Pioneering Women Leaders of the Year | Best Business Magazine | Exeleon Magazine by Exeleon Magazine

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Lisa Loveland AN EXCEPTIONAL AND E N T E R P R I S I N G R E A LTO R

I N - F O C US

Molly Downs: Guiding Others to Achieve Business Success I N - F O C US

Nikila Cole: A Creative Pioneer

Rosie Davies Smith BUILDING THE FUTURE OF PR

PI O NEERING

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CONTENTS

12 LISA LOVELAND

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28 ROSIE DAVIES

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40 NIKILA COLE

FEATURED STORY

LISA L V L N

OE A D Real Estate Agent, The Loveland Group

AN EXCEPTIONAL & ENTERPRISING REALTOR

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FEATURED STORY

For many, real estate is a worthy investment as the returns and bene its can be realized by not just the current homebuyers but also their upcoming generations. However, as an asset, it has its own risks attached to it like unfavorable locations, complicated paperwork, and luctuating market value. It takes specialized knowledge and experience to champion yourself in the realty sector and stay a loat.

Lisa Loveland is a visionary realtor who has helped countless people buy, sell, and invest in properties. She is ranked by The Wall Street Journal among the Top 1 percent of agents in America, based on revenue. This only proves to show that she is a seasoned and trusted professional who executes her services with great panache and treats her clients as equal partners in every transaction.

Interestingly, Lisa views all upcoming challenges integral to the learning process and inds opportunities by overcoming them. She is also described as “clients' advocate and trusted team member” as she always puts their needs irst and sets appropriate expectations. She believes that “a pioneering leader is one who thinks outside of

the box to create engagement, collaboration and brings about solutions that are eﬀective and measurable.” Such leaders also identify and support individual strengths to promote a culture of growth in an organization and team.

Lisa also feels her philanthropic pulse and trusts in giving back to society by helping the needy. This explains her active involvement with HomeStart, an organization that helps homeless individuals and

families get access to permanent housing. GETTING OUT IN FRONT

A useful rule of thumb to begin anything new, like starting a business or working on a passion project, is to start with the end in mind. A forward-looking mindset creates a vision that pushes you to achieve your goals. By fully understanding these end goals, a detailed step-by-step roadmap can be laid out that increases your E X E L EO N M AG A Z I N E

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DEALS ARE CHALLENGING AND YOU CANNOT LET YOUR EMOTIONS ENTER THE TRANSACTIONS. EMOTIONS KILL DEALS! treated real estate not just as her profession but also as a hobby and passion. Her career highlights span around the South End, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, South Boston, and Seaport markets where she worked with sellers and buyers — from irst-time homebuyers, developers to investors.

chances of success.

Loveland's formative years were guided in a similar fashion by her parents. It was his intention to make Lisa an independent and selfassured individual. She recollects that he would patiently wait for a business plan from her end for any new endeavor. “I could get a 10speed bike if I gave him my plan on how to get it,” she fondly shares. That gave her the knowledge and con idence to achieve anything in life.

She nurtured the “planner” in her and started to experience the consequences of her approach. In her irst seven years as a realtor with Coldwell Banker, she was consistently ranked in the top 2-5 percent internationally. Her zeal to be better and provide superior services is her continuous North Star. CAREER GROWTH—BUT WITH HEADWINDS

In her 20-year-long career, Lisa has

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While her clients appreciate her direct and strategic approach, Loveland did not have it easy in her starting years. She is vocal about her struggles in her real estate journey. She shares, “I did not have a lot of support lead wise. So, selfgenerating that business consistently was very dif icult and frustrating. It has paid oﬀ in the end because it forced me to think outside of the box and create my own opportunities. In the end it gave me freedom in a strange way.” She also has an interesting ideology to share where she believes that “everything happens the way it is

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supposed to and as long as we learn along the way, we are exactly where we are meant to be.” This mindset led her to establish her own real estate practice — The Loveland Group.

The Loveland Group is a close-knitted network of vendors that hold expertise in staging, painting, packing, cosmetic repairs as well as paperwork-related assistance like inancial and legal expertise. Its formation was to bring in-house branding and marketing to the group, and she credits her talented team member, Kosta Hantzis for putting it all together lawlessly. She along with Kosta started a podcast called 'Live, Laugh, Love Real Estate' to enable people to get to know the Group and understand their personalities. This bridged the gap and gave people insights about life, business ethics and philosophies prior to being associated in any real estate transaction. Surprisingly, this grew into interviewing a lot of entrepreneurs and

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FEATURED STORY

discussing topics like mindset. Lisa shares, “We have since rebranded the podcast to “Becoming”. The idea behind that is to encourage and support viewers to “Become” the best version of themselves.” Loveland takes pride in making her clients happy and the catalyst for optimal client satisfaction is her obsession with timely response. “We are extremely ef icient in prioritizing what is important in the buying and selling process. We focus on the person and move the process seamlessly,” she adds.

While Lisa doesn't settle for anything less, she also balances the many moving parts behind the scenes of her professional life— her personal life. She believes in putting her life irst while she balances her work. “If one does not have a full life with friends, family & personal 18

time then true success is hard to maintain. I do the hard things irst. So much of balance is in your mindset,” Lisa says.

She always starts her day with a clear and focused mind by pushing aside all the nagging issues that can hamper her ef iciency and creative thought processes. As an enthusiast for living life to its fullest, she makes time for playing tennis, running, working out, paddle boarding and boarding, while also being a member of the Massachusetts Association of realtors and a trustee on several condominium boards. OWN & SCALE YOUR OUTCOMES

Lisa understood and visualized her desired results from the very beginning. She did this by

developing a detailed plan and setting measurable milestones. This helped her to track the progress, realign her deviations to her goals, and point her 'persistence compass' towards success. She doesn't underestimate the importance of a right team, favorable operational metrics, and potential for scalability to move her business forward. On the same grounds, Loveland's advice to build a sustainable and relevant business is practical and simple. She suggests aspiring and emerging players in the real estate industry to be authentic, creative, technically savvy, and curious.

She also places special emphasis on the need to ind, nurture and improve relationships as this can truly turn the tide. Lisa also adds, “It is critical to have great relationships with other agents in E X E L EO N M AG A Z I N E

FEATURED STORY

the business.” She believes this is also important to manage your client expectations and move through the process without any overpowering emotions and snags.

Her past experiences have taught her that success doesn't come easy, but you should push through it. Lisa also acknowledges the obstacles in 'dealing with deals', for instance human emotions can get the best of you and that could cloud your judgment. She adds, “Deals are challenging, and you cannot let your emotions enter the transactions. Emotions kill deals!” HER BIG BRIGHT FUTURE

Zooming in on the future aspects, Lisa is thrilled to share her upcoming plans. “My mentee Kosta Hantzis and now business partner

is creating an NFT project called The Billionaire Lynx Club. It is a creative collective of likeminded entrepreneurs, musicians, artists, ilm makers, real estate professionals,” she asserts.

She also shares the reason behind the name “The Billionaire Lynx Club”. Lisa uses the word 'Lynx' as an inspiration from an animal in folklore that detects opportunities before other animals in the forest and pounces, or in business terms, executes on it. This combined with 'The Billionaire' is to promote a Billionaire mindset — that everything is possible, and success is not just limited to monetary metrics.

together in the metaverse to collaborate and support each other in getting to their next level. They plan to oﬀer community funding for the projects that are pitched, like the popular Television reality show, Shark Tank.

Additionally, they are planning to organize an in-person conference called Lyxcon in Fall 2022 that will witness participation from several speakers in the metaverse. Their intent is to make it a collaborative, inclusive and immersive experience. Lisa along with Kosta are excited to launch this project in March.

The project is a brainchild of Kosta Hantziz and combined with Lisa they are creating a platform where like-minded people will come

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Q &A 22

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EXCLUSIVE FEATURE

V e r o n i c a B ay

he world has been moving through times of great transitions, leading it to be illed with both opportunities and challenges. In these times of transition, it takes a unique leader to not just meet these demands but deliver a better future and progress. These leaders are proactive in nature and understand the need to capitalize on the change in order to get ahead of others.

Veronica Bay is a perfect example of such a pioneer leader who capitalized on her understanding of the travel industry and created a concierge agency that oﬀers a complete service catering to high-end clients.

In the following interview with Exeleon Magazine, Veronica talks about her love for being an outgoing person and how that personality trait helped her become a pioneer in the Business Concierge Services Industry.

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

I believe that a PIONEERING leader is a courageous and open-minded person that expands beyond conventional vision. That allows him or her create a unique brand and reach new heights in providing extraordinary customer service.

Founding an internationally operated Concierge service I was challenged to keep my mind, eyes and ears open to anticipate customer's needs. Many concierge services oﬀer a number of leisure and lifestyle services, but we aimed to go beyond that. Our high-pro ile clientele needs a comprehensive service portfolio that covers everything regarding their leisure with no exception.

Entertaining, corporate, and private party are often neglected or left for club promoters. The Only Intl had been founded to cover this niche. We take care of high-end entertainment up to a very small detail: from private aviation to villa rental and boat charter, ground transportation, private chef, DJ, party models, massage, security, table W W W. E X E L E O N M AG A Z I N E .C O M

reservations and much more. We are happy to welcome families, but I used to say that we are a Wolf of Wall Street type of party markers. Our clients work hard and party harder, they know exactly what they want, and we are con ident to cater to their needs.

Talk to us about your growing up years. What is your earliest memory as a leader/entrepreneur that you can remember? I had always been an outgoing kid. My Mother recalls that I have learned talking before I could walk and I used to loudly introduce myself from mother's lap to everyone eager to listen. Through the middle school I was popular being an athlete and a class leader. Since my teen age I had taken charge of my life by traveling the world and making unconventional decisions such as choosing ilm directing as a trade, making an award-making ilm The Outsider in a developing country of Morocco, traveling the world and inally founding The Only International, an agency for HNWI that reinvents concierge services.

What led to the start of a luxury concierge? What was the idea behind the name of the venture?

EXCLUSIVE FEATURE

I used to date a gentleman who is well-oﬀ and shares my passion for traveling. We visited many countries and stayed in the best hotels and villas worldwide. I have developed a taste for luxury real estate, upscale restaurants, and yachting. But overall, I had been smitten with the highest standards of service that I have observed at the iconic hospitality and entertainment venues. I learned that every detail matters: from a scent at a luxury hotel entrance, to Egyptian cotton bedding, light and sound design in top restaurants, wine selection, staﬀ training and much more.

Following my travel adventures on Instagram @veronica_bay_travel my friends kept asking for advice on where to stay and best places to dine in Tulum, to get access to the hottest beach and night clubs, pull a lastminute villa or a yacht booking in Mykonos and so on.

That is how I decided to create a concierge agency that will provide a 360 degrees service that caters for demanding players and operated under the slogan: Whatever, Whenever, Wherever.

The Only Intl brand ultimately re lects our mission of serving all the clients' needs: from villa rental and boat charter to private air and ground transportation, ultimate venue bookings, private parties, catering and chef services, security, party entertainment and much more. A client inds everything in one place and does not need to go elsewhere. What are the various factors and challenges that one needs to focus on when arranging such an elaborate service? The Only internationals caters for successful and sophisticated clients who are leisure connoisseurs. This elite clientele is used to only the best things in life and regularly entertain friends and business partners in luxury premises, restaurants, and yachts all over the world. To keep up with elevated requests and stand out from the completion The Only Intl has become an everexpanding and ever-developing project. We constantly acquire new suppliers and extending our service scope. Constant progress is the only way to stand out and remain relevant in a fast-changing market of hospitality and leisure. Being a fashion photographer, educator, public speaker, ilmmaker, entrepreneur, among others,

how do you ensure work-life balance? I don't have any (laughs). I am a workaholic and I have a kick from accomplishing yet another set goal. I am very competitive and being n1 in what I do is extremely important for me. I am aware that in order to stay healthy I should perhaps take more time oﬀ but I don't see it in a foreseeable future.

What has the journey been like for Veronica Bay over the years? Looking back, what would you have done diﬀerently if you were to start again?

Generally, I live by the motto 'no regrets' but if I could change the past, I wish to spend more time with my family and learn better work/life balance. However, the journey was amazing, and I have enjoyed every bit of it. I am type of a person who would rather live on edge then lead a boring life. 9 to 5 of ice is certainly not my cup of tea. I'm grateful for being able to travel, meet new exciting people, grow personally and professionally, change… My journey is exciting and I'm well enjoying the ride. What has been the biggest roadblock during your journey? What has been your biggest learning?

I don't really believe in roadblocks of external nature… I only believe that delays in one's journey are caused by his or her laziness or fear. I don't see any other reasons for a drawback. Also, one can get stuck in or keep coming back to unfavorable circumstances to learn a lesson that must be learned before moving forward.

I'm not an exception. One of my roadblocks is my obsession with work. I may lose sleep and neglect healthy food and workouts when I'm engaged in a project emotionally. That breaks work/life balance and aﬀects me badly on a long run. Both for professional success and maintaining healthy lifestyle I must learn to balance things up.

Another big learning, I have discovered is that the world will not collapse because of a failure. And that is exactly how it feels to a competitive perfectionist like me. In fact, a failure might be seen back as an experience, a valuable knowledge that helps to build future success. Now I'm learning that when I can't change a situation, I have to let it go and trust the Universe. E X E L EO N M AG A Z I N E

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“I believe that a pioneering leader is a courageous and open-minded person that expands beyond conventional vision. That allows him or her create a unique brand and reach new heights in providing extraordinary customer service.” Finally, what does the future look like for you and The Only International? I am very excited for the future of The Only Intl as it looks bright to me, and the sky is the limit. We are currently expanding into Dubai real estate, bringing amazing investment opportunities to our clients. We are working with UAE's most established and trusted property developers and are thrilled to be a part of client's wealth-building journey. Along with new property investment opportunities we 26

continue expanding our books of Mykonos and Tulum villas for vacation rentals, Boat charters, a scope of vacation services, including access to best restaurants and entertainment venues. Veronica Bay @Veronica_bay_travel

Photo: Olga Mordach@olga_mordach

HMUA: Dasha Kuzmina @dashakuzmina www.theonly-international.com

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BUILDING THE FUTURE OF PR R

osie Davies Smith is a pioneering leader in the PR landscape and the founder of PR Dispatch and LFA. With clarity in her vision, purpose, and intentions, she embraced several challenges and drove her team relentlessly, especially when COVID-19 ravaged her irst venture, LFA.

She continued to persevere and worked on her then-side-hustle and now-business, PR Dispatch. PR Dispatch is the UK's irst aﬀordable PR platform which supports productbased businesses to pitch to the press

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Rosie Davies Smith

and build awareness through press coverage from £54/mo in just 90 minutes a week.

Rosie has also worked with some of the best product-based businesses in the UK including Estella Bartlett, Bedfolk and Beija London gaining them thousands of pieces of quality coverage.

In this Exclusive Interview, Rosie talks with Exeleon Magazine about her journey as the founder of a leading PR platform.

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What according to you makes one a pioneering leader? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership? When I think of a pioneering leader, the irst person who always comes to mind is

Sharmadean Reid. She is inspirational at running a business and I've watched her pivot and drive a team through the hardest times for the past decade. I've endeavoured to do the same in my leadership, especially after losing 80% of LFA's revenue overnight when COVID-19 hit. I founded my irst business LFA in 2013 and PR Dispatch in 2017 as a side hustle. LFA was always the main business, a PR agency that fed information to PR Dispatch.

When Covid hit, I was determined to keep my team in jobs and jump at the opportunity. I pivoted the agency team on to PR Dispatch. As an aﬀordable PR solution for small businesses, PR Dispatch had the opportunity to step out of the shadow of LFA and thrive. With a 3week-old baby in a sling, I taught the LFA team the ins and outs of PR Dispatch via videos. While LFA closed in January 2021, PR Dispatch has continued to support hundreds of businesses and scaled signi icantly during a dif icult time. I see PR Dispatch as the future of PR. Talk to us about your growing up years. What is your earliest memory as a leader that you can remember?

From a young age I was always creating, marketing, and selling. My earliest memory as a leader that I can remember was my irst business of making Girl Guide out its for teddy bears at the age of 6.

From then on, I always wanted ownership over an area. That's why after University I decided to do my own thing rather than go down the traditional employment route. Even when I was cleaning houses to make money alongside starting my own business, it was still an area that I owned and could make a diﬀerence in.

What sparked your interest and subsequently your foray into the PR and Marketing industry? I moved to London in 2009 from the Northwest to study an MA in Textile design. I began an internship 30

with independent brand Lowie, where I was hoping that I could learn the ins and outs of running a brand and then start my own.

On the second day, I was given the task of PR. I had no experience, but the director put a pile of magazines in front of me and asked if I could call and email each one and pitch their products. I was sold. A few weeks later, the brand started to receive coverage, and I convinced them to pay me freelance one day per week and they became my irst client.

I fell into PR completely by accident, but I knew there was an opportunity to make PR more accessible and to get more small businesses in the press.

A few years on and I had enough clients to start an agency. Having no PR experience meant I had no experience of how an agency should be run so I did what felt right and brands liked our way of working. This included being the irst agency in the UK to be completely transparent on pricing, expected results and oﬀering a friendly honest service where we built long term partnerships with clients. I scaled the agency quickly to a six- igure-turnover and won a number of awards including Creative Industries GBEA 2016, PR week's 30 under 30 and we were included in the start-ups 100 list 2017. What led to the formation of PR Dispatch? What was the pain point that you wanted to address in the market?

All was great but while I was building LFA I was starting to get the problem-solving itch. I was coming across great brands via LFA that the press would love to feature who didn't have the budget to spend thousands with an agency. I saw that there was a gap in the market for a service that supported small businesses and taught them how to do their own PR.

In 2017 I launched a separate limited company, PR Dispatch, the UK's irst aﬀordable PR platform which supports product-based businesses to pitch to the press and build awareness through press coverage from £54/mo in just 90 mins a week. Our online PR learning & advice, step-by-step support by a team of PR experts, email pitch templates and regularly updated press databases mean you have access to everything you need to get your business noticed by

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the press.

As the Founder, what role do you play in the day-today proceedings of the company? As a female-founder, wife and mother, my days are often taken up with more than running the business. My eldest, Sloane, is two, and my youngest, Isla, will be one at the end of March. My husband and I moved to Devon during the pandemic far away from all of our family and friends who would be the irst point of call for support. We are lucky enough to be able to pay for nursery during the week and share the childcare between us so that we can both focus on our work.

Day-day however, my schedule is always lexible as the girls are often home from nursery leaving us both to multitask! And since the birth of my second child, I've been struggling with postpartum insomnia which has made working productively each day a lot harder. W W W. E X E L E O N M AG A Z I N E .C O M

During the pandemic, I realised how easy it was to run my business remotely. We still have our of ice in South London but the team and I all work remotely and lexibly. Working remotely allows me to remove the morning commute from my schedule and have lexible working hours around childcare. Day-day I join meetings with the team, work on managerial and accounting tasks, brainstorm future development plans for PR Dispatch and at the moment I've been busy creating a new website! I couldn't do it all without my team, who I can always rely on to perform and do a fantastic job. Running a small business while being a mother means no day is the same, but I wouldn't have it any other way. What has the journey been like for Rosie DaviesSmith over the years? Looking back, what would you have done diﬀerently?

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My journey in PR has been full of surprises, success and setbacks. Looking back, I would have reviewed our long mission, short team goals and customer pro ile & their pain points every 3 months. It would have ensured we were all focused on the same thing at the same time. It's a non-urgent but really important business task and without it, you are never going to be as ef icient in driving the business forwards.

What would be your advice for aspiring leaders and entrepreneurs in the PR industry?

My biggest piece of advice to aspiring leaders and entrepreneurs in the PR Industry is always: don't be all things to all people. It is so important to niche yourself and become an expert in your ield. You don't want to make your oﬀering too diverse as it dilutes your messaging and is confusing for the customer. You end up doing lots of things 'okay' when it is more important to do one thing really well. Don't just say yes for a cheque and it's good to say no to business opportunities that aren't right.

Secondly, to invest in the right team. You have to hire the people with the right skills and experience. This involves monetary investing but also time and development courses for the team so that they are a part of the company culture. Years ago, I learnt that without the right company culture and team you will stunt your growth as you'll spend more time correcting work and doing things yourself without scaling the company. It is important to make sure people are performing, developing and happy in their role.

Finally, what does the future look like for you and PR Dispatch?

I de initely see the future for PR Dispatch as a remote company. I believe this is the future of working and it works great for us as a business and team. I hope to reach many more small businesses and continue to improve our service to ensure we are giving our members everything they need to succeed in doing their own PR.

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GUIDING OTHERS TO ACHIEVE BUSINESS SUCCESS

Molly Downs

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he qualities of an eﬀective coach are vast, and so are the skill sets needed to support others to make signi icant life changes. While the de inition of a coach describes the individual to be a guide, a trainer, an advisor, and much more, however, above all, they are the people who empower and pave the way for others to achieve a successful life.

Molly Downs, an entrepreneur and business coach, is one such pioneer who works with people to create lifechanging results in the areas of business and personal development. She is an entrepreneur, leadership coach, and author who helps clients design their dream careers and life.

In the following interview with Exeleon Magazine, Molly talks about her growing years, her earliest days in health and wellness coaching, and the transition to becoming a pioneer in the business consultant space.

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

In my own experiences and in working over the years with my private clients and groups, being a pioneering leader means being willing to take risks and experiment with new ideas. When there's an area that needs attention or support, I love to bring a sense of curiosity and wonder to it. Actually, being the irst to try something completely new is often rare, but being the irst to try something and do it your own way, fail, and try again is a real opportunity to lead, expand, and grow.

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

My earliest memory of taking initiative and standing up for myself and giving a voice to others was when I wrote a letter to the editor in the small city I grew up in. The letter was about the environment and taking care of trees instead of cutting them down. My letter eventually drew the attention of others who wrote back in the newspaper section to support my ideas. For me, it was the irst time I realized that I had a voice and that I could create change. And no matter how small it was, it felt big to me.

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coach and business consultant? In 2012, I created the irst yoga and Ayurveda wellness studio in Dubuque, Iowa, and it was there that I oﬀered health and wellness coaching. During that time, I would talk with clients about their health concerns, but inevitably the conversation always veered into what they really wanted to be doing in their work and their whole lives. This led me to eventually close the studio to shift my focus into a career in coaching, speaking, and writing even though at that time I felt like I had no idea what I was doing and no clue how it would all unfold.

What is the approach/process followed by you when oﬀering your services?

The process I use in working with someone for the irst time is to take a close look at the vision they have for their business and life and start to uncover new insights and ideas. I most love to help people signi icantly increase their intention, their impact, their income, and to live fully now. The mentors I've worked with over the years, especially Jason Goldberg, always have given me an “I've got your back” type of coaching relationship, and that's what I hope to always impart to my own clients.

Having worked with countless entrepreneurs and leaders, what would be your advice to emerging leaders in the current work environment?

To just be yourself and do your best to stay open to working with diﬀerent types of people and organizations. And to let people in so they experience the real you and not just an impressive version of you. That will really help them to connect, inspire them to take action for themselves, and make a positive impact on everyone they meet.

What does a day in your life look like? How do you ensure work-life balance being a coach, mentor, author, and mother of three kids? A day in my life now has changed so much. Two of my kids are teenagers and one is in college now, but I can remember working on my business when they were very young too. In the early morning hours, evenings and weekends I spend almost all of my time with my husband and our three kids, and three cats. I spend lots of time writing, going for walks, and

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experimenting with new ideas. Most days you'll ind me in a conversation with someone, or writing an article or recording an episode of my podcast: Entrepreneur in Flow. I learned from my favorite coaches to leave lots of space for nothing in between appointments, conversations, and activities. That's where creativity and inspiration come in and I can drop out of my thinking, accomplish a lot in a little amount of time, and just enjoy the day.

How would you sum up your journey over the years? Looking back, what would you have done diﬀerently?

The only thing I would have done diﬀerently (I don't believe in regrets) is that I would have started sooner. I became an entrepreneur in 2009 and it took as long as it did because I didn't know what was available to me. I also thought that con idence was something I needed to get, instead of what I know now – and that's how con idence is what you experience while you're living with purpose, moment to moment, and is a result of being in action. Finally, what does the future look like for you?

I couldn't think of a better time to be doing what I'm doing now, and at 45 years old, I see the future as bright with a generation of young people and a lot of society accepting people more and more for who they are. And being an entrepreneur has never been easier. If you would have told me years ago that I would be working with clients from around the world, I don't think I would have believed you! The truth is that we have everything we need to stay connected and create an even better world. As long as we stay open to it. Yes, it sure looks bright to me. Photo Credit: David Beeler

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A CREATIVE

Photo Credit: Plauto Baptista

r e e n Pio

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NIKILA COLE Executive Director/Producer

he ability to generate and realize new ideas, concepts, and solutions is an essential skill for business leaders in today's global environment. Developing this knowledge is both an art and science. While some people are naturally more inclined towards creativity, this particular skill can also be learned. Through creative leadership, we can develop a new breed of thinkers and doers who will provide solutions to our most pressing societal issues. Nikila Cole is a name synonymous with this said creative leader who understands the importance of collaboration and takes part in activities that promote innovation. In this exclusive interview with Exeleon Magazine, Nikila shares her story of mastering the art of storytelling.

What according to you makes one a pioneering leader? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership? A pioneer breaks down barriers and established norms, forges paths where none existed before, and follows their own inner voice to chart unknown territory with courage and con idence. When one is leading other people on such an endeavor, all of this needs to be matched with responsible care, understanding, and wisdom to avoid reckless action that can endanger the well-being of others. I'm a creative in the creative industry. While most of my ideas are new, inventive, and open pathways to W W W. E X E L E O N M AG A Z I N E .C O M

new ways of expression, I'm very aware that my industry is collaborative, and, as a leader, I have a responsibility to create an environment for others to safely express themselves, and bring their best creative voices forward, all while I maintain a strong, cohesive vision. This helps us create the best possible product in a fun, creative atmosphere. I like people to wake up excited about their workday.

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

Ha ha! My irst memory of being a leader was age 10 when, during a rehearsal as a young professional stage actor, I tried to advise the adult actor standing next to me how to move to a slightly diﬀerent position so they could be seen better by the audience. The director of course quickly put an end to this, advising (quite loudly) that I should concentrate on my own position and leave the directing to him. It seemed I was always interested in the total picture of what was happening and it was dif icult to learn to concentrate on myself only.

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

The shock was actually mine because as a dancer/choreographer with a long career, I just assumed I would do it forever. Like Martha Graham, I ate, slept, consumed, and thought 'dance' every waking moment and also like her, I thought they would roll my 41

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was all about!! A whole new planet opened up for me and my life changed completely. When I won the Best Film award at the end of the Production course, I knew I had found a new passion – one I couldn't have predicted, and while I still consider myself a dancer at heart – that all simply infuses my whole approach to what I do in ilm and television. Once a dancer, always a dancer – but new pathways simply expand and grow more parts of one's talents and skills. What are the challenges that you face while working on a new project?

Photo Credit: Rick Massey

My process isn't unlike what other artists face while embarking on a whole new “canvas”. In the beginning, one is immersed in the joy and passion of discovery of a completely new and diﬀerent palette. I tend to explode onto the new 'canvas' with ideas pouring out of me that was possibly brewing for years or even a lifetime until triggered. Phase 2 is the hard work of slogging through challenges, dif iculties, doubts, fears, anxieties which can de initely cloud the vision and cause a lot of ups and downs emotionally.

old, arthritic body onto the stage after one of my productions, I would bow gracefully, and then be rolled oﬀ again. Once, during a very long recovery from an ankle injury, one of my dance colleagues mentioned that she thought I didn't really do dances on stage. With my interest in combining voice, humor, theater, and other odd forms of expression with dance, she felt I was actually 'making movies' on stage. When I asked her what she meant by that, she couldn't explain, but I pondered it for quite a while before I walked down the street from my West Village apartment in NYC and enrolled for an Overview course in Film Production at the NYU School of Continuing Education. “just to see what it was all about”. Well, did I ever ind out what it 42

After however many dark nights of the soul one has to endure, we come to the best part: Phase 3 when one has hopefully solved many of the issues and problems, conquered some of the doubts and fears, and is simply moving forward knowing there's no turning back. Every project has its own lifetime and way of being made. I've learned over the years to accept the process and have learned to surrender to the knowledge that the dif iculties and challenges are simply part of the journey. I seem to move through them a little faster now – mostly because, with more experience, I've learned to manage my energy and boundaries better. Ie: I have no time to waste!

Being an award-winning director, producer, writer, social worker, among others, how do you ensure work-life balance? Good question and one we all face! Fortunately, I've had some very good role models and mentors along the way and, having learned from them plus my own mistakes along the way, I'm getting better at prioritizing what's important and what needs to be done and creating boundaries around the rest. It's a constant evolution though because I love absolutely everything I do, so it's sometimes hard to notice when I'm approaching burnout.

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Photo Credit: Ashly Covington, actor: Katharine Lee McEwan

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For example, in my dance career, I used to push myself so hard that I'd invariably injure myself or get sick before I saw I was going beyond what was healthy. I learned that the body never lies, so I try to pay attention to the more subtle signs of stress before they get out of control. I now try to navigate my life in a way that I don't have to get hit by a 2x4 in order to learn a lesson. Not always successful but de initely better! There's just so much to do and so little time…

What has the journey been like for Nikila Cole over the years? Looking back, what would you have done diﬀerently? I've had a rich, full life – jam-packed with adventurous peaks and valleys, joys and sorrows. I'm not sure I would do anything diﬀerently because every step of the way, right or wrong, has led me to be the person I am today – someone whose skin I am happy to be occupying. The mistakes have taught me so much, often that I wasn't listening to my deep inner voice W W W. E X E L E O N M AG A Z I N E .C O M

which always knew what the correct course was and I wasn't listening. Course correction from the sailing world, along with more than a few editors have taught me that there's always a solution – I might have to make an adjustment or two, but it's always there.

I've often had to go against the grain and have fought for so much in my life, that I've had to learn to grow 'bark', as my friend John Lurie likes to say. I like to think that the awkward, hyperactive sapling I once was (and continue to be on the inside) has grown into a strong but lexible tree – reaching for the sky with roots digging deeply into the earth. It's not an accident that my irst dance/theater company was called “Sephiroth” which means Tree of Life.

What would be your advice for aspiring and emerging ilmmakers?

Get educated in the industry any way you can. Learn your craft. Pick up a camera. Start shooting. Be 43

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humble, and work like hell. Very important – never be late.

Finally, what does the future look like for you? What is the next project that you're working on? The future looks wide open for me and I'm looking forward to it. Provided we don't destroy the planet or each other in a world war – I'm feeling con ident we're developing the tools to deal with the various viruses that will most likely come our way.

I did a huge amount of writing (and dancing) throughout the pandemic and I'm very excited to head back to the European markets to put together the development puzzles for various projects including a series about the childhood of one of Europe's most renowned and misunderstood queens. I'm also developing two feature ilms, another series, and several documentary projects. Life is rich and exciting. And I can't wait to see what the next steps are. One foot after the other.

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Emilia Khajavi

TURNING EXPERIENCE INTO A LIFE-LONG DREAM

t is said that our dreams are an honest representation of who we truly are and what we consider to mean the most to us.

From our very childhood, we start building our dreams and a major part of our life journey goes by in making those dreams a reality. However, in a lot of cases, people stop pursuing those dreams as they tend to believe it's either too late or that they're too old.

Mostly people justify this action or decision by pointing out that they're being responsible or the time isn't accurate. But truth be told there is no perfect time; no perfect scenario as situations or conditions are always changing. But sometimes among these group of individuals, there stands out some who are truly willing to take the next step and pursue their goals and dreams. Emilia Khajavi is one such stand out example. Exeleon Magazine proudly looks into the story of this inspiring leader, mother, businesswomen, certi ied esthetician, and entrepreneur.

THE JOURNEY TOWARDS THE GOAL With a strong background in creating, implementing, and administering patient care in medical spa clinics, Emilia has built a reputation in the industry that is unparalleled. A dedicated esthetician, Emilia has given the requisite time and eﬀort to develop her skillset and learn new and advanced techniques. She even boasts considerable experience performing and perfecting some of the most requested, cutting-edge beauty procedures. Emilia's consistent eﬀorts has continually garnered her appreciation among her clients and co-workers.

However, it was after 23 years in the industry that Emilia took the step towards turning her vision into a reality, and formed Setiba Medical Spa.

In her own words, Emilia asserts “I wanted to show my children that it's never too late to go after your dreams, so after 23 years of beauty and medical spa experience I decided to become my own boss.” For Emilia, her two daughters have been her biggest driving factor. Thus

making it more important for her to showcase them irsthand that it is possible to raise a family and build a business “as a woman.”

DELIVERING QUALITY

As the Founder and CEO of Setiba Medical Spa, Emilia has made sure to leverage her years of experience in the ield to ensure best-in-class results. Moreover, she uses her knowledge of the industry to guide the professionals of the company to maintain a high standard of quality.

The company claims to take the most eﬀective measures when it comes to safety and carefulness. This claim stems from Emilia's overall attitude when it comes to serving her clients.

Known for her excellent time management and supervisory skills to direct the support staﬀ, doctors, medical assistants and nurse practitioners, Emilia has created a work culture that echoes utmost professionalism and customer-focus. She has established this by developing deep, meaningful, and honest relationship with her team, clients, partner, and anyone involved in the day-to-day operations of the of ice.

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"If there’s not a seat available at the table for you, make your own table and invite others to join you.” Founder & CEO Setiba Medical Spa

Emilia maintains that a true leader is someone “who has expert knowledge and real-world experience and takes the initiative to empower the team in order to bring their best selves to the job.”

Talking about her entrepreneurial journey, Emilia notes “My journey has been illed with lots of innovation, community building as well as some challenges that come with any entrepreneurial undertaking. My passion for this ield has always remained steadfast.”

A CUSTOMER-OBSESSED APPROACH According to Emilia, the team at Setiba follows a customer-obsessed approach and prides itself for treating its clients like their own family.

She further mentions that the clients of Setiba trust the company as it makes sure to use the latest technologies in its services. Moreover, the educated team at Setiba are always there to solve queries and questions, thereby adding to the list of reasons behind client satisfaction. This approach can be seen etched into the roots of the company, with its name W W W. E X E L E O N M AG A Z I N E .C O M

being a clear indication of the same. The company was named behind a beach in Brazil, with the same name, which is known primarily for its beautiful and clear waters. For Emilia and team, this is the main goal behind its client servicing. “We want to help them feel like every day is a day at the beach.” STEPPING STONES

Whilst answering about her biggest roadblock as an entrepreneur, Emilia quickly recalls the impact COVID-19 has had on businesses across the globe. Her own business was no exception when it came to facing the wrath of the global pandemic. However, she considers this to be an experience that she is grateful for. Seeing the positive side of things, Emilia believes that bouncing back from this experience will enable her to handle any other potential challenges that may arise. On the other hand, Emilia also points the trials and tribulations associated with being a women entrepreneur and leader. She points

out that there are times when people do not recognize her as a business owner, but she takes this as an opportunity to prove her doubters wrong and carve her own path.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Based in Westlate Village, California, Setiba Medical Spa is driven towards delivering nothing but the best and safest treatments for its customers. The team comprises experienced estheticians, medical doctors, and surgeons who boast an exceptional track record in their respective ields.

Moving forward, she aims to expand the footprint of Setiba across various parts of Southern California and develop its own products.

Finally, Emilia concludes by advising aspiring leaders and entrepreneurs - “Don't be afraid to assert yourself, and if there's not a seat available at the table for you, make your own table and invite others to join you.”

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