The 2020's Most Influential Women to Watch

1. VOL. 07 | ISSUE 05 | 2020 EXPERT’S ADVICE THE GLASS CEILING EFFECT: ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE ON WOMEN AND LEADERSHIP WOMEN IMPOWER DYNAMICS OF WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN THE EVER-CHANGING MODERN WORKFORCE

4. Editor’s Desk I n last few months a novel virus known as the coronavirus has transformed into a pandemic and spread infecting hundreds of thousands of people around the world and impacting humankind societally. And while we have yet to see the incalculable impact that will follow the pandemic—due to state and nationwide lockdowns, the closure of countless businesses, social distancing, and/or transition to remote work for millions across the world—every one of us has begun to witness its severe impact on the global economy. Frontrunners of New Age Businesspersons, in specific, are one of the people that have been greatly affected economically by the COVID- 19 pandemic. From marketing and branding to technology, healthcare to food industry and in between, businesses has been forced to continuously adapt to the changing tides. In this edition, 10 businesswomen share their inspiring stories of how they are leading business in this era of crisis and navigating the effects of COVID-19. Leading others also consists: making others resilient, visionary and capable In its upcoming edition “The 20 Most Successful Businesswoman to Watch”, Insights Success is bringing the journeys of some of these dynamic who are recognized for successful business ideas, leadership and entrepreneurship across the world. The cover features Lori Cornmesser, a visionary businesswoman who has a proven track record in all aspects of building and driving field/channel sales with a strong focus on strategic marketing and business

5. planning combined with skilled sales and contract negotiation abilities. Since joining Infoblox in May 2018, Lori has advocated for channel culture, prioritized the importance of building channel relationships and hosted Infoblox’s inaugural Americas Partners Summit. In her role as Vice President of Worldwide Channel and Alliance Sales at Infoblox, Lori is responsible for advancing the agenda of partners and ensuring they are seen as a revenue engine that can help the company scale and be successful. She has built out a highly skilled team across the Americas, EMEA and APJ partner teams. She has set the foundation and strategy to become the vendor of choice with partners and continues to work with her team to deliver program assets and tools in the way partners go to market. Rohit Chaturvedi Let’s unveil such alike, inspiring stories and interviews of many such passionate leaders in this special edition and spread a word about their contribution in making this world a better place. Also, while flipping the pages, don’t forget to go through the articles and CXOs written by our in- house editorial team and industry experts respectively.

6. Cover Story Articles 34 Expert’s Advice The Glass Ceiling Effect: Another Perspective on Women and Leadership 68 Women Impower Dynamics of Women participation in the ever-changing modern workforce Cont 10 Lori Cornmesser A Strategic Thinker and Tactical Executor ents

7. 18 Anaida Deti An Inspirational Health Entrepreneur 30 Chaitra Vedullapalli Helping to Achieve Economic Prosperity 22 Barbara Ann Bernard A Successful Entrepreneur in a Competitive Industry 38 Cydni Tetro Redefining the Customary Way of Doing Business 26 Carolyn Hogg An Entrepreneurial Leader covering all the Tasks Cont 44 ents Fia Johansson Being an Aid to the Law Enforcement

8. 60 Karin Lohitnavy A Passion Driven 48 Leader Fiona Bruder Making Disruptive Changes through Experiential Marketing 64 Laura Brando An Influencer and Powerful Mortgage Professional 52 Jennifer Breen Making Home Happen Through Temporary Housing Services 72 Manuela Beil-Peter A Well Organized and Pro-active Individual 56 Jennifer Ladouceur A Role Model Inspiring Passion & Innovation in Others

9. 76 Margaret Graziano Creating High- Performance Organizational Culture to Boost Businesses 88 Sarah Peiker Renowned RPO Leader for Recruiting A Talented Workforce 80 Nicole Enders The Next Generation Superintendent 92 Tamma Carel Driving Sustainability through Passion and Professionalism 84 Nicole Iseppi Advocating Greater Industry Collaboration & Increase Efficiency in the Global Energy Sector

10. Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal Executive Editor Rohit Chaturvedi Assistant Editors Jenny Fernandes Bhushan Ghate Managing Editor Anish Miller Co-designer Visualizer David King Art & Design Director Amol Kamble Associate Designer Kushagra Gupta Deepanjali Jena Senior Sales Manager Business Development Manager Andy Mitter Kshitij S Sales Executives Daniel, Ethan, Vishnu Vardan Marketing Manager John Matthew Business Development Executives Technical Head Jacob Smile Anish, Joe, Alan, Omkar Digital Marketing Manager Marry D'Souza Technical Specialist Aditya Research Analyst Frank Adams SME-SMO Executive Amol Wadekar Database Management Stella Andrew Technology Consultant David Stokes Circulation Manager Robert Brown sales@insightssuccess.com July, 2020 Follow us on : www.facebook.com/insightssuccess/ We are also available on : www.twitter.com/insightssuccess Copyright © 2020 Insights Success, All rights reserved. The content and images used in this magazine should not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from Insights Success. Reprint rights remain solely with Insights Success.

12. LORI CORNMESSER A Strategic Thinker and Tactical Executor COVERSTORY

13. Lori Cornmesser Vice President of Worldwide Channel & Alliance Sales Infoblox

14. skilled team across the Americas, EMEA and APJ partner “ A good leader need not only be an expert in their industry, but must see the bigger picture, and understand their roles in the wider world. They need to believe that change is possible and worthwhile and be able to convey that message to others in a way that has meaning. This quality is best summed up in one word — vision. A leader with vision is a leader who can see the path ahead and inspires others to help them turn a dream into a reality. Lori Cornmesser is one such visionary businesswoman who has a proven track record in all aspects of building and driving field/channel sales with a strong focus on strategic marketing and business planning combined with skilled sales and contract negotiation abilities. Do what you say you're going to do. Since joining Infoblox in May 2018, Lori has advocated for channel culture, prioritized the importance of building channel relationships and hosted Infoblox's inaugural Americas Partners Summit. In her role as Vice President of Worldwide Channel and Alliance Sales at Infoblox, Lori is responsible for advancing the agenda of partners and ensuring they are seen as a revenue engine that can help the company scale and be successful. She has built out a highly Keep it simple and surround yourself with great people that have skills and talent that you do not.

15. teams. She has set the foundation and strategy to become the vendor of choice with partners and continues to work with her team to deliver program assets and tools in the way partners go to market. Lori believes that organizations should be customer centric and her own leadership style incorporate that philosophy of maintaining strong rapport with existing and prospective clients. Lori is known for her ability to balance strategic thinking, tactical execution and developing C-suite partnerships while amplifying company loyalty and promoting innovation in the marketplace. Embracing Diversity Lori is of German and African American descent. She relates to issues of diversity and understands the importance of not only celebrating diversity, but also in spreading an understanding of diverse backgrounds and cultivating diverse work environments. Lori was born into this world biracial. Diversity chose her. Her mother refers to this as her honor and obligation. She was chosen to see the world through a different glass. Growing up in Silicon Valley – she stood alone in many conference rooms being the solo female and minority. As a result, today she served as the President of the Silicon Valley branch of the California Diversity Council and she is active in the community on these topics. Among her many accolades, she has been named to the CRN Channel Chiefs list for 2016-2020 and recognized by CRN as one of the Top Women of the Channel in 2009- 2020. She also made the coveted Power 100 list in 2014- 2020. Lori was also named by the Diversity Journal as the Woman to Watch of 2011 and recently received Most Powerful Women in Technology Award in August 2019. While she is dedicated to her career and works extremely hard in order to contribute greatly to the growth and success of her company, as well as the growth and success of herself within her field, Lori has also served as the President of the Silicon Valley branch of the larger umbrella organization, the California Diversity Council. In-depth Experience Lori is an accomplished Global Channel and Commercial Management Executive with 25+ years of in- depth experience in managed services, computer networking, network management/security, and the hardware industry. She has spent a career, developing deep relationships with field team leadership, supplying revenue, and protecting long-term marketplace viability and growth. Endless Flexibility Infoblox solutions offer endless flexibility to meet the requirements of its customers across a broad range of verticals including but not limited to financial services, healthcare, government, retail, higher education and service providers. The solutions can be deployed on-premises, fully in the cloud (SaaS), as cloud managed and/or as a hybrid

16. Me’ Time solution, offering choice and seamless integration into their existing architectures. Ÿ Lori says, ‘Me’ time is the most important of all the tips out there. Nothing can beat ‘Me’ time. Having even an hour during the day can help unwind and feel energized. It will recharge one to go out in the world and get stuff done like a boss. Balance is the Key Lori considers it is important that businesswoman put their heart into the business by being kind to people. She asks to work hard, smart, and with a sense of urgency. She advises businesswomen to work with a sense of purpose, meaning, mission, urgency, and grabbing what one want. She says that hustle means working harder, smarter, and faster than other people. She considers it is vital to our survival to have balance in our lives and taking care of ourselves. Learn to prioritize & stay organized Ÿ When it comes to work-life balance, there is no standard template. The idea is to set priorities right as per her needs and situation and allocate enough time to each of the important activities. However, accept that there is no perfect equilibrium. Stay organized when it comes to the daily routine activities and allocate a certain amount of time to each task. According to Lori, to have balance in work and life, these are the steps every businesswoman must take: Healthy Eating Habits + Workout + Meditation Ÿ For Lori, healthy food, workout and meditation also play crucial part in achieving balance between life and work. She asserts “Our eating habits suffer the most when we have a hectic schedule. It is very important to eat healthy food.Most of us spend all day sitting and working on our machines. When you work 10 hours a day, working out may seem impossible. On days when you do not have time, take small steps with mini-workout routine. Ditch the elevators and take stairs instead. Take 5 minutes of stretching in between meetings.” Further she says use meditation apps like calm to take a 5 mins break from the stressful packed day. Learn to say ‘No’ Ÿ Say ‘No’ to things that do not align with personal goals. She thinks “Often, we spend too much engaging in activities or

17. The 20 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch encourage them the entrepreneurs keeps their spirit alive. taking up tasks that do not contribute to our goals. It is okay to say no sometimes. And it certainly does not mean that you are lazy or running away from responsibilities. It simply means that your time is valuable and should not be spent on non-value adding activities.” Infoblox has mastered a way of creating an interesting work environment, interactive dialogues among employees, support and motivation to the employees, reward system, etc. reflects the culture of the company. Hence, entrepreneurial spirit and technology should go hand in hand. Therefore, we need evolving technology as well as intelligent humans. Huge Contribution Infoblox is a very exciting company at a pivotal point for many organizations as they embark on their digital transformation journey. The innovation and next level approach to business allows Infoblox to remain a leader in the market. Lori serves as the global leader of Infoblox's Worldwide Partner Sales organization and is responsible for indirect sales, partner performance, channel reach, revenue attainment and partner profitability. She helps lead the Partner program, and oversees strategy, operations, marketing and enablement. All of this allows scale and reach resulting in increased revenue and fast time to market. A Mother Behind A Leader Sharing on life changing incident, Lori says, “Being a mother is not another role I embody; it is THE role of my life. Motherhood did not change me, it made me. It has fueled my career choices, my determination and my passion for life. My children have become an extension of my well- lived life. They become a new perspective, a different motivator, and a joyous way to see life from another angle.” Technology and Business Although aligning the IT and business strategy takes time and cooperation, it is an exercise worth completing. When IT is working to support business goals it leads to happier, more productive teams, smarter investments and greater return. It’s important to remember that alignment is not a one-off, box ticking activity. Alignment is something which requires regular reviews, assessments and adjustments. Being a Seeker and Learner Lori considers that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. No one got to where they are today without help along the way. She encourages businesswomen to ask for help and then remember to return the favor. Lori’s father always said to her, “if you think you are the smartest person in the room you are in the wrong room.” Lori gives advice to aspiring women entrepreneurs to never stop learning. “ sign of strength. No one From Lori’s point of view, IT and technology are helping to solve problems where human power alone is not enough. But technology alone cannot create a company culture, where human interactions are valued. Because it is people who are assigned to work on this technology and to Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a got to where they are today without help along the way.

19. G l o b a l S u b s c r i p t i o n $130.00 $70.00 $25.00 $250.00 1 Year 6 Months 3 Months 1 Month (12 Issues) (06 Issues) (03 Issues) (01 Issue) Stay in touch. Subscribe to Insightssuccess Get Insightssuccess Magazine in print, & digital on www.insightssuccess.com “ VOL 07 | ISSUE 05| 2020 C h o o s e E x c e l l e n t, C h o o s e I n s i g h t s EXPERT’S ADVICE THE GLASS CEILING EFFECT: ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE ON WOMEN AND LEADERSHIP WOMEN IMPOWER DYNAMICS OF WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN THE EVER-CHANGING MODERN WORKFORCE

20. The 20 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch www.insightssuccess.com 18 | JULY 2020

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32. Chaitra Vedullapalli Co- founder & CMO Meylah www.insightssuccess.com 30 | JULY 2020

33. The 20 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch Helping to Achieve Economic Prosperity C haitra Vedullapalli the Co- founder and CMO of Meylah is recognized as an Influential Business Leader with a passion to enable digital equity and access to achieve economic prosperity in our communities. Vedullapalli is also the Co-Founder & President of Women in Cloud , sits on many boards and drives global conversations with the United Nations and top corporations throughout the U.S. development, client management as well as the marketing and PR coordination. She is regularly keeping track of social media handles and other PR activities. She also ideates several products for Meylah. Speaker Engage is one of her brainchild to transform the events industry to adopt cloud technologies How do you diversify your solutions that appeal to your target audience? Meylah's mission is to help companies access the digital economy. A lot of our efforts are focused on working with corporations and their channels to ignite local economic development leveraging technologies, communities and programs. We work with customers to drive digital transformation with cloud & AI technologies. We leverage blue ocean business model thinking to design and develop solutions that create access to digital economy and reduce cost of doing business. During this progress, we spend a lot of time accessing what solutions actually will become sticky and develop diverse solutions to address market needs. In an interview with Insights Success, the spokesperson of Meylah shares the journey of Chaitra and the company. Below are the highlights of the interview; Give a brief overview of your background and Chaitra’s role in Meylah. Chaitra Vedullapalli is originally from India and moved to the United States 25 years ago with her husband Ram Vedullapalli. She did electrical engineering from RVCE in India and has worked with tech giants like Oracle and Microsoft before starting her own business, Meylah Corporation, partnering with her husband. Describe some of the vital attributes that every businesswoman should possess. Chaitra is the Co- founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Meylah. As the CMO she is often responsible for business www.insightssuccess.com JULY 2020 | 31

34. “I was at Oracle when my mentor, Bronwyn Hasting, now EVP at SAP said a person who leads from the back and ensures everyone is taken care of is a True Leader. She also said you can say you are a leader when you have created leaders who have created leaders. That resonated with my philosophy of serving, influencing and partnering with people to lead change. I believe every leader comes with their own set of traits and brings in their perspective through their experiences. Hence a “great leader” is subjective. However, I believe there are certain leadership traits that make a leader stand out in the crowd: 3. Ego Management: As you rise to the top, your ego becomes bigger and bigger. Ability for you to manage your ego and your emotions will serve you well. Kindness is the antidote for ego slaying. 4. Access Enabler: I believe that every leader priority must be to enable access for their employees, customers and partners to realize their potential. I believe in creating economic access and have dedicated my life to this cause.” Chaitra Vedullapalli What were the past experiences, achievements or lessons that shaped Chaitra’s journey? What were some of the primal challenges and roadblocks that you guys faced during the initial phase of Chaitra Vedullapalli’s journey? Although, in current times, women are given opportunities to rise, the power of influence is not showered upon women. This makes it extremely difficult for women leaders to gain economic access and power to make an 1. Coachability: Being coachable empowers the people around you to learn and grow. Being coachable allows you to be vulnerable with people and resolve obstacles easily. 2. Feedback Resilience: Being able to take all kinds of feedback without getting triggered is crucial in leading change. I believe when you receive feedback you are getting a gift from others and they are helping to see your own blind spots that you can see. www.insightssuccess.com 32 | JULY 2020

35. “Invest in creating access to economic opportunities using digital technologies.” impact in society. When women do not have economic power or the ability to influence decisions they cannot truly lead their organization and create impact. She has also been a huge believer that contributing to the community will create a larger than life impact. Chaitra brings her beliefs into the company and personally propagates it to her employees. This helps them grow personally and professionally. Collective action and collective growth is her mantra and she practices what she preaches. Chaitra has been very vocal about roadblocks she faced as a female tech entrepreneur during the early days of Meylah. She says, “I constantly noticed in the tech industry but I was surrounded by men in channel related initiatives, in customer and investor meetings and industry events. Women were not well represented to make decisions or provide inputs to shape the narrative around equity and access. I struggled to figure out how to drive consistent growth for our business. I noticed that I was silently becoming a part of the system that did not embrace inclusion. Gender bias was real and was affecting many women business owners in the tech industry.” Where does Chaitra Vedullapalli sees herself in the near future and how will you catalyze the change? Creating an inclusive economy through the technology sector is one of the core missions. Chaitra’s passion lies around building technology solutions that create equal access for economic opportunities. When you look at her portfolio of bold ideas, it focuses on 4 core areas 1. Developing economic development solutions using modern technologies 2. Removing language bias from public and private contracting practices 3. Public policy and advocacy to create equal access to entrepreneurial opportunities 4. Closely work with United Nations and Corporations to launch campaigns and solutions to solve global goals. But Chaitra is a problem solver, and her solution to the obstacles she faced was to build Women in Cloud, a community-led, economic development initiative to accelerating societal impact through female tech entrepreneurs with the colossal goal of generating over $1B in global economic access by 2030. www.insightssuccess.com JULY 2020 | 33

36. The Glass Ceiling Effect: Another Perspective on Women and Leadership www.insightssuccess.com 34 | JULY 2020

37. Expert’s Advice T he glass ceiling is a barrier so subtle that it is transparent; yet so strong that it prevents women from moving up the corporate hierarchy” ---Ann Morrison, American Author The term “Glass ceiling” can be defined as an unacknowledged upper limit in corporations and other organizations, above which it is difficult or even impossible for women to reach out to the highest ranks.“Glass ceiling” is a popular metaphor widely used for the hard-to-see informal barriers that prevents women from getting promoted or achieving further opportunities in leadership positions. The metaphor of “glass ceiling” has also been used to describe the limits and obstacles faced by racial minority groups. “The glass ceiling is not simply a barrier for an individual, based on the person’s inability to handle a higher-level job. Rather, the glass ceiling applies to women as a group who are kept from advancing higher because they are women.” The Elements behind the Glass Ceiling: It is pretty obvious that women are facing a lot of hurdles to break through the glass ceiling and reach to the highest leadership position throughout the ages. Preventing both women and organizations from reaching their full potential, the invisible “Glass Ceiling” denies us all of the maximal benefits of gender diversity in leadership. Some of the most common barriers are highlighted below: Job isolation: Women are offered the same kinds of job roles like staff, public relations or occasionally finance specialties that rarely lead to the more powerful management positions. Over time, women are eventually excluded from jobs in the mainstream of business, the route taken by CEOs and presidents. The U.S. Department of Labor’s 1991 definition of glass ceiling is “those artificial barriers based on attitudinal or organizational bias that prevents qualified individuals from advancing upward in their organization into management-level positions.” (Report on the Glass Ceiling Initiative.) Famous American actress cum author Ann Morrison defines the concept of the Glass Ceiling as: www.insightssuccess.com JULY 2020 | 35

38. Old-boy Network: There are many instances when men gets the managerial powers in an organization who manages greater numbers of people, enjoys more freedom of hiring and firing, and controls the company’s assets directly while women are deprived of such authorities and powers. It is the “Old- boys” of the organization that makes all the policy; where the women are kept virtually absent. and thus enhancing the profitability. The transformational leadership style often used by women tends to be a good option for contemporary organizations, as it encourages employee morale, motivation and performance. Overcoming the Barriers: Strategies Women’s progress up the corporate ladder is still limited by the “glass ceiling” despite the myriad of Government policies and programs which have been introduced to ensure that their talents and skills are recognized and accepted. Sex Discrimination: In a recent survey, working women were asked about the greatest obstacle they had to overcome to achieve success; “simply being a woman” was the most frequent response. In another survey by the Wall Street Journal, women leaders quoted their most serious obstacle in their business careers to be “male chauvinism, attitudes toward a female boss, slow advancement for women, and the simple fact of being a woman.” These instances are enough to prove the prevalence of sex discrimination in the workplace. Women can help themselves to overcome this career hurdle by: Acquiring appropriate business skills and know how; Taking up line‐management positions rather than management service roles; Gaining the necessary experience through “apprenticeship” and “acting positions”; Seeking career counseling; Volunteering for leadership and executive positions; And lastly, acquiring the ability to measure their operating effectiveness in the workplace. Sexual Harassment: Sexual harassment remains one of the biggest barriers for women in managerial roles. A corporate environment that tolerates sexual harassment intimidates and demoralizes women executives. Even after the adoption and enforcement of numerous laws against sexual harassment, women do not feel sufficiently encouraged and empowered to speak out for fear of compromising their work. An awareness of the emergence of new barriers to their progress is also worth considering. The current socio‐economic situation is creating different “glass ceilings” in the form of the downsizing of organizations, new differentiated and self‐directed career paths, the advent of the contractual worker, and the care of aged parents. Benefits of Women in Leadership: Studies found that inclusion of women in business leadership has significantly improved such factors as firm value, financial performance, economic growth, innovation and social responsiveness and philanthropy. Conclusion: Since the latter half of the 20 century, women have made great paces in increasing their representation in the work force. However, a considerable gap remains in achievement of leadership positions across different fields. Renowned feminist Gloria Steinem stated it best: “Clearly no one knows what leadership has gone undiscovered in women.” It is far past time we strive to find out and finally shatter the glass ceiling. th The additional benefits of women in corporate leadership include stricter monitoring and supervision and fewer legal infractions such as fraud and embezzlement. A better balance among women in leadership positions can create a more diverse team of leaders with different perspectives and a greater ability to contribute new ideas www.insightssuccess.com 36 | JULY 2020

40. The 20 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch W ith every passing second, a substantial growth as well as disruption can be witnessed in technology sector. Though implementation of new advancements has become quite a need yet merely few leaders have able to do it. One of such impeccable leader is Cydni Tetro. The Face ofFORGEDX. Cydni Tetro is leader in innovation, digital transformation and customer experience, and is recognized as a technology leader, STEM advocate and speaker. Today as CEO of ForgeDX she is a thought-leader on technology storytelling and works with the Fortune 100 who use their platform for customer experience and transformation. She also runs the Women Tech Council a non-profit focused on the technology talent pipeline and diversity & inclusion. She is faculty for the Goldman Sachs 10k Program and Babson Executive Education. She was previously CEO and founder of venture-backed 3DplusMe, a 3D printing experience platform that partnered with Marvel, Star Wars, NFL, MLB, Hasbro, Walmart and Target to created transformative personalized customer experiences, it was acquired in 2016. Prior to that she led innovation and technology commercialization at Disney in Imagineering across Theme Parks, ESPN, ABC and Interactive. She was COO and CMO and lead innovation, product and customer experience at technology companies that were acquired by Ancestry, Proofpoint & FAST. She has been recognized Women of the Year and as top 10 Coolest Entrepreneurs. She received a Stevie Award for Entrepreneur of the Year and Innovator of the Year. Cydni sits on the board of Intermountain Healthcare, Ticket, Tribe and the Governor's Economic Forum. Cydni holds a master's degree in business administration and a bachelor's in computer science and is always looking for more ways to build relationships with people doing incredible things in technology. Cydni She states that the company's mission at ForgeDX is to inspire the world through technology storytelling. As technology continues to impact and change every industry from retail and healthcare to manufacturing, ForgeDX has the opportunity to help tell the stories and shape the impact this has on customers, employees and businesses. In healthcare, she states, this means working with technology providers to help move dialysis to the home by showcasing how healthcare workers are trained and the ways patients get information. While in fan experience, it means helping amplify the fan experience and increase safety through facial recognition software that recognizes irregular routes or activities and notifies security. Whatever the industry, innovation or story, ForgeDX's platform and technology align to the different audiences involved to help to illustrate their technology stories and make the world better. Traits one must Posses “The value of a creative problem solver cannot be overstated,” says Cydni. She states whether you’re in leadership or an entrepreneur, every day involves mini-crises with complex tradeoffs and real time implications. It’s essential to be able to take in lots of often complex information, make tradeoffs, determine routes that are not always anticipated, and lead a team through ever changing environments. Activators are also invaluable - people who can turn ideas into action and create a balance between strategy and execution. Many people have great ideas but can never push them through, and others can drive massive projects but do not appreciate the nuance of strategy enough to make the tradeoffs necessary to stay aligned with objectives. The ability to balance customer needs, product delivery, and client relationships in a way that brings strategy and execution into harmony, while simultaneously activating teams can make a leader extremely successful in whatever venture they are a part of. www.insightssuccess.com 38 | JULY 2020

41. “Know what you want and ask for it fearlessly.” Cydni Tetro Redefining the Customary Way of Doing Business www.insightssuccess.com JULY 2020 | 39

42. Meet Cydni Tetro—Chief Executive Officer of ForgeDX, whose unique ideas and methodologies helped her in taking her company to successful stature. She also assisted in development and successful implementation of measures that create gender- inclusive cultures where women can contribute and succeed. Lessons worth Admiring She states that early in her career right after completing my MBA, she was working for a VP of product management in a technology company and thought she had all the answers. Once after a meeting, the VP sat her down and said, “You don't have to talk all the time.” She realized immediately that she could either ignore him, or she could take his feedback and adjust her style and interactions with people. After that interaction, she decided that she would always approach feedback openly with a desire to learn and improve. She would never have all the answers (she still knows she doesn't), but she believes that she could grow by being willing to take feedback and constantly improve. Later in her career, she had the opportunity to go to Disney and work in Imagineering on research and development. During this time, she was completely focused on how to create immersive experiences for guests that moved www.insightssuccess.com 40 | JULY 2020

43. “ beyond transferring a message to creating a story that built to an outcome—making memories with family and friends. Instead of helping people watch a story, it was all about experience . This mindset of the power of transformative storytelling has shaped her career ever since, from founding a 3D printingentertainment line that turned people into characters in their favorite stories to her current work storytelling the future of innovation across industries and audiences. “Ask fearlessly to break barriers and accelerate opportunities.” While running 3DplusMe, she was involved in raising venture capital. Most VC firms receive 1,000 or more pitches a year, and of those they usually fund around 1% or less. That means rejection is an inherent and frequent part of the process. “As you repeatedly refine your pitch to align with execution and objectives, you learn endless lessons on the combination of optimism, courage and grit. Those lessons still guide my outlook on many situations today,” says Cydni. Future through her Eyes Technology, innovation and storytelling have always been a part of her career. Her role at ForgeDX is extremely rewarding in the way it blends these passions with the opportunity to work with some of the biggest brands in retail, manufacturing, hospitality, entertainment and financial services. She is also extremely passionate about her work at the Women Tech Council helping expand the economic pipeline for women in tech by creating opportunities and visibility from high school to the boardroom. As, she lead this software company and work to unite the technology community for women, she will continue pushing forward these core parts of her DNA. Advice to Rely On Cydni states that there are two gaps in leadership that can be death sentences. First, many leaders are not teachable instead, they think they know everything, and in doing so close themselves off to important feedback and learning opportunities. The best leaders always have a mindset of learning and growth. “Adopt that from day 1 and never lose it,” suggests Cydni. Second, many leaders cannot take feedback. They assume they have everything under control and can do everything, to the point that feedback to the contrary is crippling and stunting. No one improves without support, retrospection and introspection. Make sure you always remain in a place to both receive and internalize feedback. Improvement is impossible otherwise. Beyond those two essentials, the most successful entrepreneurs are fearless. They learn to become activators, to set ideas in motion and drive bottom-line delivery. Learn to understand, monitor, mitigate and appreciate risk while fearlessly pursuing your passion. www.insightssuccess.com JULY 2020 | 41

46. Being an Aid to the Law Enforcement Having the ability to utilizing one's brain to its full capacity and the psychic gift, is more often an art. Meet Fia Johansson, also known as the Persian Medium, who—with the help of her psychic gifts—aids law enforcement, private investigators and the DA in solving cold cases. She herself is a licensed private investigator, psychic detective, producer, and best-selling author. JOHANSSON 44 | JULY 2020 www.insightssuccess.com

47. The 20 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch I had this gift was when it was validated by the people around me. While receiving messages or seeing images in my mind wasn’t something new to me, it wasn’t something I really understood. n an interview with Insights Success, Fia emphasizes on her impeccable journey and how she became a sensation in decoding the unsolved cases. She explains her first realization of her power/gift though quoting, “The first time I realized I She has a working experience with the state, local, as well as the federal law enforcement in order to decode and solve the unsolved mysteries and disappearances, crimes and other cases. Moreover, beyond her psychic work, Fia has also co-written a book with Jack Canfield the hugely successful author, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and corporate trainer who is behind the Chicken Soup for the Soul enterprises, which has over 500 million copies in circulation. Her greatest passion in life remains the ability to help others achieve their ultimate dreams and desires, teaching people to believe that truly, anything in this life is possible. “The most energizing part of everything I do is being able to make someone overcome trauma and pain and realize their personal power. I tell everyone, no matter who they are, that their potential is infinite - and I fully believe this with every bit of my heart and soul. I always tailor my work to be able to help someone understand that they can let go of hurt, of fear, of doubt, and to take claim to a life that they have written off as impossible which I hope to bring in my new book with Jack Canfield,” says Fia. Moreover she is a businesswoman, master entrepreneur coach, keynote speaker, and author that works with celebrities, high-ranking executives and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, doctors, lawyers, foreign dignitaries, and even US government officials. As a producer of film with her company Lone Road Productions, Johansson is currently focused on “The Game Masters,” a major feature that revolves around the world of human trafficking. Fia Johansson also has two television shows in development which are being shopped to networks. Some of Fia Johansson’s accomplishments include speaking at the United Nations as well as being featured in Forbes, the WallStreet Journal, CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox News channels. She’sreceived several Quilly Awards, including Top Female Entrepreneur, Best Writer and Thought Leader. Below are highlights of the interview conducted between Insights Success and Fia Johansson: Fia Johansson is a businesswoman, film producer, master entrepreneur coach, keynote speaker, and author that works with celebrities, high-ranking executives and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, doctors, lawyers, foreign dignitaries, and even US government officials. She’s also spoken at the United Nations, and been featured in Forbes, the WallStreet Journal, CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox News channels. She’s received several Quilly Awards, including Top Female Entrepreneur, Best Writer and Thought Leader. Fia Johansson is the co-author of “Success Strategies” with Jack Canfield, the hugely successful author, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and corporate trainer who is behind the Chicken Soup for the Soul enterprises, which has over 500 million copies in circulation. She’s also co-author of “Think Big” Brian Tracy, an international motivational public speaker and author of over 70 books. Both JOHANSSON www.insightssuccess.com JULY 2020 | 45

48. books have rendered Fia Johansson a part of the NY Times Best-Selling Authors list. Fia, tell us, how do you diversify your solutions that appeal to your target audience? Being able to have a thorough, deep understanding of many industries allows me to be able to provide creative and tailored packages for every client that comes my way. It is not a one size fits all, which you find many in PR or marketing tend to offer. Can you describe for us some of the vital attributes that every businesswoman should possess? To be a good leader. You always have to lead yourself first. This means, learn how to manage your emotional muscles. Managing your emotional muscles will help you tune into your intuition and identify your own weaknesses and roadblocks. Also, always listen! Listen to what is happening with people, with teams, listen to questions and listen to ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. “ “ Just believe in yourself and go for it!" This is my belief in building success! www.insightssuccess.com 46 | JULY 2020

49. guidance. When it comes to making changes and big decisions, try to always find the option or solution that will make the most number of people happy, not just yourself. Self-leadership is a powerful skill. What were the past experiences, achievements or lessons that shaped your journey? No matter what your title, no matter your life circumstance, your finances, I remember to stay humble and believe this has shaped much of my approach to work and helping the success of others. Always be the last person in the room that talks. Always give others credit and respect and allow them to bring their ideas and opinions to the table. Never show off to people who really work for you and want to see the greatest success in you. Always make others feel that your success is because of them, not just because of you. Your humility will allow you to better embrace others, and celebrate the successes of others. What were some of the primal challenges and roadblocks that you faced during the initial phase of her journey? I had no roadblocks. I’ve always seen my path as something I have the determination to walk. Nothing is a roadblock if you put your mind to it and tell yourself you can achieve what you want. Where do you see yourself in the near future and how will you catalyze the change? For me the sky is the limit. There is no height which I believe I can’t surpass. Success and building success for others is always the path. Can you share some sage advice for emerging women entrepreneurs? Ego will never help you grow. Get rid of it as soon as you can. If you need help, the greatest service you can do for yourself is to ask. To seek guidance and learn from others is a strength, not a weakness. Speaking of weaknesses, don’t focus on them -- in yourself or others. Identify strengths in everyone and find creative and strategic ways to fuel them! Don’t assume you know everything. If you need help: ASK. Oh, and advice for everyone everywhere to be a leader in their career or life: NEVER GIVE UP. Fia can be reached directly on www.AvidAdvice.com and you can learn more about her on her website www.persianmedium.com and her social media, including Instagram @persianmedium where she has over 1.5 million followers and over 2 million followers online. www.insightssuccess.com JULY 2020 | 47

50. www.insightssuccess.com 48| JULY 2020