Holly Daniels Christensen | Most Innovative Women to Follow | Exeleon

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CONTENTS

#MyJourney

Creating with Sand m em o ri es

emories are often leeting, but Holly Daniels Christensen, Founder of Dune Jewelry, has found a way to capture them forever through her designs.

As the original beach sand jewelry company, Dune Jewelry has evolved into the world's only experiential jewelry brand. Their handcrafted pieces incorporate sand and earth elements from thousands of iconic locations around the world, allowing customers to wear a tangible piece of their favorite memories and experiences.

But Dune Jewelry is more than just a jewelry company - it's a portal to a world of emotions and experiences. As Christensen says, "We capture experiences in every design that leaves our studio.” With a lifetime warranty and happiness guarantee, Dune Jewelry ensures that their customers' cherished memories will be preserved for a lifetime.

Spearheaded by Holly, the company has proven that their innovative approach to jewelry-making strikes a chord with people all over the world.

Featuring as the Cover of Exeleon's Most Innovative Women to Watch is Holly Daniels Christensen. Herein, we look into the journey of Holly, her vision as a leader, her struggles, and her connection with sand.

WILD AND COLORFUL

It is believed that the choices we make dictate the life we eventually lead. For Holly, it is these choices that have helped her move past every adversity and attain success.

Holly's father passed away when she was only 8 years old. Unable to cope with the loss, her mother turned to drugs. Holly mentions “I knew I didn't want to live in that environment, and I made a dificult decision at a very young age to walk away.”

At the age of 15, Holly left her home and dropped out of school. She went out of her way to make a choice and steer towards a direction of hope.

Today, as a transformational entrepreneur, Holly makes sure to guide emerging leaders about the value of

facing and overcoming adversities. She believes that it is these adversities that eventually make one a great entrepreneur.

Holly explains, “Entrepreneurs who have dealt with misfortune, work differently than those with a traditional upbringing. We've got grit, we've got survival skills and we're determined to never go back to where we came from. It's a little sad, but extremely powerful.”

CHANGE THE NARRATIVE

From a young age, Holly used to closely observe and follow her grandmother – a bargain lover who truly knew the value of money.

Talking about her grandmother, Holly recalls, “She used to reuse tinfoil over and over again to heat things up in the oven, cover things, and store things around the house. When it wasn't suitable for food any longer, she would wash it and mold it into a ring dish or some random household tool. She came from nothing and taught me the value of a dollar.”

Holly was quick to leverage the learnings from her grandmother and started her entrepreneurial th journey in the 4 grade by selling bubble gum at her school.

Today, her learnings and experiences have helped her see things from a different perspective.

She mentions, “I used to look at my upbringing as dysfunctional and/or negative, but I've been working diligently to change that narrative over the past 3 years.”

She continues, “The thing is, we don't choose the environment we are born into but as time goes by, we do have the power to change it, either accept it or deny it, and move past it.”

Perhaps it is because of this perspective, she is quick to point out that she wouldn't have done anything differently if she were to start again on her journey. “I'm blessed to have gained so much experience, conidence, and knowledge in my lifetime. A full

master's degree from Real Life University.”

DUNE JEWELRY

Holly' journey with Dune Jewelry began at her kitchen table back in 2007. Inspired by the expansive beaches on Cape Cod, where Holly grew up, she started making sandilled jewelry designs for family and friends.

She recalls, “Every time I would bump into people who I had gifted my jewelry, they would be wearing my designs and they would often ask if they could bring back sand or earth elements from their upcoming trips for a custom design.”

“Of course, my answer was yes, and it dawned on me that everyone I

knew had a place or memory that could be captured in these designs.”

Having had this realization, Holly decided to hone her craft by taking on a jewelry workshop at Metalwerx in Waltham, MA.

Soon her inspiration became a passion, and her passion turned into a thriving business.

Today, Dune Jewelry has grown from being a one-woman led kitchen table business to a diverse jewelry manufacturing company with thousands of customers from around the world.

CAPTURING MEMORIES

Built around the concept of capturing cherished memories, Dune Jewelry is a unique brand that

is handcrafted and personalized just for you.

Holly mentions, “My favorite thing about Dune Jewelry is that we allow you to hold onto your favorite memories.”

The company creates tangible reminders of life's most precious moments using sand and earth elements from thousands of sentimental and iconic locations from around the globe. “So, while the world becomes more digital, with most of our photos catalogued in our phones, Dune Jewelry captures your memories in a unique way.”

Dune Jewelry began as The Original Beach Sand Jewelry Company® and has since then evolved into the One and Only Experiential Jewelry®

“

Y o u h a v e t o b e o p e n t o o u t s i d e i n fl u e n c e a n d d r o p

t h e e g o . N o b o d y k n o w s e v e r y t h i n g .

brand in the world. “We capture experiences in every design that leaves our studio, and we offer a lifetime warranty and happiness guarantee.”

Talking about one of her favorite designs from their catalogue, Holly mentions the Rope Seven Sand Cuff Bracelet which she makes sure to wear every single day. “It's illed with sand and earth elements from all of my favorite memories and travel aspirations. Pressed lowers from my wedding, sand from Positano, Italy, shells from St. Thomas, clay from Sedona, Arizona, sand from the Greek Isles, earth from Africa, and Mother of Pearl to remind me to stay calm and positive even in challenging situations.”

At Dune Jewelry, Holly and her entire team are dedicated to the idea of giving back to the society. The company donates a small portion of all proits to various coastal preservation programs from around the world, including the Association to Preserve Cape Cod.

Holly proudly mentions, “I love giving back to multiple small charities and organizations where I know the funds will be used with care.”

HAPPINESS COMES IN WAVES

Talking about her book – Happiness Comes in Waves – Holly mentions that the book includes life lessons she has learned from the ocean, sand stories from Dune Jewelry customers, and team members. Moreover, the book includes quotes from her friends, family, and colleagues as well as all the incredible women she has connected in her journey.

“The ocean is eternal, it's powerful, and it's the lifeforce of our planet. Not only does it sustain us, but it brings so much joy and peace to billions of people around the world every day.”

She continues, “I'm inspired by women and this book celebrates not only the ocean, but also women around the world. Our power, our beauty, and the connection we have to Mother Earth.”

Buy Book on Amazon.

BE UNCOMFORTABLE IN ORDER TO GROW.

Over the years, Holly has integrated an entrepreneurial approach that is focused on trial-and-error methodology. She believes, as an entrepreneur, it is imperative for one to shake things up and make a mess in order to create something better. “The cleaning up of the mess is where real progress is found.”

When she started Dune Jewelry, she received signiicant feedback from a lot of business owners and experienced executives. They

mentioned that the proprietary customization process developed by Holly and her team wasn't scalable. She recalls her reaction to this feedback, “I understood at the time that our process was complicated and time-consuming, however, I was in full denial that it wasn't scalable.”

Fast forward 12 years later, Dune Jewelry has shipped well over a million personalized designs to customers across the globe.

Holly has molded herself into a leader who is not shy of being uncomfortable. She mentions to be an innovative entrepreneur one

must “be willing to do the work, get your hands dirty, explore new technology, look at unusual solutions, dig in, be uncomfortable in order to grow, and be willing to do it manually before inding the perfect solution.”

She further adds the importance of listening to your customers and your team. “While you may think you know exactly what your customers and team need and want, you don't. You have to be open to outside inluence and drop the ego. Nobody knows everything.”

Holly is an innovative entrepreneur who not only founded and built successful businesses but also shares her valuable insights on how to operate a business eficiently. This is why her recommendations can be a valuable resource for others looking to improve their productivity, learn new skills, and / or even seek inspiration.

One Book Entrepreneurs must read: Losing my Virginity, Richard Branson

One Productivity Tool that you use: Trello.

One Mobile App that you use the most: Tiny Scanner

One Movie / Show that you would recommend: Any Given Sunday, Shark Tank speciically for the pure

joy Barbara Corcoran adds to this world.

One Quote that Motivates you the Most: “Done is better than perfect” resonates with me every single time. In my experience momentum creates progress, progress creates forward movement, and forward movements creates success. I'm not saying that anyone should use this mantra to output a subpar product or service, but if you do your best and you're ALMOST happy with the project, put it out there with a request for feedback. Works every time!

One Investment Advice that you Follow: Hold on to real estate ALWAYS, even if you have to give up comfort to do so. As for the stock market, Warren Buffet said, “Be fearful when others are greedy, and

greedy when others are fearful” and I try my best to relect on that when I get antsy to buy or sell.

We Embrace Excellence!

Exeleon Magazine features some of the leading players in business and shares their journey of excellence to inspire aspiring leaders across the globe.

bringing

interview with nicole young

What according to you makes one an empowering woman? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership?

I believe an empowering woman is someone who not only shines naturally but inspires those around her to tap into their inner spark and to use that spark to do big things. I make it my business to surround myself with individuals that I can inspire but who also inspire me. I think that combination is one the most important keys to operating and growing a business.

Talk to us about your growing up years. What is your earliest memory as a leader / Entrepreneur?

By age 5 I was the cousin that would convince all the other kids to put on a performance (that I of course wrote, choreographed, styled, and designated the roles to) for the grownups at our family

parties. And the "shows" were pretty epic!

I also remember my dance teacher Miss Francine telling me that I had leadership skills somewhere around that same age. She would often place me in the front row or have me face the class and use me as an example to the rest of the class. That memory in particular is a constant reminder to lead by example.

What prompted your interest in whiskey? How did you go on to form your own lavored whiskey brand?

My interest in Whiskey was really sparked by my love of creating lavor. As a recipe developer in the food space, I'd always used lavor to transform and expand people's views as well as their palates, so creating a whiskey with the intent to transform pre-conceived notions about whiskey and expand the whiskey audience was something I jumped at the chance to do.

Talk to us about the research and crafting process that has gone into making Frisky Whiskey?

After extensive market research, we determined that there was a void that could be illed in the whiskey space, speciically where lavored whiskey was concerned. In stark contrast to what lavored whiskey meant before Frisky, we created a premium whiskey with natural lavor. No fruity taste, no artiicial lavoring and no dessert-like after taste.

As a black female entrepreneur, what have been some of the biggest challenges and learnings in your journey?

One of my key takeaways as a Black female entrepreneur is that virtually everyone will doubt you and your ability to succeed (including many of the people who smile, congratulate you, and tell you how proud they are of what you're doing) but if your work and your product speak for themselves, the only pat on the back you need is from you own hand and the only people you need to impress are the people in your target audience.

Having received multiple awards and emerging as one of the fastest growing brands in the spirits industry, how do you plan on scaling the Frisky Whiskey brand?

I am extremely thankful to my femalelead team and truly humbled by their hard work with ensuring the great

start Frisky Whiskey has gotten off to. In under a year, we've opened distribution in 7 states and have secured shelf space with major retail chains like Walmart, Costco, and Total wine.

With plans underway to launch in another 5 markets and a new distribution deal in the works (details coming soon!) we are eyeing national expansion. The goal is a strong presence for Frisky Whiskey in large chain retailers as well as smaller liquor stores across the country.

Finally, what would be your advice for women entrepreneurs when it comes to maintaining work-life balance?

Work-life balance advice is tricky because every woman's situation is unique but the one thing, I would recommend women in business prioritize is their health. It's very important to take diet and exercise seriously!

Entrepreneurship can take its toll on your mind, body, and soul and there is a deep connection between feeling healthy and strong and performing that way both at work and at home.

Creating

Written by Teresa

To change the world, even just one corner of it, you can't

do it alone. You need a strong, collaborative network. Often, however, when we attempt to work with others to achieve a common goal we end up in power struggles, negotiations and entanglements that can sap our energy and leave us frustrated and falling far short of our ambitions.

Alignment, as we deine it, offers a different path. Instead of inding a common goal to rally around, alignment depends on inding a common purpose. A goal is an external objective. A purpose is internal; it is about values and vision. Finding a common purpose transcends speciic objectives and creates a bond that makes you feel part of the same tribe or team as your collaborators.

The TV show Survivor is a great example of what happens when people only have a common goal. Season after season we watch alliances form with the mutual goal of making it to the “inal ive” or the “inal three” on the show. Yet because the ultimate goal is for an individual to win over all others, these alliances almost always break down. Somebody wants to get the jump on the rest and betrays the group.

A common goal is a means. A common purpose is an end.

Creating Alignment

Teresa Erickson and Tim Ward

Contrast the Survivor type of alliance with one of the most famous cases of alignment the world has ever known: The Battle of Thermopylae, which was made into a Hollywood ilm, 300 . This historic event is considered one of the greatest displays of courage in the face of overwhelming odds – and its outcome decisively altered the course of history.

In 480 BC the Persian emperor Xerxes invaded Greece, determined to add it to his vast empire. A massive army, estimated at 100,000 men, marched on Athens and central Greece from the north. But to reach their goal, the Persians were forced to travel through a narrow pass at Thermopylae. For two solid days, a band of 300 Spartan warriors blocked the pass, holding at bay the entire Persian attack force. Ultimately, the Persians defeated the 300, but the fortitude of the Spartans who died at Thermopylae inspired the Greeks. Although they lost the battle and Athens fell, the Greeks refused to surrender. Later that year they won two stunning victories. Xerxes retreated, and most of the defeated Persian forces died of disease and starvation as they led from Greece.

Had the Greeks lost heart, there would have been no golden age of Athenian democracy with all it has given to the world – elected leaders, the birth of reason, dramatic theater, trial by jury, free speech and universal public education of citizens.

To the 300 Spartans, their aligned vision of a free Greece was worth dying for. We might say alignment creates a common purpose worth living for.

When we teach alignment to our clients, we do it at the end of a six-day Master Communicators program. This is because to effectively create alignment you need to know just about every other skill in this book, including messaging, authority, rapport, framing, vision and storytelling. Here are a few additional techniques your can easily use to increase your ability to align yourself with others:

FIND THE RIGHT PEOPLE

Your existing network is your best resource. However, people often don't see their network. It's a

sort of hazy web hanging in space. To concretize this web, take a large sheet of paper, draw a small circle in the center with your name in it. If there is a particular purpose you are working towards, like moving a project, program, or piece of legislation forward, write that on the top of the page. Now you can map your network: draw lines connecting you to others in your work or personal life. Next, take a colored pencil or marker and use that color to connect you with those on the alignment map who could help you achieve your goal in any way. It could be that some names on your map are bridges to other networks of inluence.

The result will probably look like the sort of diagram you see in detective shows on TV – with a murder victim connected to dozens of potential suspects and witnesses. It doesn't matter if your diagram looks messy or chaotic; creating the display so you can visualize it is what counts.

If you are focusing within your company, get hold of an organizational chart. Circle your name, and then connect it with others with whom you have a connection within the organization. You can use different colors and thicknesses of lines to indicate the strength of the connection, whether is personal or professional, etc.

Here are two lessons some of our participants learned through this exercise:

One thought leader we worked with was attempting to inluence several governments across South America to forge an economic policy agreement. She needed to align with others with a similar vision: individuals who would be willing to use their inluence to get the key decision makers to sign off on it. By simply diagraming her relationships she quickly realized there were three people she knew in Washington DC who could help her – and in fact, she knew one of them would be meeting with a visiting South American president the following week. But it had never occurred to her to think of asking for his support on this issue.

Another example was a woman we worked with who was in charge of strategic communications within her organization. She wanted to map the relationships between her unit and the rest of the organization. She was astonished at the result. It revealed that her team had very strong relationships with two thirds of the organization, but very few lines connecting them with the inal third – and she had always wondered why this department was so unresponsive to her strategic initiatives! Here's a simpliied example of one of these maps:

There's an additional level you can add to this if you are looking to connect with speciic inluencers. It's similar to the concept of “Six Degrees of Separation.” This is the theory that we are potentially connected to everyone else on the on the planet by links of no more than six people. The “Kevin Bacon Game” best illustrates this principle. How many people would it take to connect you to Kevin Bacon? You probably know someone who knows someone who knows someone famous in Hollywood, and that person would know Kevin Bacon. That would be

four degrees of separation between you and Kevin Bacon. Diagramming your relationships can help you ind the best route to connecting with key people you might want to create an alignment with.

CONNECT AROUND SHARED VALUES AND VISION

Here's where rapport, vision, framing and storytelling all come into play, especially if you are reaching out to people you don't already know. When we ind someone with a common vision and values, there's this tremendous

burst of energy, like an atomic fusion reaction. It is as if we intuitively sense not only the great potential of aligning ourselves with others, but also that this use of our energy will bring us some kind of joy. You “click” with them, and that sense of “clicking” is the sound of connection. When people ind a sense of common purpose, they will work long and hard together, often without any thought to inancial reward.

If you are meeting someone in order to gauge the potential for alignment, it is important to listen

to the stories they tell, the heroes they describe, and the metaphors they use. These reveal what philosopher of psychology Shai Tubali calls the primal narrative. These are the stories we tell ourselves about how life is, and about inding our place in the world. 1

For example, someone who uses sports metaphors and tells stories about big wins or losses in life might have a primal narrative centered around competition. If you have a similar afinity for competition, this might spur the two of you to want to join the “same team” in some common endeavor. The purpose is to see if you can ind a common value. This will allow you recognize each other as belonging to the same tribe. As soon as this happens, a sense of “in group” identity gets created which becomes the basis for collaboration.

Similarly, if you are seeking to connect with others, think about what you value as ends in themselves. What stories do you tell that reveal your passion and vision? As we were mastering this concept ourselves several years ago, we realized we were not doing as good a job as we could at engaging new clients around the courses we were most excited about. So

we changed our tactics. Instead of describing the content of our programs, we led with our passion for creating transformation through communications. This resulted in a remarkable shift. We found ourselves working much more with leaders who shared our passion.

When you “click” with someone around shared values and vision, you ind yourselves searching for ways to collaborate. How can you do this most eficiently?

COMPROMISE

Compromise seems negative to many people. It implies a power struggle: giving up something in order to get something. In work and personal relationships we often approach compromise like negotiators seeking to maximize our gain and minimize our loss. But when it comes to alignment, compromise means something

different. It goes back to the Latin root of the word, which implies a “com” – meaning “together” – and “promise,” meaning to “send forward”. So compromise can be considered a “sending forward together, ” which is a great deinition of alignment.

Mature compromise is not a power struggle. Instead, you can acknowledge that the other person has a strong and independent will. In fact, you want that other person to be as powerful as possible. You also want them to stay different from you, because that difference brings different skills and resources, and makes you more powerful when aligned. Think for example of the comic-book heroes, The Avengers.

Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow – each brings their unique power to the team, which is what makes them strong.

Compromise, then, can be a way of working together that allows each of you to maximize your strength. Sometimes this means yielding to each other when there is conlict. Sometimes it means being willing to hold the tension of different views until you can ind a way forward.

We often do this ourselves when we create a new course. Tim, with his background as a non-iction author, relishes complexity. Tim prefers to design course modules that contain a comprehensive theoretical explanation so participants can understand how fascinating these ideas are, and where they come from. As a former radio host and editor, Teresa is attuned to the ease with which a listener will be able to grasp content. To her, shorter is almost always better. Information should be practical, and any theoretical content must be followed with an example of its application. We've learned that when we value each other's perspective more than getting our own way, we come up with something better than either of us could have designed on our own.

One of the most amazing organizations we've worked with that puts alignment into practice is an NGO based in Washington named Machik.2 This is a group that works with Tibetans inside Tibet on education, environmental, and social issues across the plateau.

Once a year they bring together Chinese policy researchers from Beijing with respected Tibetan community and civic leaders for a unique discussion and exchange on the challenges of governance in Tibet. Previously these two groups never interacted. Most people are aware that these are uncertain times in Tibet. Yet the people who come together for this dialogue have forged a bond and commitment around the vision of a peaceful future for Tibet.

In sum, alignment multiplies your ability to create transformation. The truth is, most people in the world follow their own desires, and often this push and pull us in different directions, so that the overall result is not momentum towards a particular goal, but a global inertia. You could even conceive of society as like a giant hot air balloon or loating blimp. It's vast, but motionless. However, if you blew on it from one direction with enough people and sustained force, sooner or later the balloon would respond to the pressure and begin to move in the direction you push it.

That's the power alignment can create. It's a force that can change the world.

This is an excerpt from the Chapter 18 of The Master Communicator’s Handbook written by Teresa Erickson and Tim Ward

Used with Permission from the Authors

Bean Example – NATALIE STAVOLA

What according to you makes one a transformational woman? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership?

I think awareness. Awareness and implementing that awareness would make anyone transformational. Speciically, with women, being a transformational woman would be becoming aware that there are cultural biases, objectiications, different traumas based on gender and races… and learning how to heal from all of that and becoming who you were meant to be (or come back to yourself). Learning how to stand up and speak up for yourself and others – I believe that to be a powerful tool to use for anyone in the leadership position.

How I personally integrate this into my own leadership is by healing and learning. Healing from the things that hurt me and learning to see myself more clearly and respectfully. The more clearly I see myself, and honor and respect

myself, the more clearly I can see those around me and honor and respect them as well.

Transforming myself so I can help show others how to do the same and join in to be a leader in change.

Talk to us about your growing up years. What is your earliest memory as a leader?

I grew up in Connecticut and then we moved to Florida right before my teen years. So I got the best of both worlds – New York City and winters full of snow… then spending my time in the ocean as much as possible. I'm a city woman meets outdoorsy woman through and through.

My earliest memory as a leader is being an older sister. When my brother was born, we were pretty close in age, but I always looked at him, even when we were babies, as this is my family, I will protect this person and lead this person as best as I can. I couldn't say “baby brother” when

my parents introduced me to him, so I called him Bobo. I still call him by that name to this day.

There were times when our parents would compare us (as parents do) because I always had my nose in a book and my brother was, I believe at that time, struggling with his grades. I remember even then, as teenagers, understanding that the books I was reading were FANTASY, they were an escape for me. Not something to be compared to and make someone else feel bad about. I pulled my brother to the side one day and I told him that, “don't even listen to them or anyone else compare you to me or others. I am reading these books because I'm escaping in them. They're not even academic. You keep listening to what you need and ind your path.”

He went on to go to college and become an awardwinning journalist. He's got a masters now and continues his education.

What prompted your interest and subsequently your foray into the coaching space?

Growing up, helping others was always something that felt natural. I used to give everything I had away (I was that type of kid). To the utter shock of my parents at times. I grew up with a lot of chaos and trying to igure people out, so naturally I wound up getting a degree in psychology and communications. I used to double major with Criminology and Psychology (that was fun!) I've always been fascinated with human behavior… I'm also an actress so I love tackling characters and diving into the WHY behind people's actions… and the HOW behind overcoming obstacles and pain to reach your dreams.

After college, I started focusing on acting but then addiction took over… I was in a lot of pain from the toxic relationships I'd been in, I was trying to cope and was destroying myself in the process. I was still helping others; I was still giving everything I had to everyone around me, I just had to learn how to give and be there for others without it costing me my sanity, my mental health, and me anymore. I had to learn how to stop the chaos from childhood that still lived inside of me and learn to choose healthy over comfort.

After I got sober and healed more, I wanted to share that. I got certiied for coaching, for NLP

(neurolinguistics programming, similar to what Tony Robbins does), continued mentoring and coaching, continued doing the work with my own coaches, sponsors, therapists, healers, and the recovery programs I love… and started learning what I pass on to my clients…

Learning your worth, your boundaries, your values, your standards and moving in alignment. Learn to pour into your cup FIRST and then pour into others (as best as we can). Getting comfortable with your own depths, and inding people who are on the same journey as you… inding your aligned partnerships.

My entire life and overcoming my own obstacles prompted me to be a coach and help others do the same. I get to be an example today.

What is the approach followed by you in your coaching to ensure optimal client satisfaction?

I'm not sure if it's an approach so much as just care and consideration for the client, but it's just about paying attention to their goals and needs and discovering what's working and what's not and then using the tools to remove the blocks standing in the way of their goals.

We ind the issues, we discover the solutions, we use the tools to get it done. I think what ensures satisfaction the most is that we're doing this together and they're seeing the results for themselves. They're doing it. They see they can do it. That they've had the power and empowerment all along. I just get to help them through their journey.

You have spoken about addiction and abuse as some of your biggest challenges, among many others in your journey. For people facing similar challenges, what would be your biggest advice?

GET HELP!!! ASK FOR HELP!! The moment you start hearing yourself or your head say, “It's ine. I'm ine. I CAN FIGURE IT OUT!” Nooooooo. Grab the phone, call the substance abuse hotline or whatever hotline you want or a HEALTHY friend, and GET HELP. We DO NOT DO THIS ALONE. No one does. Not even the “self-made millionaires”. EVERYONE has help. Even if it's from their parents or mentors or whoever… EVERYONE has help.

Don't do this alone. I DEFINITELY do not. There's no such thing as a bottom, the bottom keeps getting worse. You can stop and get help and get out of the dark place you're in, ind out how. Get help from the people who have been through it and OUT of it now, too.

Being an entrepreneur, speaker, coach, actor, and more, what does a day in the life of Natalie Stavola look like? How do you ensure work-life balance?

Luckily for me, I'm doing a lot of things that bring me joy. So, most of the time I have to ind my balance between how much I am giving to others and in what ways am I giving back to myself.

Without art and acting, I'm pretty much useless to others. I have to ill my soul up in order to hold space for others. That's the main balance for me.

A typical day looks like… wake up, meditate (or at least put it on and breathe deeply) make my coffee (latte!), jump into coaching (helping someone wakes me up the fastest), audition, or work on a script or read/write, then pause… ask myself “what do I need now”… this is where I'll go hang out with a friend, go to a dance class, cultivate joy in some way… something that makes me silly happy.

Throughout the day, I'm checking in with my sponsors and coaches and mentees.

I wish I could give some huge magic “this is how you do work-life balance” that would blow someone's mind… but it's really simple. And the same thing I pass on to clients now…

I LISTEN to myself today. I'm a much better listener to myself and my needs… so I check in throughout the day and see where am I hiding or playing small? Where am I overworking now? Am I escaping anything? What do I need? How do I meet that need?

It gets so much faster to be in that low of life and pivot when life is doing its life thing and throwing things my way… I'm good today. I listen to those needs, I meet them. And when I fall short, I love myself through it and have incredible people around me today that we walk through this whole thing together. I do not do this alone.

What are some of the most intricate things that we often get wrong in relationships? And how can one overcome this for a sustainable relationship and life?

The pain and limiting beliefs we picked up from childhood that are still on repeat in adulthood.

Everything and everyone around can be (and typically is) a mirror for what's going on inside of us. The answers are already within each of us. Your answers are already inside of you… get with someone who's good at helping you read your own answers, heal, overcome, and ind your truths.

Learn how to drop your guard and up your boundaries. Guards block good things and great people. Boundaries help let the good things in and keep out the things that hurt you or don't align with you.

Finally, what does the future look like for you and your brand? What are you most excited about?

Expanding and helping more people. I am so excited about just growing my platform and becoming more of an example of what it looks like to overcome anything and showing others how to do the same.

Ultimately, what I would love to do is ilmmake more, be on set more, create, and just pass out all of this information for others to live their best lives, too.

ExeleonShorts:

One Book Entrepreneurs Must Read –The Mountain is You by Brianna Wiest

One Productivity Tool / App that Everyone Should Use – Notes (lol so simple)

One Podcast / Course that you would Recommend – TBM To Be Magnetic

One Movie / Show that you would Recommend – The Woman King

One Quote that Motivates you the Most –“Do your work. When you're scared, do it anyways.”

One Investment Advice that you Follow – Invest in yourself. Wait for the fear and insecurity to pass so you're not doing it from lack mindset and then spending money on things that won't help (conirmation bias.) Invest in yourself. It's worth it. More people will beneit from you investing in you irst. Be an example.

A l l is o n W a l s h

DRIVING RESULTS U n m a t c h e d

Leadership is a unique and multifaceted

blend that inspires and fuels progress. At the forefront of this dynamic force are leaders who drive results, the catalysts of change who infuse their teams with purpose and determination.

Allison Walsh is an example of a powerful leader who knows how to drive results to ensure optimal client satisfaction. In this Exclusive Interview with personal brand and business coach – Allison Walsh shares about her journey and ideas of entrepreneurship.

What according to you makes one a powerful woman? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership?

A powerful woman is ALL WOMEN ALL THE TIME. The Most powerful woman, though, is one that sees her passion and her craft through to happiness and success. The Most powerful woman prioritizes her needs and her goals and makes them happen! I hold myself accountable and teach all of my clients

the importance of happiness and passion in success, and how it takes action in order to achieve it all.

What prompted your interest and subsequently your foray into the consulting and coaching space?

I started as Miss Florida in 2006 and quickly realized that I have been able to ind success in many things that I do. After gaining that title for myself, I knew I wanted to help others achieve amazing results pursuing their goals because I am a huge fan of both personal and professional development.

I had a few clients that I was working with, but it wasn't until 2009 that I jumped in and started treating the company as a priority. My irst business was truly born during the recession because I needed to igure out how to help us dig ourselves out of the hole that we were in as a result of my husband losing his job.

I knew I had experiences that I could share and that there were clients who wanted to learn what I had to offer, so I igured out a pricing structure and started hustling. They were getting great results and word of mouth referrals were coming in. I knew it had even greater potential and so I decided to partner with a dear friend to expand the business, which was such an incredible experience.

In 2015, I returned to a solo practice and evolved what I offered to reach a new clientele. Fast forward to 2021, and my niche has continued to evolve as I have. In addition to running my own business, I've built other very successful businesses along the way. Consulting has always provided so much joy and I am eternally grateful to the amazing clients I've had the chance to work with.

What is the approach followed by you when offering your services to ensure optimal client satisfaction?

I am constantly evolving, growing, and learning. Everything I've ever done or experienced that's moved the needle is incorporated in my training and work. I've seen a lot of coaches pull back and not share, at the risk of over-sharing and not having anything new to sell. I'm the opposite and a complete open book.

I also know how to drive results, and always give 110% to my clients. If I can't provide what someone needs, I will refer them out. To me, results are what matter and if I am not the woman for the job, I'll connect you with someone who is and cheer you on as you chase your next goal.

What does a day in the life of Allison Walsh look like? How do you ensure work-life balance?

4:30 AM: Rise and shine, meditate, light exercise and journaling.

5:15 AM: Working on a passion project or something that lights me up and ills up my cup.

7:00 AM: Getting my 3 kids ready for school.

8:00 AM: One-on-one coaching sessions with my clients

9:00 AM: Team meetings and one-onones with my team

12:00 PM: Lunch, meetings and reprioritizing the afternoon to ensure deliverables are able to be completed.

3:00 PM: Grabbing a snack, meetings and praying that my kids don't zoom bomb any videos calls (which happens at least once a week).

7:00 PM: Doing the dance mom shufle, picking up and dropping off, and getting my little guy ready for bed.

9:00 PM: Fast asleep. I'm an early to bed, early to rise kinda gal.

Balancing work and life are extremely hard, as I'm sure most of the FemFounder readers know! One of the main ways that I work to ind balance is by knowing and understanding what is in alignment with my goals. This is both professionally and personally. When I understand and acknowledge what is working with me, instead of additional work, I am able to cut what does not serve me and focus on what does. I focus on integration and alignment over balance.

Looking back at your journey, what would you have done differently when starting out?

Stop overthinking and just go for it. I learned so much when things didn't go right and one of the biggest lessons is that procrastination, especially around launching something new, will never result in sales (it only delays progress).

I got in my own way, more ways than I care to share but now I've adopted the mentality that it's better to put things out there than to talk myself out of doing what I know I need to do.

What would be your advice for women entrepreneurs in today's work environment?

Finally, recommend / mention one thing in each of this category:

One Book Entrepreneurs must read: Scale of Fail by Allison Maslan

One Productivity Tool that everyone should use: Jasper.ai

One Mobile App that you use the most: Instagram.

One Movie / Show that you would recommend: Schitt's Creek

One Quote that Motivates you the Most: “The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complete person you were intended to be.” Oprah Winfrey

One Investment Advice that you Follow: Hire an experienced advisor to help you.

I see way too many women with brilliant ideas fail at execution - not because they weren't capable - but because they allowed their excuses to be way louder than their WHY. Once you lay out a plan for what you want to do and why you want to do it, the most important and critical step is HOW.

You grow stronger, more resilient, and more capable each and every day as an entrepreneur, and I promise you will be so impressed

with your results if you commit to your “why” and “How” and stay crystal clear on your vision.

What does the future look like for you and your brand? What are you most excited about?

This year will allow me to cross an exciting goal off my list as my irst book will be out this Fall! I've dreamed of this opportunity since I was a teenager, so I'm thrilled that it's coming to fruition.

I am also really excited to continue speaking and contributing, and I've also looking forward to my company scaling. Our methods and approach work, and not only am I excited to work with new clients, I am excited to bring new coaches into the company to help us scale.

THE WOMAN WITH A VISI O N

What according to you makes one a powerful woman? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership?

I really think that being a powerful woman comes from the core values instilled in you that you can't see and don't exactly talk about. In essence, a powerful woman shows integrity and sticks to their word; not just for others, but to be true to themselves. If you promise yourself that you're going to do something, ensure that you're meeting your own expectations and following through, whether it's with your own projects and ambitions, embracing the drive to strive ahead in your career, or focusing on self-care so you can wake up and do it all over again.

Leadership comes from within - it shouldn't seem forced, trite, or repetitive. In life and business, I'm very much myself. Raw Lauren is what you see and what you get. If you work for me, with me, alongside me, or you're a client, you'll get the same

version of me. That's something that I know resonates with many people.

What is your earliest memory as a leader/entrepreneur that you remember?

Ironically enough, my earliest memory as an entrepreneur was my irst lemonade stand in the summer. And I can say without a doubt, I learned more about entrepreneurship in those moments than you can imagine. I spent that entire summer getting my irst lesson on proit and loss, ethics, making in-the-moment decisions, and catering to the customer.

My second foray into leadership was at the high school where I grew up in Northern California. Lacrosse was an east coast sport that many of my cousins played, and I envied them. I wanted to play that sport at my school. I decided to campaign at my high school and ended up starting the irst female lacrosse team in Northern

California. It took months of hard work; petitions, budgeting, and actually teaching people the game. During lunch, I'd hold clinics throughout the year and try to convince women to play this as a spring sport instead of the other typical options my high school offered. We ended up winning a bunch of championships.

A few years ago, I saw a woman on

the streets of New York wearing a sweatshirt with my high school alma mater that said, “Women's Lacrosse” and it made me proud. At a young age, I had to igure out how to take an idea and bring it to fruition, convince a bunch of people, and make it happen.

What were the biggest challenges when you took the leap of faith and started your entrepreneurial

journey in 2009?

Fear. I'm not personally afraid that often, but I was remarkably afraid. I hadn't been ired or laid off during the inancial crisis and was doing well. I went to a good school, and I loved it; overall, I was comfortable.

The idea of getting over the fear of quitting was the hardest thing for

me. The day I quit, I was a ball of nerves, and my palms were sweaty. I was risking something I was good at where I was inancially stable to go off into the unknown. But I knew that fear is something that you face and it's natural to be afraid, and you really have to battle through it or else you won't get anywhere.

What would be your advice for aspiring entrepreneurs

struggling to take that leap of faith?

Entrepreneurship is romanticized these days. So many people say if you do a good job and follow your passions, everything will work out. But truthfully, it's more complicated than that. You have to have a business plan and be meticulous about it. You need to know that your plans might change, and it will be hard, diligent, and repetitive work.

If you're ready to work hard and stick to a plan, know that being in the trenches on a day-to-day basis is a reality. But if you have the drive and passion, trust your gut and jump in headirst.

Talk to us about your global leadership organization – The Association and what it stands for.

The Association is a irst-of-its-kind global leadership organization for career-driven women that uses data science and a proprietary leadership methodology to create a vetted group of Elite, extraordinary women.

The Association curates 'Your Personal Board of Directors' for each member to help these women assess and achieve their greatest goals, challenges and opportunities in their career and life. We have oficially rolled out 20 boards across the globe in cities including New York, LA, the Bay Area, London, Boston, Madrid, Miami, D.C., Philadelphia and more, and will continue to debut new cities quarterly.

What it stands for is simple: it's a

non-girls club female organization. Yes, we are women, but we're not just a girl's club where you can chat and complain. We make a point with our structure and methodologies to see how you can extract value spending time with The Association. It's less of a sisterhood, and more of an organization. We've built The Association into something that works for women by women in a way that's applicable to society.

What does a day in the life of Lauren Imparato look like? How do you ensure work-life balance?

Having just had a baby in September 2022, I have a different day-to-day life than I did even two months ago. But whether it was pre- or post-baby, I know that work-life balance is a tough thing to ind. That said, I make sure I talk to somebody I love every day, share a meal with loved ones and exercise every day. Usually the second I'm up, and often times before I start anything like having a glass of water in the morning, I'm talking to my co-founder, Janelle Hallier, who is based in Spain and 6 hours ahead of me. After we connect, I try to get some exercise in before I get back to The Association because we have teams on the west coast just about to start their day.

My days don't have structure, but it's emblematic of the life of a founder. Chaos can happen within minutes and things change quickly. As an entrepreneur, you need to pivot and be lexible, whether that's in your personal life or with business.

I also make it a priority to turn off. In my irst business I founded back

in 2009, I never turned off or took a vacation. I worked seven days a week and was constantly on the edge of burnout (and trust me, I got there). Now with The Association, I make a point of learning from my mistakes and ensuring that when I'm on vacation, I'm 100% on vacation. That means I'm not on my phone between dinnertime and my coffee in the morning and instead I'm focused on being present. I trust my team I've built to keep the momentum and know they can do it without me while I take the time to regroup.

Looking back at your journey, what would you have done differently when starting out?

Honestly, I wouldn't have done anything differently. Not because I think I did it perfectly, but because the way I did it taught me so much along the way. The irst business I did alone and didn't have a cofounder. I purposely didn't work with investors and turned down various opportunities. That led to a

lot of extra work, challenges, and stress, but it taught me how to man the ship of a skilled business.

Now my cofounder, Janelle, and I work great together as a team. Looking back, I wish I would have had my own personal board of directors or an unbiased place to discuss balancing business, answer my questions, face challenges, and how to look at opportunities. But that's why we created The Association, so women can now access that whether they're an entrepreneur, VP, CFO, or artist.

Finally, what does the future look like for The Association? What are you most excited about?

The Association is in a big moment of growth. We have 20 boards across the globe which is incredibly fast in comparison to how long we've been at it and how meticulous we are with member acceptance. We're about to hit a tipping point for growth which will really help change the fabric of

working women and their careers. I'm most excited about the fact that we're launching our irst app and are planning our irst global retreat. We have members around the globe that will meet for the irst time which will add exponential power to the organization and these women, personally and professionally.

I'm most excited to be able to bring The Association to life for women who have been seeking out opportunities to connect with likeminded innovators in the way that both Janelle and I were looking for in our own lives. While there are countless women's groups out there, there are very few that cut through the noise of negativity and competition to actually empower and energize each member to be the best versions of themselves. At The Association, we're hyperfocused on uplifting the individual and the collective.

INTERVIEW WITH SWITCH FOUNDER

Kathy Roberts

What according to you makes one an innovative entrepreneur?

The adjective “innovative” in front of “entrepreneur” is more than what I usually deine as entrepreneurial. My opinion is these visionaries see what is coming and usually don't follow rule if they don't produce the outcome desired. They will always ind a way even if it means water has to low up hill.

What is the Switch platform? What was the idea that led to the formation of the company?

The Switch Platform is a blockchain-based inancial ecosystem. From my irst introduction I had a fascination with the reliability of the data on the blockchain and the freedom to make transactions in a decentralized market. The world has shrunk and with that we must adapt and evolve.

This is the second time in a lifetime that I've participated in a project of this type. When Discover Card irst came on the scene in 1985, it offered unheard of features that were disruptive to the existing credit card industry. As an early executive (or “dawner”) at Discover Card, we introduced a lot of disruptive thoughts are now industry standards to the consumer credit industry. Now as a dawner in blockchain inance, we have the same opportunity.

Talk to us about the Switch Rewards Card. What makes it stand out from the crowd?

With our Switch Black Card and Switch Trading Platform, users can buy, sell, and send cryptocurrencies and then can spend those converted currencies in everyday purchases. Through the Switch Node Network, all of these transactions earn our users Switch Digital Rewards. One way that we are unique is our Trading Platform has both a custodial wallet and a non-custodial wallet allowing our users to truly own their digital assets.

As the CEO, what role do you play in the day-to-day proceedings of the company?

As CEO I am looking for opportunities to further unite our product with the needs and desires of users and future consumers. There is the current business to oversee and keep up the momentum of the project, parallel with our future plans.

What have been the biggest challenges for you and the team when it comes to the technology used?

The speed of technology changes and consumer expectations are more rapid than ever. This alone keeps us in constant review of best practices and outcomes for the business and the customer.

What does the future look like for Switch? Talk to us about the recent beta testing expansion of Switch Reward Card and what it means.

With our Switch Black Card in Open Beta and our Switch Trading Platform is Closed Beta (and soon to be Open Beta), this gives our developers an opportunity to work with the Beta Testers in the community and receive feedback on the products and work to create a better user experience. We hope to have both of these products out of Beta Testing and in a full Public Launch later this year and then

working on our roadmap of other exciting customer offerings including B2B products.

Kathy Roberts with COO and President Bradley Willden