Most Empowering Women | Exeleon's Women Shaping the Future

BY NICOLE BUFFETT

Danielle Gronich

Maggie Vo: A Trailblazer in Finance and Venture Capital

Sasha Lund: Legacy Building and Beyond

Empwering o WOMEN TO FOLLOW

Daryl Yeung (Story-Tailor)

Naomi Lam (Design Ninja)

Matt Reis (Wordster)

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Cathy G. (Explorer)

Sales

Project Manager

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Josh Wilder (Cultivator)

Mike Jackson (Marketeer)

Katherine Price (Sustainer)

Richard Dann (Facilitator)

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PHOTO OF THE

Photo Credits: Göksu Taymaz

CONTENTS

DANIELLE GRONICH 12

Danielle Gronich

FOUNDER | CLEARSTEM

Revolutionizing

For longest of time,

the skin care industry has been riddled with false claims, temporary solutions, and a marketing strategy that takes advantage of human insecurities.

Danielle Gronich was no stranger to this toxic world of skincare. In the hopes of inding a viable solution for her acne problems, Danielle faced an emotional turmoil that not only made her skin worse but impacted her overall mental well-being.

Similar to Danielle, women (and men) across a diverse age group have been unable to ind the requisite answers, let alone solutions to their persistent skin problems.

However, Danielle Gronich chose to take ownership of her situation, build her knowledge base, and empower others with solutions that actually work!

Over the years, this empowering woman has built a reputation by helping thousands of people with her result-driven personalized approach to skincare. This reputation has gone on to earn her the title of being The Acne Guru™.

Today, Danielle, along with her co-founder Kayleigh Christina, are spearheading a revolutionary skincare brand – CLEARSTEM –that is empowering an entire community to achieve skin conidence.

THE TOXIC CYCLE

At the age of 16, Danielle's skin began to lare

up. However, being active in sports and exercise, she had a good amount of sweating. Moreover, she shied away from wearing any kind of makeup.

But things took a sharp turn for her skin as she went off to college. “I stopped playing sports, had to eat crappy dorm food, started partying, and was on a birth control that was known for causing acne (the Nuva Ring),” she recalls.

At that time, Danielle had almost no knowledge when it came to health or skincare. “I did what most people do and just covered it up with makeup and bought a bunch of vitamins thinking that would help.”

Unfortunately, things only got worse, and the acne began spreading to her chest and back areas. Even worse, none of her dermatologists were able to explain the reasoning behind this and kept rotating birth controls and putting her on antibiotics.

This cycle continued for years, and Danielle ended up having to do Accutane 3 separate times in her 20s. She remembers, “The Accutane was very hard to go through and it only worked for a few months at a time, then it would come right back.”

Unable to ind a solution, affected her entire sense of self-worth, which subsequently impacted her conidence and relationships. Her mental well-being was shattered, to the point that she had to take antidepressants.

MAKING A CHANGE

Being a student in biology, immunology, and genetics, it was further infuriating for Danielle to not have the correct diagnosis and explanations behind her acne triggers.

It was this toxic cycle of constant medication and inability to get to the root cause of her problems that deterred her from moving forward with medical school.

However, after a decade long struggle with acne, Danielle decided to feed her curiosity and re-enter the biology circuit. This was her irst, among many, steps in closing the gap in the acne space, left by outdated pharmaceutical methods.

Soon, she earned her license as a clinical esthetician and acne specialist. In 2014, after studying under multiple industry experts and partnering with bloodwork specialists, Danielle opened The San Diego Acne Clinic. Through her holistic approach, she went on to help thousands of people, impacting their lives in more than one way.

Her approach was rooted in compassion and understanding, recognizing that the impact of acne extended far beyond physical appearances. By addressing the psychological, emotional, and social implications of this common skin condition, Danielle aimed to heal not just the skin but also the wounded spirits of those who had long suffered in silence.

Among the many people that Danielle had a profound impact upon was Kayleigh Christina.

NEW BEGINNING

Similar to Danielle, Kayleigh faced numerous issues related to skin, but was

unable to igure out a probable solution. With Danielle and The San Diego Acne Clinic, Kayleigh was inally able to clear her acne without having to sacriice her health with harsh chemical intakes and treatments.

Through their sessions, Danielle and Kayleigh discovered a mutual passion for helping other acne sufferers and empowering them with skin conidence. Together, they went on to form CLEARSTEM Skincare, a nontoxic, anti-aging and antiacne skincare line.

The CLEARSTEM Skincare line is formulated such that every product treats multiple skin concerns at once with remarkable skin improvements seen in very little time.

THE COMMUNITY

Since starting the company in 2017, CLEARSTEM has become a multimilliondollar business with a loyal customer base that truly believes in the product.

According to Danielle, she always envisioned the CLEARSTEM brand to be successful and eventually become a household name. “We ARE our target customer; we are one with them.”

Owing to their high customer success rate, Danielle and Kayleigh were able to build a community that grows along with the brand. She mentions, “We love building our community! We host free masterclasses (the last one had over 1,000 signups!). We are constantly doing Instagram lives and thoughtful collaborations with other healthy brands that our customers would love.”

She continues, “Because education is our

irst “product” we have such a different level of connection and trust within our community, and we are obsessed with giving them what they need that they aren't able to ind elsewhere.”

An example of this is the acnefocused telehealth wing that the company is launching in July! It will provide the correct lab work and specialists to identify the root causes of acne that are overlooked in traditional western medicine (like mold, digestive issues, gut dysbiosis, and more).

She passionately asserts, “Our goal is for people to be curious about the inner workings of their unique bodies and to learn exactly what they need instead of using band-aid approaches.”

This genuine care for the well-being of their community and access to knowledgeable customer service is how CLEARSTEM has built its brand to where it stands today.

ACCESS TO LEARNING

Danielle notes that in recent years there has been a shifting trend

among brands when it comes to introducing non-toxic, sustainable products. She attributes this to people having the requisite access to learning.

She explains, “We know that toxins disrupt our immune system and impact our hormones, so focusing on what we can control has become paramount. We cannot control the air quality in our city, but we can control what we eat and put on our skin, so the focus has naturally landed there. I'm glad people can understand these things and make the choices that feel right for them.”

Similarly, for Danielle, it was this hunger to make informed decisions that steered her towards a wealth of knowledge concerning skin care and beyond.

She looks back at her journey with immense gratitude. She says, “I'm grateful I had the science-brain to be able to crack the code and the risk-tolerance to start a company. This rollercoaster came with a ton of personal sacriice but the mission to help people avoid suffering is what motivates me every day.”

Exeleon Shorts

One Book Entrepreneurs Must Read – The 4 Agreements

One Productivity Tool / App that Everyone Should

Use – Having a work journal where you plan your day and then relect on it.

One Skincare Myth that you would like to bust – I hate marketing that says things like “This ONE thing cured my acne”. Acne is never just one thing, and this is hugely

For Danielle, the ability to impact the lives of people with her knowledge, makes her grateful for the decisions she has taken to come this far.

TRANSFORMING LIVES

Moving forward, Danielle is excited about the upcoming telehealth side of her company. “Being able to guide people on which labs to run and which hormone tests to pay attention to (and pairing them with professionals who can make sense of it) is the thing we have been missing this whole time.”

She adds, “The trends and data we see emerge will allow us to help others more easily so the positive snowball effect will be huge.”

With compassion as her compass, Danielle will continue to foster an environment where authenticity thrives, insecurities dissipate, and self-growth is cultivated.

misleading for people.

One Quote that Motivates you the Most – Everything in moderation, including moderation.

One Advice for Women Entrepreneurs – Manage your energy and let boundaries be your best friends. We get pulled in too many directions and we are afraid of letting anyone down. Get rid of that have irm boundaries around your time both professionally and personally.

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.

The Most Empowering

Women SHAPING THE FUTURE

In the realm of entrepreneurship and beyond, women are emerging as a formidable force, shaping the future of business and innovation.

These women leaders are fostering diversity and inclusion in their businesses, recognizing the power of diverse perspectives and experiences in driving innovation. They are championing initiatives that support and empower other women, creating networks, mentorship programs, and investment opportunities that level the playing field and bridge the gender gap in entrepreneurship.

Exeleon Magazine recognizes some of these empowering women who are shaping the future and highlights their stories of excellence through this issue.

Danielle GronichNicole Buffett

Maggie Vo

Aishwarya KarnatakiMorgan Gist Macdonald

Sasha LundKirsty Gordon

Allison Walsh

Maggie Vo

A Trailblazer in Finance and Venture Capital

Maggie Vo's journey from Vietnam

to the United States is a testament to the remarkable strength and determination she possesses. Born and raised in Vietnam, Maggie embarked on a solo adventure at the tender age of 17, driven by her aspirations to build a successful career and achieve the fabled American Dream. Today, she stands as a trailblazing igure in the inance industry, serving as the Managing General Partner and Chief Investment Oficer at Fuel Venture Capital.

In this exclusive interview, we delve deeper into Maggie Vo's remarkable journey, exploring her vision for Fuel Venture Capital, her ideas related to the gender gap in the VC space, and her role in empowering women.

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

I was born and raised in Vietnam. I came to

the U.S. by myself when I was 17 years old with the goal of building a career in the U.S. and achieving the American Dream. With a full scholarship, I graduated from Centre College with a double major in Financial Economics and Mathematics.

To take my knowledge to the next level, I studied for and passed all three Chartered Financial Analyst exams on my irst attempt. All of these qualiications propelled me into being a leader and positioned me well to tackle the demanding and challenging role of Managing General Partner and Chief Investment Oficer at Fuel Venture Capital.

I began my career in inance at Prudential Vietnam Fund Management, and later, Prudential Property Investment Managers in Singapore. Right before joining Fuel Venture Capital, I was a portfolio manager for a global long short equity hedge fund. In 2018, I decided to make a transition from the public markets to the world of venture capital since I recognized that value is

continually shifting to actors in early-stage private-market deals.

At Fuel Venture Capital, under my leadership as the Managing General Partner and Chief Investment Oficer, the fund's portfolio of highgrowth tech startups has grown from four to 33 companies with $700 million in AUM.

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

I've always been very academically inclined, with a particular interest in math and inance, which lent itself perfectly to my goal to have a career in investment, which has always been my passion. Once I started my career after college, my goal back then was to build a broad understanding of all the asset classes.

While in my position as a portfolio manager, managing a global long short equity strategy, I noticed assets under management were inding their way from the public market to the private market, technology companies were staying private longer, and that most public companies were larger, older, and in more concentrated sectors. These reasons prompted me to transition to the private market, speciically towards venture capital, where I can offer my clients access to exponential returns. Venture capital offers exponential returns because value creation happens at the early stages of a company's life cycle.

On the other hand, in my current position as the General Partner and Chief Investment Oficer of Fuel Venture Capital, I can be more hands-on and leverage my

knowledge and experience to help founders and create an impact on startup companies.

Brief us about your company - Fuel Venture Capital. What is the vision for the company?

Fuel Venture Capital was founded in 2017 in the heart of Miami with a goal of providing FUEL for the world's most innovative startups outside of Silicon Valley and becoming a diversiied choice for global investors to gain exposure to the creative economy. Today, Fuel is managing over $700 million over multiple funds and has a portfolio of 33 companies across different sectors and regions such as Terran Orbital, Betr, Aexlab, Curve, CookUnity, Recargapay, Lunar, and Soundtrack Your Brand.

Fuel VC is Industry agnostic and globally diversiied in its venture sourcing, Fuel VC targets groundbreaking early and latestage companies using disruptive technologies as a main differentiating factor to transform how businesses and consumers transact (Fintech), consume on a daily basis (Marketplace), how they work to make a living (Enterprise Saas), and how they ultimately enjoy their lives (Entertainment Tech).

Fuel Venture Capital's "founderfocused, investor-driven" approach is led by a diverse team of experts from the public markets who bring decades of combined experience in investment banking, wealth management, executive leadership, and entrepreneurship. This wealth of knowledge and expertise allows the irm to serve clients with iduciary rigor and build a powerful

network of investors and founders, ensuring that it remains at the forefront of groundbreaking advancements. Our vision is to become the top-of-mind Global Venture Capital Fund known for ELITE intellectual irepower, work ethic, communication, results, and values.

As the Managing Partner and CIO, what role do you play in the dayto-day proceedings of the company?

My days are fast paced with constant demands from different groups, whether it be from our global funds with investors or portfolio company founders who live in different time-zones. I am an active and assertive venture capital partner; therefore, I like to roll up my sleeves and get to work to help with strategy, recruiting, fundraising, business development, and more. No day is like the next and no day is ever boring.

Having been recognized by various panels and received multiple awards, how do you look back at your journey? Would you change anything if you had a chance?

I have been recognized as the 26 most important VCs in Miami by Insider, received 40 under 40 awards from South Florida Business Journal and was recognized as an Entreprenista 100 Award Honoree. It's always a massive honor being recognized by various magazines and organizations, but more important than the honor is the actual work that goes into the day to day. The ability to work alongside founders and leverage my knowledge and

skillset to make an impact is exactly the reason I left the public market to join the private market.

As a Vietnamese woman who came to the U.S. at a very young age by myself, it's important for me to build my own success, but it is more important for me to leverage it to help others. I feel proud to have become an inluential voice in promoting diversity and inclusion. I have made all efforts to encourage young women to break into the male-dominated inancial industry, to raise funds for female founders to help scale their companies exponentially, and to give back to the local and global communities. As an advocate for diversity, I was recognized as an Inluential Business Woman by The South Florida Business Journal and South Florida Business & Wealth, in addition to receiving Miami Dade County's Among the Company of Women award. Miami is a very diverse city, it's important that our capital and companies relect that.

There's a huge disparity when it comes to VC opportunities for women. How are you and your team helping empower more female entrepreneurs?

Like most of the inancial services industry, the venture capital ecosystem has been dominated by men on both sides of the table. Whether you're an investor expanding your portfolio or a founder seeking inancial support, chances are that you are an Ivyleague-educated male. This is due to the idea that successful VCs and founders have to be grown out of a certain background such as coming from a top school, speciic industry, or gender.

Women have to face the stereotype that they lack technical knowledge and there's a stigma that women tend to be less rational in investment decisions than men. We need more diverse talent at the top level of the VC house. The people who are writing the checks are a driving force for diversity in the VC ecosystem and the lack of female representation in irms has a ripple effect on the founders they invest in.

Additionally, there are very few mentors, women or men, willing to be role models and help shepherd the career of junior women in VC. So, before they reach the upper rings, they're opting out. If women can ind communities that welcome them, train them, and mentor them, then they can gain expertise outside of the top VC irms and, I believe, will become more easily integrated into the venture world.

At Fuel Venture Capital, we have built our team with a culture of inclusion and diversity from the outset. As women, we support and uplift one another and make sure there is always a woman at the table. We formed strong networks and communities with other women in inance and in the Miami tech ecosystem to develop mentorship and sponsorship programs which will foster the growth and development of future generations of powerful women. We encourage our portfolio companies to establish diverse hiring practices and actively seek out companies with a diverse founding team.

Finally, what does the future look like for you, both personally and professionally?

We believe that the world is still in its infancy as it relates to the technological evolution of computing, AI/ML, predictive analytics, automation, and collaboration. The recent signiicant advancement in the ield of natural language processing and the notable breakthroughs of ChatGPT have opened a world of more possibilities, disrupting numerous industries and inspiring entrepreneurs to explore new frontiers. Startup companies are currently at the forefront of the next platform shift led by generative artiicial intelligence (AI), which is revolutionizing communication, content creation, and information access.

At Fuel Venture Capital, we are currently raising a fourth fund that has a target size of $300MM and a target number of 30-35 portfolio companies and we are excited to continue to Fuel innovative ideas into successful, world-changing companies.

I envision a future where gender equality is not just a goal but a reality, where women have equal access to education, career advancement, and leadership positions. I strive to be a role model for my daughter, encouraging her to embrace her ambitions, pursue her passions, and seize the opportunities that come her way. I am excited to see what the future holds for my daughter as she grows up.

Art, Technology and Groceries

By Nicole Buffett

Upon irst entering the Web3 space in

early 2021, I, like so many of us, embraced the great unknown with a healthy combination of bravery and insecurity. All of us had no idea what would happen next personally, politically, or spiritually.

At this time, I realized that the agitating force of uncertainty offered an immense gift of change and transformation. We were all already out of our collective and personal comfort zone. We had entered a new territory of genuine possibility.

Being a traditional painter, I rolled up my sleeves and instead of mixing paint, I went even farther out of my comfort zone and created a twitter account. The twitter account was my proclamation to meet the world halfway--leading with the intention to connect and resist the foreboding isolation of the pandemic.

My work as a painter up until 2021 had been nature based and very much centered on organic physical materiality. As I became aware of NFT's, I immediately realized the

function and phenomena that technology could play and create in getting my work into the world. I experienced this new digital platform as a means to an end- or really the means to a beginning.

The irst phase of this era of embracing technology as a traditional painter relied upon my willingness to GROW beyond even my own highly developed identity as a traditional painter. I realized that what I found the most fascinating initially about the world of NFT's and Web3 was this new emboldened community of people investing in new concepts of how we do money.

As you can imagine, money is a subject that is brought up often in my family, however not in the typical sense - but in the spiritual sense. One thing we all realize is that where there is money, there is privilege and there is agency. There is the freedom to invest. There is the capacity to choose. There is the power to create. The irony is that agency, freedom, power, and creativity do not come from money. We cannot purchase or buy these qualities. We assign value through our money system. Money is the agreed upon external

object of value. Money allows us to act upon the value system that exists within us

As I embarked upon learning and navigating my way into the new- ish system of crypto currency, I was instantly inspired and started to meditate on the origins of our monetary systems and how they function to relect our identity as human beings.

This consideration led me to create the concept of my genesis NFT collection, The Spirit Coin. I was inspired to create a series of circular hand painted designs that captured aspects of ourselves that come from the inner source of our own being.

The Spirit Coin collection represents the equity of connection versus transaction. The second phase in this new digital era was the invitation to SHARE more. Because my work was now being seen on a computer screen, the story and the content changed and developed so that the message could be fully received by the viewers.

Each digital scan of each physical painting on paper became a special story to tell and an energy to transmit. The desire to stay connected to my own art making practice and to also share it with others motivated me to reach wholeheartedly into this new medium and embrace the illusion of constraint the screen seemed to pose. The digital space opened and expanded the storyline, the meaning and the multi-dimensional quality of my work. I started to animate my work and create sound pieces to accompany the images. The additional layers of movement and sound brought my work to an even greater life.

While completing my MFA at The San Francisco Art Institute, a professor presented us with a concept I carry with me into my practice as a professional creative to this day. He asked us to consider the extent of generosity in our work. He asked us to consider if we were allowing our audience inside of our work. Were we being generous and allowing our audience to see exactly what it is that we are creating? Or were we treating our audience like outsiders? He then proposed a simple, yet paradoxical question: Does this piece of art have joyful complexity? What is joyful complexity? Joyful complexity is the act of embracing our inherent inluence and control alongside our total surrender as to

how something turns out with a commitment to keep going until there is joy in the inished product. Joyful complexity is about the balance between what we know and the beautiful mystery that drives us to know more.

One of the most intense times of uncertainty was midway into the pandemic, none of us knowing how long it would go on and what the outcome would be or how we would collectively survive. I remember the simple act of going to the grocery store took on a new level of joy for me like never before! This was one of the most exciting parts of the day for quite some time! So, we come to our inal stage, EASE. The Web3 space catapulted my vision not because of initial necessity, constraint, or technological advancement- I have been catapulted into new levels of creative, inancial and personal fulillment because of people.

Something I let go of is the idea that I have to do it all by myself, or that I have done it all by myself. In the West, there is great emphasis on the culture of hyper individualism and validation through singular power structures. In Web3, anyone and everyone who is in the space knows that we not only need each other but we thrive when we work together. It's about celebrating community and connection. The willingness to partner and collaborate with others in business is one of the most important evolutionary acts that we can make as artists, companies, brands and businesses. Learning to trust in the dynamic exchange and opening to the cocreative force is an act of faith in our need to be together, to work together and to live together. Being together is one of our basic needs as human beings. We need each other like we need groceries.

Togetherness and groceries, like all basic needs are meant to be met. As I placed my fully loaded grocery bags into my car packed to the brim with beautiful food one recent evening, I was stunned at the depth of my good fortune. It was then at that moment of deep gratitude that I heard and realized the word groceries. I heard it just as I write it here in these three words: grow, share, ease. It is simple, powerful and true: When we grow , we create more to share and when we share, we create an ease based upon the abundance of connection.

Legacy Building and Beyond

Sasha Lund

Embarking on a journey driven by a profound dedication to legacy building, Sasha Lund has emerged as a prominent figure in the realm of family business and business family advice. With a passion that stems from both her family heritage and future ambitions, Sasha, recognized as an award-winning, Forbes-featured international business leader, keynote speaker, and serial entrepreneur, has charted her own path with the establishment of Core Values Consulting.

Through this venture, Sasha oers unparalleled expertise, guiding multi-generational High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI) families in navigating crucial aspects such as succession planning, family governance, and the preservation of their family legacies.

In this exclusive interview, we delve into the unparalleled insights and experiences of Sasha Lund, uncovering the guiding principles behind her success and her unwavering commitment to securing healthy generational continuity and longevity for her clients.

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

I have often observed leadership going sideways. The vision has been there, but the execution has been poor to non-existent. Results are often devastating, starting with employees leaving or being made to leave.

Having a vision is far from enough when running a team, a company or any type of organization. It is – of course – the irst step. Keep your eyes on the prize, so to speak. However, for a visionary leader to do what she needs to do successfully, namely to lead, I believe the secret sauce is a combination of grit, collaboration and most importantly – creating a healthy company culture.

Peter Drucker said that “culture eats strategy for breakfast”. I couldn't agree more. For a vision to be executed successfully, a leader needs to take on the role of a ship captain, meaning that the entire leet needs to know what the destination is, where there are heading, and that the weather will be unpredictable at times. However, everyone has a role to play for the ship to reach its destination safely and successfully. Hence, engaging employees, understanding their strengths and play to them, as well as treat them as human beings, that is really what visionary leadership is about.

For me people always come irst. It does not mean that there are no challenges or that everybody is happy 24/7. However, if you create a trusted environment in which people feel that they are heard and respected, they are much more willing to face challenges together with you and will often go the extra mile that is required, knowing that it is both appreciated and won't go unnoticed.

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

Growing up for me was quite different from my peers. I am half Swedish, half Russian and through life circumstances ended up living in Berlin, Germany from

the age of 11, where I often had stretches of a few weeks without adult supervision. This led to me taking on a leadership role very early on – leading myself to adulthood. I have always been incredibly creative, which I believe is a core trait of any entrepreneur.

As such, before I turned 12, I wrote a critique of a movie that was being shown at the International Film Festival Berlinale and sent it to them, resulting me being invited as a jury member for the children's section of the second biggest ilm festival the following year. From then onwards, I became part of the ilm festival, while being in school, doing homework, taking on leading parts in theatre productions and playing violin – all in a language I barely spoke. Although that was challenging, this challenge is what helped me grow a curiosity mindset – about languages, cultures and people. It also helped me realize that hard work does pay off –eventually. And yes, you will fail. A gazillion times. But that is ok.

What prompted your interest and subsequently your foray into the legacy building space?

Having been raised in a very multicultural family with strong roots in the ilm and entertainment community, I was always around people who “were building something”. Legacy is an interesting word – for me it has both positive and negative connotations. I have worked with people who build empires for pure proit. They do not build a legacy with the mindset and thought of leaving anything behind for their families necessarily, but

rather to be remembered for their greatness – even if it costs them their relationships. Having said that, there are also beautiful stories: global families that I work with who have indeed built empires, made their wealth but want to leave behind something that will help make the world a better place. As cliché as that sounds, I believe that is what the world needs more of – especially in the current post-pandemic climate. Money makes the world go round so let us help legacy families build healthy empires. I love when I hear stories of family businesses where, say, the family's lawyer has been with the family for years and then the lawyer's son joins. Two legacies working side by side and hand in hand. Isn't that beautiful?

Talk to us about Core Value Consulting. What is the approach / process followed by you to ensure optimal client satisfaction?

First of all, I do not refer to people I work with as my clients. In my line of work, it is incredibly important to understand each person's needs and wants. Being able to then integrate those into the family's overall vision and mission as well as the business goals is what makes it both challenging but also incredibly stimulating and interesting. The company is called Core Values for a reason – I am a irm believer that if you don't stay true to your own core values, you will not succeed at anything in life –professionally or personally.

Our aim is to guide multigenerational family businesses, as

well as HNWIs from the sports and entertainment world on their path to securing healthy generational continuity and longevity. What does that mean? Building a business or accumulating wealth is hard enough and requires a vision, grit and team of trusted companions. However, growing this and then enabling the next generation to take over successfully, is a different animal entirely. Especially when family members are involved.

For me my ultimate goal is always client satisfaction. But how do you measure and achieve that when working with several members from the same family? For me it boils down to one word: trust

Building trust is a lengthy process, but one that is necessary. Because only once trust is established, can you really get down to the root of many problems that are often masked by other – quite irrelevant – factors. And in the end of the day, we all want to heal the world rather than just putting a little band aid on it. Or – even better: stop the wound from forming entirely.

Being an award-winning business leader, keynote speaker, serial entrepreneur, and philanthropist, how do you ensure work-life balance?

This one is interesting…

Being an entrepreneur means that my mind is constantly spinning. If I am not with one of the families I serve, giving a speech or recording a podcast, my mind is occupied with writing down new ideas, improvements of existing processes

or simply jotting down thoughts. I am a irm believer in disconnecting, especially from tech devices, such as laptops, phones and tablets. Having said that, I very much dislike the term work-life balance.

Being in the fortunate position of having my own company of course comes with plenty of beneits, such as deciding when I go on vacation, taking a sick day or sleeping in sometimes. However, I love the work I do and as such my mind is constantly percolating, mostly with excitement. And because work is such an integral part to my life, I do not like separating the two.

Having said that, it is vital to take proper breaks and I think especially when you work in a fast-passed environment and have a stimulating and demanding job, it usually takes a while until you are actually able to disconnect. Hence, I tend to encourage people to take two weeks off at once. For me, usually the irst week is needed to slow down and only then am I able to really “let go”. How do I know? My body tells me. It often takes a week until I realize how tense I have been.

My advice to people would be to listen more to their bodies. Doing mindfulness exercises on a daily or even weekly basis, coupled with physical exercise and even simply a coffee with a friend can help you center yourself and relax.

As a global leader, what would be your advice for women entrepreneurs trying to spread their wings at a global scale?

At the risk of saying something unpopular, I have often observed that one of the biggest barriers for women is other women. We at times create unnecessary competition, rather than supporting each other. Surrounding yourself with a few champions, who will

have your back, help you grow, give you advice and be your biggest fan is of course easier said than done, but it really does work.

When I started out, I unfortunately had a boss who was holding me back. She even was bold enough to

tell me that she feels threatened by me. So, I left. And that was not an easy decision. However, along the way I found my mentor, whom I love to bits and who has been a huge supporter and a fantastic advisor (thank you, Gregg!): both on personal and professional matters. Now, he is a man, and it is always great to have the support of any human, regardless of their sex.

Having said that, when I was fortunate enough to meet my irst couple of female role models, who started guiding me and also offering me opportunities, I realized how I somehow felt a power from within me that I did not know I had. Having women supporting other women is truly magical and invaluable.

What does the future look like for Core Value Consulting? What are you most excited about?

I love challenging myself by working with families with diverse sets of dificulties as well as different cultural backgrounds. It excites me to help individuals and businesses while also learning about their culture – be it their family culture or the culture of the country they are in.

As for what's next, I am working on a project with a woman I consider brilliant on something that might be “the next big thing” for women across the globe. But you'll have to wait to learn more about it…

Photographer: Svetlana Stoukanevatba.

Exeleon Shorts

One Book Entrepreneurs Must Read – War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. Why? It encompasses a wide range of human experience and emotions. As an entrepreneur you need to be able to put yourself into other people's shoes while dealing with your own challenges.

One Tool / App that Everyone Should Use –Waking Up by Sam Harris (for mindfulness) and Masterclass (for learning pretty much anything you want)

One Podcast / Course that you would Recommend – My own: Legacy Talks with Sasha Lund, as well as Psycho, Schizo, Espresso with Bruce Dickinson

One Quote that Motivates you the Most –“If everything around seems dark, look again, you might be the light” - Rumi

One Investment Advice that you Follow –Trust your gut.

The Secrets Behind

Writing a Bestseller

Learn the proven strategies and secrets of successful authors as Morgan Gist MacDonald of Paper Raven Books shares the path to writing bestselling books.

From studying sociology to becoming an author to now launching over 100s of books through your publishing company. What has been this journey like for you?

Growing a service-based business in an industry that is changing rapidly has challenged me to create entirely new best practices and success paths for my authors, from the ground up.

20 years ago, there was no such thing as a book coach. If you pitched an idea for a book to a traditional publisher and were accepted, you'd work with the publisher's acquisition editor while you were writing your book.

Once people were able to self-publish, though, they still needed that help in developing a manuscript, so they started looking for professionals who could help with actually structuring and writing a book. When I started, that's exactly what I was doing, helping people to organize, write, and develop the content of their books.

Then, my clients started asking me to help them publish their books. I knew how to write a book and how to edit a book, but I really didn't know anything about publishing and marketing. So, I wrote my own book and went through the self-publishing process, tried dozens of different approaches to marketing, and I optimized the process as I went along.

Morgan Gist Macdonald CEO, Paper Raven Books

Now, I've developed best practices and systems and grown a team of editors, designers, formatters, marketers, and project managers, who all work together on the 50+ books a year we launch at Paper Raven Books. And with every single book we launch, we look at what's changing in the industry, what are still best practices, and what pieces can be optimized to create even better sales, rankings, and reviews for our authors' books.

Writing a book can be a daunting task and extremely overwhelming. Talk to us about your own experience writing your irst book.

When I started writing my own book, I'd recently had my third baby, so I was typically awake for a 4 am feeding. I would stay up and write from about 5am to 6am, when my other two children would wake up and be ready to start the day. I spent a couple of weeks just developing the structure of the book, and then I wrote the irst draft in those quiet early mornings for about two months.

Fortunately, I had worked with enough clients through writing their books that I felt fairly conident that if I could get something like 30 or 40 hours of writing time in, that would be enough to develop a solid irst draft, that I could then revise and publish.

For most of the writers my team and I work with, if we can help them create a structure in the beginning, and then optimize each writing session, something like 40 hours to 80 hours of writing time is enough to write a irst draft that

would then go through a few rounds of revisions before being ready to publish.

As a irst-time author, how can one gain visibility and attract media attention to boost their overall sales?

The place where most readers discover new books is the Amazon bookstore, so we recommend that irst-time authors focus on optimizing the book's sales page on Amazon. Choose a launch week, where you're going to put the ebook on promotion (free or $.99), and gather a launch team of 50 people who are going to download that ebook and leave a review during your selected launch week.

We also recommend reaching out to book promotion sites (like cravebooks.com) to let their lists of readers know about the new book that's running an ebook promotion.

When you can stack a couple hundred sales or downloads of an ebook in a short amount of time, it'll pop the title to the top of the category, which will increase the visibility of the book. Now, you'll want to select your book's categories carefully. In the Amazon bookstore, ebooks may select 10 categories, so we recommend irsttime authors ind very niche categories that are nested inside of larger, relevant categories.

For instance, if you're writing a book on leadership, you could launch the book in the very large, highly competitive category of “Business & Money.” The problem is that if your book is not doing well, relative to the other books in that

category, you'll fall in the rankings, and Amazon's algorithm will push your book to the bottom of the category.

However, if you launch your book in a smaller category that's nested inside of Business & Money, you'll have a better shot of doing well, relative to the books that are speciically categorized there. So, if you could choose this category: Business & Money > Entrepreneurship & Small Business > Entrepreneurship.

Your book is then launched inside of the smaller category, “Entrepreneurship,” which only requires 91 downloads or sales to become a #1. Now, hitting #1 in a category is fun, and, more importantly, it triggers the Amazon bookstore algorithm to show your book widely in the next category up, in this case, “Entrepreneurship & Small Business.”

With this type of strategy, you're triggering the Amazon algorithm to show the book more widely in increasingly more competitive categories, so you can get visibility for your book in those larger categories.

Once your book has at least a thousand downloads or sales, a few #1 rankings, and 50+ reviews, now any additional promotion you do for the book is more likely to be effective. Most people who ind your book online or hears about your book on a podcast will look at the Amazon sales page before they buy, so we want to make sure that sales page is a high-converting sales page that's stacked with sales, #1 rankings, and great reviews.

What according to you are the three biggest mistakes authors make that impact their long-term sales and visibility?

First, authors tend to forget to think about how readers actually buy a new book. These days, most readers are going to the Amazon bookstore to buy books. More than 70% of books (eBooks, physical books, audio books) are bought through the Amazon bookstore.

When authors are developing a book idea, they tend to go into what I would call an “untested market,” meaning they haven't identiied what readers are searching for in a book like this. Reader's search patterns are especially important. For instance, when readers go to the Amazon bookstore and search for a book, are they really typing in something like “business book?” Or are they typing in something that's a little more speciic to their situation, like “business lessons about failure.” Turns out, when you do the research into keywords, “business lessons about failure” is searched approximately 1,214 times per month, currently, with only 84 other books listed with that keyword phrase. One of the tools we use to do this is Publisher Rocket, and there are other tools, too.

In the context of bringing a new book to market, what this means is that if you tag your book with the keyword “business lessons about failure,” the book will be served as a search result to

1,200 people every month—and not just people, book buyers who are actively searching for a book like yours!

Steven Adjei is an entrepreneur, healthcare consultant, author, and poet. When he released his book, Pay The Price , others had recommended he simply publish a business book and try to get it into bookstores, like everyone else. Steven had some innovative ideas in his book, including stories about ethics in entrepreneurship, passion and pain entrepreneurs encounter in their journey, plus motivational poetry woven in and a companion playlist available for free access. When we helped Steven publish and launch his book, we tested the market, searching for keyword phrases that would put his book in front of the right readers, keyword phrases that included “business” and “entrepreneurship,” yes, but also “ethics,” “passion,” “pain.” You can test the market of your book, ahead of time, by seeing what your ideal readers are searching for in online bookstores.

The second mistake most authors make is not having a clear way for the reader to become their customer, which I refer to as an “untested customer journey.”

In the book world, by default, the readers who purchase a book are customers of the bookstore. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and any independent bookstore will happily accept the payment and customer information from a book buyer and never release that information to the author of that book.

For many authors, though, being able to contact those readers is the best way to grow an author brand

and base of fans. Whether you would like those readers to become clients for your back-end products and services or simply continue buying the books you release every year, it's so much easier for an author to grow when they have a tried-and-true customer journey from one book into the bigger business.

When Dr. Terry Pease published and launched her book, Love, Dignity, & Parkinson's , we helped her include a companion workbook and journal that a reader could access for free by scanning a QR code. Now, every person who scans that QR code and provides their email address, Dr. Pease is able to reach out to and offer additional coaching to, inside her business.

The third mistake most authors make is actually in the writing part of the process, especially because

most of us were never taught how to structure a book and write 40,000+ words that transition smoothly from chapter to chapter in a compelling narrative arc.

For many authors, writing a book is a little like dumping information onto a page and hoping the reader can follow. I call this an “untested concept.” The author has accumulated a lot of ideas, experiences, and stories, but putting them all in one book does not always make for a great reader experience.

When Dr. John Martin irst wrote his book, Psychology Conidential , he wanted to provide the reader with a collection of funny, poignant, touching stories from his career as a psychologist and professor. Many of his patients and students had had clarifying moments by learning psychological principles, and he

wanted to create a story-telling version of that experience. To his credit, Dr. John had many, many stories that he could draw on. And where our book coaching team helped was to curate those stories and craft a compelling structure that guided the reader through a series of experiences, chapter-bychapter. Dr. John's book is a fantastic read, in itself, and he is frequently requested to campuses and events to tell more of his stories to students, faculty, and folks interested in how psychology informs life.

So, those three together, if you can test your market, customer journey, and content, will help any writer develop a book that will sell, grow your business, and create a lasting impression for your readers.

How is Paper Raven Books helping authors gain visibility, market their book, and most importantly, ind customers?

At Paper Raven Books, we help our authors to self-publish professionally. Our team of book coaches, editors, designers, formatters, marketers, and project managers work with authors, oneon-one, to write, publish, launch, and market their books. Our authors are truly self-published, which enables them to retain the creative vision, legal rights, and proits from the books.

And we bring our 8 years of experience and best practices, so that we can help the author get the most of their book. We help to make sure the book fulills the author's intention to serve a speciic type of reader, who could then work with the author in a deeper way. We help to create a customer journey, so

that those readers can easily become a client or customer of the author.

We help to optimize the book for visibility on the Amazon platform, so that even people who are discovering the book for the irst time are eager to buy the book and leave a review, which builds the foundation for the books' long-term sales. We help our authors get on to podcasts and other peoples' platforms, so they can spread the word about their book, mission, and message.

As the Founder and CEO of Paper Raven Books, what role do you play in the day-to-day proceedings of the company?

I am involved in architecting each piece of our customers' journeys, from the ads they see for our company, to being invited to a workshop, speaking with one of our sales reps, and then choosing a package that its their publishing needs.

I meet with a few clients each week, I host an all-client meeting once a week, and I meet with each department, to make sure they have what they need to serve our clients to the best of their abilities.

What do you think is the future for the publishing industry? What role do you think modern technology will be playing?

I believe that direct-to-consumer sales is the future for most authors and readers.

Right now, we buy eBooks through Amazon because so many of us have Kindles. What if we were able to buy eBooks from any website

and instantly, easily drop those eBooks to our e-reading device? That would massively disrupt Amazon's hold on the book market.

At the same time, I believe that many readers will still want to go to bookstores, not necessarily to purchase speciic books, but for that experience of browsing through bookshelves and discovering something new, surrounded by the smell of paper, the sound of an espresso machine, and the buzz of being around other book lovers.

Right now, bookstores simply sell books. I wonder what it could look like to be a member of a bookstore, able to browse and while enjoying beverages, as much as you wanted. And when you ind something you like, scan a code and have it delivered to your device or your door at the same hour. Something like that could be very possible with open-source e-readers, audiobook apps, and print-on-demand.

Not to mention NFTS, Web 3.0, and all of the technology that's allowing peer-to-peer exchanges. Much of that has yet to be proven in the broader marketplace, but there's a lot of excitement about what's possible with new and emerging versions of books and bookstores.

So, yes, I'm excited about the future for authors, readers, publishers, and bookstores—it's a whole industry, illed with people who love books.

Exploring AFRICA

Founded by Kirsty Gordon, Anywhere in Africa Safaris is an independent, owner-run tour operator based in one of the most breath-taking cies in the world, Cape Town. The company plans bespoke, luxury travel packages to Southern Africa, East Africa, North Africa, and Indian Ocean Islands.

What according to you makes one a transformational leader?

I believe that as a transformational leader you need to give your employees the independence to share and make decisions to support new problem-solving solutions and ways to grow the company or help to make our clients feel super special.

How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership?

First and foremost, as a transformational leader in the travel industry you need to set a good example of trust and transparency, not only to your staff, but to your supplier, partners, and clients. You do this by being passionate, enthusiastic, and energetic while focusing on helping every member in the team to succeed and think out of the 'travel box'.

An example: I have two incredible ladies who work for me in my social media and marketing team. They are young, energetic and have some

fabulous ideas on how to grow my social media reach and improve our marketing. We have meetings to thrash out ideas, come up with ''out of the box'' travel marketing suggestions, solutions for social media that are not working –but i always listen, encourage, trust in their expertise so that we can grow this part of the business in a positive and specialized manner.

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

I was very lucky to grow up on the garden route in South Africa in a small town called George. My mum bought me a pony when I was about 7 years old, and this totally changed my life! I grew up riding horses, exploring the forests, mountains, and beaches on horseback with my friends.

My mum would drop me at the riding club at 8am in the morning on a Saturday and didn't see me again till she picked me up at 6pm after I had helped feed the horses their evening meal. My

KIRSTY GORDON

CEO & Founder, Anywhere in Africa Safaris

life was carefree, with great friends, incredible family, and amazing outdoor locations. However, my mum struggled inancially as a single parent as my dad had passed away when I was about 4 years old. Often it was inancially dificult for my mum to pay for horse-riding show fees or send me to shows outside of George, which required transport, accommodation, and entry.

When I was about 14 years old, I remember overhearing my mum telling my grandmother that she would love to send me to a show in Port Elizabeth but just couldn't afford it that month. So, this is when I decided to take control of the situation and I put up an advert at the riding club to say that i was making numnahs (which is a saddle blanket).

My mum had a sewing machine at home which I had learnt to use as I had to do needle work / home economics as school. Suddenly I had a few orders and then I decided to make ''chaps'' which are made of suede/ soft leather to protect the riders' legs. I made a full pair for myself and then orders started coming in. This is how I was then able to help my mum pay for some of my horse-riding costs. It was such a thrill to feel that I could contribute! Then I got into riding people's dificult horses which they paid me for and then when I was 18 years old, I did my SANEF (South African Equestrian Federation) teaching level in order to teach professionally. Horse riding was a huge part of my life for many years and helped sustain me when I was between jobs or needed extra income.

What prompted your love affair with Africa and the wilderness of the world?

A friend of mine Carolyn Hartley st was having her 21 birthday in Botswana at a camp owned by her parents (Hartley's Safaris). I was invited to join her, and this was my irst taste of a safari and what an incredible place to experience your irst safari in the Okavango delta of Botswana. That was the start of my love for the African bush!

What is the approach followed by your company – Anywhere in Africa - to ensure the most authentic travel experiences for your clients?

I am very speciic with which venues or ground handlers that I partner with and make sure that most of the venues I recommend for my clients, I have visited personally.

It is very important to me and Anywhere in Africa Safaris that we use and recommend venues that have the same ethos as we do. You, our guests are giving back to Africa by visiting, traveling, interacting with the staff, getting to know them as people not just as a place to stay and experience.

One of my philosophies is that we cannot change Africa, but we can change the circle that we create around us. So, by making sure that Anywhere in Africa Safaris works with the right venues, lodges, tour companies, ground handlers in all the areas of Africa, we help to create the right impact within our circle. We then need you, our clients, to visit Africa and help us make the circle bigger as you

become an ambassador for the continent, to help, understand and share the changes and positive impacts that are being made to support community and conservation.

Talk to us about your idea of giving back. Why is it an important subject for you?

A talkative bird will not build a nest' sums up our approach to charity work and 'giving back'. It speaks to our ethos of 'deeds, not words', which many of our traveler's share. We're often asked by our clients how they can directly beneit the communities or animals they've encountered on their journey. Besides making sure we use properties that give back to the community, conservation, and general well-being of their staff. We give a portion of each booking made by clients back to Elephant Havens which is an NGO in Maun that we support.

We also encourage clients to speak to us irst if they want to give back to Africa as we have many smaller non-proit organizations that need help and are not supported by the bigger companies. Clients then know their money is going to support the right community, organization, school, conservation program or charity.

What does a day in the life of Kirsty Gordon look like?

I normally get to the ofice around 7:30 in the morning to have time to check emails and do some planning before we start at 8:30. I am then involved with what payments have to be made to suppliers, especially the USA payments as we have a

time frame to get these actioned by 10am so that the suppliers will be paid the following day. Then invariably I have 1 zoom meeting per day or now that people are comfortable to interact, suppliers come to the ofice for product updates or to introduce me to new products.

Then working on clients traveling to make sure all is running smoothly, answering emails to clients to help plan their trips. Often in the afternoon having zoom meeting with any new American clients to discuss their wish lists, budgets, ideas they have for their possible trip (this is generally in the afternoon from about 2pm to 6pm due to time zone differences. Clients who have paid their inal payments which are 2 months prior to their trip – we then need to

prioritize payment suppliers, inalizing their itinerary set by step. Then between 5pm and 6pm, I head home either for a walk or run with my partner or then make dinner.

What are you most excited about in the future, both personally and professionally?

I am so excited to see that travel is getting back to normalcy and people are traveling to Africa! We have lovely bookings this year for –South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zanzibar, Mozambique, and Ethiopia!

This is how you become an ambassador of Africa – by traveling to this amazing continent – this

forms such a positive spin on effect that helps people, communities, conservation which then assists in preventing poaching, helps builds economies, brings global opportunities, and much more!

I am excited for the future of Anywhere in Africa Safaris. Personally, I love people, I love Africa, and I love travel, so I am excited to see how Africa is calling!

Inventing Possibilities

Aishwarya Karnataki’s Journey with the Fifth Sense Translation Gloves

s a leader, Aishwarya's focus on A inspiring and motivating her team to achieve a shared vision, communicate effectively, and create a positive work culture that encourages innovation, creativity, and learning, exempliies the qualities of a transformational leader. In her role as CEO and Founder of Glovatrix, she embodies these qualities and more, with her work being centered on empowering the speech and hearing-impaired community. Her leadership and dedication are a testament to the power of passion and hard work in achieving success and making a positive impact on the world.

EARLY INFLUENCE

Aishwarya's growing up years in the United States were marked by a strong interest in entrepreneurship and leadership. One of her earliest memories as a leader and entrepreneur was during a school fair, where she set up a henna tattoo stall. Her hard work and dedication paid off when her stall was awarded the

prize for the most visited stall at the fair.

Years later, in 2008, Aishwarya had a lifechanging encounter with a six-year-old deaf boy named Atharva that deeply impacted her and shaped her future path. At the time, Aishwarya was in the eighth grade, and despite her young age, she had already developed a strong sense of empathy and compassion towards others.

What deeply moved Aishwarya was the realization that despite being full of life and laughter, Atharva was isolated from all the other kids due to his inability to communicate with them. While the other children could hear and speak, Atharva could not, and as a result, he struggled to make friends and connect with others.

Determined to help Atharva feel included and understood, Aishwarya decided to learn sign language so she could communicate with him. As she learned and practiced sign language, she was struck by the fact that communication is a fundamental human need, and everyone deserves to be heard and understood.

CEO & Founder

Glovatrix

Finally, when Aishwarya was able to have a conversation with Atharva in his language, she witnessed the joy and happiness on his face as he realized that someone could understand him and reply back. This moment left a profound impact on her, and she knew that she wanted to use her skills and knowledge to help others who struggle to communicate like Atharva. From that moment on this became a driving force in Aishwarya's life.

FIFTH SENSE

Aishwarya's enthusiasm for electronics and engineering led her to explore everything she could about circuits, sensors, and programming. As she worked on her inal year project, a gesturecontrolled robot, she devoted herself to the project with passion and dedication, learning a great deal about integrating technology and human interaction. However, it wasn't until Aishwarya combined her knowledge in electronics with her sign language skills that she discovered her true calling.

The Fifth Sense Translation Gloves were born out of Aishwarya's desire to help bridge the communication gap between the hearing and deaf communities. Her devotion to this project is a testament to her love for both technology and the human connection. The gloves, which can translate sign language into speech and vice versa, are the result of her hard work and determination to create a tool that could enable easier communication between the two communities.

Aishwarya's Fifth Sense Translation

Gloves have garnered recognition

and appreciation from the deaf community, and it has been lauded as a signiicant step towards inclusivity. The gloves have been a labor of love for Aishwarya, who has spent countless hours perfecting them. Her passion for technology and her commitment to making a positive difference in the world are evident in every aspect of this project, making it a true relection of her values and aspirations.

THE PROCESS AND CHALLENGES

Aishwarya and her team of engineers and designers at Glovatrix faced an arduous but rewarding journey while creating the Fifth Sense product. The team dedicated numerous hours towards research, testing and improving the prototype, ensuring that it was not only accurate but also user-friendly. They utilized a blend of sensors and machine learning algorithms to precisely detect and translate hand movements into text and audio in real-time.

Apart from the technological aspects, extensive research was also conducted to comprehend the needs, desires, and obstacles of the deaf community. To gain deeper insights into their communication challenges and how technology could be utilized to enhance their lives, Aishwarya and her team conducted interviews with individuals from the deaf community and sign language interpreters.

This research helped them tailor the product to meet the requirements of the deaf community, making it a valuable tool for their communication needs.

One of the biggest challenges the team faced was making the glove lightweight and comfortable for prolonged use. They had to carefully select materials that were both durable and breathable, without compromising the technology within. They also had to ensure that the technology was accessible to everyone, regardless of their level of technical expertise. Therefore, they designed the glove to be easy to use, with simple controls and a clear display.

THE IMPACT

The positive impact of Glovatrix on the deaf community has made all the hard work and long hours' worth it. Aishwarya is deeply moved by the gratitude expressed by the people whose lives have been changed by her innovative product. The memory of Atharva and the profound impact integrating communication had on his life still brings tears to her eyes and serves as a driving force behind her passion to continue creating products that can help those in need.

As the CEO and Founder of Glovatrix, Aishwarya is committed to fostering a culture of innovation and creativity. She believes in the importance of empathy as a key aspect of transformational leadership and actively listens to her team members and customers to gain a better understanding of their perspectives and address their needs and concerns. This approach has helped build trust and loyalty, resulting in a positive impact on team morale and productivity.

TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Aishwarya has integrated her thoughts on transformational leadership into her own leadership style. She began by identifying a clear vision that aligns with her values and passions - of empowering the deaf and speechimpaired community. This has allowed her to create a sense of purpose and direction that inspires her team members to work towards a common goal.

To create a positive work culture that encourages innovation, collaboration, and learning, Aishwarya believes in providing her team members with the resources and support they need to develop their skills and reach their full potential. She invests in training programs, offers feedback and

recognition, and fosters an environment where everyone feels valued and respected. This approach has not only helped her team members grow and thrive, but it has also had a positive impact on the success of Glovatrix.

As a transformational leader, Aishwarya is constantly looking for ways to improve and innovate. She encourages her team members to think outside the box and take calculated risks to drive growth and success. This mindset has led to many exciting new ideas and projects that have helped Glovatrix stay ahead of the curve in the wearable technology space. By promoting a culture of innovation and embracing new ideas, Aishwarya has been able to create a

workplace where creativity lourishes and where everyone feels empowered to contribute their unique perspectives and insights.

Her work with Glovatrix has demonstrated the potential for technology to enhance human connections and make a meaningful impact on the lives of individuals with communication challenges.

DRIVING RESULTS

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.