally regulate, communicating with difficult or high conflict people, and how to establish healthy, respectful relationships. All the Shakespeare, calculus, and biology in the world doesn’t do our children any good if they grow up without learning how to emotionally regulate and develop healthy, safe relationships.
Ok. Thank you for that. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Can you tell us a bit about your experience going through a divorce, or helping someone who was going through a divorce? What did you learn about yourself during and after the experience? Do you feel comfortable sharing a story?
My Divorce was a rude awakening into what people are capable of and how insidious coercive abuse can be. I was raised to be a strong, intelligent, independent woman who doesn’t allow anyone but herself to control her life and her decisions. What my divorce taught me is that even the most well-adjusted, intelligent, strong and independent person can become a victim of coercive abuse. I used to be one of those people who wondered why an abused woman didn’t leave a situation sooner or why she didn’t see the warning signs…that was until I was in the middle of my own abusive situation. I wasn’t the only one who didn’t see the warning signs, nobody did until after the fact. Everyone knew my ex-husband to be a mild-mannered, unassuming, laid back kind of guy…at least that’s what he wanted us all to believe. As a result, I have become much more aware of warning signs and not so quick to rationalize improper behavior. After experiencing firsthand the destruction and trauma that coercive abuse wields, I feel it is important to use a trauma-informed approach when supporting my clients.
In your opinion, what are the most common mistakes people make after they go through a divorce? What can be done to avoid that?
Mistake #1: Involving children in the conflict between the parents.
Examples of how parents involve their children in the conflict:
Ask the children to spy on the other parent.
Tell the children their other parent is withholding money and that’s why the children can’t have nice things.
Ask the children to choose where they want to live or if they even want to spend time with their other parent.
How to avoid Mistake #1:
In theory this mistake should be easy to avoid. Just DON’T DO this. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy for some. So here are some tips:
Never use the children as messengers. Any issues you have with the other parent you must deal with yourself.
Always encourage the children’s relationship with the other parent.
Contact me to learn how to communicate with challenging and high conflict people using Bill Eddy’s techniques from the New Ways for Families®.
Mistake #2: Failing to acknowledge that grief is part of the divorce process.
Regardless of who initiated the divorce and why it was initiated, the divorce is the end or death of a marriage. When a person enters a marriage, they usually enter in with hopes and dreams and a divorce ends all of those. If one doesn’t properly process their grief, they may find themselves stuck in the vortex of anger and resentment, unable to move on in life.
How to avoid Mistake #2:
Working with a divorce coach, like myself, is one of the best mechanisms for learning how to process the grief in a divorce. Part of the process is educating my clients on the difference between primary and secondary emotions. The most common emotional response during a divorce is anger… the ex-spouse says or does something inappropriate and suddenly my client feels a strong reaction, and they usually label that emotion as anger. That is usually where they stop and get fixated. What I do is then move onto to discussing the secondary emotion behind that primary emotional reaction. This is usually sadness or fear. Once a client can acknowledge and process the fear and sadness it is much easier to process the grief.
Mistake #3: Failing to determine what your triggers are and consequently your emotional responses never change.
We often feel that once the problem or stressor (ex-spouse) is removed that our stress level will diminish as will our emotional stress responses. The problem with that theory is two-fold: (1) after a prolonged period of heightened awareness, the mind and body adapt to stimuli and often overreact to even innocuous stimuli. This results in the body being in a constant state of heightened awareness. This does not go away once the stressors is removed. (2) This theory completely negates the effect a person’s emotionally dysregulated behavioral patterns contribute to the stressful events in their lives. If one fails to determine what triggers their emotional responses and address them, they will continue to behave in the same manner, react in the same way and make the same mistakes in future relationships. History is doomed to repeat itself. I believe this is one of the biggest reasons why 2nd marriages tend to fail.
How to avoid Mistake #3:
The best way to avoid this mistake is to determine your triggers, the reason for these triggers and ultimately how to handle them. This is often difficult to do alone and is best done with the help of a Divorce Coach or therapist. If talk therapy isn’t sufficient you may want to try EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy) and Body Psychotherapy have proven to be beneficial in this area.
People generally label “divorce” as being “negative”. And yes, while there are downsides, there can also be a lot of positive that comes out of it as well. What would you say that they are? Can you share an example or share a story?
One of the biggest benefits of divorce is the opportunity it provides for you to do a reset. A reset of your lifestyle, who you are, your priorities. You get a second chance to get it right. You’re older, you’re wiser, you know yourself better, your priorities are different, and you are just plain smarter than you were before you married. Divorce gives you the opportunity to craft a life with purpose and direction and be deliberate about how you spend your time and who you spend it with.
My divorce allowed me to see aspects of myself that were not serving me well. I decided to invest time in resetting those aspects in order to have them be more in align with what I wanted in life. I knew I wanted to share my life with someone again, but I also knew that if I didn’t change some things that I would be headed for divorce number two. Once I reset, I decided to try marriage for a second time and this time I got it right. The man I married is someone I grew up with and dated when we were teenagers. He also experienced his own nasty divorce and was severely alienated from his only child from the age of 7 until his son re-entered his life in his 20s. Having been through similar experiences bonded us in a way that we had not anticipated. Our relationship has renewed my faith in love, goodness and humanity.
Some people are scared to ‘get back out there’ and date again after being with their former spouse for many years and hearing dating horror stories. What would you say to motivate someone to get back out there and start a new beginning?
Get out there and explore what the world has to offer but do it in a way that you have never done before. How you used to do things will not necessarily work for you now. Be open to challenging yourself, your opinions, your responses, your priorities and your way of life. Enjoy the freedom of being in control of your life. Don’t be eager to find a new spouse right away, in fact don’t embark on dating with the intent of finding a spouse at all. You just gained freedom from commitment, now is the time for you to taste freedom of time, of choice or responsibility. Have fun. Be silly. Do things that make you smile. Spend time with people who make you laugh. Do things you normally wouldn’t do, date people you normally wouldn’t date and just live.
What is the one thing people going through a divorce should be open to changing?
Be open to changing your viewpoint on the concept of divorce. A divorce doesn’t mean your marriage was a mistake or that it failed. All that it means is that a decision you made many years ago no longer works for you. It is as simple as that. Reframing divorce in that way, allows us to be free of feelings of shame and guilt. Restructuring our lives due to a divorce is difficult enough without feeling like a failure or feeling shame and regret. You didn’t fail anyone. You lived, loved, lost, and now gained a new lease on life.
Ok, here is the main question of our discussion. If you had a close friend come to you for advice after a divorce, what are 5 things you would advise in order to survive and thrive after the divorce? Can you please give a story or example for each?
Figure out what your triggers are, where they originate from and how to handle them. If you don’t do this, you will continue with your same behavioral patterns. You will continue to choose the same type of relationships, will react the same way and probably will end up alone again. I firmly believe why 2nd marriages don’t last is because people haven’t learned from the first.
Learn to emotional regulate yourself. You need to adopt the concepts of benign interpretation and radical acceptance.
Be clear about who you are not who you were or who you think you should be. Stop apologizing for who you are and stop being small. Do something that you have always wanted to do but didn’t think you could, were told you couldn’t do it or were told you shouldn’t do it. It is liberating…trust me. Take a sexy dance class, get your body painted, whatever it is that will make you feel alive.
Stop taking responsibility for everyone else’s actions and problems. Stop fixing things for them, allow them to fix it themselves. Find your worth in some other activity.
Stop lamenting the past. Live life moving forward with no regrets.
The stress of a divorce can take a toll on both one’s mental and emotional health. In your opinion or experience, what are a few things people going through a divorce can do to alleviate this pain and anguish?
Surround yourself with people who validate you, but also help you mobilize to self care. Self care includes validating your feelings and experiences instead of dismissing them. Great attention needs to be given to your own mental health before you can attend to your children’s needs.
Stop beating yourself about failing your marriage, failing your family, failing your kids.
Stop living in the past and stop catastrophizing.
Therapy: EMDR, ART, Body Psychotherapy
Do you have any favorite books, podcasts, or resources related to this topic that you would recommend to our readers?
This book challenges the stereotype that children are destroyed by divorce by listening to the stories of adults who experienced divorce as children. The interviews reveal that most children can and do adapt, and that many even thrive in the face of family change.
Because of the position that you are in, 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 am eager to start an Emotional Regulation movement. We have become a very reactionary society and tend to ignore the effect our reactions have on others. That coupled with lack of accountability is the root of so much conflict in our world. Learning to emotionally regulate should be just as important as learning to read and write but most of us don’t learn to emotionally regulate until adulthood, if at all. In fact, I feel it is irresponsible to send our children out into the world without the knowledge and tools required to emotionally regulate and de-escalate conflict. Recently I saw an incredible video of a 5-year-old boy who noticed his brother having a temper tantrum and calmed his brother by walking him through some deep breathing. This young man recognized his brother’s emotional struggle and quickly de-escalated the situation using validation and a simple breathing technique.
The way many adults react to difficult situations is not that much different than a toddler’s temper tantrums. Emotional dysregulation causes the same undesirable results, regardless of how young or old a person is. Much of the strife in today’s world is caused by highly charged reactions that are devoid of logic and reason. It is nearly impossible to engage the logic centers of our brains when our emotions have high jacked our decision-making ability.
What the world needs is ‘wise mind’ thinking, a blend of the emotional and rational. Wise mind thinking encompasses concepts such as benign interpretation and radical acceptance. It’s common for us to think the worst in a situation where there are many unknowns. This creates hypersensitivity, emotionally charged responses, judgment and overreactions.When one engages in benign interpretation one just accepts the situation for what it is now and does not start interpreting what it means, what is going to happen in the future or how this is going to spell disaster.
Radical acceptance works well in situations where we have very little control and when outcome isn’t to our liking. Dreams are dashed, what we envisioned for our lives and relationships is no longer an option and we end up torturing ourselves by wondering what we could have done differently. Sometimes it’s best to radically accept the situation for what it is and come to terms with it. I strongly believe that if more of us adopted these methods there would be less conflict in our relationships.
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 and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
Pink is whom I would choose but instead of breakfast or lunch I would rather go dirt biking with her. Spending time with Pink doing something she loves doing would make it easier for us to develop a rapport and be real with each other. It goes without saying that Pink’s talent for producing chart topping music and stunning performances is astounding but it is her dedication to ensuring girls and women learn to love themselves, not apologize for who they are and stand tall in their convictions that I admire most. Her penchant for pushing limits, breaking down boundaries and using her celebrity platform to spread messages of acceptance of ourselves and of others and positivity (generally and body positivity) is what makes her legendary.
Pink is a big proponent of loving yourself just the way you are. She refuses to let anyone define her and is proud of who she is. Despite being told she is “too rough” “too boyish” “too loud”, she never apologizes for who she is and she proudly stands tall.
Pink is real, genuine and authentic. She isn’t afraid to show the raw moments of parenthood, balancing a career and family, and being judged for not conforming. She doesn’t back down from what is important to her and she doesn’t apologize for who she is and what she believes in. She doesn’t give the time of day to shame and judgment. She is all about empowerment, acceptance and believing in yourself. What is not to love about this woman!
Thank you for these great insights and for the time you spent with this interview. We wish you only continued success!
Be intentional with who you surround yourself with. We become similar to the people we spend most of our time with. I’ve found it important to be intentional about who my friends and co-workers are because they rub off on us and shape who we are.
As a part of my series about “Big Ideas That Might Change The World In The Next Few Years” I had the pleasure of interviewing Alexander McLean.
Alexander McLean is the Founder and CEO of Justice Defenders. He is passionate about justice, having trained as a barrister and magistrate. During gap year travels to East Africa, Alexander fundraised to provide better health facilities and educate Ugandan inmates about the law. After graduating from the University of Nottingham in 2007, he moved to Kampala, where he created a team of local and international staff and volunteers to develop the work of the African Prisons Project — now known as Justice Defenders. He is a Senior TED Fellow, Ashoka Fellow and UK Young Philanthropist of the Year. He appears in TIME’s 30 Under 30 Changing the World and ‘The Power List’, featuring Britain’s most influential people of African and African-Caribbean heritage.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you please tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Until I was eight years old, I hadn’t traveled outside Europe. My life changed when my mom got a job with United Airlines. It opened up a world of possibilities — for next to nothing, we could fly all over the globe. I loved the excitement of being at the airport and waiting to see if there would be spare seats on the plane for us.
Our first trip, in the early 1990s, was to New York just before Christmas. We woke up in the middle of the night, jet-lagged, and ended up at Denny’s, where we ate pancakes by the stack. We visited FAO Schwarz, the city’s oldest toyshop, where I marveled at the great quantity and variety of toys. On our final evening, we went for a last walk through the city. It was New York as you imagine it should be at Christmas. The air was filled with snow, and people were moving around busily, preparing for the approaching holiday. The image was jarred when we came upon an old Black man, shaking a tin of pencils, which he was selling. He wore a sign that said, “God is good, but I am blind.”
I couldn’t get him out of my mind as we flew home. To my 8-year-old self, his life looked hard beyond measure. The possibilities that existed to me — to travel between continents, eat what I liked and be home with my family — didn’t seem to exist for him. And yet, his sign suggested he had something more than pity; he had hope. I think seeing this man first triggered a sense within me that there might be strength, resilience or hope in unexpected people. It’s something I experience each day now as I lead Justice Defenders.
American justice has shaped my thinking and outlook. At the age of eight or nine, I was at my local library and was struck by a photograph on the cover of a book. It featured a Black man in a black and white striped prison uniform, seated in the electric chair with besuited white men tying wide leather straps all over his body. The expression on his face is one of total defeat as if life had left his body before he was dead.
Later I read about George Stinney. At 14, he was convicted of murdering two white girls based on a confession given to a sheriff who’d offered him ice cream and the chance to go home if he did so. He was too small to fit in the electric chair and had to sit on a Bible for his head to reach the electrode.
One thing that the man in the chair and George in his police mugshot had in common was a look of defeat. There was no sparkle in their eyes, rather a dull blankness.
This is the effect the law can have. To drive the lifeblood, the joy, the hope of a future from us, and leave us broken. As an adult, I have come to recognize this look in the faces of prisoners around Africa and have had my own heart broken by the realization that it doesn’t need to be that way. Another way is possible.
When we see injustice and inequality, we can and should become angry. What will we do with that anger? It can consume us, burn us out or cause us to become apathetic. What does it look like for us to move from anger — from having our hearts stirred — to action?
Can you please share with us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Having had my heart stirred by injustice and finding joy in words from a young age, I wanted to become a barrister — the term used in the UK for an advocate who presents cases in court. No one in my family was a lawyer. My dad came to the UK from Jamaica in 1960, responding to the Mother Country’s post-war call for labor. We had little money growing up, but the British government used to pay for poor but bright children to go to expensive private schools. I got one of these assisted places. My dream had been to go to Oxford to study Geography before law. Still, despite being one of the ten highest achieving Geography students in England, Oxford rejected me as they said I couldn’t think laterally.
I then took a gap year at the age of 18 to volunteer at a hospice in Uganda. I ended up at a massive national hospital where patients were dying of aids and tuberculosis in the hallways, abandoned by their families. The first man I cared for was lying on the floor by the toilet. The nurse told me that he’d been found unconscious by the police in a market. They didn’t know his name or whether he had any family and suspected that he was in a diabetic coma. Because he had no money, he got no care — I saw that he was lying in a pool of urine with the flesh on his bottom and back rotten down to the bone. He was decomposing while he was still alive. I returned the next day and, with the help of a nurse trained by the hospice, washed him, got him bedding and tried to advocate for him with the doctors. For five days, I washed and advocated for him. I came on the sixth day to learn that he had died the night before. After a while, a porter arrived with a trolley with a dead woman on it and put the man on top of the woman. I understood they would go to the mass grave together with everyone else who had no one to bury them. I called my mom that evening and cried for that man. It was a turning point in my life, as I realized that there are people whose lives are judged to have no value.
During those months, I met and cared for prisoners, usually teenage boys like me, often imprisoned for having underage sex, which has a maximum penalty of death in Uganda. Often, they had been in prison for years without a trial. Some had been horribly tortured by the police. In the hospital, the doctors and nurses would often refuse to treat them due to them being prisoners.
As I cared for them, alongside a group of nursing students, security guards and gardeners I mobilized, I saw that there could be great joy in serving those that others had rejected and that I could learn a vast amount from the people I was trying to help.
Moved by my experience of caring for young prisoners, I bulldozed my way into Uganda’s maximum-security prison. It was built in the 1920s when Uganda was a British colony. Designed to hold 600, it now has almost 4,000 inmates. I came to learn that in Uganda, two-thirds of prisoners hadn’t been tried. I visited death row, designed for 50 and holding 500, and learned of Edward Mpagi, who had been sentenced to death for murder. After 12 years on death row, it was discovered that the person he had killed was still alive. It would take another six years before he could be released. I was told of another who’d stolen a mango from a neighbor’s tree using a Stanley knife. He’d been sentenced to death for armed robbery.
Which principles or philosophies have guided your life? Your career?
My childhood experiences and interactions with people in prisons worldwide have significantly informed the principles that guide my life.
I want to be part of a society where we’re equally accountable to the law and protected by it. I yearn for a society that recognizes opportunities to create bridges between people from very different backgrounds and knows that through listening to each other and through proximity, there’s a chance for shared learning and growth.
I believe that society only flourishes fully when every individual has a chance to bring their gifts, talents and potential to the table. We embody that belief at Justice Defenders. We are a community that believes that we can all play a role in making, shaping and implementing the law because the law affects us all, from before we are born until after we die.
Ok thank you for that. Let’s now move to the main focus of our interview. Can you tell us about your “Big Idea That Might Change The World”?
We dream of a day where no one is punished or imprisoned without telling their side of the story. Our hope is for a world where each of us is equally accountable to and protected by the law.
Globally, millions are in prison for years awaiting trial. The majority lack the means to defend themselves in court, resulting in unjust sentences that could be overturned.
Multiple barriers prevent detainees from obtaining justice. About 90 percent of detainees cannot afford quality legal representation. Beyond affordability, finding a lawyer in Kenya and Uganda, where we operate, is also a challenge. According to a University of Pennsylvania report, one lawyer serves 5,686 people in Kenya and 27,258 people in Uganda. Many of those we serve say that when they can access legal service, they only see their lawyers once, usually only on the day of the trial. Without access to quality legal services, defendants cannot present an adequate defense to court, and judges are left without sufficient information needed to deliver a balanced verdict.
Ultimately, the lack of sufficient legal representation has created justice systems that deny a fair defense and imprison people for years due to unresolved cases.
Justice Defenders works to make justice and fair trials accessible to prisoners in Africa through legal education, training and practice. In prisons across Kenya and Uganda, we train prisoners and prison staff to become paralegals and lawyers, equipping them with legal skills and knowledge to assert their rights and provide legal services for themselves and others.
Prisoners study the law, learn how judicial systems work and understand the nature of their cases. They then provide critical legal services within their community. Those services include overseeing legal practices, file tracing, advocating on individual cases, collaborating with pro bono partners for court appearances, conducting alternate dispute resolution and seeking diversion from the formal court system. By ensuring that each defendant can effectively engage at their hearing, judges get to hear both sides of the story and make more informed decisions.
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How do you think this will change the world?
Globally, 10 million people are imprisoned, and three million are held without having their day in court. Justice Defenders is working toward facilitating one million fair hearings in Africa and beyond as part of our long-term goals and strategy.
Who better to work to make, shape and implement the law than those who have experienced conflict with it for themselves? Indeed, there are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried.
Prisoners, ex-prisoners and prison staff have unique perspectives on legal systems, yet their experiences are rarely listened to. Bringing them together with prosecutors, the police, judges, experienced lawyers and academics create remarkable possibilities for good.
We partner with world-class academic institutions, such as the University of London, to tutor and facilitate law degrees for committed prisoners. Our students are following in Nelson Mandela’s footsteps, who studied law from prison in South Africa. Thirty-nine prisoners and prison staff have graduated with a law degree, and 28 students are currently studying.
We’ve provided legal services to more than 33,100 people. More than 15,600 people have been released from prison after receiving advice from our paralegals.
Ultimately, we hope that those we train will move into positions where they are making and implementing the law. Our first graduate, Moses, has gone from prisoner to a lawyer in the Ugandan army.
We receive invitations from around the world each week to replicate our simple model of quality legal education for prisoners and prison staff together, enabling them to correct injustice, change laws and equip them for futures spent using the law to serve the poorest in society. In addition to prisons, we are being asked to go into refugee camps and immigration detention centers.
We know that some of the most vulnerable people in some of the world’s poorest countries have brains that can move mountains. Each of us, even the death row inmate, wishes to go to bed at night knowing that the day counted for something.
COVID-19 has highlighted that people at the margins of society have been left behind in the world’s rapid digital transformation. We’ve worked with urgency to bring court sessions and legal training online, ensuring the wheels of justice can keep turning even from behind bars.
The pandemic has highlighted that inequality anywhere in the world affects everyone. Injustice anywhere affects all of us. As much of the global workforce and many schools have shifted online, COVID-19 has highlighted a digital divide and the urgent need for digital connectivity. For people in prison, the digital divide has severe consequences: People are suddenly unable to participate in our group legal awareness sessions, which enable them to argue or appeal their case, and they are unable to travel to court hearings to secure justice.
The long-term lack of consideration of the people at the margins of society highlights the need to build a better world to ensure access to justice is a right and not a luxury. We’ve worked tirelessly to respond quickly to the need for fair trials and legal training by implementing new forms of digital justice. We’ve facilitated more than 13,300 virtual court sessions since the start of the pandemic.
Our approach of equipping those prisoners with the knowledge and digital tools to operate legal offices within prisons has meant the services our trained paralegal-prisoners provide to their fellow inmates have continued.
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this idea that people should think more deeply about?
Look in our prisons, and you’ll think it’s illegal to be poor.
For those who come into conflict with the law, a disproportionate number does so due to poverty reasons. People may be unable to pay rent and face eviction, unable to defend themselves in court. They may find themselves falsely accused of a crime because they couldn’t pay a bribe or protection money. Or, they face criminal behavior charges due to an addiction or mental health issue that they have been unable to resolve.
Once in the system, they lack the financial resources for proper legal representation or bail. As a result, they’re more likely to get prison sentences than non-custodial options. They simply cannot afford a just defense.
But Justice Defenders proves the loftiest of ideals don’t require execution by the elite. Instead, we put the power of the law into the bound hands of the disenfranchised, ensuring that radical integration is the only means of ensuring liberty and justice for all.
This work isn’t easy. There is no quick fix. We work to improve criminal justice systems, but further investment is needed to tackle the root causes of offending. With government resources perpetually stretched, injustice cannot be an afterthought. Poverty and injustice must be treated as interrelated issues and tackled simultaneously. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “There can be no justice without peace, and there can be no peace without justice.”
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this idea? Can you tell us that story?
After around 10 years of work establishing prison libraries and health clinics and improving healthcare and education, I thought, “Why is it that the prisons we work in are filled with poor people without access to lawyers?”
Whatever we did to improve their conditions, if people in prison didn’t have justice, they didn’t have peace.
In one prison, I saw a prisoner on death row who’d completed a geography course. Sitting on the stairs up to the gallows, he was teaching geography to fellow prisoners. It was a surreal, heartening moment. I recognized the untapped potential of people in prison and how they could be agents of change.
As a result, we shifted our focus to take legal skills to the prison community. We train people in prison to become paralegals and lawyers, to provide legal services for themselves and others because everyone deserves a fair hearing.
What do you need to lead this idea to widespread adoption?
To achieve widespread adoption and rollout of our programs and reach even more people, Justice Defenders requires additional funds. We already have more requests for our work from around the world than we can respond to. We need more than people in prison as a reference to be able to join our community. We need people from across the justice system to be prepared to come together to find a common cause in adversarial justice systems and work together.
With a committed community of supporters, we would achieve widespread adoption.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
Be intentional with who you surround yourself with. We become similar to the people we spend most of our time with. I’ve found it important to be intentional about who my friends and co-workers are because they rub off on us and shape who we are.
Have courage with your convictions. When people doubt or disagree with you, have the confidence to stand up for what is right.
Recognize that change takes time. We know significant change doesn’t come overnight, so we have regular meetings to hear the stories of people we’ve elevated each week. By focusing on the considerable impact on individuals’ lives, our team recognizes every win. This leads me to the next thing I wish someone had told me…
Celebrate! Small wins should be celebrated as much as large ones. Celebrate with the people who have worked alongside you to make it possible. You don’t reach significant goals without all of the smaller steps along the way.
Contemplation is a good thing. I’ve found great power in balancing contemplation with action. Fighting injustice is a marathon, not a sprint. By actively dedicating time for reflection and innovation, new doors and possibilities always present themselves.
Can you share with our readers what you think are the most important “success habits” or “success mindsets”?
I believe the most important “success habit” or “success” mindset is to learn from your mistakes. Second, make time to regularly review and reflect on your life: the successful areas and the areas that need improvement. Third, have a mentor who can guide and challenge and encourage you — someone who isn’t afraid to speak the truth in love. And, last but by no means least, have friends with shared values with whom you have accountable relationships.
Some very well known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
My hope for 2021 is that the world will channel the emotion of the past year into action for social good. There are three areas where I think there are particular opportunities for us to make an impact:
The death penalty:
I was moved to read of the executions carried out during the recent Christmas and new year period. I’ve spent time with people on death row in many countries and become friends with condemned men and women and executioners. I won’t comment now on the morality of killing to show that killing is wrong and that the presence of the death penalty can contribute to higher murder rates, nor the number of innocent people sentenced to death in the US or overseas, nor the cost of administering capital punishment — these arguments against it are well documented.
I believe there are opportunities for us to engage in renewed public discourse about whether the death penalty has a role in our societies and to turn the spotlight on those who play a role in the administration of the death penalty and the injustices around it.
That leads me to my second hope for 2021 that we might live with greater proximity to each other, especially those whose lives look to be different from our own:
Perhaps in 2021, if it’s not your experience already, you’ll consider new ways you might be in proximity to those from different backgrounds? Look for ways in which they might shape you and be your teachers and ways in which they may educate you as you look to share the benefits of the education you’ve received with the world.
Finally, my hope is that, as lawyers, we might listen more. We are used to talking; we are often articulate; we feel we have something of value to say. Especially for those of us interested in human rights/immigration/crime, we might feel that we make unheard voices heard. The reason those voices may not typically be heard is that we can fail to listen.
If, like me, you come from a family that relied on welfare and a privileged legal education was beyond your parents’ dreams for themselves, I want to offer you special encouragement. Perhaps more than any other profession, the law judges our success by the wealth of the clients we serve and the hourly rate we can charge. For me, the legacy we will leave goes far beyond the wealth we accumulate. There is remarkable transformative potential for our lives when we encounter the defenseless as we work to help them access justice and get transformed by their boldness, courage, resilience and compassion in return.
I don’t know if you’ve taken the time to research who you come from. I am the descendent of slaves and slave owners. I come from those who have perpetrated great crimes and those who have suffered. As we work in adversarial justice systems, I believe that we have the opportunity to make bridges of our lives — between the rich and the poor. Those with power and those without it. Between black and white. And that there’s a joy that comes with being proximate to others working for justice.
While we have the extraordinary privilege of saying the power of the law is in our hands, it doesn’t belong to us. It belongs to everyone. Everyone should have access to the power of the law. You have an amazing opportunity to make that happen.
If you have an inkling that you might have a role to play with your life in using the law as a tool for liberation and transformation, I urge you to take steps now. Have adventures, volunteer with organizations that share your values. Even though you may be young or inexperienced, I know firsthand that youthful conviction and naivety can be a source of change and hope in unlikely places, even if others write us off for our youth, lack of resources or the color of our skin.
The Future Is Now: Omri Moran of Nimble On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up The Tech Scene
I wish someone told me to be prepared for extraordinary obstacles, and to be okay when those obstacles force your timeline to change. Covid hit right after I moved to the United States to begin plans to launch in early 2020. Obviously, that was all put on hold and rearranged. Like most people, I never saw a global pandemic coming, but it taught me to become more flexible and resilient.
As a part of our series about cutting edge technological breakthroughs, I had the pleasure of interviewing Omri Moran.
Omri Moran is a technological entrepreneur with a successful track record in both startup and public corporate leadership roles. Omri’s experience includes team building, business development, operational oversight and product management. After 7 years with the Israeli Air Force, where he ascended to the role of Lieutenant, Omri co-founded KitLocate, cutting-edge mobile technology that enables “always-on” location monitoring without draining phone battery. KitLocate was acquired by Yandex, which led Omri to his next role, CEO of Yandex Israel. As Israeli CEO of the multinational corporation, Omri was responsible for overseeing R&D, as well as strategic partnerships and investments. Omri’s commitment to innovation led him to Co-found Nimble in 2016.
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 never expected to become an entrepreneur, in fact, I was studying industrial engineering and management when everything changed. I remember the exact day when the entrepreneurial seeds were planted. Back in 2011, in the early days of smartphones, I was looking to buy some new shirts so that my friends would stop making fun of me for always wearing the same color (green). Because I was a college student, funds were tight, and I tried to find some discounts online to no avail. I went to the mall and grabbed the cheapest shirts I could find, but on my way out of the store, I saw a better deal for the same exact shirts. There were no returns or exchanges in Israel at the time, so there was nothing I could do. My disappointment led me to thinking about how I could make shopping easier, not just for myself, but for others. I talked to a friend with a technical background, we teamed up, and started working on a solution which would eventually become my first company: KitLocate. A year later, I paused my studies, became a full-time entrepreneur and never looked back. I was determined to spend my life using innovation to solve everyday problems.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
The acquisition story of my previous startup, KitLocate, was one of the more interesting experiences in my career as an entrepreneur. I flew to Moscow to meet with Yandex (NSDQ: YNDX) executives at their headquarters to learn more about their digital services as part of my business development efforts. The meeting went really well and Yandex decided to implement KitLocate’s platform in some of their apps, but it didn’t end there: the Yandex execs offered to invest in KitLocate. I was thrilled and agreed to bring Yandex on as investors. By the time my plane landed back in Israel, I had a terms sheet sitting in my inbox. When I looked through the terms of the deal, I was surprised to see the Yandex execs included a full acquisition of KiLocate. Not sure what happened in the few hours I was in the air, but by the time I landed, my first-ever startup was on its way to being acquired.
Can you tell us about the cutting-edge technological breakthroughs that you are working on?
I just launched Nimble; a beauty-tech device that will revolutionize the way people paint their nails. Nimble provides salon quality nails, from the comfort of home, in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional nail painting methods. While the concept of Nimble is easy to understand, the technology behind it is extremely complex. Most of my work has focused on teaching Nimble to precisely identify fingernails, define how to paint only the nail, and execute a perfect polish application. I would say that creating a device that supports all of these complex mechanics, while being easy to operate, maintenance free, and at an affordable price point for the customer has been the biggest cutting-edge technological breakthrough I’ve been working on.
How do you think that will help people?
It’s no secret that the nail industry hasn’t had many advancements since acrylic nails were invented in the mid 50s. Overall, the industry has not caught up with the fast-paced tempo of today, almost every service is available at the touch of a button in half the time and cost it used to take, except for painted nails. Many women who don’t have time or money to go to the nail salon, or do their own nails, give up pampering themselves all together. Nimble changes this. It gives people flexibility when it comes to painting nails. Nimble provides perfectly painted nails, from the comfort of home, and only takes 10 minutes per hand (including dry-time) — it’s a device created to fit into the schedule of a modern individual. Nimble can paint nails in the dark, when the kids are asleep and the TV is on. It makes painting nails less of a messy, expensive hassle and more of a reason to kick back and relax.
How do you think this might change the world?
I envision Nimble adopted by 10s (or 100s) of millions of households worldwide, eventually becoming part of the “normal routine” by creating new, more convenient manicure options for our customers. Nimble will enable people to have beautifully painted nails — whenever they choose.
Keeping “Black Mirror” in mind can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
I think Nimble is a technological advancement which will make many people’s lives better. A potential drawback, some may point out, is that Nimble might take away job opportunities from existing nail technicians. However, I don’t see it this way. I believe many industries are being disrupted and as a result, existing players are required to refine their positioning to find ways to keep providing value for their customer base. This process is an inevitable, healthy part of innovation that directly benefits the customer.
Think of Nespresso and coffee shops. Nespresso is widespread, but coffee shops still exist and are prospering. However, coffee shops have had to evolve to compete with Nespresso. In response, coffee shops started to provide better pastries, brunch foods, specialized coffee and more, whereas Nespresso took care of the “morning coffee” or the “simple espresso shot” needs. Coffee shops give a valuable experience to their customers, while Nespresso makes lives easier. I believe Nimble will have a similar relationship to nail technicians and salons. Nimble is here to make life easier.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?
As with my entrance into entrepreneurship, I didn’t plan to invent a better way to paint nails, but I found myself fixated on this solution when a problem presented itself to me after a date in 2016. I was meeting my date for dinner, and after waiting, waiting, and waiting some more, I was ready to accept the fact that I was probably being stood up. At the last minute, my date arrived, profusely apologetic for being late. The reason? Her manicure. Ironically, not wanting to be late, she left her nail salon appointment before her manicure was completely dry resulting in ruined nails. So she ran home to fix her brand new, smudged nail polish — which only ended up making her manicure worse. Realizing how late she was, she took off her polish and ran out the door. I was surprised to hear what a hassle getting her nails done was. Being the problem-solver that I am, a lightbulb went off for me that night. “What if there was a device that could quickly paint and dry nails?” And so, the early concept for Nimble was born, a device that could hack the nail industry by providing efficient, accurate manicures in a quarter of the time it usually takes. By the way, that late date? She is now married to me and Nimble’s biggest fan.
What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?
My team and I will need to invest a lot of energy refining our product and offerings. We want Nimble to become an integral part of the day-to-day and, in a way, own the habit of painting nails. For that to happen, we need to build an intimate connection with our customers, to understand what works well for them and what needs to be improved upon or amended. We are also working on building a brand our customers love as well strategic partnerships to support worldwide distribution of Nimble.
What have you been doing to publicize this idea? Have you been using any innovative marketing strategies?
We were basically doing the opposite of publicizing Nimble until now. We were developing the technology behind Nimble under the radar for nearly five years. The reason for this secrecy was that we didn’t want to advertise a product we couldn’t back up. But as our technology matured and we felt ready to hit the market, we decided to launch via Kickstarter. Kickstarter champions entrepreneurs and innovators which aligns with our mission as a brand. Even though Kickstarter is not the traditional go-to market for a beauty tech device, to our pleasant surprise, we’ve enjoyed enormous demand for Nimble.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
It might be obvious, but my wife plays a crucial role in the inspiration behind Nimble. Not only that, but she has a lot of skills that complement mine. I value her opinion because I know that every piece of advice she gives me comes from the heart with the sole purpose of helping me in my journey to make Nimble succeed. Oftentimes, my wife provides great perspective because she analyzes situations differently than I do, her opinion opens my mind and enables me to see the full picture.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I am committed to sharing my success by helping other startups and founders. I was a mentor at a leading acceleration program where I helped 10 startups get off the ground and I always try to be available to provide advice when it’s needed. Additionally, I invest in startups myself. I like to support founders and companies I want to see succeed. Even though investing in startups could be financially risky, I believe in uplifting innovative thinkers with world-changing ideas.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
I wish someone told me it could take years before being ready to launch. My co-founder, Ron, has gone from no kids to father of three, all before our first customer will even receive their Nimble. We knew it was going to be hard to develop Nimble, but we didn’t realize it would take 5 years.
I wish someone told me to be prepared for extraordinary obstacles, and to be okay when those obstacles force your timeline to change. Covid hit right after I moved to the United States to begin plans to launch in early 2020. Obviously, that was all put on hold and rearranged. Like most people, I never saw a global pandemic coming, but it taught me to become more flexible and resilient.
I wish someone told me that when you make a product that could potentially revolutionize the way people exist in their day-to-day life, those people will have a lot of opinions on your product. Every person I’ve met since starting Nimble, has given me advice on how to build the device. I feel lucky to have built up a big log of consumer input before even launching the product.
I wish someone told me that highly specialized products require highly specialized VC. Some VCs don’t invest in consumer products, some don’t invest in deep tech or hardware and some don’t invest in beauty. It wasn’t easy to raise funds for a deep tech hardware D2C product in the beauty market, but luckily, we found good and visionary partners.
I wish someone told me that it all works out in the end. It was hard to know if we were moving in the right direction, especially facing all these large and unexpected obstacles on our road to launch. Once we did finally announce Nimble to the world, the market responded by basically giving us a huge hug. Seeing the enthusiasm for Nimble on Kickstarter is living proof that we were always on the right path.
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. 🙂
Wow, what a great question. I think any idea/startup in the medical space which can cure a deadly disease or remove pain/suffering due to a common medical condition would be an incredible contribution to society. Yes, if the product or idea is successful, the entrepreneurs will greatly financially benefit — but so will all of humanity. I know that innovation in medicine faces a lot of hurdles (FDA, approval process, etc…) but finding ways to breakthrough with a truly spectacular service would help inspire others to do the same.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
It’s a quote my dad once told me — the direct translation from Hebrew is:
“Would you like to eat grapes or fight with the guard?”
To explain, imagine there’s a guard in a grape field — would you rather fight with him (“be right”) or eat the grapes (“be smart, bypass him, and enjoy yourself”). Sometimes we have the urge to be right, but often it’s best to put the ego aside and act smartly.
Some very well known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
Nimble has developed an at-home device that paints nails better and faster than a salon manicurist, using top of line nail polish stored in capsules. This innovation addresses a $120B global nail market, and can provide 80M U.S. women with a vastly more convenient option. Following a successful pre-launch campaign on Kickstarter that demonstrated an extraordinary market demand for Nimble’s unique offering, the company is gearing up for mass production in the post-beta phase. Nimble’s founding team includes second-time entrepreneurs, who are backed by leaders in the beauty industry, and have deep roots in tech hardware. The company has raised $10 million to date and is located in NYC (HQ) and Israel.
Take time out to work on the business, not in the business. Step out of the day to day and take a wider view by looking objectively at every part of the business and make sure you are keeping both eyes clearly on the business long term goals. All decisions, including decisions about projects you take on, should be made through that lens.
The Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality & Mixed Reality Industries are so exciting. What is coming around the corner? How will these improve our lives? What are the concerns we should keep an eye out for? Aside from entertainment, how can VR or AR help work or other parts of life? To address this, as a part of our interview series called “Women Leading The VR, AR & Mixed Reality Industries”, we had the pleasure of interviewingSimone Clow, CEO of Zebrar.
Simone has worked in experiential, design, visual effects and mixed reality for over 30 years in New York, London and Sydney. She has produced global channel rebrands, feature films, and bespoke large format content as well as creating XR (extended reality) products from scratch. Whilst Head of Production at Cutting Edge, Simone built and managed the VFX department, producing visual effects for TV commercials and feature films.
Since co-founding Zebrar in 2017, Simone has acted as CEO leading both the strategic direction and commercial growth of the global business. Zebrar produces cutting edge mixed reality experiences including augmented, mixed and virtual reality activations and installations for brands such as Facebook, IBM, Salesforce, Accenture, Optus, Woolworths, Westfield, McDonalds, and Singapore Airlines. Simone is passionate about building purposeful technology in all its forms, and utilising her visual effects expertise to bring the craft of feature film visual effects into real time technologies.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you grew up?
I grew up in Melbourne, Australia. I finished school in the mid 80’s and attended an all girls school that prepared us for being career women with the belief that we could be just as successful as men in whatever vocation we chose, which was still a rarity at the time but something that was instilled in me early on. I started my career in television commercial production and quickly gained a very good technical understanding of post production and visual effects, even back in the days where digital VFX (visual effects) was just starting.
It felt like a natural progression for me to become a Visual Effects Producer where I worked in commercials, film and television. I was fortunate to work all over the world with so many talented artists (including Oscar Winner, Andrew Jackson!) over a career that spanned a couple of decades before moving into X Reality and starting this new adventure.
Is there a particular book, film, or podcast that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
The podcast STARTUP had a profound impact on me starting this business. It normalized startups for me. It felt possible. I was able to learn from the success and failures of the companies it profiled. And I understood the emotional toll it would take on me before I started on my own journey. It immersed me in the startup space, and put me in the right headspace to actually take the leap.
Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue a career in the X Reality industry? We’d love to hear it.
I was approaching 50 and realized that I could soon “age” out of VFX, so I needed to find a way of controlling my own destiny i.e. start my own business. I had run visual effects companies before, but project based work is not easily scalable. The STARTUP podcast had taught me scale was the key to success so I was looking for that next step. In 2016 I was contracted to travel around the world creating branded films for a premium car company for all the motor shows for a season. In that role I worked alongside the Virtual Reality team. In some ways VR is an obvious extension of visual effects and what I have always done, but I didn’t know that until I put the headset on and was completely immersed in another world.
My first experience with VR and 6 DOF (degrees of freedom) blew my mind, I was completely immersed in a fully CG world and believed I was on the ship with the Kraken tentacles trying to wrap around me — disbelief was completely suspended. It was literally taking what I used to do in film on a 2D screen and bringing it to life as an immersive realtime fully 360 experience that I could control.
The lightbulb moment was when I first put on the Hololens (Microsoft’s mixed reality glasses). I could see so clearly that this was the future, wearable AR devices with a digital layer over your view of the real world — this would be the next evolution of mobile technology.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Oh my goodness, nothing but mistakes when I was starting. I am still making them… but in software development mistakes are a normal part of product development. My funniest ever career mistake was back in in my first days of television commercial production working on live action shoots. It was my first shoot and I was given a list of equipment to order for the camera department, the grip department and the lighting department.
The Cinematographer asked me to order a “henway” and to ask the Grip (technician) what size he needed. The Grip said he thought a large but I should check with the Gaffer (lighting) and this went on and on for days until the Cinematographer said “just ask the question — What’s a henway?”. I did. He answered “4 pounds”. Ugh.
It was a joke that was all the more ridiculous because I never asked the question “What’s a henway”. With equipment such as dolly, apple box, pancake, etc the henway seemed to fit right in!
The lesson was don’t pretend to know something you don’t….people are always happy to share their knowledge. That lesson is as relevant to me today as it was 30 years ago, the more you know, the more you realise you don’t know.
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?
There are so many people that have helped me along the way so it would be impossible to note them all here and to single out one individual, when it takes a village 🙂
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
We’ve definitely got some exciting new projects in the pipeline but my favorite is a big healthtech initiative. We’re working with our corporate and government partners to develop the first AR powered glasses for dementia patients. Patients with dementia will have more independence and autonomy than ever thought possible through the use of real time, AR glasses that inform or remind the patient of important details about their surroundings, both animate and inanimate — basically filling in the gaps in their memory. This not only provides the patient with more confidence and dignity, it also takes some of the heavy burden off of their carers and families as well. I think this could have a profound positive impact on society as a whole.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. The VR, AR and MR industries seem so exciting right now. What are the 3 things in particular that most excite you about the industry? Can you explain or give an example?
5G is one of my favorite subjects because it is truly game changing technology that unlocks so many other game changing technologies. Sure it will mean videos on your phone will download faster, but it’s so much more! It basically enables technologies that have been hyped for a long time, but have not been able to thrive because of connectivity and latency issues. High speed and low latency means real time communication between device and web, which enables technologies with incredible social impact like autonomous vehicles and vehicle-to-vehicle communication, telemedicine, AI diagnosis, robotic surgeries, smart cities, connected farms and agriculture, as well as the fun retail and entertainment stuff like holographic entertainment, VR multiplayer gaming or try before you buy virtual dressing rooms. There is so much more, 5G will make the impossible, possible.
Wearable X Reality Technology — AR Glasses. I truly believe augmented reality or mixed reality glasses will become mass market which will unlock so many opportunities. We are seeing Google, Apple and others putting a lot of effort into building MR glasses which have so far been used almost exclusively for enterprise in training and remote maintenance but once the processing power is offloaded to the web — thanks to 5G — the glasses become lighter, less of a battery drain and more viable as a consumer device. No more head buried into the phone — everything that is currently displayed on our phones will then be a digital layer over our real word as viewed through the glasses. That’s what we are planning for and working towards.
Realtime Technologies for filmmaking. The biggest shakeup in the film industry in my lifetime since digital cameras replaced film cameras is the use of realtime technology. Using realtime engines such as Unreal Engine through pre-production, production and post provides enormous efficiencies and is changing the way VFX heavy films are made.
Virtual Production is something that I am particularly interested in given my background in VFX. Rather than greenscreen, actors can now be filmed on an XR stage where they can be in the environment rather than have to imagine the environment. The improvements in real time engines mean we are now able to use traditional film VFX methods to build photoreal CG environments in engines. It’s pretty cool stuff.
What are the 3 things that concern you about the VR, AR and MR industries? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?
I think a bit of healthy scepticism is a good thing — like we see with A.I and social media — especially now that we have a better understanding of their negative implications. It’s important to be cautious about how new technologies can be used not just for the good but potentially for bad as well — it keeps us honest and aware as we create.
A few things that I am mindful of in the XR industry:
Extended screen time in general, especially by younger generations does concern me, and I know things like XR won’t necessarily help that. The link between screen time and chronic diseases like depression, anxiety and even attention is something I’m mindful of. In terms of addressing that, I think it’s all about transparency and education on behalf of the creators or publishers (whether that’s an Apple, Google or small content creator), and then intentioned awareness by the audience. That could be as simple as limitations on screen time, putting a stop to the endless scroll or content loops, a time stamp on content that shows how long a consumer has spent there, or even a warning notification about the detrimental effects of screen time (much like cigarette packaging). I’m just spit balling here, but there are certainly things we can do as content creators to be conscious with our work.
Equal access to technology. The digital divide is very real and that is certainly a concern for the XR industry particularly as things like wearable technology and physical hardware is still very expensive. 5G will also likely become available faster in wealthier countries and communities which may extend this divide. Creating inclusive XR content, experiences and products with this in mind is important to cater for the widest possible audiences — especially those things with important social impact. Thinking globally and advocating for technological development in communities where it’s needed (and wanted) is very important.
Synthetic media or “deep fakes” being used malevolently and without permission are a concern for the industry, and especially for the people being affected. I hope it doesn’t get to a point where it gives the whole industry a bad name, but it’s concerning. Where there is new and exciting technology or content development, a “black market’’ tends to follow.
Again, I think the antidote is transparency and education from the legitimate players in the industry to enhance audience awareness and how to spot deep fake content. We need the publishers and social platforms to be educated and do their part to ensure audiences aren’t being misled. In good news, there is also corporate and government funding to support research to detect deep fakes from authentic content which is pretty cool.
I think the entertainment aspects of VR, AR and MR are apparent. Can you share with our readers how these industries can help us at work?
I think the most important component of VR, AR and MR for the workplace is the ability to tell stories in an easier, more engaging and more impactful way than any other medium. Since the workplace can be a complex environment, these crafts can bring complex ideas to life and make them tangible for people.
For example, we worked with Accenture to develop unconscious bias training using virtual reality to help teams truly experience what it is, how common it is and how to identify it. By putting on the headset, the program provides a deep dive into two people’s perspectives during a conversation. The script was based on real interviews with people from Accenture. By experiencing the behavior, rather than just reading about it or watching a video about it, ultimately teams can develop a more inclusive environment and lead to far more long term behavioral change.
Are there other ways that VR, AR and MR can improve our lives? Can you explain?
Naturally the quality of healthcare is synonymous with the quality of our lives, so I see this as the most important area of focus for these technologies that would have the biggest impact on our lives — whether that’s for the patient, carers or training for healthcare workers.
Let’s zoom out a bit and talk in broader terms. Are you currently satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? If not, what specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?
Technology is traditionally a male dominated space so of course I would like to see more females in senior management and in engineering or development roles. I think we will see change in the next 5 to 10 years as more girls are encouraged to study STEM subjects at school and college. Right now, globally, to be frank — it’s still very much a boys club.
In 2019, less than 3% of all VC investment went to women-led companies, and only one-fifth of U.S. VC went to startups with at least one woman on the founder team. The average deal size for female-founded or female co-founded companies is less than half that of only male-founded startups. That number has only reduced though covid with women taking on the brunt of the domestic work. There is a lot of work to do to get us even close to an even playing field.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about working in your industry? Can you explain what you mean?
That we’re gaming or walking around with a VR headset in a quasi-Matrix simulation all day. I mean, that’s only true half the time 😉
Working in mixed reality is really like other professional creative industries — there is the creative brainstorming and trialling new technology during the research phase which is really fun, but there is also a lot of hard work. We spend most of our time in the development phase with tricky and challenging technical issues to work through. It takes a lot of diligence, grit and patience to make sure we get the job done right.
What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience as a Woman in Tech” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
Take time out to work on the business, not in the business. Step out of the day to day and take a wider view by looking objectively at every part of the business and make sure you are keeping both eyes clearly on the business long term goals. All decisions, including decisions about projects you take on, should be made through that lens.
Resist the temptation to micromanage. Be generous with your knowledge and praise, and give your team members responsibility where you can — it empowers them to learn and succeed.
Be completely transparent. You don’t have all the answers, and no-one expects you to. Tech moves so fast that you need to keep learning. If you make mistakes, and you will, own those mistakes.
Give your team members choice and autonomy where you can, for example through the pandemic we have all learnt that it is possible in many roles to work from home, so allow for this flexibility where possible. Be generous with parents having flexible hours. Having been a working mother for much of my career, I am a supporter or both mums and dads being able to spend time with their children and working flexible hours.
Balance: This is something that I still struggle with as I am definitely a workaholic. But make sure that you and your team find work/life balance because the alternative is unsustainable and not conducive to good culture or good work.
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. 🙂
One of the tech ideas I am passionate about, that is now possible with 5G thanks to real time data processing, , is to scan a product in store to reveal information about the manufacturing and material sourcing of that product. For example, where the product was manufactured, was it made with renewable energy, do they recycle waste materials, were the materials ethically sourced etc. This enables customers to make more informed purchasing decisions by giving a score on sustainability and ethics in the supply chain.The higher the score, the more environmentally friendly and ethical the sourcing of materials and manufacturing process is. This transparency will force brands to act more responsibly.
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 like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
Melinda Gates. She is the most powerful woman in philanthropy, an advocate for women and girls rights and she works tirelessly to solve global challenges from poverty and education to sanitation and contraception. And of course she understands technology and helps female founders through her incubation company. What an incredible human!
Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!
Dr Jason Collier of Southern Dental Implant Center: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Surgeon
Care for people and people will take care of you! I can think of countless times when I had a patient that was considered to be “difficult to deal with”. All of these people just want to feel heard, loved, respected, treated fairly and cared for. Although I haven’t been able to make everyone happy throughout my career due to unrealistic expectations…I have learned lessons in communication. I try to make all of my communication begin and end with my intent for love.
As part of my series about healthcare leaders, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jason Collier.
Meet Jason Collier. A dental implant surgeon, single father of four, and now viral sensation with a simple mission: to spread goodness in the world, one cup of coffee at a time.
So how did this dentist find himself in the spotlight? Waking up one morning to texts, and comments from friends and family Jason found himself mistaken online for ANOTHER Jason Collier. In an effort to save his name, he created a post that soon went viral and brought thousands of others to have an interest in the “GOOD” Jason. After another video he posted went viral again, he figured he should use this leverage to give back, and “Good Guy Coffee” was born. Good Guy Coffee is a fair-trade, organic coffee company that gives back to organizations such as Children’s Hospital Women Against Abuse, and The Hoffman Process.
Tune in for “Coffee with Jason”, candid conversations with special guests on topics ranging from mindfulness, authenticity, presence, how to show up in relationships, entrepreneurship, wellness, health, meditation, and so much more. Jason is more than your average Joe spreading love through good conversation over a good cup of Joe.
Ride the wave with Jason, and follow him through his mission with his coffee, his dental implants, or tune into his new show, “Coffee with Jason.”
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! What is your “backstory”?
Of course. Thank you for your interest. So obviously there is a lot of back story that is extremely interesting…to me! LOL…and that is likely to be all who it would be interesting to. But seriously…it has been a magical road! I will however significantly cut it down to save room for everything else on the internet.
I was born the son of a father who was a welder/Vietnam marine veteran and a mother who has been a career nurse/nursing administrator. I played baseball as a boy…and had dreams of playing professional ball. At that age I did not know the power of a dream yet nor the power of a strong work ethic…and I allowed that dream to fade. The very next dream I adopted was that of becoming a surgeon…at age 11. Also at the age of 11 my father and lifelong best friend died very suddenly. It was on his 40th birthday, which also fell on Thanksgiving day. Later in life I was told that it was suicide…but did not know this as a young man. With a strong mother and loving support around me from others I progressively matured, made mistakes, grew, matured more, and never gave up my dream of becoming a surgeon. In college I learned how to study. I also learned the meaning of completely dedicating my life to something I strongly believed in and wanted for the ultimate goal of doing something greater than myself. I believed that in medicine I could be of very practical help to those in need, while also allowing me an avenue of helping the less fortunate…and use the natural abilities I had been given for good. After my first year in college I buckled down and became a studying machine! And I made excellent grades. As I approached the completion of my degree, I began to hear of certain aspects within the medical profession that I was not so excited about and turned me off to it in many ways…but then someone asked if I had ever considered dentistry. Really? Working in people’s mouths? Why would I want to do that? LOL
I decided to look into it more. Dentistry would allow me to do the same things I wanted within the general medical community. It would be very surgically related. It allowed me the opportunity to more practically own my own practice and control my environment. My schedule was much more flexible and relaxed. My family life would be much easier. The pay wasn’t too bad. It would allow me the opportunity to be a very practical help to people both medically and cosmetically. Being that I had always been very artistically driven, this excited me. Long story short, I took my entrance exam, did very well, got in on the first try, took to dental school like a baby duck on the water, taught underclassmen while still a student, graduated, while also focussing strongly on my continuing education. In doing so I received an award that I never knew existed…for receiving more continuing education than any other doctor in the state. Over time I became more and more skilled and specialized. The more I study and know, the more I realize what I do not know…while also finding better and better outcomes as I progress.
Can you share the interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
You know…people have a tendency to do and say the funniest things while sedated. My favorite was a sweet lady whom we had gotten to the state where she was very comfortable through the use of IV sedation. She was extremely happy with her results thus far. In an effort to show her appreciation she asked me if I would marry her. Certainly I very much appreciated the offer…but the moment was made slightly awkward due to the fact that her husband was in the corner of the room. I nervously looked over at him, relieved to see he was having a good laugh about it. Sheeew! That could have gone a number of different ways…but to end with everyone having a good laugh was the best case scenario.
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?
In my first few years in practice I gained a reputation for playing pranks on people in the office. One day after all of our patients had left for the day, my assistants got together and played one on me. My older assistant laid on the ground and pretended to be unconscious. One of my other assistants ran up to me and said we had an emergency. “It’s Donna. She went down to the lab.” She told me to hurry and started running down the hall. My mind immediately starts racing through all of my freshly studied emergency protocols. When I got to the lab, the light was off! Like what??? I stayed calm, got down to check on her and start my assessment. When I asked for the lights to come on, she had some kind of cream on her face to try to make me think she was foaming at the mouth or something. When I shook her to try to get a response, she tried to hold it in…but couldn’t. She and the rest of the team started laughing. I didn’t think it was as suuuuper funny as they did. The lesson I learned was to be careful playing too many pranks.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now?
I did just start a new coffee company recently called Good Guy Coffee. There is an interesting story that I tell about it on our website at www.GoodGuy.Coffee…but we sell an excellent fully organic, fair trade coffee out of Guatemala…and we are working on expanding soon! We have decided to give all of our profits to charity at least for the first few years. I am also working on a TV show project that is still currently under wraps but hopefully not for long.
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?
There was definitely not one person. There were so many! Two that stand out most though include my mother and a mentor through college name Paul Miller. I remember as a child my mother working with me on my homework every night. I learned to be thorough and to do something over and over until it was perfect. She taught me to carefully care for the sick and hurting through volunteering my time for multiple summers at the hospital. Here I grew to become comfortable with and love the medical field. As I grew and matured a friend and mentor stepped in as a significantly influential role in my life. He loved me as my authentic self…and encouraged me to dream big! He also led me where he could toward those dreams. Once while struggling with whether I had what it took to really achieve what I was dreaming about…he gave me an audio book called Goals, by Zig Ziglar. That short audio…changed. my. life. I listened to it over and over, took notes, and followed Zig’s advice…exactly. My life skyrocketed off from there! Thank you Paul Miller wherever you are!
Is there a particular book that made an impact on you? Can you share a story?
Goals, by Zig Ziglar was a major influence in my college years. More recently I have enjoyed The Way Of The Superior Man by David Deida and Awareness by Anthony De Mello. I guess I am too ADHD to read most books lol. I tend toward audio books. De Mello is such a good speaker and so funny…but also chops this book so full of wise insight. It doesn’t seem to matter where I start back into the book or how long it has been since the last time I listened. Every time I start back after a break I feel intellectually/spiritually fed within minutes. I am on my fifth time through the book I believe…and have my kids listening now too.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world? Soon after the purchase of my practice I decided to start a charitable program my team and I decided to call The Gift Of A Smile. I was looking for a particular way of using my unique skill set to give back to others. I had dentist friends who would volunteer for a day a year to de dentistry for the poor. I joined in a few of these efforts…but wanted to do more. The premise behind The Gift Of A Smile for us was to take nominations from individuals in our community for a potential candidate who had been serving their community or family in some extraordinary way. This person needed to have significant dental problems as well as the lack of funds to help themselves with it. We partnered with implant companies, bone graft companies, dental labs and dental supply companies as well as donated our time to provide the highest level of care we could come up with for that patient…and do it all completely free. On our first patient alone, we provided about $100,000 worth of free dental care at no charge…and changed her life. That taste for deep service became intoxicating for me…and we had to continue. We still take 1 patient a year to provide this level of care for…however some patients have rolled over into two years due to the extensive nature of what we provide.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story about how that was relevant to you in your own life?
On a sticky note over my light switch in my office I have the quote, “Eat the frog.” If you have to eat a frog, you can sit around in disgust over the fact you have to eat it. You can let it ruin your day, your week, your month…draining your energy and happiness that you could be fully devoting to other projects. The premise behind “Eat the frog” is if you know you have to eat a frog, don’t let it suck happiness from your life. Get it out of the way as soon as possible and move on to the things that bring you joy. Take the project you are dreading the most. Do that the first thing in the morning when you have your highest energy level…and the rest of your day you can pretty much guarantee will be downhill from there! I try to follow my own advice…but…obviously need the reminder on my office wall.
Can you share your top three “lifestyle tweaks” that will help people feel great?
Meditate, get to know and love your deep spiritual self, workout, eat fairly healthy :-), engage in a career that is a rewarding outlet for you, try to think outside the box just a little, let loose on occasion, and love hard and invest in those that are closest to you. That is my life in a nutshell.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
Care for people and people will take care of you! I can think of countless times when I had a patient that was considered to be “difficult to deal with”. All of these people just want to feel heard, loved, respected, treated fairly and cared for. Although I haven’t been able to make everyone happy throughout my career due to unrealistic expectations…I have learned lessons in communication. I try to make all of my communication begin and end with my intent for love.
Find an excellent consultant. Hire them early. Take out a loan if you have to…and follow their advice. A colleague of mine recommended a consultant to me midway through my career. When I looked into this consulting firm, I found it was very expensive. I put it off for years. One year I just decided I was ready to go to the next level and bit the bullet. It was a scary move but has now nearly doubled my yearly income after finding myself flat lined for years.
Hire great people. Hiring great staff has been key to my success in caring for patients and building a business. I have hired people with decades of experience and I have hired people with non dental experience. The most important element that I have found is to hire people with the best attitude and work ethic. Everything else can be taught. Once I hired a waitress from a restaurant simply because she had such great customer service and I could tell she was sharp. She caught on quicker than anyone I had ever hired and became one of my best assistants to this day.
I have learned to not be afraid to fire someone that needs to be released. People need to be allowed and encouraged to experience who they are to the fullest, and should be given the full freedom to do so. Sometimes that is under the employment of someone else. This was such a hard lesson for me and still is. But it is so important for their success as well as your own.
When you have good team members, praise them and pay them well. A weakness of mine is to get focussed on a task or a goal and sometimes forget to encourage those in the trenches with me. Sometimes I am reminded by others or ideally remind myself that those people need to have deposits made into their emotional bank accounts more than withdrawals are made. All of the advice just given all comes down to again…loving people…and they will take care of you as well. I try to make it all start with love.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I would start the self awareness and love movement. Most of my poorer choices in life have stemmed from a lack of self awareness and love while the majority of my great decisions have come from their presence. The Hoffman Institute was an extremely powerful influence in my life toward self growth. I wish everyone could have that same experience…and would therefore be central to my movement.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
One of my favorite people on the planet is Dolly Parton. She is talented, completely authentic, loving, kind, successful yet humble and has given so much back to others. She is an inspiration to anyone…and in my own state of Tennessee! Dolly, let’s make it breakfast ok?
Wisdom From The Women Leading The VR, AR & Mixed Reality Industries, With Marta Stylianou of Canon USA
Leadership is not about a title, or about providing solutions, it’s about the ability to create opportunities for action in others’ listening so that they make choices that inspire them. We cannot force anyone to do anything, but we can open a conversation about an idea that inspire others to take action.
The Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality & Mixed Reality Industries are so exciting. What is coming around the corner? How will these improve our lives? What are the concerns we should keep an eye out for? Aside from entertainment, how can VR or AR help work or other parts of life? To address this, as a part of our interview series called “Women Leading The VR, AR & Mixed Reality Industries”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Marta Stylianou.
Stylianou is the Director of training and Service marketing of the Engineering Services and Solutions sub-group of Canon U.S.A.’s Business Information Communications Group. She is responsible for overseeing direct operations of service training strategies and service marketing. Prior to joining training and service marketing, Stylianou was leading the award-winning Customer Solutions Center which utilizes augmented reality technology to deliver excellent service and support.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you grew up?
I started with Canon as a product support specialist over 25 years ago, providing phone-based technical support to field technicians on the company’s solutions. At that time, commercial internet access was in its infancy, and since then, many technological advances have occurred. The “holograms” we saw in Star Trek do not seem farfetched anymore. From DSL modems to fiber optics, from beepers to cell phone access, from voice to video calls, augmented reality and virtual reality, I have lived through this amazing part of technological history, and working in this industry and watching these advances has been such a tremendous learning experience.
Is there a particular book, film, or podcast that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
The Matrix was a movie that opened up a new realm of possibilities before my eyes. Watching as humans created artificially intelligent computers that took over the world and a brain being uploaded as if it was quite normal was very interesting to me. The idea of this simulated reality felt real and it was a virtual reality experience that resonated and stayed in my mind.
Movies like The Matrix have inspired me to pursue a career in a field where humans and technology can work together to create amazing advances using virtual reality and artificial intelligence. It helps to make every day interesting.
Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue a career in the Virtual Reality / Augmented Reality industry? We’d love to hear it.
While working in the Canon Customer Solutions Center, I was a part of a team that provides high-level technical support on complex hardware equipment. At times, witnessing the technical struggles of those on the other side of the phone can be very challenging. A specific moment that stands out and inspires me in my career is when a member of the support staff said, “I wish we could provide technicians with a helmet containing a Canon camera to show us what they see.” Since this predates video calling, we started looking for solutions that would address this need. It was like a call to the universe because soon after that, new technologies started emerging everywhere.
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?
During my career at Canon, I have had the opportunity to work with amazing individuals who have supported, encouraged and taught me so much. My managers have always supported my ideas and provided mentorship. The skills that I have today are a reflection of what I have learned from the brilliant people working with me every day.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
At this moment, one of the pressing needs in my industry is remote virtual learning. We are researching various technologies to make virtual technical learning as engaging, exciting and as productive as possible. This will allow us to connect with more people anywhere, and provide them with the knowledge and skills that they need to be successful servicing our products in the field.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. The VR, AR and MR industries seem so exciting right now. What are the 3 things in particular that most excite you about the industry? Can you explain or give an example?
Development of applications that can enhance human learning and productivity. Virtual reality simulations can be used to train individuals in all different fields and technology.
The need for distance learning can help create a new opportunity to use virtual reality to bring instructors and students together in the same room in an immersive, interactive way.
The introduction of 5G communication networks can provide even further possibilities for augmented and virtual reality as it increases the bandwidth and responsiveness of wireless communication. Augmented reality applications combined with physical objects are revolutionizing the service industry. For example, the Canon Customer Solutions Center utilizes ‘Virtual Presence” to allow a support specialist to virtually reach out and touch what the field technician is working on through their mobile phone, assisting in resolving complex issues rapidly and precisely.
What are the 3 things that concern you about the VR, AR and MR industries? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?
The main concern I have about the future of this industry is the dependency humans will continue to have on technology, which can lead them to lose some of their creative element and work ethic. Yes, we can certainly create applications that make certain jobs, tasks and maneuvers easier, but at the end of the day, humans and technology need to work together. We cannot replace the humanity in humans.
I think the entertainment aspects of VR, AR and MR are apparent. Can you share with our readers how these industries can help us at work?
These technologies can help in almost every field. Earlier, I shared one example about how Canon’s technical support specialists have been utilizing augmented reality to provide high-quality service to our customers. Virtual reality will transform education. It is already being used in healthcare training simulations. Soon these technologies will even bridge the distance between people around the world, bringing them closer together in a collaborative virtual digital experience. I look forward to seeing the impact of virtual reality applications as more and more are developed to support other areas including engineering, infrastructure, sports and many other industries.
Are there other ways that VR, AR and MR can improve our lives? Can you explain?
As long as we put technology to work for humans, and not to replace humanity, the applications are unlimited. If we focus on developing applications that enable people to be more productive while minimizing the level of effort required to achieve certain goals, the quality of life can also improve.
Let’s zoom out a bit and talk in broader terms. Are you currently satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? If not, what specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?
Although women are making a significant gain working in STEM related fields, and I am happy to witness some of the positive strives women have made since I joined the workforce, I’m not satisfied with the current status. In areas like science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, there are less females in the workplace than there are men. I think at times women can get discouraged because often they do not find the level of support that they need in a field that is largely dominated by men. To help make this field an environment where women feel comfortable, inspired and motivated, we need to inspire young girls through science-related activities that may include exposure to robotic competitions and computing. We also need to encourage men working in these fields to mentor and support women as they come onboard to be successful.
What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience as a Woman in Tech” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
Be open to learn from every opportunity. If you always assume that you know something, you miss the opportunity to enhance what you already know and learn a new way. It is better to find answers together.
Leadership is not about a title, or about providing solutions, it’s about the ability to create opportunities for action in others’ listening so that they make choices that inspire them. We cannot force anyone to do anything, but we can open a conversation about an idea that inspire others to take action.
Be courageous and never give up. Be persistent in achieving your dreams. When you focus on what you really want, there is always a way to overcome obstacles. There are as many reasons not to do something, as there are to do them. So every time you think of quitting, remember the reason why you started and find your inspiration again.
Always voice your opinion or ask questions. There is always someone listening. Sometimes we shut down before we even try because we give ourselves an invalid excuse. I’ve learned throughout my career that if I am curious about something, there is always someone else with that same curiosity. Communication is of paramount importance in every aspect of our lives.
Be present, authentic and honest. When we are present and listen to others, new opportunities open up. Never be afraid to show your true self while treating everyone with respect. You always get back what you give.
Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!
Think of sustainability as an holistic concept . I believe sustainability is composed of three aspect: personal health (body and mind), community health and environmental health. There is a deep link between these three, and one cannot exist without the other. An unhealthy community is made up of unhealthy individuals and will lead to the degradation of the surroundings. One has to work on all three aspects.
As part of our series about 5 Steps That Each Of Us Can Take To Proactively Help Heal Our Country, I had the pleasure of interviewing Camilla Bertolini.
Camilla is a benthic marine ecologist. She lived in the U.K., Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands and has now returned to her roots in Venice Italy to do a Marie curie postdoctoral project looking at including native oyster restoration within aquaculture practices. She also curates a blog ‘the holistic fish’ http://holisticfish.weebly.com which aims to ‘make people think’ by bringing sustainability news and scientific facts to everyone, simplifying the science jargon while maintaining the original meaning.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I was raised in the city, but was always taken to nature spots : my father taught me the love for the sea , as we spent every summer sailing, and my mother the love for snow, as we went skiing in beautiful places every winter. My father also lived in the countryside and was into organic agriculture, so I was always really aware as to ‘where food comes from’.
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?
Oh. Books: there are too many important books. If I have to pick one that made an impact when I was young I would have to say the book by Louis Sepulveda : The Story Of A Seagull And The Cat Who Taught Her To Fly. The moment when mother seagull dies because of the oil spill. I learnt about the sad side of pollution from a young age.
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
Another book I really loved was the alchemist. In there you can find a say The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them — I guess this is still very relevant in my life as I like to appreciate everything and seeing beauty in simple living. Give me a tent and starry sky, I much prefer that than a holiday in a big 5 star resort.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
I don’t know if I have a definition, but to lead one has to be confident and competent. If you are an expert you can lead others. A leader is not a boss, a leader should take on board as much of the knowledge as possible and then decide on actions.
In life we come across many people, some who inspire us, some who change us and some who make us better people. Is there a person or people who have helped you get to where you are today? Can you share a story?
Oh. I don’t know if I can pinpoint one person. I have met so many people in my life and I tend to take some sort of inspiration from everyone I meet… everybody has the power to inspire everybody.
Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. The United States is currently facing a series of unprecedented crises. So many of us see the news and ask how we can help. We’d love to talk about the steps that each of us can take to help heal our country, in our own way. Which particular crisis would you like to discuss with us today? Why does that resonate with you so much?
It may not come as a surprise that I am going to talk about climate change…
This is likely a huge topic. But briefly, can you share your view on how this crisis evolved to the boiling point that it’s at now?
We have been ignoring signs so that capitalism could go on. Sorry, I am a bit radical about this. Instead of finding solution for a new economy we kept going with the old and now we are where we are…
Can you tell our readers a bit about your experience either working on this cause or your experience being impacted by it? Can you share a story with us?
As a marine ecologist I see effects that can be related climate change in everyday work. It is happening, and now — not in 20,30 years. Whether is temperature data that I am analysing, or new species/range expansion records, or mass mortality events.. I also see opportunities to make a change and have an impact, bring different foods to the market, inspire and educate.
Ok. Here is the main question of our discussion. Can you please share your “5 Steps That Each Of Us Can Take To Proactively Help Heal Our Country”. Kindly share a story or example for each.
I’d like to make the choice of 5 steps quite broad but applicable, leaving some leeway for personal interpretation:
Life is more than money. Remember the quote from the alchemist. Enjoy the little things. The smiles, the connection are worth much more than a pay check figure
Think of sustainability as an holistic concept . I believe sustainability is composed of three aspect: personal health (body and mind), community health and environmental health. There is a deep link between these three, and one cannot exist without the other. An unhealthy community is made up of unhealthy individuals and will lead to the degradation of the surroundings. One has to work on all three aspects.
Ask questions . Curiosity can help us avoid being greenwashed. Asking about the meaning behind certain words or labels , understanding where our food and clothes and other materials come from, who made it, at what cost.
Don’t be afraid of stepping out of comfort zone . Dream of a better future and act on it. Nothing good ever came easy. If you want change you have to do something. That something will likely not be comfortable in the immediate but it will bring great rewards.
Voice your choice . Be loud about it. About who you voted and why. About the choice you have made of not buying that item and why. You don’t know who you may end up inspiring..
It’s very nice to suggest ideas, but what can we do to make these ideas a reality? What specific steps can you suggest to make these ideas actually happen? Are there things that the community can do to help you promote these ideas?
A lot of what is said above can just be summed up with this simple rule : be mindful. Of what you say, what you buy, what you do on a daily basis…
And then one of the things about these days is that you can do great things just with the tips of your fingers. You can do a lot of what is listed above just from your socials. Using them mindfully of course.
We are going through a rough period now. Are you optimistic that this issue can eventually be resolved? Can you explain?
I think that somehow the crisis we are living now is linked to the climate crisis. So I would really hope that we will concentrate on tackling both at the same time. I am optimistic and think people are becoming more and more aware. I already see some steps in the right direction. Yes, they should be bigger, yes, they should be faster, but they are there and they are reasons to be hopeful.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
That is absolutely rewarding to do it. You get to wake up in the morning and feel that you have a great reason to be alive, and there is no better feeling than that.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
If I could choose anyone ? David Attenborough! Such a great educator, his documentaries are legendary and have been such an inspiration in my career.
Wisdom From The Women Leading The VR, AR & Mixed Reality Industries, With Bethany Boarts of Iron Mountain Entertainment Services
Stay updated on technology and trends. Keep your involvement in new tech solutions and attending trade shows, and conferences around these solutions at an all-time high. Education about new technology is critical when working with media customers.
The Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality & Mixed Reality Industries are so exciting. What is coming around the corner? How will these improve our lives? What are the concerns we should keep an eye out for? Aside from entertainment, how can VR or AR help work or other parts of life? To address this, as a part of our interview series called “Women Leading The VR, AR & Mixed Reality Industries”, we had the pleasure of interviewingBethany Boarts.
Bethany Boarts, the lead imaging project manager at Iron Mountain Entertainment Services (IMES) is leading the way to help clients across the entertainment, music and sports sectors adopt AR solutions. She joined IMES in 2004, and created the imaging department for IMDS; designing workflows, improving techniques, and crafting standard operating procedures. Boarts has worked to digitize assets using VR/AR to drive immersive experiences for clients by giving them the ability to look back through a company’s history and see models of original prototypes or unique parts or pieces of special units. Boarts believes that more companies will pivot to digital vaults to protect their assets, and she leads the development of offerings for 3D capturing for clients giving them a new way to relate to their customers using AR on their websites.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you grew up?
My love for photography and obsession with cameras began at a very young age. I was mesmerized by the entire idea of stopping a moment in time, the intricacy of a camera, and the magic of processing film. When I started at Penn State University, I realized I wanted to be a photojournalist and landed a photographer position with the Daily Collegian. While in college the digital revolution of photography took hold. I had the unique opportunity to not only learn the film end of photography but also the digital side. After college I worked at a newspaper in Pittsburgh, PA for the next five years. As I grew in my career, I realized I wanted to pivot into the archiving field. I was able to get my foot in the door with a new archiving company called Xepa Digital. Xepa quickly flourished and was subsequently purchased by the global entity Iron Mountain in 2007.
Is there a particular book, film, or podcast that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
Thanks to my love of photography, I broke the binders on every National Geographic magazine I could find. I was especially inspired by two photographers in particular, Ansel Adams and Steve McCurry. I read every book I could get my hands on that even mentioned their works. I was lucky enough to photograph in the same location as Ansel Adams at the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park and then visit his art studio in California. Steve McCurry’s popular photo of Afghan Girl inspired me to follow my dreams and work in photojournalism. It also really connected me to my alma mater, Penn State — as we are both fellow alumni.
Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue a career in the X Reality industry? We’d love to hear it.
In light of COVID-19, our IMES team was looking for a new way to archive our clients’ assets and give the client the ability to activate their archive in a whole new light — 3D was an easy leap! By adding 3D to our achieving solutions, we’re able to open up a whole new world to preserving our client’s archive and cultural legacies. The potential to grant more accessibility for our clients during a time where access is limited, provided more value from their assets.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this fascinating career?
A few years ago, we had the pleasure of working directly with a Pulitzer Prize winning photographer. I had the opportunity to work hand in hand with this person to digitally capture their award-winning work! As someone with a photography background, being a part of this project and helping to capture their work in a digital format was exciting. Through this digitization project, the client was able to preserve their legacy so an entire new generation of people can enjoy it.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I was hoping to sweep that moment under the rug. When I first started, I was hoping to impress my boss by baking a cake for his birthday. I made a chocolate cake with a nut frosting — usually a big hit at friend/family functions. As I presented my best recipe to him, he smiled and kindly said thank you then promptly walked away. What I didn’t know is that he was severely allergic to nuts! Needless to say, I never made him that cake again.
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?
Lucky for me, I have had more than one! Narrowing it down to one particular person, I’m most grateful for the support of VP of Technology at IMES, Denis Leconte. When we first started to go down this idea of creating a new solution using 3D he was supportive in listening to points about why our clients would appreciate this type of solution and ways this type of innovation will improve accessibility to assets. Denis challenged me to find a solution that would meet our clients’ needs and be on the cutting edge of technology.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
Yes, several! For starters, we are currently working through a vast archive of a popular American-born company. We are utilizing our new solution of 3D capture to document their unique assets. This is exciting for the future of media preservation because by using AI, ML and AR to capture details for various metadata and per each unique asset — we’re better equipped to enhance the way we preserve assets for future generations to come. We are also working with a popular US company that will be turning 100 years old this next year to digitize their collection, focusing mostly on their vast photography collection. Using AI and ML we can help this client find gems within their collection that they would have never known existed.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. The VR, AR and MR industries seem so exciting right now. What are the 3 things in particular that most excite you about the industry? Can you explain or give an example?
Three factors of the VR, AR, MR capabilities that we are excited to initialize would be the hands-on capability for our clients, capturing the historical reference of a specific asset, and the ability to create a whole new virtual world around an archive.
I am loving the hands-on capability that 3D captures will provide to clients in the VR environment. With all the effects of COVID-19, most companies cannot be on location to dig into their archives, therefore the ability to see their archives in a virtual environment is a reminder of the range of accessibility that digital solutions can provide. The files we create from the 3D assets will offer new historical reference for clients, especially those assets that are deteriorating at an alarming rate. Thanks to the capabilities of 3D capturing, we can preserve these assets for future generations.
What are the 3 things that concern you about the VR, AR and MR industries? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?
Some general concerns I have about the virtual industry are the ease of use for our clients to utilize the 3D captures we supply and the development of those user platforms. One issue that I have are concerns about best practices around the use of the VR, AR and MR specifications in general. It will certainly be interesting to see how that moves forward.
I think the entertainment aspects of VR, AR and MR are apparent. Can you share with our readers how these industries can help us at work?
I would agree and think it’s obvious that this is a whole new opportunity for unique fan experiences for all types of industries, with the entertainment world at the forefront. From archives of set designs to viewing and having hands on experiences with your favorite musical artists instruments is the wave of the future. Even the sports industry can utilize this type of innovation to have a more immersive fan experience, and it’s interesting to see how the pandemic has forced many industries to think outside the box.
Are there other ways that VR, AR and MR can improve our lives? Can you explain?
These types of ‘realities can give us a new perspective when it comes to viewing special assets. For example, if a client has a particularly interesting archive around 3D assets for costumes from a particular movie or TV set, a fan could visit a virtual museum and see these pieces up close. They would theoretically be able to zoom into the particular fibers of a hat or shirt that their favorite character wore during filming. To expand on the previous question, I see a world in which we would be able to sit behind our favorite drummer’s drum set and use that particular musician’s specific set up to create our own sounds.
Let’s zoom out a bit and talk in broader terms. Are you currently satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? If not, what specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?
I think that is an ever-changing and evolving topic of discussion. I have been pleased to see growth in the resources available to Women in Tech. For example, the Women in Technology group has a wonderful online presence. More reputable conferences are realizing that they need to step up and recognize the value in speaking directly to women. I just received an email from CES that addresses gender and racial biases in AI. It gives me hope when I see these difficult but necessary conversations being had at such a high level. Internally, at Iron Mountain we have an employee resource group that is based around women in our company, and I hope more companies adopt similar internal programs to break barriers and support more women in STEM.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about working in your industry? Can you explain what you mean?
One of the most popular myths would be that women just aren’t interested in technology. This couldn’t be further from the truth. By nature, I am a problem solver, so my interest in technology comes naturally! Technology helps push us in so many ways — solving problems for our clients and creating new worlds of entertainment.
What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience as a Woman in Tech” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
Team work. Build your team around trust and support each other by being present. Listen openly to your team’s opinions, frustrations, and ideas.
Stay updated on technology and trends. Keep your involvement in new tech solutions and attending trade shows, and conferences around these solutions at an all-time high. Education about new technology is critical when working with media customers.
Staying hands-on with solutions. I find value in working with each solution we offer to our clients. Understanding the solution from end to end helps me create solid workflows, competitive pricing for future jobs and research new technologies and solution options.
Solid Communication. Communication between your team members is critical but keeping in mind creating a solid relationship with your clients is necessary. I find it so valuable to keep an open line of communication, even if it’s for a few minutes a week- speaks volumes to your clients.
Find yourself a mentor. One of the best decisions made is finding myself a valuable mentor. In Lisa Rabasca Roepe’s article 10 Tips for Finding a Mentor I found guidance in finding the right mentor and how to establish our relationship to help me along the way. Having this person gave me peace of mind to have a reliable source to bounce ideas off of as well as guide me through my career.
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 would love to inspire a movement that brings together a media preservation course that’s available to colleges and focus on the importance of archival preservation, while teaching the necessary skills to keep preserving archival assets that the next generation can enjoy. From a personal mantra, I’d like to have more visibility to the people that work in the trenches of our company. There are so many people who show up, work hard, are good partners to their fellow coworkers and truly get the job done .Even through the effects of COVID-19, our team was able to find a way to survive, support each other and lean on each other during some difficult times. The team stepped up by showing a willingness to learn new things, work varied shifts and meet tight deadlines. Being a bit kinder and recognizing these smaller unique teams around all types of companies would empower people to have pride.
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 like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I am a big fan of podcasts and multitasking, so one of my favorites is the tech podcast, ‘Accidental Tech Podcast’ — it’s easy listening and helps me keep current with new gear. The hosts Marco Arment, Casey Liss and John Siracusa, do a good job of mixing in the new tech talk with current tech issues, and it would be great to dive into a few tech conversations over lunch with one (or all) of them.
Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!
Rising Through Resilience: Sevetri Wilson of Resilia On The Five Things You Can Do To Become More Resilient
How you deal with disappointment will be the key to strengthening your resiliency. Knowing that disappointments are constant, disappointments are certain but that disappointments can be conquered is key. When I say “Overcome Anything” what I mean by that is that most of the time it’s mind over matter. You have to strengthen your mindset and what you tell yourself. Reaffirming that you can come back from anything is the key. 5 steps: 1) Know you are worthy 2) Don’t remain idle 3) Create daily affirmations of strength, courage and prosperity 3)
In this interview series, we are exploring the subject of resilience among successful business leaders. Resilience is one characteristic that many successful leaders share in common, and in many cases it is the most important trait necessary to survive and thrive in today’s complex market.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Sevetri Wilson.
Sevetri Wilson is the Founder and CEO of technology startup Resilia, founded in 2016. Headquartered in New Orleans with a second office in New York, Resilia is revolutionizing how nonprofits are created and maintained, and how enterprises (cities, private foundations, and corporations) scale impact. The company has raised over $10M in venture capital to date. In September 2020, Sevetri was named a Rising Star on the Forbes Cloud 100 List. Resilia was named to Venture Beat’s top startups to watch out for in 2019; also in 2019, Sevetri was named to Inc. Magazine’s 100 Female Founders building world-changing companies and to PitchBook’s 27 leading black founders and investor list. Prior to Resilia, she founded Solid Ground Innovations, LLC., a strategic communications agency which was named to the LSU 100 list of fastest growing Tiger- led businesses in the world for two consecutive years. In 2018, she authored Solid Ground: How I Built a 7 Figure Company at 22 with Zero Capital which spent 6 weeks at #1 on Amazon in the startup category. Her new book titled Resilient was released on April 6, 2021 via Wiley and was an instant WSJ Best Seller.
Sevetri is a 2010 recipient of the Nobel Prize for Public Service, the Jefferson Award; and her work was featured in the U.S. Senate report to the White House on Volunteerism in the U.S. Sevetri’s work and that of her clients has been featured in national publications such as USA Today, Time Magazine, and CNN. She serves as a voice for communities as a Forbes contributor and has amassed over 200,000 followers across social media.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory?
Where do we start? I was born and raised in a small town called Hammond, Louisiana about 45 minutes outside of New Orleans where my mother was born and where I now call home. I’m the youngest of 12 kids (my father and mother were married previously). I’m a first-generation college student that went to LSU on a full ride via the Bill and Melinda Gates Scholarship, TOPS, Pell Grant and a bunch of other scholarships I was awarded. Around 14 I realized that my mother wouldn’t be able to send me to college. In college I majored in Mass Comm and History for the longest I thought I would be a historical film maker and make documentaries, but life had other plans. My first year in grad school my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and would pass away less than 3 months of being diagnosed. A few months later I would start my first company, Solid Ground Innovations which I would grow into a 7-figure company before spinning off a new company in the tech space called Resilia which I’ve now raised $11M for.
Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
I would say the most interesting story from my career didn’t come from tech but from working in politics. I led communications for who would become the first African American Woman Mayor of the City of Baton Rouge/East Baton Rouge Parish in Louisiana. There on the political battlefield I would learn so much about what it takes to win, but also even to victory how many failures and losses you take along the way. It was during that time I really felt deeply more than I had ever felt before that I was a solution maker.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Today, Resilia stands out in a number of ways, but one way is that we center nonprofits in tech in away it hasn’t been done before. Historically, tech has focused in on pleasing the grant maker. It’s always been about what the funder wanted and needed of the organizations it was funding. That’s what I love most about our product, is that we are democratizing philanthropy and recentering the nonprofit at its core. The way it should be.
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?
Even in my book Resilient I talk about Dr. Leonard Moore who is at UT of Austin. I met Dr. Moore at LSU and through sitting in his class I feel I really discovered the things I was most passionate about. He would say, “if you love what you do you don’t have to watch the clock.” I remember this because he was referencing how a lot of people are in careers that they can’t wait until it’s time to go home. This notion would be the framework in which I built my entire career on.
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. We would like to explore and flesh out the trait of resilience. How would you define resilience? What do you believe are the characteristics or traits of resilient people?
I remember one day I just googled the word resilience and one definition that returned was, “ capable of withstanding shock without permanent deformation or rupture.” That definition literally described my entrepreneurial and founder journey. As an entrepreneur, I look back on my journey and I’m so glad I didn’t let the process jade or change me. Building a business can be volatile. There are so many ups and downs, so many “no’s”, so many “maybe next time” and doors that close on us that it can harden you if you let it. Being able to have the resilience to withstand what’s thrown at you and to still come out of it better and on top is what Resilient means to me.
When you think of resilience, which person comes to mind? Can you explain why you chose that person?
My mother and grandmother without a doubt. My mother managed to raise 9 children alongside my grandfather up until his death. She had no formal education pass the 6th grade, but in rural Louisiana she managed to do it. The second person would be my mother. My mother dropped out of college when she was married, and she too raised 4 children including my brother and I when my father passed away. She did it with so little but we wanted for nothing. I grew up having enough and feeling like I had enough. She also believed I could do anything, and that was the most powerful lesson I would take with me.
Has there ever been a time that someone told you something was impossible, but you did it anyway? Can you share the story with us?
I’m a Black woman from the rural south who started a tech company and successfully raised over $10M for it. I think my entire life is an act of rebellion against what would seem possible. When it came to raising capital especially when I needed to keep the company a float and begin to scale, I received a ton of no’s. People didn’t think what I was building could turn into a scalable company, but I would prove to them it was in deed possible.
Did you have a time in your life where you had one of your greatest setbacks, but you bounced back from it stronger than ever? Can you share that story with us?
Losing my mother in college was a huge set back for me. I felt that the person who I was working tirelessly for was taken from me almost without warning. Yet, my mother’s death was the fuel I needed to make it through my most challenging days. Anytime I’m facing a challenge I think I’ve already survived losing my mother so I don’t think there can be a challenge greater than this is or at least to date there hasn’t been.
Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share a story? Resilience is like a muscle that can be strengthened. In your opinion, what are 5 steps that someone can take to become more resilient? Please share a story or an example for each.
How you deal with disappointment will be the key to strengthening your resiliency. Knowing that disappointments are constant, disappointments are certain but that disappointments can be conquered is key. When I say “Overcome Anything” what I mean by that is that most of the time it’s mind over matter. You have to strengthen your mindset and what you tell yourself. Reaffirming that you can come back from anything is the key. 5 steps: 1) Know you are worthy 2) Don’t remain idle 3) Create daily affirmations of strength, courage and prosperity 3)
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 think I’m already apart of a movement. A movement of minority founders who are not accepting anything less than what we deserve particularly when it comes to access. We are breaking glass ceilings and yes, we have a long way to but we won’t be denied.
We are blessed that some very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them 🙂
Melinda French Gates. I was a Gates Foundation Scholar and I would let her know the profound impact that her work has had on me and my trajectory. Now as a Woman tech founder, though very different, in many ways I feel that our journeys have paralleled each other’s. I would tell her thank you but also would love to chat about our plans to change the future and make a better world especially for women.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
@sevetriwilson on all channels
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Wisdom From The Women Leading The VR, AR & Mixed Reality Industries, With Adriana Vecchioli of Velvet Unicorn
Speak up! You know what’s more painful than expressing an uncomfortable truth? Silently putting up with it. This one is a hard one for me still as I tend to avoid conflicts, which I mitigate in doing what I can today that my future self would thank me later for.
As a part of my series about “Lessons From Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Adriana Vecchioli.
Adriana Vecchioli is a French-Italian actress, filmmaker and AR/VR creator, living in Los Angeles.
She quit her software job to follow her passion for filmmaking. Since then, Adriana Vecchioli designed and engineered immersive experiences for the likes of: Warner Bros., Viacom, The Hunger Games, NBA, Coachella and Snapchat.
Layered female protagonists, dark humor and immersive storytelling are the staples of her cinematic language. Her short film ‘How Far’, which she wrote, starred in and produced, is currently in the festival circuit.
Adriana then produced and starred in the viral comedy series ’Shoot Your Shot’, written and directed by Tanyaradzwa Fear (‘Doctor Who’). Adriana is the lead in ‘Portals’, an independent sci-fi feature film currently in post-production. She is developing her first feature film ‘Mermaids’, a psychedelic horror story on consent and female desire.
Adriana Vecchioli’s work has been exhibited in Paris and Los Angeles. She speaks 5 languages.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you grew up?
Sure! I’m Adriana Vecchioli, a French-Italian artist, filmmaker and XR designer, living in Los Angeles.
I was born in Paris, raised in a rather traditionalist culture. I became a dutiful science student, following a long line of engineers. Well, that was in the daytime, because at night, I was an actress… You could find me performing on the stage of Paris’ Théâtre Bobino or training at Cours Florent on evenings and weekends.
After a challenging year, I paused acting at 16 to focus on math and science… the break lasted a decade. Fast forward to 2016, working as an engineer in London, I was pretty successful at it and yet, it didn’t feel quite right.
So I quit my job and booked a one-way ticket to Brazil.
I then spent 2 years as a ‘digital nomad’, roaming in Latin America, while remotely consulting for tech companies. I delved into VR and got a growing interest in filmmaking. That’s when it clicked and I finally reconnected with the arts.
Today, I’m an artist using several media to express myself: acting, filmmaking… and of course, XR design! I am proud of my path, blending software magic with artistry. I am making movies and designing immersive experiences for the likes of: Warner Bros., Viacom, NBA, Coachella and Snapchat. Technology empowers me to create new tools to bring stories to life.
Is there a particular book, film, or podcast that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
‘Edward Scissorhands’, directed by Tim Burton, left a lasting mark on me, growing up. I watched this movie when I was a little too old to be a child, too young for the world I lived in, never quite fitting in. I was first intrigued by its mix of pastel pop with gothic aesthetics, before the characters’ rich emotional universes pulled me into the story.
Edward is a gentle and sensitive artificial being, whose recluse creator dies before finishing to assemble his hands. Despite his frightening appearance and the cruelty of the outside world, Edward finds a loving family who accepts him as he is and nurtures his artistic talents. The ending is bittersweet; Edward is cast away but never forgotten by the ones who love him. This film resonates with me as it shows there’s beauty in being different.
Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue a career in the X Reality industry? We’d love to hear it.
Oh yes, it was in 2014 and I was attending a Game of Thrones exhibit. Facebook hadn’t acquired Oculus yet — VR was still little known outside of nerd zones. The event culminated with a virtual trip in the elevator taking Jon Snow atop The Wall — and a surprise freefall. With a (pixelated) Oculus Rift DK1 strapped to my face and headphones blocking the real world, it only took 90 seconds to take me out of my reality.
I took the VR headset off. My clothes were ruffled, my hair disheveled, my mind blown. This was my first VR experience — it was madness. I got a taste of what entertainment would look like in the future.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this fascinating career?
I believe XR is a revolution in entertainment, as radical as the shift from analog to digital. Just last year, for the launch of The Hunger Games’ prequel; The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes, I designed an AR experience that transforms the book cover into a portal towards the city of Panem. It inspired fans all around the world to edit screen recordings of this experience. For instance, some readers used nifty transitions and props, blending digital and practical effects, which they shared on social media.
As I was watching these videos, I had my eureka moment: AR brings VFX straight to the camera, which opens infinite possibilities to marry post with production and open the medium. Actors and performers interacting with the visual effects and coming up with new storytelling ideas, on the spot. We’ve seen prolific creators on TikTok and Instagram making mini-films using a variety of effects; different face filters to represent different characters or green screens and 360 videos to replace diverse locations.
We pushed this idea further when Tanyaradzwa Fear wrote, directed and starred in the viral comedy series ‘Shoot Your Shot’, a romantic comedy exploring pandemic era love. I stepped in to produce her project and used AR filters to enhance the cast’ performances, all recording remotely.
Therefore, even though COVID-19 has disrupted the movie industry, filmmakers can still thrive in the post-pandemic world. I am inspired by visionaries like John Favreau who leveraged VR technology to shoot The Lion King and The Mandalorian, such as the use of headsets to block his shots and 8K video backdrops.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
One of my very first professional experiences was in marketing at the NYC HQ of luxury house Hermès. The VP of Finance was showing a very serious presentation on quarterly earnings (or something in that vein) and asked at the end if there was any question in the audience. Back then I thought that “BS” stood for “Business School”. Anyway, I don’t remember my exact words but I practically said that I found his presentation “BS”, in front of the whole company. I was an intern. Communication is an-going challenge when moving between different worlds.
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?
Only one person? It takes a village! I am fostering and nurturing a community of loving, creative souls. We continuously support one another.
To name just one, it would be Tanyaradzwa Fear. Tanyaradzwa is an actress, filmmaker and writer. She has been playing a critical role in my artistic journey. She’s constantly seeking to speak with truth and empowering others to do the same.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
My directorial debut is comin’ in hot! Well, literally, since “COMIN’ IN HOT” is the title of my next film. We’re in pre-production and we’re about to launch an ambitious crowdfunding campaign to fund it..
This is a singular story about a young and introverted woman, running away from her marriage, who crosses into the desert… to surrender to her secret splashy obsession.
Women do not belong only in front of the camera; our stories matter. I’m hoping it will inspire young women to achieve whatever they set their minds to.
Additionally, most people feel weird about themselves, it is paradoxical that this feeling is commonly shared. This film will be an invitation to embrace our free nature and be our odd silly selves.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. The VR, AR and MR industries seem so exciting right now. What are the 3 things in particular that most excite you about the industry? Can you explain or give an example?
I cannot wait for future generations of hardware that gracefully fit the human body. Look at us, slouching behind screens and letting algorithms make decision for us. It’s high time to remember that technology is meant to serve us and not the other way around. Rather than adapt ourselves to the devices (huddling in packed offices behind monitors, close to power outlets), I’d love to see these devices disappear into our lives (untethered, truly wearable and not obstructing the view). The pandemic might accelerate these changes, proving how unsustainable our lifestyle and use of technology are.
Then I’m looking forward to discovering new forms of entertainment at the intersection of interactive and cinematic storytelling. That is, the interactivity of video games, coupled with the emotional power of movies. Netflix’s “Bandersnatch” was a taste of it and VR is poised to offer many more trail-blazing experiences.
And finally, an on-going process of lowering barriers to entry for storytellers. Just smartphones democratized photography and filmmaking, the same is happening with mobile AR and 360 videos. Anyone can be empowered to craft and tell their stories.
What are the 3 things that concern you about the VR, AR and MR industries? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?
First, not enough attention is put on hardware to fit most humans. Heavy headsets, clunky devices, standardized sizes. Not enough care is put into hardware design for disabled people or comfort. For instance, when I moved to the US, my accent was pretty thick and Siri or Alexa would not understand my commands. Plenty of XR experiences rely on voice-activated commands and this is the type of issue that many product designers would disregard as an edge case. Everyone deviates from the norm, one way or another, and this should be the consensus.
Access is another issue I’m concerned about: high-speed connection, room-scale equipment, just to name a few, are expensive and hard to access for many around the globe.
I think the entertainment aspects of VR, AR and MR are apparent. Can you share with our readers how these industries can help us at work?
There are tremendous opportunities in education as well! Learning by doing. Flight simulators are ancestors of virtual reality, after all. VR and MR are also used in the healthcare sector to train new surgeons and practice performing critical procedures.
Are there other ways that VR, AR and MR can improve our lives? Can you explain?
Oh the possibilities are endless! I’m staying focused on entertainment and storytelling, both being my passions.
Let’s zoom out a bit and talk in broader terms. Are you currently satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? If not, what specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?
Pay women. Plain and simple. Plenty of STEM companies plaster their flyers with pretty women smiling and do not put their money where their mouths are. For instance, they create mentorship programs with no intention to hire women, BIPOC or LGBTQ folks in positions of leadership. Frankly, this is insulting as it perpetuates the idea that women need to constantly better themselves to reach professional levels.
To quote Cindy Gallop: “don’t use words for women like ‘empower’ and ‘celebrate’. Use words like ‘hire’, ‘promote’, ‘pay’, ‘raise’, ‘bonus’, ‘invest’, ‘fund’, ‘enrich’ — and DO IT. Leaders, ask for that employee pay spreadsheet, find the women, raise their pay to the same as men’s”.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about working in your industry? Can you explain what you mean?
It’s a myth that you need a prestigious degree or studying a field for 4 years to get a decent job. This industry evolves so quickly that, by the time you graduate, your classes will be outdated. The right curriculum may not exist yet. Hands-on experimentation is the key to sky-rocket in your career.
What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience as a Woman in Tech” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
Let me preface that I rarely know what to say when I’m asked something “as a woman”. I never lived as a man. Instead, here are five leadership lessons I learned as Adriana Vecchioli.
First, speak up! You know what’s more painful than expressing an uncomfortable truth? Silently putting up with it. This one is a hard one for me still as I tend to avoid conflicts, which I mitigate in doing what I can today that my future self would thank me later for.
Second, learn to set boundaries and enforce them. What you say no to, defines what you can say yes to and make room for it. For instance, accepting “just okay” projects, for fear of not getting work, does not leave any bandwidth to jump into “hell yeah” dream projects.
Third, don’t avoid the hard things. The only way is through. This is how we learn and level up for bigger things.
Fourth, take responsibility. Mistakes happen all the time, some yield more consequences that others but they can become teachable moments. Sometimes it isn’t fair. It doesn’t matter: own it. I felt restless in my life a few years ago ; some unpleasant events seemed to keep repeating themselves. Then I realized I was stuck in a state of victimhood, waiting for an external rescue, which didn’t allow me to take ownership of the situation and change it. Now I remember that the wound may not be my fault, but healing is always my responsibility.
And finally, have fun! Fun is your heart’s way of telling you something’s right for you. Doing what lights you up ensures you stay inspired and passionate. This is how you find what medicine you were destined to bring to the world and inspire others in turn. And that’s how you do your finest work — so having fun is actually a killer productivity tip!
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. 🙂
Thank you for your kind words. A close friend once said they saw me as “an artist who creates art that creates artists”. It touched me, and that would be my movement: all of us have a spark that can brighten up the world and deserve to express it.
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 like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
Céline Sciamma, the writer and director of the movie “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”. I’m extremely inspired by the uniqueness of Céline Sciamma’s voice in her art, her sensitivity and the subtlety of her work. Every single frame and detail feel intentional.
Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!
Rising Through Resilience: James Webb of Paradigm Development Holdings On The Five Things You Can Do To Become More Resilient
Surround yourself with good people, both in terms of partners and employees. If you can’t trust them with your life (business) get rid of them. Once you trust them, implicitly, make sure they are part of the financial journey as well. Equity partners/employees who are riding the journey with you will almost always have your back. Even with full trust, there can be underlying deceit, but it eventually comes to the surface and you can deal with it then and continue forward. Equity, structured right, for your team can mean a lot when needed.
In this interview series, we are exploring the subject of resilience among successful business leaders. Resilience is one characteristic that many successful leaders share in common, and in many cases it is the most important trait necessary to survive and thrive in today’s complex market.
I had the pleasure of interviewing James Webb.
James Webb is the author of Redneck Resilience: A Country Boy’s Journey To Prosperity. His career in radiology saw him rise from a technologist to becoming a leader in the industry as the entrepreneur of several companies. After over 40 years in the medical field, Webb focused on the fitness sector, owning and overseeing the management of 33 Orangetheory Fitness® franchises throughout North Texas.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory?
I grew up in a small town in southern Mississippi, raised by two teenage parents. They fell in love a little early and could only offer a roof over our heads and their love and attention. Our lives pretty much revolved around the church, Little League baseball, and Cub Scouts. I started working at 5 years of age by making potholders for the local church bazaars. When I was about 8, I started mowing yards and raking leaves in order to make enough money to buy my first 10-speed bicycle. This quickly led to a newspaper route and then to working at the local printing shop, where I stayed through high school and my first two years of junior college.
Once, while walking through the science building of the local junior college, I saw a sign that said, “Interested in being an x-ray technician, call Liz Bush.” Two and one-half years later, I graduated with my radiologic technologist license and began working the night shift, in the emergency room, and at the community hospital while returning to college in the daytime to pursue my bachelor’s degree.
In 1997, I started my first company, developing and operating medical imaging clinics in Latin America and the Caribbean. I sold this company in 2000 to a larger player and reinvested some of the proceeds in a venture with two friends back in Dallas. In 2001, I moved a 3-year-old son, a 3 week-old-son, and a supportive but hesitant wife back to Dallas to take the reins of a new venture called Preferred Medical Imaging. The next few years were as tough as it could get in business, but by late 2004 we turned the corner, ultimately building the largest outpatient imaging company in Texas with 28 locations. Additionally, we ventured into pain management surgery centers and built nine facilities working with 53 pain management physicians.
I did a few side projects, including two toxicology labs, a compounding pharmacy, a medical billing company and an HR company. In 2013, I ventured into the world of fitness, specifically Orangetheory Fitness. By 2019 we owned or managed 33 Orangetheory gyms across Texas and, for a time, I was considered the largest franchisee in the U.S.
I sold the toxicology labs and compounding pharmacies around 2015. I sold Preferred Medical Imaging in 2017 to a Canadian-based company that eventually became a public company on the Nasdaq (I’m a board member). And I sold Orangetheory gyms (33 of them) to a private equity group in December 2019, just two months before the pandemic.
Currently, I sit on four boards and have invested in 43 private companies, of which I am actively involved in four of them. And finally, I bought into a new franchised-based natural hormone balancing weight-loss concept called BeBalanced Centers. At present, we have three stores open with plans for another 18020 across Texas.
Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or takeaways you learned from that?
There are so many that sometimes it’s hard to choose, but I usually settle on the one that changed my direction from climbing the corporate ladder to becoming an entrepreneur. When I graduated from the University of North Texas with my master’s degree, I was pretty set on becoming a hospital administrator. But I was convinced to leave the hospital world and join a start-up company developing mobile MRI routes. In the very early days of MRI, the machines were put in large trucks and routes were established between hospitals. We’d have five or six routes per week, going between hospitals and providing this technology.
Over the next three years, I worked my tail off helping build this company from three routes to 53 routes across the country. I was 30 years old, vice president of the region, sitting in a high-rise office with a secretary and staff and living the dream … until the phone rang. It went something like this, “Mr. Webb, we have just sold the company and since you have no equity, you are terminated. Your desk needs to be cleaned out by the end of day.”
While I was initially shocked, I quickly realized that I had been chasing someone else’s dreams and not creating my own path. In short, I was a hired gun but not an owner. Because I was somewhat known in the industry, I had another job, in Atlanta, within a week. But this singular event of being terminated, without warning, started pushing me down the entrepreneurial road. Would I have possibly gone that route anyway? Maybe. But being blindsided and terminated taught me a true lesson: define your own fate and path.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
I’ve sold most of my companies, but I can share with you my thoughts and culture related to Preferred Medical Imaging. When we entered the Dallas market, besides the hospitals, there were several “larger” competitors. As we evaluated our competition, including the hospitals, it was evident that customer service was secondary to cost containment and patient care. We chose to be the opposite, and in our terms, became the Neiman Marcus of outpatient medical imaging centers. We painted the machines and rooms with elaborate art (an aquarium, a flower garden, a wine venue, etc.). We furnished our facilities with beautiful décor. We also focused on the experience for the patient and the physician’s office. We wanted every patient going back to their doctor “raving” about their time with us and we wanted every doctor to have an MRI report, in hand, within 24 hours.
When we were opening our third facility, a local hospital administrator asked me to lunch. I naively joined him thinking we were being welcome to the “neighborhood.” It was quite the opposite and a veiled threat that if we opened in their market, they would “shut us down.” I learned a long time ago that people don’t attack you when they are confident; they “attack you when they are scared. We opened up anyway and proceeded to become the dominant player in that market for medical imaging services — all based on the quality of our operations and the customer experience. Word got out and we never chased another deal; they all came to us. Community leaders, physicians, and others came to us and asked us to bring that level of service to their communities.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful toward who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
There have been so many people who have helped guide and mentor me along my journey. Barry O’Brien was the gentleman who convinced me to leave the hospital world and go into the business side of medical imaging. I learned so much from him about leading people and directing business until about 2 ½ years into our relationship, we had a big falling out over a personal issue. It got to the point we had to be separated in the corporate office to avoid a physical altercation. I was deeply saddened by losing Barry as a mentor and friend and was eventually terminated from the company as outlined previously. I don’t think Barry had anything to do with that as he was removed as well.
Fast forward three years and he and I had a chance to meet for dinner, in Boca Raton, and mend our relationship. It was such a good dinner that we talked about joining forces again down the road. He left the next day for home in Connecticut to go snow skiing with his family. A few days later I received a call. Barry had died while skiing. I was shocked and devastated, but those emotions quickly turned to gratitude. I am forever grateful for Barry’s mentorship, but even more grateful that we made up and were friends again. I have learned so many times through my life that one never knows what tomorrow will bring, and this lesson, with Barry, reinforced that point.
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. We would like to explore and flesh out the trait of resilience. How would you define resilience? What do you believe are the characteristics or traits of resilient people?
There is nothing reasonable about resilience. Quite frankly, it doesn’t make sense to get knocked down and then get back up to be knocked down again. But I am one of those people who doesn’t always think in reasonable terms. From a business perspective, when you’re knocked down, it is not just about getting up. It’s about getting up and finding another path. If you hit a roadblock, turn the corner and look for another way, or correct the path you are on. Resilience doesn’t just get back up. Resilience finds a way.
Resilient people do not give up. They do not ask, “Why?” but rather, “Why not?”
When you think of resilience, which person comes to mind? Can you explain why you chose that person?
President Calvin Coolidge said the following:
“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
President Coolidge will not go down as one of our “great” presidents, but his resilience will always strike a chord with me.
Has there ever been a time that someone told you something was impossible, but you did it anyway? Can you share the story with us?
All of us who choose this entrepreneurial journey have been told “it won’t work” more times than not. For me, the most recent example was Orangetheory Fitness. If I heard “boutique fitness” has too much competition and “nobody knows what that is” once, I heard it 100 times. When we became successful with the brand and ultimately sold it, I was told I was lucky. Of course, there is always some luck involved but, in this case, we had a new and exciting brand, access to capital, and a team that did not/would not sit on the sidelines and wonder if we could do this. Resilience at its best.
Did you have a time in your life where you had one of your greatest setbacks, but you bounced back from it stronger than ever? Can you share that story with us?
My greatest setback and “bounce back” is a personal story that many people have heard. It was unexpected, devastating, and changed me forever.
On November 28, 2011, my wife, Marcia, was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. No previous recognizable symptoms, no hints, no pains, and yet we stood at a crossroad that morning knowing that with this disease, there was very little chance of long-term survival. In 48 hours, our world and the worlds of our family and friends were rocked to the core.
On May 20 the physician told us there was no hope left. In a private conversation with me, he estimated she had no more than 60 days to live. On that same day, while we were driving I suddenly had a very sharp and knife-like pain in my lower back and immediately self-diagnosed myself with a kidney stone. I couldn’t believe it and thought, not now, I don’t have time for this! I downed a few of Marcia’s pain pills and somehow we made it back to Frisco. Once home, I tucked her into bed and headed over to the local Baylor hospital emergency room. Some more pain medicine, blood work and a CT scan later, I received more shocking news that day. I didn’t have a kidney stone; I had a tumor the size of a baseball and a diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma. Yep, I had cancer. I again asked the doctor to see the films and, once I viewed them, and in some sort of zombie-like state, I simply walked out of the emergency room, against much protest, and went home to be with my wife.
The next day, while arranging hospice care for Marcia, I began meeting with doctors regarding my own situation. Chemo and radiation were offered as options to shrink the tumor and possibly save the kidney. I thought of Marcia, thought of my boys, and thought of our family and said, “No, just cut me open and take it all.” Two-and-a-half weeks later, I had my right kidney and a nasty tumor removed, and 19 hours later I walked out of the hospital and was home and by Marcia’s side. Six days later, she passed away.
Over the summer, the boys and I traveled together and began the process of rebuilding our lives. As a single parent raising two young boys, the “bar scene” was not for me. Enter Match.com, and I played on the site for a few months but no dating. Well, that was until Cathy came along. Like many things in my life, I did not see Cathy coming but eventually we had, what I describe as, my first, first date in 20 years and the last first date for the rest of my life. We slowly built our relationship, introduced our families, and were married three years after that magical first date.
There have been many times in my life when resilience served me well, but none served me better than during the time I took care of Marcia, survived my own ordeal, and gained the forward momentum that led me to Cathy.
Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share a story?
When I was in high school, my mom decided to go back to school for nursing. She was the first person in our family to go to college. I can remember her up at nights studying late and then being up early in the morning to make us breakfast, every day, before school. My dad never went to college but he told me. “I want you to go to college so you don’t have to work for a living.” I never understood what he meant by that until years later. I was stuck on an overpass in an ice storm and remember looking in the distance and seeing an electrical lineman climbing a pole in this terrible weather. Then I knew, this is what my Dad meant by “not working for a living.”
But wanting and achieving are two different things. When I was a senior in high school, my dad started an HVAC company. But one day the IRS showed up and took just about everything he had. Turns out his accountant was skimming and not paying the taxes. So in the blink of an eye, everything was gone and my dad was saddled with debt. He could have quit right there, but instead, he rebounded, got a job, and paid off every last cent to the IRS and to all his vendors.
When I think back on my youth, I see the building blocks of what I became. I got my mom’s instinct to take care of people, while still working long hours, and my dad’s work ethic and resilience in the face of failure. Work hard, don’t quit, and you can achieve your dreams.
Resilience is like a muscle that can be strengthened. In your opinion, what are five steps that someone can take to become more resilient? Please share a story or an example for each.
1. Work harder than anyone else. When you are tired, send another email. When you are ready to quit for the day, make one final phone call. When your employees are watching you work late, send them home while you stay.
2. Find your mentors and use their knowledge. As you go through your journey, be open to new mentors but never forget what the others have taught you. Be appreciative and grateful to all of them.
3. Be prepared. Always. Hope for the upside but have a plan for the downside ready to go if needed.
4. When you get knocked down,” get back up, pause, and find your new route or direction. For me, I’d go away and play golf or go fishing so I could just THINK. Once my head was clearer, I’d address the issue, fix it or move around it.
5. Surround yourself with good people, both in terms of partners and employees. If you can’t trust them with your life (business) get rid of them. Once you trust them, implicitly, make sure they are part of the financial journey as well. Equity partners/employees who are riding the journey with you will almost always have your back. Even with full trust, there can be underlying deceit, but it eventually comes to the surface and you can deal with it then and continue forward. Equity, structured right, for your team can mean a lot when needed.
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 have always been a fan of education and, especially, education for the underprivileged in our communities. I’ve tried many times over my career to help young people remove themselves from bad situations and pursue education as the primary mechanism for changing their fate. I even set up an endowment fund in my deceased wife, Marcia’s, name for Community in Schools. CIS helps children fight those things that keep them from completing their high school education.
Two other groups have caught mine and my families’ attention. City House, based in Plano, Texas, works with homeless youth. They are an amazing group, and we are helping support their efforts. Additionally, someone I admire greatly, Scott Turner, is working on an initiative. Scott is a former NFL star, a Texas state representative and presidential appointee who is working on bringing economic opportunity, mentorship and access to sports to children and families in areas of low income and poverty.
I am a true believer in helping those less fortunate than me and my family, and I hope others will follow the paths of those like CIS, City House, and Scott Turner. Happy to make introductions!
We are blessed that some very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them 🙂
I have always been a fan of our 43rd President, George Bush. I know many think he was not one of our “great” presidents, but if anyone demonstrated resilience in the face of 911, it was George Bush. He had some tough decisions to make, and maybe not all of them were correct, but he never backed down and he kept getting back up. He is a Texan. He is local. It would be cool to meet him in person.
Rising Through Resilience: Paul Thallner of High Peaks Group On The Five Things You Can Do To Become More Resilient
Know How You Get Stuck. Your company’s collective brain reacts to inputs the same way your individual one does. Being exposed to continuous stress creates fear — a highly contagious emotion in companies. Building resilience skills enables your teams to recover from and grow through stresses. At Jay Peak, for example, there was no shortage of fear when the SEC came in to shut down operations. But, a longstanding culture where employees had deep multi-generational ties to the resort counterbalanced the shock brought about by the closure.
In this interview series, we are exploring the subject of resilience among successful business leaders. Resilience is one characteristic that many successful leaders share in common, and in many cases it is the most important trait necessary to survive and thrive in today’s complex market.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Paul Thallner.
Paul Thallner is an organizational development, team effectiveness, and resilience expert. He founded advisory firm High Peaks Group to eradicate the chronic workplace stress epidemic. High Peaks Group now creates workplace greatness in business, non-profit, and government clients across the United States. Paul has served in a number of senior-level roles including as a partner at Great Place to Work, where he advised organizations including the NBA and Carhartt. Paul co-developed a novel resilience model first tested with 200 mountain resort leaders in North America. The positive reception has led to further research and a forthcoming book that asserts we have been thinking of resilience backwards, and it’s time to reinvent resilience so we can grow through challenges.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory?
Thanks for having me. It’s a pleasure to be here. I grew up in a single parent household where my mom held three jobs and raised four kids by herself. Seeing her persevere through the numerous and continuous challenges she faced every day deeply impacted me. I carried her tenacity into my career where I would seek unconventional, challenging jobs that many avoided or thought were foolish…like education reform or being an intermediary between techies and end users. I ultimately landed positions of authority like Executive Director (at a nonprofit) and Partner (at a consulting firm) where I could create deeper, longer lasting impact at scale. The impact I try to make every day is creating more workplace greatness. I don’t want people going to work feeling like my mom did: stressed, singled-out, never good enough, etc. That’s my mission, and I’m always seeking ways to help people thrive at work, and doing that at speed and scale will help the most people over the shortest period of time.
Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
I was working at a tech startup during the initial boom in the 90s, and the company went from a few hundred employees to a few thousand in a year or two. I had a client facing role, I traveled a lot, my team was awesome, and I was very happy. However, I would hear stories that others in the company were miserable. They didn’t feel seen, heard, or appreciated. Folks were sleeping under their desks to avoid “wasting time commuting” when deadlines loomed. I took away some important learnings about “culture” that stick with me today. It’s really important to challenge our narratives. I believed the entire company was awesome because I was having an awesome experience. However, seen from another vantage point, the company wasn’t that amazing after all. We have to examine what we believe and why pretty regularly if we want to grow through challenges.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
High Peaks Group is unique in the marketplace for two reasons: 1) we don’t seek problems to solve. We believe organizations are full of inert potential, and our job is to identify and activate potential to accelerate business results. Creating workplace greatness is our shorthand for doing that; and, 2) we’re really clear about the people and organizations we work with. We close a skill gap many organizations have — they want a great workplace where employees thrive, but they don’t know how to make that happen. Or they’re frustrated by how long it’s taking. We fully invest our time and attention in our clients, tap into the collective wisdom of the whole organization, and move them forward fast.
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?
First of all, there are lots and lots of people that helped me along the way. I’m nothing without them. Relevant to resilience, however, I am thinking of Scott Hill one of my first bosses. While we were working together on education policy for the state of California ages ago, he introduced me to the Federalist Papers, and №10 in particular. In that work, James Madison posits that one cannot control “factions,” but we can control their effects. This lesson has helped me many times throughout my career, and is at the root of my pragmatic belief system about how/why organizational cultures can change. That is, organizations can fall victim to internal (and external) “factions,” but the role of leadership is to build sufficient organizational resilience to stay clear-headed when they flare up.
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. We would like to explore and flesh out the trait of resilience. How would you define resilience? What do you believe are the characteristics or traits of resilient people?
I’m writing a book on resilience because I believe we are thinking about it backwards. Resilience is based on a “bend, don’t break” mindset. Like a palm tree in a hurricane, you just hold on until the wind subsides. When it passes, the sun will come out, and you can go back to being a palm tree. However, that’s not how life works, and our deficit-based, one-dimensional view of resilience doesn’t serve our complex, ever-changing, multi-dimensional lives. I’ve developed a new framework for resilience centered on building the confidence and courage to grow through difficult challenges — not just bounce back. Rather than closing a deficit gap, our model helps close the abundance gap. Moreover, the framework scales beyond the individual to teams, organizations, communities, and beyond.
When you think of resilience, which person comes to mind? Can you explain why you chose that person?
Steve Wright, General Manager of Jay Peak Resort, a ski area in northern Vermont. I interviewed him for my book and learned about the incredible growth he, his team, and his company experienced after the resort was raided by the SEC. The full story is here, but in a nutshell, Steve — who was Chief Marketing Officer — woke up one day thinking about his daughter’s track meet and by the end of the day was in charge of the entire resort. He had to get his bearings in a suddenly volatile situation, quickly prioritize a huge volume of challenges, and continue to move forward. His inspiring story helped me realize how resilience scales.
Has there ever been a time that someone told you something was impossible, but you did it anyway? Can you share the story with us?
Of course, I started my own company. I won’t mention names, but when I started High Peaks Group it seemed to activate something in a lot of conversations I was having at the time. For instance, I did what a lot of people do when starting a new venture, I started sharing the news with people. So many people started projecting their fear about that situation onto me. I had hoped to start my company with a co-founder, but despite wanting to join me, she ultimately decided to stay with her salaried job. Had I waited for her to be comfortable, I never would have gotten started. So many people just need a small dose of courage, and I know it’s in them, to take a step they want to take. But, at the end of the day, you’re alone with your choices. I don’t recommend hitching your dreams to someone else unless they’re as committed as you are to achieving them.
Did you have a time in your life where you had one of your greatest setbacks, but you bounced back from it stronger than ever? Can you share that story with us?
I have an aversion to the word “setback.” At is core is a deficit-based assumption that you start at point (a), experience a setback (x) and end up at point (a-x), and your job then becomes closing the gap to “get back to normal.” In my model, I offer an alternative to that way of thinking. We’re always moving forward, but sometimes the headwinds are stronger than other times. So, when a gust comes, our job is to use whatever resources we have to become more aerodynamic. For me, during the pandemic the winds were howling. Lost clients, lost revenue, a business model that wouldn’t work in a virtual environment, my mom’s declining health, and (woosh) my sister was diagnosed with a serious health condition. How would “bouncing back” work in that case? What would I bounce back to? There were no landing spots, so I decided to re-think and ultimately reinvent resilience in a way that worked for me. With the help of grad school classmate Tanya James, we created a new framework that takes a strength-based approach to resilience. (described in more depth here).
Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share a story?
Yes, I grew up in central Pennsylvania. When I was in sixth-grade, a huge pin came along and jabbed my childhood bubble. Three Mile Island. If you don’t remember, it was the worst nuclear power plant accident (until Chernobyl) and it created havoc in our lives. In pre-internet days, we got all our news from broadcast TV, and based on what we heard, we decided to pack our things and leave. I had no idea if we would ever come back. I imagined Harrisburg becoming a desolate post-apocalyptic landscape unsuitable for human habitation. It was jarring to say the least. We didn’t feel prepared to exit our house for God knows how long…we just did it. And that’s the thing with resilience; you can’t really build it at the moment you need it. I believe we already have a lot of what we need right now to grow through tough times. It’s a matter of managing your response to a situation, accepting the situation for what it really is, using the resources you’ve got at your disposal, and — as we say in the book — dwelling in possibility.
Resilience is like a muscle that can be strengthened. In your opinion, what are 5 steps that someone can take to become more resilient? Please share a story or an example for each.
My five steps apply not only to individuals, but to teams, organizations, and even communities. Here we go:
Reframe. Using terms like “setbacks” primes the mind for trauma. Language matters, so we prefer “headwinds.” Instead of using the “knocked down/get up” metaphor so common with resilience, think of yourself as always moving forward — like you’re riding a bike. You will always encounter headwind…that’s just life. But when it gets really windy, tuck into a more aerodynamic position. I’ve seen this in a number of successful companies, but I’ve been most impressed with how communities like Durango, Colorado move ever forward in a context of losing a disproportionate number of young people to fatal backcountry/outdoor accidents.
Know How You Get Stuck. Your company’s collective brain reacts to inputs the same way your individual one does. Being exposed to continuous stress creates fear — a highly contagious emotion in companies. Building resilience skills enables your teams to recover from and grow through stresses. At Jay Peak, for example, there was no shortage of fear when the SEC came in to shut down operations. But, a longstanding culture where employees had deep multi-generational ties to the resort counterbalanced the shock brought about by the closure.
Slow Down to Speed Up. You can gain more control of your collective response to threats. Practicing our “See it, Slow it, Own it” technique will strengthen your ability to put challenges in proper perspective and think more clearly. A client of mine — a publisher — had a deadline driven mindset and employees were seen in a rather binary way: they perform or they don’t. After using our resilience model, she emphasized individual and collective self-care. The company has innovated in new ways and has further raised its profile as a source of industry knowledge and healing.
Accept Reality to Imagine Possibility. How we think about things impacts our ability to move forward and grow. Try creating several stories about your current situation. Then, filter out the fiction. If you’re not sure what’s fiction, look for concrete evidence. A client in New York was experiencing conflicting narratives about how it was seen to clients and stakeholders. Internally, employees would selectively use those narratives to manipulate leadership. When the whole system came together to write their own shared narrative, they began to take control of the possibilities (instead of having others dictate possibilities for them).
Start by Starting. It’d be nice if resilience was a linear process, but it’s not. We have to work all areas of the resilience model (Situation, Triggers, Resources, Possibilities) at the same time. Start at a point where you’ve got some energy/optimism and move forward from there. The best way to build resilience is simply to start. A management company in Chicago was stuck. They were experiencing headwinds brought on by the pandemic, and the management team was falling apart. They didn’t know what to do. Many companies spend a lot of time deciding how, when, and where to start. But, they just started. The first few steps were awkward and uncomfortable, but they ultimately decided on a direction that included regular facilitated dialog sessions (and other strategies) to practice effective teamworking.
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. 🙂
There are a lot of movements and organizations out there getting things right: The Teal Team, Take Back Work, XCHANGE, and some practical solutions from books like Lead Together. Even concepts of masculinity at work are being challenged. There’s definitely a hunger to change our paradigms about work, and if we’re not careful, we’ll end up creating more stress to an already stressed workforce. So, I’d like to see these and other forward-thinking folks come together to rethink and reinvent resilience with me so that we can truly achieve workplace greatness at speed and scale.
We are blessed that some very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them 🙂
Zuzana Čaputová — President of Slovakia. Slovakia’s story of how it’s grown through challenges is remarkable, and I’d love to hear her tell it.
Hamdi Ulukaya — CEO of Chobani. I’ve read about him, and I’d love to hear how he thinks about resilience.
The Future Is Now: Oleksii Orovetskiy of Loio On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up How We Write Contracts
Because of the things I have or have not done, I have become the person I am today. There is nothing I would change or regret. I’m just grateful for everything and everyone I have had in my life. I guess that’s the lesson I’d love to pass on.
As a part of our series about cutting edge technological breakthroughs, I had the pleasure of interviewingOleksii Orovetskiy, Head of Product at Loio, an AI-powered Microsoft Word add-in for faster contract review and editing. A seasoned IT veteran with over 15 years of experience in developing B2C and B2B SaaS products globally, Oleksii is leading the creation of the legal tech product that can potentially influence the lives of over one million legal professionals in the U.S. and beyond.
Named a Legal Software Product Leader by the advanced business software discovery platform Crozdesk, Loio has also been featured among the Top 3 Free Contract Analytics Software and the Top 8 Free Document Drafting Solutions Software by the world’s leading B2B software and services review platform G2.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Happy to be here!
I graduated from the university as a Manager of Foreign Economic Activity being 100% certain I would never work as a manager of any kind. So, I started out as a programmer.
It wasn’t long before my fascination with the “why” rather than the “how” behind the product prompted my then-boss to make me an offer I couldn’t refuse. He offered me to try out the role of Product Manager and build a team and all the processes from scratch. I did it and, at one point, managed a team of nine professionals.
But the time passed. The product grew out of the stage of active development into the stage of maintenance. I felt I was ready for new challenges. That’s when Loio’s team found me. I felt immediately hooked by the company’s mission, approaches to work, as well as its fast growth and great potential! That’s how I found myself building a legal tech product that can improve the lives and performance of over one million legal professionals worldwide.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
No one likes to talk about their failures. And I think we should.
My story is about the importance of the right communication between stakeholders. At my previous company, we almost lost our major client to miscommunication. We committed ourselves to build a tailored functionality for this client, which took us months. But somehow we failed to check up with our implementation team and take their requirements into account. When building the functionality, we based our decisions on the international implementation standards. Meanwhile, our client needed a customized solution.
Luckily, we managed to retain that client. But it was a huge lesson for us.
Here’s the main takeaway. Assuming that everyone knows everything is a very dangerous path. You have to ensure that all stakeholders know all the key things about the project. These are expectations, requirements, and a timeline.
Can you tell us about the cutting-edge technological breakthroughs that you are working on? How do you think that will help people?
We are using natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML) technologies to help contract pros speed up contract review. This is the most advanced technology stack there is to date.
Drafting, reviewing, and editing contracts is an extremely important job. But it can also be very mundane, time-consuming, and irritating. There are many little things that make the whole process far less pleasant than it could be. Contracts are long, deadlines are tight, typos and inaccuracies are ubiquitous. Besides, the risk of making a mistake is high.
As a Microsoft Word add-in for faster contract review and editing, Loio gives lawyers, paralegals, contract drafters and negotiators (you name it) a map to their contracts. It solves the problem of consistency. Loio showcases all the key elements of the contract such as names, dates, and places, among others. It also helps fix broken formatting, as well as quickly check references and numbering. My personal favorite is a feature that shows if the date is past due or a weekend day.
By using Loio, legal professionals break free from mind-numbing routine tasks that are more suitable to a machine. Instead, they can focus on what humans do best, that is creative, rewarding, and higher-risk tasks.
All of this translates into boosted efficiency, more satisfied customers, and the ability for law firms, legal departments, and independent professionals to differentiate from their competitors by being innovation-friendly.
How do you think this might change the world?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 813,900 lawyers and 337,800 paralegals and legal assistants in the U.S. alone. Loio has the potential to make all these professionals much more effective and satisfied with their jobs.
Even if not each of them deals with contracts on a daily basis, chances are that someone in their teams is. This means that either way we can better the performance of legal teams — be they a legal department, a law firm, or a one-person operation. This way, they will get the chance to bring even more value to their clients. From our numerous conversations with law practitioners, we know that it’s crucial for them and their employees. It’s also becoming increasingly important as the legal industry is getting more customer-centric.
Another aspect I hope Loio can influence is mental health management. The legal profession is known to be extremely stressful. Tight deadlines are a huge part of this stress. By speeding up routine work, legal pros get control over deadlines. This way, they become much happier human beings with more time for creative activities and, by extension, lives.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?
While working on a previous project — an edtech startup — we were surprised at how much time our legal team would spend on the routine task of contract review. Our lawyers were simply drowning in the ever-growing number of contracts and were becoming sadder and sadder. It was unbearable to witness this growing frustration. Knowing that technology could make the matter much better by automating some stages of the process, we set out to work.
For now, our product best fits the needs of solo law entrepreneurs, small and medium-sized law firms, and legal departments. We have already enjoyed positive feedback from our clients!
What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?
An excellent product speaks for itself.
However, launching massive marketing campaigns that showcase our biggest benefits for small and medium-sized law firms, legal departments, and independents practitioners is still the best way to promote Loio.
What have you been doing to publicize this idea? Have you been using any innovative marketing strategies?
We’ve been using a variety of marketing and PR strategies to learn from our potential clients and simultaneously educate them about our product.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I’d say that my manager from the previous company is my mentor. I remember our heart-to-heart talks when having a walk around our office in Silicon Valley. By the way, our first office was located in the same building as Steve Jobs’ wife’s charity organization.
It was my then-boss who offered me my first job as a Product Manager and believed in me enormously. He trusted in my abilities long before I had earned it. For example, he would invite me to important business meetings when I was just starting out. This made me feel that I could do much more than I could imagine at that point — and I did it. He would also help me ask the right questions when setting goals or discussing tasks and direct me towards the right solutions.
I am very thankful for this!
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
As the Head of Product, I serve as a mentor educating my team and helping them grow personally and professionally. What’s more, I teach a course in Product Management and am a frequent speaker at industry events. That’s my contribution 🙂 I spread the joy of learning!
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
I don’t have any 🙂 Because of the things I have or have not done, I have become the person I am today. There is nothing I would change or regret. I’m just grateful for everything and everyone I have had in my life. I guess that’s the lesson I’d love to pass on.
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’d start a movement promoting self-confidence.
I have met so many talented people who have not reached their fullest potential just because they doubted themselves. They would more often concentrate on a negative rather than a positive scenario. Meanwhile, everyone should remember that those who cultivate an abundance mindset win.
I believe it’s better to take a leap of faith and learn from the results. Be brave and fail fast. Sticking to the agile methodology pays off both in professional and personal life.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
To be honest, inspirational quotes are not my cup of tea. I’d rather learn from the wins and failures of other people by analyzing their motives and decisions.
However, there is one phrase I find curious: “Be brave, go nuts.” It’s cool, isn’t it? 🙂
Some very well-known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
Our product is truly great! So, delivering an elevator pitch will be easy for me.
Loio is a Microsoft Word add-in for faster contract review and editing. It uses the power of machine learning to deliver three key benefits:
boosted effectiveness and reduced stress for end-users;
more value brought to clients;
innovation as a competitive edge.
Requiring an investment of $19 per month and virtually no change management efforts, Loio is a win-win for legal professionals, their clients, and employees.
Most people are unaware of why it has been so difficult to effectively address their pain. That has left people feeling isolated and thinking it is their personal problem that they have not found a solution. They do not know they are a part of a bigger global problem in which the cause of pain is unknown so only symptoms are being treated.
To effectively share this idea of how to identify and address the cause of back pain, I needed to give it a name. Since the focus is that the body works as a system and that the pain can be a sign that there is a mechanical limitation in the system causing the pain, the name is, the System Limitations Approach to Pain (SLAP-ouch.)
As a part of my series about “Big Ideas That Might Change The World In The Next Few Years” I had the pleasure of interviewing Cathy Mahon.
Back pain expert, Cathy Mahon, is a physical therapist, kinesiologist and consultant of 30+ years, specializing in chronic pain. In the first half of her career Cathy worked in over 40 facilities, as either a, staff PT, travelling therapist, or consultant, giving her a wide view of patient’s experiences in healthcare. Cathy returned home, started a private practice and for the past 20 years she has spent over 3 hours on the initial evaluation of her patients. Cathy noticed a strong connection between limitations in range of motion and the positions that bring the pain on. Addressing those limitations resulted in significant success in alleviating back pain. Cathy has spoken on this topic on various stages including continuing-education classes for physical therapists, at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab for the Conference of Safety Engineers and at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis for the spine and joint therapists. For more information you can go to her website at cathymahon.com
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you please tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Thank you, I appreciate the opportunity to talk with you on this topic.
In middle school, my friends and I volunteered to work with children with special needs. Each child was partnered with a volunteer, and the physical therapist provided a list of activities that would be helpful. I was partnered with a child who, I was told, would not do anything asked of him. Our first activity was swimming, and, as forecast, he spent the entire time keeping his distance from me. When it was time for us to leave the pool, he approached me so that I could wrap the towel around his back. As I did, I also lifted him up, flipping his legs way up over top of us. He loved it! He wanted to do it over and over again! After that, we were best buds, and he participated in most of his activities. That was when I decided to become a physical therapist. For years my mother would say, “It is not always going to be that easy,” and while, of course, that was true, it was a great decision for me.
Can you please share with us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I spent a day in court because I filed a complaint against an insurance company on behalf of a patient who was not well enough to do it for herself. The insurance company had denied her further approval for PT at a time when, because of her back pain, she was unable to sit in a car and had to pay someone to drive her to work while she lay down in the back seat. The complaint was for the denial of approval, and I included that they were not practicing in good business faith. The complaint progressed from the state insurance administration to court. While I was familiar with everything that had been happening with this patient, I was completely unfamiliar with courtroom procedure. The insurance company’s attorney argued with me for eight hours, tirelessly trying to pick apart my position.
It was well worth the time, effort, and stress. In a 23-page opinion the judge found that the insurance company failed to adhere to the contract. Early in the day the insurance company attorney requested that the case be sealed. The judge denied that request and further ordered that the decision be reflected in the State Insurance Administrators records and publications.
Even though I was trained to be a physical therapist, at times my job requires more. It was certainly an interesting day and out of the ordinary for me. While I don’t necessarily wish to return to court, I will do what I can to help my patients.
Which principles or philosophies have guided your life? Your career?
I was fortunate to have two wonderful parents who set the example of how to live a life doing what was right. Seeing their consistent effort with ethics was important because that is often not the easy path. My life and career have been guided by their example: I try to do the right thing.
Ok thank you for that. Let’s now move to the main focus of our interview. Can you tell us about your “Big Idea That Might Change The World”?
I have identified the cause of back pain.
The premier medical journal Lancet published a series of articles in 2018 on low back pain, in which the authors report that for nearly all low back pain it is not possible to identify a specific cause, further stating that the underlying mechanism of back pain is poorly understood.
After over 30 years of industry experience and research, I have determined that the cause of back pain is — -drum roll please — — limitation in range of motion. Let me explain.
Limitation in range of motion is similar to decreased flexibility. In this case, the loss of range of motion or flexibility prevents a specific joint from moving in a specific direction.
Loss of motion causes trouble for the activities and positions that need that motion. When someone does an activity or is in a position that needs that motion, another joint in the body substitutes to provide the motion. With back pain, it is the back that is forced to move to compensate for the loss of motion. Pain is how the back lets you know there is a problem.
The best example of how limited motion impacts the back is when sitting increases low back pain. A person needs to have at least 90 degrees of motion at the hip to bend to sit. When a person only has 70 degrees of motion at the hip, the spine is forced to flatten in order to reach the 90-degree bend to sit. That flattening over time is a problem for the spine. Again, pain is how the back lets you know there is a problem.
Other mechanical issues, such as strength, stabilization, and postural alignment can be limited and contribute to the cause of pain too. I have found that range of motion is the most significant problem because it is the most prevalent and the most difficult to improve. If range of motion was easy to improve, I would be on the street corner giving out exercises because so many people are in trouble. However, increasing range of motion is difficult, which is likely one of the reasons that back pain has been so difficult to eliminate. I have found the other mechanical issues easier to improve, although they take a long time, particularly stabilization.
It is consistent with the statistics that up until now the underlying cause of back pain has not been identified for most people with back pain. If the cause is not known it is not treated and so the problem persists. As such, back pain is the number one cause of disability in the world and has been for the past 30 years. It affects 540 million people at any point in time.
Most people are unaware of why it has been so difficult to effectively address their pain. That has left people feeling isolated and thinking it is their personal problem that they have not found a solution. They do not know they are a part of a bigger global problem in which the cause of pain is unknown so only symptoms are being treated.
To effectively share this idea of how to identify and address the cause of back pain, I needed to give it a name. Since the focus is that the body works as a system and that the pain can be a sign that there is a mechanical limitation in the system causing the pain, the name is, the System Limitations Approach to Pain (SLAP-ouch.)
In addition to identifying the cause of back pain for many people, there are a number of advantages that come naturally with this approach.
First, this approach is systematic, measurable and reproducible. The evaluation is the same for everyone, it is the data from tracking the pain and the data from the measurements that reveal each individual’s unique pain and unique combination of mechanical problems.
Second, this approach helps to readily identify subgroups and patterns, both of which help patient education and the development of a treatment program.
Third, this approach is centered around the position(s) that increases the pain. Identifying the position that increases the pain helps the PT focus on the mechanics specifically needed for that position. To the patient the focus on the position that increases the pain is helpful because it means something to them. Also, it is important that the patient track how long they are in the position before the pain increases and the intensity of pain. Those two measures help track their progress.
Fourth, a daily home program, with intermittent follow up to progress the program, is the focus of treatment, making this approach cost efficient.
Important to note, regarding the evaluation, there is a difference in the timing of when people will tolerate the measurements. There are people who will tolerate all of the measurements at the initial evaluation. However, most people will need to make progress before they tolerate certain measurements. Then, there are people who will never tolerate the measurements their spine is so fragile. Typically, they have a long history they can share instead.
A wide net should be cast during the evaluation to minimize the risk of missing problems. In 20 years of spending over three hours evaluating each patient and doing a deep dive into the mechanics of range of motion, strength, stabilization, and postural alignment, I have found that over 90% of my patients had a lack of range of motion needed for the positions that increase the pain. When we effectively increased their range of motion, the pain significantly decreased or completely went away, identifying the loss of motion as the cause of their back pain.
How do you think this will change the world?
Back pain is a humanitarian crisis. In addition to the astronomical numbers of people impacted, back pain triggers other serious problems such as drug addiction, loss of jobs, loss of relationships, depression, and suicidal thoughts and actions to name a few. This is happening in every country in the world.
Decreasing and eliminating current disabling back pain will significantly reduce the financial cost of back pain. More importantly, for many, it can eliminate the path to depression, addiction, homelessness, and death caused by back pain.
The ultimate goal is to help people reclaim their lives. Helping millions of people shift from disabling back pain to a life where they can contribute to their family, community, and society, will change the world.
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this idea that people should think more deeply about?
The only unintended consequence would be the creation of competitiveness or division between healthcare providers, researchers, or organizations. Given the gravity of this crisis, it is best to have a coalition, an all-hands-on-deck effort, to tackle this enormous problem.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this idea? Can you tell us that story?
There were two parts to the tipping point. The first occurred in 1994 when I worked in Molokai. I attended a course given by Beverly Biondi in Honolulu. Beverly recommended that we make sure the patient had the range of motion needed before starting stabilization exercises. I returned to Molokai and formally measured each patient’s range of motion. I was surprised how limited people were.
The second part of the tipping point occurred when I returned to Annapolis. In 2002, I started a private practice where I could take as long as I needed to evaluate a patient. I heard each person’s experience with pain in measurable terms, which helped us figure out the positions that increased their pain. Then I took a deep dive into the mechanics, formally measuring their range of motion and comparing that to the activities and positions that increase the pain. That is when I realized that the pain was brought on because people did not have the range of motion needed for the position that increased their pain; this was compromising their back.
I realized I was onto something new after I looked for articles. I went to the National Library of Medicine at NIH to search for articles on range of motion. There was only one old study about hamstrings in which they reported that there were no consistent findings. I belonged to an orthopedic association and in 2008 they published a continuing education course on low back pain and the evidence for treatment, their comments revealed that they had not identified this as the cause of back pain.
What do you need to lead this idea to widespread adoption?
There are two main steps needed to lead this idea to widespread adoption.
First, people with back pain need to be educated that there is an approach that might identify the cause of their pain. It would be helpful to have people — — such as leaders, media personnel, and celebrities — — who have platforms reach out and educate those in pain about this approach. Millions of people asking for this help will provide momentum towards widespread adoption.
Second, the 2018 article Low Back Pain: a call for action, in the medical journal Lancet, bulleted the points needed to implement an international response to the global problem of back pain. Those points focused on three areas: politics, public health, and healthcare. It is a comprehensive list. They included that a solution for back pain is needed and it needs to be a context-specific cost-efficient solution. The cause of back pain I present here the context-specific and cost-efficient solution they are looking for.
The bulleted points in the call-for-action married to this solution provides the road map for widespread adoption.
I will share one important step that can help people with back pain immediately. Provide physical therapists and physiotherapists the time needed to do a full evaluation, educate the patient, and develop a treatment program. In most cases, other than getting films taken, evaluations for back pain are 45–60 minutes at most before treatment is started. That is not enough time, and, it is not easy for most clinicians to increase the time they are scheduled to spend with patients.
It is possible to allow more time for evaluations in health care. My husband had cancer, his initial evaluation was in July, he was seen regularly and the treatment started in September. He was at Hopkins and the surgeon said they could not do it any faster and be safe. It is possible to allow more time for patient evaluations. Back pain would not take months to evaluate, however a day is reasonable and that would likely be more successful and cost less in the long run.
This back pain evaluation is basic and requires the skills physical therapists already possess. Resources to facilitate their understanding of patterns and details for the evaluation are immediately available.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
5 things I wish someone told me before I started:
1.) Before I started, I wish someone told me how hard it would be. It is hard. The days are long and there are many nights with just a few hours of sleep.
2.) Before I started, I wish someone told me that I would get in my own way. I am a healthcare worker, and my skill set works well for being in healthcare. It turns out that maybe it is not the best skill set for sharing a big idea. For instance, I wrote a book which has a lot of good information. Yet when the opportunity arises for me to say something about the book, I often find myself shying away, for a number of reasons, such as I don’t want people to feel like I am trying to sell them something. In short, there are times when I have definitely gotten in my own way.
3.) Before I started, I wish someone told me that there would be current ideas that would present resistance to sharing my big idea, even if it is unintentional resistance.
The example I will share regards research. I have the utmost respect for research and for researchers. I am 100% behind pursuing evidence-based information. I believe it is the perception and assumptions around research that need to be tweaked. For example, I was at a conference and the statement was made, ‘if you provide treatment that is not evidenced based (meaning not researched) that is unethical.’ There are couple of problems with that statement. First there are areas of health that have not been fully researched. There are people who have health problems in those areas. They need to be able to seek help from providers, and have the providers try to help them without the fear of being accused that they are unethical because someone has not yet researched that area.
Second there are areas that have been extensively researched and yet there are still unanswered questions. My topic, back pain, is a good example of that. There has been a lot of research about back pain. Yet it is widely accepted in medicine that the cause of back pain is unknown for most people who have back pain.
I am a kinesiologist and a physical therapist and I have been practicing for over 34 for years. For the past 20 I have spent over 3 hours on most of my patient evaluations, doing a deep dive into their mechanics, range of motion, strength and motor control. It is crystal clear to me what the underlying cause of back pain is for most people
When I take the steps to try and share that information, I have often met resistance, with questions like, ‘where is your research?’ Ironically that was often during my attempts to share this idea to encourage research.
I am a sole practitioner. This research is going to take the collaboration of multiple universities, and internationally, because back pain is the number one cause of disability in the world and has been for the past 30 years, likely because the cause of back pain has been unknown. There is a need to coordinate trials, to gather baseline information, to study the patterns I found, refine that, and move forward.
Meanwhile there are millions of people suffering in pain. Fortunately, the underlying cause of back pain is basic. I could take five people to a stage and they could talk about the positions and activities that bring their pain on. We could then look at their range of motion. By the end it would be crystal clear to the audience what the cause of back pain is. The underlying cause of back pain is basic and easy to demonstrate.
As a refresher from our early conversation, the cause of back pain is that people have limitations in the range of motion needed for the positions and activities that bring the pain on. When people do those activities anyway the back pays for it and that causes the back pain. Pain is how the back lets us know there is a problem.
Experience is an idea that has taken the back seat to research. An illustration of the importance of experience is, ‘I am standing at the door of a plane, I don’t ask if there has been research to prove that I need a parachute, I take the parachute.’ Similarly, if someone has glass in the bottom of their foot, I don’t wait for research to take it out. Fortunately, life provides us with much experience so we can make good decisions for ourselves.
Considering that the cause of back pain is basic, that we have experience on our side and that there are licensed physiotherapists around the world, we could take steps now to identify the cause of back pain for many people, and that would be huge. We can also take the next, more difficult, step of working to improve those mechanics. It will not be easy or perfect, however we cannot stay where we are with hundreds of millions of people suffering.
We know that it will take research years to do trials, collect and analyze data and we eagerly await their information to make needed adjustments to better serve people.
In number 3 of what I wish someone told before I got started, I have used research as my example of a current idea that can provide resistance to sharing a new idea. If I had known there would be resistance, I would have been better prepared. I would have been more flexible and would have made more plans of how to share this information. It would have saved me time and money on effort that was not helpful. This idea is very easy to demonstrate and extremely important, I was naïve. I had no idea that it would be difficult to share.
I will say that, with respect to research things have improved, before I started there was one study on range of motion and it had been done years before. There is more research on range of motion.
However, the big idea of being able to identify the cause of back pain, should not be met first with resistance.
4.) Before I started, I wish someone had told me about people and platforms that could readily help me share my message. For example, this interview with Authority Magazine on A Big Idea that Might Change the World. This topic is perfect to help me share information that I need to share for people who need that information, whether they are suffering, or whether they can reach out to help people who are suffering. The follow up questions are perfect they are definitely the questions that I need to answer. I am grateful to Authority Magazine for the opportunity that this interview provides.
I also found Chris Winfield and Jen Gottlieb who have a PR agency. I have seen them give and then give more, to help people with a message reach the people who need that message. I am extraordinarily grateful for their help.
I wish I had known about these people and this platform before I started, it would have saved time and energy and I might have been able to help people sooner.
5.) Before I started, I wish that someone had told me that if I have an idea, I know it is right, and I have the perseverance and the support of my family, that is all I need. I will make it through the fact that it is hard, that I will get in my own way, and that there will be resistance, and I will find people and platforms that will help me share this information, so that maybe one day this big idea might change the world.
Can you share with our readers what you think are the most important “success habits” or “success mindsets”?
I believe a positive mindset is important, failure is an opportunity to grow, perseverance plays a big role in success and you should envision yourself accomplishing your goals.
Some very well known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
Back pain is the number one cause of disability in the world. Informing the world of the cause of back pain is going to be a significant game changer.
There are numerous opportunities as this long overdue shift takes place.
A few examples include:
Facilitate the ability of physical therapists to help: Fund or start PT clinics that schedule the patient to be fully evaluated to identify if there are mechanical limitations related to the pain. This directly contributes to alleviating the back pain epidemic.
Hire and train a PT for your self-insured business: Have an in-house PT who can fully evaluate your employees and address the cause of their pain to help them reclaim their lives and be more productive.
Build effective technologyhighways: Technology will help significantly as education and information will need to be shared globally effectively impact the epidemic.
Develop implementation strategies. Middle- and lower-income countries are going to require help as their back pain numbers are projected to rise over the next few decades. These efforts will help people reclaim their lives and contribute to their communities.
Identifying and treating the cause of back pain will reduce the overall cost of back pain both financially and to society on numerous levels.
Currently those who are self-insured are well positioned to make this shift. @warrenbuffet @berkshirehathaway @jpmorgan @jeffbezos
I look forward to collaborating with you on this historic project.
Contact me for more information.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Instagram: @cathymahonpt
This page has a series of 5 videos with the instructions on how to record/track pain
Website: cathymahon.com
The website has the resources including, the book and a video library with videos that: demonstrate the recommended measurements and demonstrates steps for telemedicine.
…And finally, be a role model — people pick up signals on what is expected of them by watching what their boss does and does not do.
As a part of our series about “How To Give Honest Feedback without Being Hurtful”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Carole Robin.
Carole Robin is a former award-winning Stanford Business School prof (with a bunch of fancy titles) who taught the legendary Interpersonal Dynamics (aka “Touchy Feely”) course for almost two decades before co-founding Leaders in Tech, a non-profit which brings what she taught at Stanford to Tech startup CEOs and their organizations. She is not a career academic, having previously run a large sales and marketing organization for a Fortune 500 company, been a partner and principal in an international consulting firm, and an executive coach. She is the co-author, with David Bradford, of Penguin Random House’s acclaimed Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends and Colleagues which contains the lessons of “Touchy Feely” that students consistently describe as life-changing since it didn’t only make them better leaders — it made them (and continues to make them) better human beings.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
When my husband and I decided to get married, ten years after I began my career, we made a deal. At the time, we were both junior executives on the rise in big corporations. We both wanted the experience of being full time caregivers at home and fulltime wage earners supporting our family. The deal we made was that we would take turns in each role instead of both trying to juggle a demanding career and raising kids at the same time. As part of the plan, I agreed to be the first to stay home and we froze our standard of living so that when it was my turn to go back to work and support us, I would not have to re-enter the workforce at my husband’s future salary, and we would additionally have the benefit of a financial cushion accumulated as he earned more and more.
I anticipated I would go back to high tech-based sales and marketing where I had been very successful and had a large network. However, one of the consequences of staying home with small kids and subsequently taking on some part-time leadership roles in our community led me to decide that instead, when it was my turn to support our family, I wanted to go into Leadership Development. That prompted me to go back to school to initially get a master’s degree in Organization Development and subsequently a Ph.D. That fork in the road led to my eventually meeting my co-author David Bradford and ending up at Stanford, teaching Interpersonal Dynamics for nearly two decades and ultimately becoming known as the “Queen of Touchy Feely”.
I left Stanford in 2017 and co-founded Leaders in Tech, a non-profit backed by a who’s who of Silicon Valley with a mission to develop leaders who are committed to building high-performing and culturally healthy organizations, bringing all I once taught at Stanford to pre-IPO CEOs and founders in Tech.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
I went to work in 1975 as the first woman hired into a non-clerical job at a very large Industrial Automation organization. I learned quickly that if I was going to succeed, I was going to have to play by what I saw as the “men’s rules” which primarily meant leaving emotions at the door. This, along with my drive, work ethic, and talent served me very well and I steadily rose up the ranks.
Ten years later after several promotions I was running a $50 million dollar business when, at a management offsite with my team, I got a tad choked up while passionately speaking about what I believed we could achieve if we all pulled together. I was met with stunned silence. One of the managers who worked for me looked at me in wide-eyed amazement and said, “Wow, looks like you’re human after all.” Then I burst out crying. “You don’t think I’m human??”
What followed was one of the most genuine and rewarding business conversations of my career in which a LOT of feelings were expressed by all of us. We realized we had been leaving half of ourselves, perhaps the most important half, in the parking lot. That was the moment we became an unstoppable team, and I became a real leader.
It is worth noting that had this happened earlier, when I had less credibility, confidence or power, the outcome would probably not have been as good. However, by the time of that offsite, I had internalized a message that had long ceased to serve me or the people I was leading. It was that watershed moment that led me to become so passionate about leadership development and so committed to the importance of interpersonal dynamics.
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?
After I was first promoted to manager, I was invited to attend a casual back yard BBQ with a bunch of executives and their partners, hosted by the Division Vice President. It was a big deal and an honor to be invited to these as not all of the managers were. Standing by the hors d’oeuvres table chatting with one of the senior managers, I bit into a canape and then tried as politely and surreptitiously as I could to spit it out into my napkin.
The senior manager asked if I was OK. I said, “Yeah, but beware, I think the fish in that canape has gone bad.” To which he responded, “Really? My wife made those.”
Turning beet red, I said, “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry — I’m so embarrassed!” He smiled and said, “Don’t be — I actually find your honesty refreshing. I thought they tasted weird as well!”
It’s funny now but I didn’t think it was at the time. At that moment, I learned that telling the truth doesn’t necessarily end up in disaster. I also learned to take much smaller tastes of items at an hors d’oeuvres table and maybe even smell them first!
What advice would you give to other CEOs and business leaders to help their employees to thrive and avoid burnout?
Remember that people do business with people — much more so than with ideas, products, strategies or even money. The so called “soft skills” are actually the hardest and it is when leaders stop paying as much attention to what is going on for their employees that organizations start to fall apart. Unfortunately, too many leaders ignore issues they consider “small”, especially “people issues” which often turn into bigger issues, as discussed in the book, Connect, that I co-authored. “Pinches” become “crunches” when left unaddressed for too long. Pay a bit now or pay a whole lot later.
Related to this is to learn how to create environments where people speak up and tell each other (and especially YOU as the leader) the truth. You can’t help someone if you don’t know they are struggling. You can’t address small issues unless you know they are brewing. Be genuinely curious and convey your interest in your people and they will sense it. As an aside, curiosity is impossible unless you are prepared to suspend judgment (at least temporarily.)
And finally, be a role model — people pick up signals on what is expected of them by watching what their boss does and does not do.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
Leadership is ultimately about mobilizing people to achieve a common goal. It requires a vision that inspires and the capacity to create a culture that motivates, focuses, develops and releases people’s potential in the organization.
In my work, I often talk about how to release and relieve stress. As a busy leader, what do you do to prepare your mind and body before a stressful or high stakes meeting, talk, or decision? Can you share a story or some examples?
I am a big believer in mindfulness and meditation and have been committed to my practice for many, many years. I meditate at least a half an hour a day, and when more stressed, twice a day. I also walk 4 miles a day and try to hit the gym a couple of times a week. Those are the ways I routinely manage my stress level. I have a short stretching routine and a few favorite 5-to-10-minute meditations I do immediately before high-stakes meetings or talks.
Ok, let’s jump to the core of our interview. Can you briefly tell our readers about your experience with managing a team and giving feedback?
Let’s start with why feedback matters in the first place. Human beings are intentional animals, meaning when I do something I have a particular desired outcome in mind. For example, in writing this piece I am hoping readers will feel compelled to get better at giving better feedback and become more effective leaders. But I will have no idea whether I have hit the mark unless someone tells me, which is why I need feedback! Feedback is data. The more data I have the more choices I have in how I proceed and the more you can help me develop. If what I have written is boring, too long, too basic, or irrelevant, I will argue that I am better off knowing that than not knowing. In that regard, your feedback to me on something I have not done well (and don’t know I have not done well) is a gift. Sometimes feedback is delivered in wrapping that is so ugly it’s hard to recognize there is a gift in there, but if I believe feedback is data and I am better off with more data than less data I will thank you for it.
I have led many teams in multiple organizations over the years and in establishing a “feedback-rich culture” in all of them, I have always framed feedback as a gift — meaning we also had a norm that the first thing a receiver (including me, as the leader) was expected to do upon getting feedback was to thank the giver. That does not mean people did not need to learn how to give feedback effectively and that is why skills and competencies in giving and receiving feedback are such a core part of the Interpersonal Dynamics (aka “Touchy Feely”) course I taught at Stanford and the book (Connect) which I co-authored. The five suggestions below under the question about how to give honest feedback in a way that doesn’t come across as too harsh speak to this further.
This might seem intuitive, but it will be constructive to spell it out. Can you share with us a few reasons why giving honest and direct feedback is essential to being an effective leader?
The main reason is that there is nothing more efficient than the truth. When you hint at an issue, the other might not know what the key point is or how important it is. When you say, “Something you might want to consider…” the other person doesn’t know whether it’s a casual suggestion, a really important issue, a request or a command. If you intend the last, but it is heard as the first, then the other person is likely to ignore the feedback to the detriment of both of you. And if you intend the first, but the other hears the last, you might both waste precious time.
A related problem is that when feedback is delivered indirectly, the receiver has to work hard to `read between the lines’ which is exhausting and ripe for misunderstanding. It can be challenging to seek clarification directly — especially when a power differential exists between you. If your direct report says, “I’m not clear about what you’re asking” they might fear you will see that as a criticism or as a sign of weakness or inadequacy.
The third problem is that being indirect can be experienced by the other as insulting. It can carry an implication that “you aren’t strong enough to handle the truth” or “our relationship is so fragile it can’t take the truth.” That message does nothing to build better or stronger relationships.
One of the trickiest parts of managing a team is giving honest feedback, in a way that doesn’t come across as too harsh. Can you please share with us five suggestions about how to best give constructive criticism to a remote employee? Kindly share a story or example for each.
Before answering the question, I’d recommend not using the word “criticism” since my belief is that language creates reality, and my assumption is that the giver’s intent is to be helpful and not to just criticize. Personally, I never use the words positive and negative when referring to feedback because all feedback is data and therefore all feedback is positive. Now as to five specific suggestions:
1.Understand that in any interaction between two people there are actually three realities, and in order to deliver honest feedback effectively, you need to stick with your reality.
The 3 realities are: 1) the other’s motives and intentions; 2) their behavior (what they say and do) and 3) the impact of their behavior on you. You only know the second and third. Avoid drawing conclusions about the first, which you don’t know but rather assume. When you do assume, we call that being “over the net” since our model describes a metaphorical net between reality #1 and reality #2. For example, your colleague has repeatedly arrived late to meetings for the last month (whether on Zoom or in person). That is reality #2 and you both know it, as would anyone watching a video of what happened. You are annoyed– that is reality #3. You have no visibility into reality #1 (what is going on for your colleague) and often it is in thinking you do that the situation goes awry — for example you say, “You don’t seem to care.” And for those of you who have been taught to stick with “I” messages, “I feel that you don’t care” means the same thing. It is over the net and playing in the other person’s back court. You don’t know whether they care or not unless they’ve said so. The same applies to “I feel that you aren’t committed.” The moment your feedback imputes a motive or makes an attribution such as these, you are much more likely to make the other person defensive and that will get in the way of moving into a productive exchange. It is also likely to feel more hurtful.
2. Identify all the ways the other’s behavior affects you.
How does it make you feel, how is it likely to influence your responses and how will it affect how you deal with that person in the future? That is your basis of influence. If we continue with our example above, you might be feeling increasingly irritated, worried about their level of commitment, or resentful because of the additional burden it is placing on you to defend their behavior to the rest of the team. Your colleague is well served to know this. People change for their reasons, not yours. Which of these personal reactions is more likely to influence your colleague to move toward a problem-solving conversation (which, by the way, is the purpose of feedback)?
3. Whether face to face or remote, it’s important to convey that you are doing this because you want to help the other person.
When somebody does something that bothers you, ask yourself, “is that behavior hurting them?” This ties into point #2 above. If their behavior is triggering this response in you, might it be happening with other people in the organization too? Is your direct report better off knowing that you are getting more and more irritated and therefore less and less likely to give them that next plum assignment? Or that you may not be the only one who is worried about their level of commitment?
4. Once you share the impact of their behavior [and why it is costly to them], get curious about why a well-intentioned person would act that way.
Few people get up in the morning, look in the mirror and ask themselves how they can be an even worse colleague today than they were yesterday. What might be happening for your colleague that is making it difficult for him to arrive on time?
5. Ask whether you are doing anything that is compounding the problem.
Remember that most interpersonal issues have an interpersonal component. Have you continued to schedule Friday morning meetings at a time when he has repeatedly said that Friday mornings are when he has to drop off his kids at school?
Can you address how to give constructive feedback over email? If someone is in front of you much of the nuance can be picked up in facial expressions and body language. But not when someone is remote. How do you prevent the email from sounding too critical or harsh?
The first answer is to avoid email as much as possible! Research shows that a feedback exchange is more likely to be successful if conducted by phone or Zoom if it can’t be in person. However, if you absolutely have to use e-mail, be as explicit as possible in taking the feedback steps outlined above; make it behaviorally specific, include the impact of the behavior on you (sharing feelings is much harder online, even with emoji’s), share your intentions (and concern for the person), and before telling them what you think they need to do, check that they are clear about what you find problematic. Ask how they are feeling in hearing the feedback and be prepared to do some clarification and recovery. One email rarely does the entire job and feedback, when well done, is an exchange, not an information dump. And, again, best not done by email.
In your experience, is there a best time to give feedback or critique? Should it be immediately after an incident? Should it be at a different time? Should it be at set intervals? Can you explain what you mean?
Generally, the closer the feedback is to the incident the better (if nothing else, the behavior is fresher, as are your reactions). However, there are times when it might be good to wait a bit. Are you so upset that you are likely to be more punitive than you want? Do you need some time to sort out your reactions? And there are times when the other is so upset they aren’t ready to hear what you have to say.
But if you do put it off, don’t wait too long, and let the person know your reason for wanting to wait. This may be nothing more than saying, “I am quite upset about this incident and we need to talk about it, but I need an hour to sort out my thoughts and feelings.”
In addition to addressing specific incidents, it can be useful to periodically “check in” with the other person by asking “how are we doing?” This makes feedback part of the normal course of interaction and is different than a performance appraisal — this invites exploration of any issues between you that need attention anytime. Related to this is the fact that one piece of feedback rarely changes 30 years of behavior. Be realistic and persistent. And last, acknowledge progress and address regression.
How would you define what it is to “be a great boss”? Can you share a story?
Great bosses:
· Speak the truth [even to authority/power]
· Are willing to be vulnerable and allow themselves to be better known
· Care for their direct reports
· Don’t let their own needs for approval/affirmation get in the way of doing what is best for the organization
· Make the tough decisions
· Are able to influence others AND remain open to influence
· Balance concern for the organization’s success with concern for people
· Tolerate ambiguity/uncertainty and are willing to make decisions under those conditions
· Have a compelling vision
John was a company president in a multinational corporation. He built a strong team that collectively made the major decisions and in being willing to be confronted when others thought he was wrong, established a culture of transparency and truth telling. He set high standards and helped members achieve them. He committed to his own and his team’s development, acknowledging they were all “a work in progress”. All of this produced higher performance on every metric than they had ever achieved.
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 believe that if we could arm a critical mass of people with the skills and competencies I’ve written a book about, we would have healthier, and more functional families, communities, schools, teams, organizations and, if I’m really going to dream big, governments. Given business’ tremendous influence, if I were independently wealthy, I would send a copy of Connect to every business leader in the country, in hopes of mobilizing them to show leadership and provide the knowledge necessary to build more functional and robust relationships to all of their people. I stand behind the mission of the Stanford Business School even though I now run my own leadership development non-profit -– Change Lives, Change Organizations, Change the World.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In that response lies our growth and our freedom.” Victor Frankl.
I believe the concept of choice is key to self-empowerment, building strong relationships and ultimately leading a fuller, more meaningful life. When something feels difficult (such as responding to someone’s feedback) or risky (such as giving tough feedback), I substitute the words “I can’t” with “I have a choice” to remind myself that when it comes to my own attitude and behavior, I always have a choice.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
