Show Me the Money: How to Get Funding and Scale Your Creative Business​

Arielle Loren is the founder of 100K Incubator—the first business funding mobile app for women in both Apple and Google’s app stores. The story was part of her “Show Me the Money” workshop held at the Create & Cultivate Vision Summit in Miami.

Photo: Courtesy of Arielle Loren.

UNDERSTANDING CAPITAL AND HOW IT WORKS 

(aka why your creative business needs money to scale!)

There are three categories of funding: grants, equity-based investments (what most investors require), and debt-based funding (business loans, lines of credit, etc.)​

Let’s talk about debt though… there’s a difference between consumer debt for vacations and clothes—and strategically using a business loan as working capital for your business.​

For example, if you charge a bunch of clothes on your credit card, those clothes can’t make you money and help you pay that back. You have to go to work and actually do that.​

But if you invest the $5,000 you received from a business loan and turn it into $15,000 in sales, that means there’s a $10,000 gross profit. Now that’s worth considering a business loan, and it’s that mindset that you need to have when considering all funding options for your business.

PREREQUISITES FOR FUNDING 

(aka what you need to get your money!)

• Funding Budget ​

• 50-70% Advertising or Direct Revenue Generating Activities
  30-50% Infrastructure—Sales Funnels, Photo and Video Shoots, Websites, Consultants, etc.​

• Average Personal Credit Score​

• Minimum 620 and up​

• Register Your Business Entity With Your State Government ​

• LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp ​

• Save money by registering directly on your state government’s website ​

• Register Your Business for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) with the IRS ​

• This is 100% FREE at irs.gov​

• Open Your Business Bank Account ​

• Your Personal Finances and Business Finances Cannot Be Co-Mingled​

• File Your Taxes and Annual Report​

​

THE 3 LEVELS OF FUNDING 
(aka figure out where your business stands for the highest approval rates!)

Level 1: Zero (aka pre-revenue) to $3,000 per month in sales​

• Business Credit Cards​

• Personal Loans​

• Home Equity Loans or Lines of Credit​

• Crowdfunding​

Level 2: $3,000 or more per month in sales​

• Pitch Competitions​

• Business Grants and Government Contracts​

• Government Small Business Loans​

• Payment Processor Loans​

• Private Business Loans​

• Business Lines of Credit​

Level 3: $9,000 or more per month in sales​

• Angel Investing​

• Venture Capital​

About the Author

Arielle Loren is the founder of 100K Incubator, the first business funding mobile app for women in both Apple and Google’s app stores. She’s helping 100,000 early-stage women entrepreneurs get funding for their businesses and scale to 100K+ in yearly sales. She is also a graduate of Harvard University, where she holds a master’s degree in Management and graduate certificate in Strategic Management. Additionally, she also holds a graduate certificate in International Business Management from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree in Social and Cultural Analysis and a certificate in Producing from New York University.

Visit 100kincubator.com for more information, download the app, and start your free trial.

MORE FROM THE BLOG

3 Black Female Founders on How to Be a True Ally

Beyond posting messages of solidarity on social media, true allyship means acknowledging your privilege, holding space for your Black colleagues, friends, and community, and striving to be actively anti-racist. “It’s about amplifying the voices that are most impacted,” activist Tamika D. Mallory recently told Vogue. “A good ally places themselves in between the system and those people the system is harming, using their privilege to allow the voices of the impacted folks to be heard and protected.”

In order to do just that, we passed the mic to three Black female founders who generously offered to share their thoughts on allyship with our community as part of our Ask an Expert Instagram Live series. Ahead, we’re sharing just a few of the many takeaways from our conversations with Jasmine Marie, the founder of Black Girls Breathing, Devi Brown, a wellness educator, energy healer, author, and the founder of Karma Bliss, and Nikia Phoenix, a self-love advocate and the creator of Black Girl Beautiful.

Scroll on to learn more about how you can show up for Black-owned small businesses, hold space for Black colleagues, friends, and communities, and approach allyship with heart, humility, and kindness, according to these founders.

If you missed any of these insightful conversations, you can watch them in full via our Create & Cultivate IGTV channel, here, here, and here.

How Allies Can Show Up for Black-Owned Small Businesses Right Now

“I

t’s going to take more than the month of June to make an impact.

We need you to be consistent in your efforts and keep it going.

—Jasmine Marie, Founder, Black Girls Breathing

Get Local

“The biggest point I want to make is get local. It just takes you opening your eyes a bit to identify those businesses that could use your support and impact your local economy.”

“If you Google African American festival in your city, I guarantee you that there are some bands that have been highlighted that have been doing working in your city and you may not have heard of them.”

“One way that I like to look for Black-owned brands for myself is the Nile List. It’s like a directory for Black-owned businesses. They’re currently building what would feel like a Google for you to search and support Black-owned businesses.”

Be Consistent

“It’s so important to keep it going. Keep your actions consistent. This is not just a one-off.”

“Black people are hundreds of years behind in terms of financial wealth, so it’s going to take more than just the month of June to make an impact. We need you to be consistent in your efforts and keep it going.”

“Go share that message with other people within your circle that are looking for ways they can be active with how they combat against overt and systematic racism.”

Commit to 360-Degree Advocacy

“Take a look from your seat of privilege—and the title or the job that you hold—and say, How can I further impact service-based Black-owned businesses or initiatives that could use my voice and use our corporate dollars?”

“If you are at a major corporation, lots of major corporations have what is called a supplier diversity team. This team’s job is to source Black-owned, minority-owned, and women-owned businesses to put them into the supply chain, so it’s not just the same network of people and agencies and businesses that are receiving support from corporate dollars. Get tapped into your supplier diversity team.”

“Maybe you’ve started [a business,] how diverse is your team? Is there a way for you to be very specific in seeking out talented Black professionals and freelancers who need a platform and opportunity to showcase their art and not do so for free? We know how Black culture has impacted mainstream culture, however, a lot of Black creatives are not being paid for their services at the rates that they should be.” 

”If you are contracting Black-owned vendors, be more of an advocate. Look at the numbers and make sure you’re paying them the same amount as you would a white-owned agency. Are they selling themselves short? How can you show up for them? As an ally and industry insider, let them know they need to up their rates before getting more business or taking on more clients.”

If you missed our conversation with Jasmine Marie, the founder of Black Girls Breathing, you can watch it in full here.

How to Hold Space for Black Colleagues, Black Friends, and the Black Community

“

Holding space is to be with someone without judgement, to practice active listening, and to really hear someone’s truth, no matter what it is.”

—Devi Brown, Wellness Educator, Energy Healer, Author, and Founder, Karma Bliss

Make This a Journey

“This is a journey and you have now signed up to dedicate the rest of your existence to being the most expansive, elevated version of who you are to show up as your highest self to show up in wholeness and to actively serve the world, not just people who look like you.”

“It’s important that you realize that your own unlearning and your own path to expansion and enlightenment is going to be a journey. This is not something that you are going to understand by binge-watching every documentary about the Black experience or listening to every podcast, this is also going to be an excavation of self.”

“It is a journey for you to unlearn all the belief systems that we now as collective consciousness outgrown. All the belief systems that can no longer serve you because they were not equally serving everyone.”

Commit to Continued Education

“It is not a Black person’s job to explain the entirety of their experience—the entirety of their generational trauma—in a way that you understand so that their feelings can be validated. That is your journey. That is your homework. You do not need to add to the work or emotional processes of a Black person.” 

“This is going to be a constant life’s education. It is not just a documentary you’re watching this weekend, it’s also really realizing that this is collectively our human story. So, what are the ways that you are going to elevate your education and knowledge and your heart in service to others and knowing other people’s experiences?”

Show Up in a Supportive Way

“For all of us, that’s going to look different. Really see what impact do you want to have on the Black community now that you're aware of the challenges that are faced, the privilege that you’ve lived, and the inequality that is a part of every day for people.”

“As you’re doing this great unlearn, you also have the opportunity to be invested in the Black community, in your human being brothers and sisters, in a way that can supersede just this dismantling that we’re doing now.”

“How can I use my unique gifts, my unique calling, to be of service not just to myself but all underserved communities? Where can I best be used? How can I really show up in a way that’s uniquely mine and in a way that best serves other people? Where exactly do you want to make a difference?”

If you missed our conversation with Devi Brown, a wellness educator, energy healer, author, and the founder of Karma Bliss, you can watch it in full here.

If you’re looking for ways to continue your education and this process of unlearning, we’ve put together a list of 11 Books to Continue Your Growth in Being Anti-Racist.

How to Be an Ally With Love and Kindness

“

You have power. You have so much power, so use that power for good.

”

—Nikia Phoenix, Self-Love Advocate and Creator, Black Girl Beautiful

Acknowledge Your Privilege

“Acknowledge that you have been able to move in and out of this world in ways that others have not. There are certain privileges that come with being a white woman. You are able to be ignorant to the truths that people of color experience every day. This is a hard fact.”

Listen to Your Heart

“Breathe into your heart and exhale through your heart. So often we are listening to try to formulate a response, to try to formulate a rebuttal, instead of genuinely acknowledging that the person in front of us is a human being acknowledging their humanity.”

“When we’re able to listen with our hearts, we’re listening, we’re feeling, and we’re seeing through those eyes of compassion. We’re not trying to be right, we’re listening, we’re seeing through those eyes of compassion. Listen with your heart.”

Be Humble

“As an ally, specifically an ally to people of color, you are not aware of the microaggressions and the prejudice, the systemic racism that people of color experience on a daily basis. You don’t experience that.” 

“Be humble, hold your tongue, and don't try to whitesplain a person of color’s feelings and a person of color’s emotions.”

“You have to listen. You have to humble yourself to learn and realize that you don’t get kudos you don’t get any brownie points for being an ally.”

“People of color have been in this fight for a long time and so much of what we’ve been saying has been falling on deaf ears.”

“Be humble enough to silence yourself when a person of color is speaking and sharing how their feeling because their feelings are just as valid as your feelings.”

”Part of being humble means confronting the part of you that allows your ego and your privilege to speak instead of your heart.”

Have Grace

“Have grace for yourself in your quest to be a true ally. Take those Ls, take those losses, because those are ways for you to learn.”

“You don’t have to show up and be perfect. Practice is not about being perfect. It’s about learning. Be okay to take those Ls.”

“It’s okay to make mistakes—because guess what? When you make those mistakes, when you open yourself up, when you’re vulnerable, you open yourself up to the truth and the work that you need to do.”

“Have grace for yourself and have grace for the people that you are an ally to. The person that you are attempting to be an advocate and an ally to, they may not be able to vocalize how they’re feeling.”

Be a Helper

“We are always looking for the helpers. If you have acknowledged your privilege, you’re listening with your heart, you can be a helper by using your privilege for good.”

“Make sure that you are using your privilege to open doors for people of color, and when you open those doors for people of color, make sure that you are listening to them.”

“When you see that a person of color is not being treated fairly, speak up.”

“Being an ally means being able to acknowledge that maybe you haven't been doing enough and that you can do better.” 

“Seat at the table, pass the mic. Make sure that I have a plate to eat off of and that that plate is full. You cannot say that you are giving people of color opportunities if you are not paying them accordingly.“

Check Yourself

“You can always take time to check yourself. Check how you’re feeling, check and see if your ego is speaking or if your heart is speaking.”

“Check yourself about your intentions. Before you post something, before you write something, before you react to someone, check yourself. Get in touch with your heart and how you’re feeling and why you’re feeling that way. Check yourself, it’s a saving grace.”

“Even though you may believe that you are one person, you can positively change your community, positively change your environment, positively change your world. You have power. You have so much power, so use that power for good and help change some of these racist systems.”

If you missed our conversation with Nikia Phoenix, a self-love advocate and the creator of Black Girl Beautiful, you can watch it in full here.

Editor’s note: The book recommendations Nikia Phoenix shares during this IG Live are, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk and Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome by Dr. Joy Degruy.

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for our weekly schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

MORE ON THE BLOG

How to Deal With Imposter Syndrome, According to Psychologist and Executive Coach, Lisa Orbé-Austin

This is an exclusive excerpt from the book, Own Your Greatness: How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome, Beat Self-Doubt, and Succeed in Life written by Psychologist and Career & Executive Coach, Lisa Orbé-Austin, PhD, and Richard Orbé Austin, PhD.

Watch Lisa's workshop on Create & Cultivate IGTV to learn more and discover the steps to overcoming imposter syndrome.

AN OVERVIEW AND ASSESSMENT OF IMPOSTOR SYNDROME

In the 1970s, two psychologists, Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes, were working in the college counseling center at Georgia State University when they first observed this phenomenon in the women that they were treating. Drs. Clance and Imes noticed that they were working with very outwardly accomplished women, both students, and faculty, who felt that they had acquired these credentials and opportunities in a fraudulent manner and that at any moment they could be found out. They wrote a paper in 1978,[1] coining the term “impostor phenomenon.” The paper outlined the characteristics of this syndrome, presented their first observations on the interventions that worked best to eradicate it and listed the factors contributing to its development. 

Impostor syndrome is the experience of constantly feeling like a fraud, downplaying one’s accomplishments, and always being concerned about being exposed as incompetent or incapable. As a result, people with impostor syndrome engage in either overworking or self-sabotage. Impostor syndrome affects high-achieving professionals who are seemingly successful. However, when experiencing impostor syndrome, you are unable to enjoy your success and believe that this success is precarious. Research indicates that 70 percent of all people have experienced the Impostor Phenomenon at some point in their lives.[2] Impostor syndrome is not a diagnostic classification but rather a group of thoughts, behaviors, and feelings that cluster together to create this syndrome and have a significant impact on your emotional functioning. This syndrome can feed feelings of anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, and frustration due to the thoughts and behaviors that result.[3]

Signs of Impostor Syndrome

Here are the signs that you may be struggling with impostor syndrome.

You are high achieving.

You engage in The Impostor Cycle (see page 2).

You desire to be “special” or “the best.”

You deny ability and attribute success to luck, mistake, overwork, or a result of a relationship.

You discount praise, feeling fear, and guilt about success.

You fear failure and being discovered as a fraud.

You do not feel intelligent.

You have anxiety, self-esteem issues, depression, and frustration from internal standards.

You struggle with perfectionism.

You overestimate others and underestimate oneself.

You do not experience an internal feeling of success.

You overwork or self-sabotage to cover the feelings of inadequacy.

Initially, Clance and Imes thought that the impostor phenomenon would be found predominantly in women because of societal stereotyping that leads women to feel that they are less competent in certain domains (e.g., math, science, leadership). However, the research has been inconsistent and often finds that it is represented equally in men and women, although the findings suggest that women and men with impostor syndrome may behave differently in response to it.[4] It seems that men may be more prone to avoid situations where they might be exposed as a fraud and tend to compare themselves to peers with fewer qualifications. This allows them a protective mechanism that buoys their self-esteem, although it also leaves them underachieving.[5] Women with impostor syndrome, on the other hand, choose to remain in situations where they are constantly plagued by the fraudulent feelings.[6] We will explore these differences further in Gender Differences on page 6.

Impact on Education and Career

Clance and Imes noted that there were four particular hallmarks of impostor syndrome in the women they studied: 1) diligence and hard work; 2) intellectual inauthenticity; 3) charm and perceptiveness; 4) seeking mentorship for the purpose of external validation. 

1. Diligence and Hard Work

In their seminal paper, Clance and Imes found that the women that they had observed used hard work and diligence as a cover-up for their perceived inadequacy. The women would engage in a cycle that looked like:

The Impostor Cycle

Receiving the praise would result in temporarily feeling good and at that point, once the good feelings subsided, they returned again to worrying about intelligence or ability to perform. Within this cycle, there is no internalization of the successful experience. The accomplishment isn’t accepted as part of their identity or attributed much value, so the next time they perform, it’s as if the previous accomplishments never existed. Thus, the cycle begins again. In more recent research, it has been revealed that people do not only engage in hard work in that second stage but can go in the opposite direction with self-sabotage. This is most commonly seen when someone with impostor syndrome procrastinates, usually due to anxiety about performance and perfectionism, as they attempt to unveil themselves as an impostor.[7] The belief is that the procrastination serves as a method to expose their status as an impostor, perhaps in hopes of releasing the stress and strain of it. However, they usually still perform well. But any mistake is interpreted as proof of their inadequacy due to their perfectionism, rather than as an artifact of being human, or of not giving themselves enough time to review the work.

The experience of self-sabotage can sometimes be hard to detect as it’s often connected to the performance anxiety, and this anxiety makes it difficult to tease out what has occurred. It can be seen in spontaneous and impulsive decisions to go against a plan, trouble organizing for high-stress events, or other subtle behaviors that affect preparedness, confidence, and performance.

In this example of Brenda, a school teacher, you will see how tiny choices influenced by anxiety serve to reinforce the performance issues and the impostor experiences:

Brenda is a fourth-grade math teacher who sought counseling due to her unhappiness with her current job of five years. She wants to explore other job options. In fact, she dreads going to work every day.

During our first session, Brenda was very tearful about her dissatisfaction but believed that she did not have many options. Although she has received countless positive performance reviews, Brenda did not regard herself as a good teacher. Rather, she thought that because she was so good-natured, people really liked her and gave her positive scores on her performance reviews.

As our work progressed, we were able to identify Brenda’s impostor syndrome and her self-sabotage tendencies that result from it. For instance, on the day of her teacher observation, Brenda covered a different lesson, one that should have been taught in three weeks, rather than the one she had prepared for the observation. As might be expected, the students were a bit lost and were not able to keep up. Brenda was certain that her observation went poorly and she would finally be revealed as an unskilled and incompetent teacher. However, the teacher who conducted her observation was highly impressed with Brenda’s poise and her ability to engage her students despite the material being a bit advanced. She gave Brenda a positive review.

In another instance, Brenda had to call in sick on the day of her interview for another role. The school where she was to interview, however, wanted to meet her so badly that they immediately rescheduled her interview based on her availability. Brenda went on the interview and was offered the role. Unfortunately, she turned it down, because she did not yet feel ready to leave.

2. Intellectual Inauthenticity

The second characteristic of impostor syndrome that Clance and Imes illustrated is intellectual inauthenticity, or the downplaying of knowledge, skills, or abilities, or not revealing true opinions of a situation in order to protect someone else’s feelings or preserve the relationship. When someone with impostor syndrome behaves like this, it only furthers their belief that they have engaged in some form of deception, exacerbating the feelings of being fraudulent. The kind of relationships that this intellectual inauthenticity might preserve are those with people who demonstrate narcissistic characteristics (e.g., needing excessive praise and not being able to tolerate critique or dissent) and/or have a fragile sense of themselves and their accomplishments. These can be dangerous people for those with impostor syndrome to connect with. You can see this as illustrated in Elise’s ongoing experience at the company where she has been a longtime employee:

Elise has been an office administrator at the same institution for 25 years. She has watched leaders come and go and has a significant level of understanding of the company’s history as well as an unusual expertise in the subject matter, for her position, because she has been so intimately involved in the company’s evolution. Every time another CEO is hired—and there have been many—she struggles to share her content and cultural knowledge because she senses their fragility and notices their desire to be the most knowledgeable person in the room, even though they are brand-new. In each experience with a new CEO, she becomes terrified that she will be fired because she will be seen as incompetent and outdated in her knowledge and skills.

3. Charm and Perceptiveness

Intellectual inauthenticity is often combined with a third behavior, which is utilizing charm and perceptiveness. In their ability to get people to like them and potentially advocate for them, those with impostor syndrome can feel like their ability to fool people extends beyond their intellectual capacity.

People with impostor syndrome can also exhibit high emotional intelligence. They are particularly keen at understanding what others need to make them feel valued and connected to them. They may utilize these skills, especially with mentors and senior leaders to generate positive evaluations of their behavior. However, a mentor who is not benevolent, and perhaps narcissistic as mentioned earlier, may exploit their yearning for connection and praise to maximize their performance. The potential for a truly dysfunctional relationship is highly likely in these cases. The person with impostor syndrome can find themselves in a situation where the mentor or supervisor makes them feel like they ARE truly an impostor and must constantly and unendingly prove themselves. These types of relationships become very hard to break because the person with impostor syndrome may feel as if their ineptitude has been found out, so they continually seek some sort of validation from someone who will never or very rarely provide it, because it keeps the person with impostor syndrome working hard for them.

4. Seeking Mentorship for the Purpose of External Validation

The final behavior that maintains the impostor syndrome is seeking a mentoring relationship from someone, who is well respected in their field, industry, school, or office, in order to gain external validation. But this relationship may be fraught for the person with impostor syndrome for the reason discussed above, or because it can feel inauthentic if the person with impostor syndrome believes they charmed the mentor into positive feedback because they think it has been acquired through duplicitous means (e.g., through charm).

In this example, Sam believes that his positive relationship with mentors and senior leaders has caused them to promote him unjustly, which creates fear and discomfort with his new role:

Sam just got his 3rd promotion at a technology start-up where he has been working since almost right out of college. He’s terrified about the new role and feels he is out of his depth. Everyone at his new level is at least 10 years older than him and have been at big impressive tech giants. Sam is convinced that he is sitting in this seat because he is just very good at getting along with his bosses. He feels like he may have accidentally convinced them simply with his social acumen that he can take on these new roles. In spite of consistent glowing performance reviews from different supervisors, which he believes are inflated, he is terrified of falling on his face in this new job.

In addition, it has been shown that people struggling with impostor syndrome have lower levels of job and career satisfaction, yet higher levels of organizational commitment. So, while people with impostor syndrome tend to be more unhappy in their jobs and careers, they are also likely to commit to these places that are making them unhappy, perhaps in an effort to create some sense of stability and predictability in terms of evaluation. Further, the research also indicates that people with impostor syndrome struggle with marketing themselves, which is critical for job searching or networking. Therefore, their salaries and promotions are usually negatively impacted, which can be seen in lower salaries and fewer promotions. It also shows up in being less optimistic about their career and being less adaptable when things go wrong. Moreover, those with impostor syndrome are likely to have a reduced knowledge of the job market, which makes taking a leap to a new role when they are unhappy even more difficult.

Throughout our experience working with impostor syndrome, we have seen it show up in the following ways that affect professional development:

Not understanding their worth (i.e., salary comps) in the marketplace

Fear of negotiating

Lack of motivation to leave stagnating roles

Reluctance to vie for promotion

Avoidance of high-visibility stretch assignments

Difficulty networking and communicating their accomplishments to others

Trouble envisioning their long-term career future

All of these behaviors of impostor syndrome have a significant impact on advancement, salary, and long-term earnings, but they can be reversed.

THE PROFESSIONAL IMPACT OF YOUR IMPOSTOR SYNDROME

What behaviors related to your impostor syndrome do you find yourself exhibiting? Give a concrete example of each to ground your response in an actual instance. List the behaviors and examples here:

 -

 -

 -

 -

 -

Trait vs. State

People with impostor syndrome consistently ask, “Is this inherently who I am? Part of my character? Or can I really change this?” Impostor syndrome does not appear to be characterological (i.e., part of your personality) or a trait. It seems that there are certain experiences in family dynamics, beliefs about yourself, and roles that you tend to play that make it more likely for you to have the propensity to struggle with impostor syndrome. In other words, you were not born like this no matter what other people tell you or want you to believe.

You may struggle to let go of certain behaviors, thoughts, and feelings connected to impostor syndrome because of the belief that your current success or accomplishments are a result of these behaviors, and if you let them go, all will be lost. Behaviors such as overworking and perfectionism are the hardest to change—largely, we believe because they are reinforced in our environments. Today, it is very easy to “log back on” to your company’s systems when you go home and work inordinately long hours. If you do more work, get more done, push ahead of deadlines, certainly no one at work is going to reprimand you or tell you to work less, and you are likely going to get the praise you are seeking for being a good, worthy employee. However, it is exactly this behavior that reinforces the impostor syndrome and the ideas that you are not naturally talented and therefore, must give more to be on par with everyone else. Hearing that “mistakes are costly” and seeing colleagues and others around you criticized when they make an error also supports perfectionism. These behaviors can also feed on each other. When people are perfectionistic, they often struggle to delegate tasks and manage down well (i.e., manage direct reports or junior colleagues) because they are concerned about how their colleagues’ work product will reflect on them. Thus, they often overwork, doing their job as well as a ton of other people’s jobs, which often leads to burnout and resentment.

As we work on your impostor syndrome, you will have to constantly keep in mind that aspects of impostor syndrome, like overworking and perfectionism, are not badges of honor. Instead, they are blocks to fully appreciating all your skills and abilities. They are a mask covering your talents, skills, and experiences rather than the reason you have succeeded. Do not allow yourself, your self-esteem, or your personal life to be at their mercy.

Ways to Release Perfectionism

Focus on “good enough” not perfect.

Recognize that perfectionism hurts you and those around you.

Be proud and accepting of your humanity.

Only compare yourself to you.

Find comfort in choosing your own path.

Learn to accept the beauty of compromise.

Choose standards that feel reasonable.

Appreciate mistakes provide opportunity for growth.

Realize that perfection is unattainable and reaching for it makes you feel like a failure.

Gender Differences

While the research does not show that impostor syndrome is significantly more prominent in men or women, it does suggest that there may be gender differences in the way that it manifests. As discussed earlier, men demonstrate a tendency toward underperforming, avoiding goals and feedback, and using peers who are less skilled as a comparison group when they are struggling with impostor syndrome. This then affects them by decreasing the likelihood for promotions and advancement over their lifetime, and reducing salary.[8] Men may feel a pull to save face and to conform to gender norms by doing work that they know how to do and will be successful at, rather than take the chance of failing and suffering the resulting self-esteem blow. Coping with the impostor syndrome by underperforming also reduces the feelings of anxiety, fear, and discomfort that impostor syndrome induces because there are fewer chances of feeling like an impostor.

For women, it’s quite the opposite. Women seem to take the leap into the challenge, which often heightens the impostor syndrome. Women who struggle with impostor syndrome spend more time on academic tasks than those without impostor syndrome,[9] work harder when they receive negative feedback,[10] and have higher GPAs than men with impostor syndrome.[11] A 2018 study by Lauren A. Blondeau and Germine H. Awad,[12] found that having low self-efficacy and impostor syndrome did not impede a woman from pursuing a STEM career. Her GPA and interests were more influential to her choice. When men had high impostor syndrome scores in the study, they were less likely to pursue a STEM career. This shows a definite tendency for women to be counterphobic (i.e., facing fears directly) when it comes to impostor syndrome fears, which leaves them steeped in the constant experiences of feeling like an impostor.

In both ways of coping, the significant impact of impostor syndrome on your future and current functioning is pretty clear. Either you get the relief immediately by underperforming and avoiding or you are counterphobic and experience all the intense impostor feelings as you continue to accomplish, but don’t get the relief because you discount these successes, which leaves you constantly under the weight of the impostor syndrome. Hopefully, this makes it really clear why building your skills around dismantling the impostor syndrome is incredibly important to you and your future so that you can own your greatness, live up to your potential, and enjoy it.

WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL IMPOSTOR RESPONSE?

In this space indicate whether you tend to avoid or engage the tasks that you fear due to your experience of impostor syndrome. Then consider if/when you notice the alternative response. For example, I tend to engage the tasks that prompt impostor syndrome, but if there is potential for conflict in the task, then I will tend to avoid it.

The Impact of Culture

Impostor syndrome becomes harder to cope with when the stereotypes about your cultural group reinforce the notion that you are not “good enough.” In marginalized communities, when your mere presence evokes concern that you have been given special treatment to be present in certain environments, the environment is telling you that you are an impostor. This makes overcoming your impostor syndrome particularly difficult because your accomplishments are actively disqualified (e.g., “you only attended that school because of affirmative action” or “they needed to diversify the team”). These are things you not only hear, but also experience when an organization further supports the idea that you are an impostor by over- or underutilizing you (e.g., not staffing you on important and internally visible teams or projects despite demanding your presence for public-facing pictures or for diversity initiatives). These types of microaggressions and microinsults at work can lead to entrenching the impostor syndrome because the external proof that you need to show yourself that you are not an impostor is harder to find.

Similarly, the concept of “stereotype threat” is useful to understand here as well. Stereotype threat is conforming to a well-known stereotype of a group you belong to when someone invokes the stereotype. In a very famous seminal study of stereotype threat conducted in 1995 by Claude Steele[13] from Stanford University and Joshua Aronson of University of Texas at Austin, these researchers found that Black college students scored significantly worse on standardized testing when they were told by an examiner that Black students would complete fewer questions and that it was an assessment of personal qualities. When the Black students were simply given instructions for the standardized tests, they scored similarly to the White students in the study. What Steele and Aronson, as well as hundreds of other researchers, were able to establish is that evoking a stereotype, sometimes even without words, can create diminished performance. Stereotype threat has been thought to contribute to gender and racial academic achievement gaps.

Now, imagine someone with impostor syndrome and from a marginalized group experiencing this stereotyping. This further impacts her performance as well as her anticipation of performing, perhaps further cementing the thoughts and insecurities that underlie impostor syndrome. Research has suggested that overcoming impostor syndrome for marginalized groups requires, besides the steps that we will cover in this book, a connection to and the ability to embrace the marginalized identity and the people who are similarly identified. It means not only connecting with those similar to you in this identity group, but also believing the counter narrative to the stereotype.

For example, if you are Black, the stereotypes that you are not academically capable have a long history of being ingrained in a cultural understanding of who deserves to be in the room and of meritocracy. Those beliefs are so perpetuated that often they are internalized by Black people, leading to beliefs that question other Black people’s worthiness, academic ability, and intellectual rigor. To overcome impostor syndrome, you have to work to connect with other Black people and the belief that their worthiness is not in question. When you question the competence of other people with similar salient identities, you challenge your own (even if only on an unconscious level). When you can believe in their competence and give them the benefit of the doubt, you can believe in your own.

Besides race and gender, various other identities (e.g., religion, immigration status, sexual orientation, economic, and veteran status), as well as the intersectionality and salience of particular identities, should be considered as you examine how identity has impacted your development of impostor syndrome. For example, if you are a recent immigrant, you may want to understand the relevance of your immigration journey on the experience of feeling fraudulent in certain circumstances, especially if you have felt that this identity impacts your ability to internalize your accomplishments.

In this chapter, we have outlined the characteristics that underlie impostor syndrome and examined how it may manifest differently based on gender. We have also laid out the additional cultural aspects of overcoming impostor syndrome and how it can apply to a marginalized group, where competence is questioned as a result of stereotypes. Now, it’s time to examine the important aspects of impostor syndrome that are most relevant for you.

THE KEY FEATURES OF YOUR IMPOSTOR SYNDROME

Review signs of impostor syndrome on page 1 as well as any other salient components of impostor syndrome that you have. This can include any potential gender, racial, ethnic, or other identity considerations. List them on the next page.

YOUR IMPOSTOR SYNDROME INTENSITY

After you have completed your own assessment of the features of impostor syndrome that are specific to your experience, take Clance’s test for impostor phenomenon, which you can find here.

Once you have scored your assessment, circle your current level of impostor feelings:

FEW  MODERATE  FREQUENT  INTENSE

Reviewing your current level of impostor feelings is helpful in understanding the present impact of impostor syndrome on your life and career. If you score in the few to moderate range, this may be a great time to tackle the book because you are not feeling impostor syndrome in its most pressing state. This will allow you to look back at experiences when your impostor feelings were more powerful, and analyze and review them from a distance. If you are experiencing impostor syndrome at the frequent to intense range, this likely suggests that impostor syndrome is quite salient for you right now. You may have plenty of experiences that are coming up for you that you will be able to pull from and directly impact as you work through this book.

The 3 C’s Strategy to Overcoming Impostor Syndrome

Overcoming impostor syndrome can be a challenging proposition, especially when faced with a stressful work or personal environment. It may feel impossible to eliminate these thoughts and feelings of being a fraud, and you may always be on edge about being exposed.

Jocelyn was someone who constantly had such feelings. She was a management consultant who had worked in her field for several years and was on the partner track. Jocelyn worked long hours and traveled extensively. She had no social life and rarely saw her family, with whom she was very close. She came to seek coaching because she was thinking about making a career change. Despite receiving glowing performance reviews every year, Jocelyn felt like an impostor and was always concerned that she would be fired or be asked to leave her firm. Her manager would often tell her how well she was doing, but it did not convince her. She dreaded Mondays because she anticipated the miserable commute, the constant anxiety during her work hours, and the grind of the day. During the course of coaching, we identified that a good deal of her work stress was due to her impostor syndrome. Until we named it as such, Jocelyn thought these feelings of self-doubt were just part of her personality and could not be changed. She was relieved to find out that it was something that could be addressed and changed.

Fortunately, we developed the 3 C’s (Clarify, Choose, and Create) Strategy, which helped Jocelyn and can also help you alleviate fears and self-doubt, and vanquish your impostor syndrome. This chapter will provide a brief overview of the 3 C’s Strategy, and subsequent chapters will explore each phase of the strategy in more depth, with corresponding activities to help you master its application to live your best life possible.

We have used the 3 C’s Strategy as a framework during our more than 15 years in practice to help our clients overcome impostor syndrome. While impostor syndrome is not a diagnosable disorder, we have found that by using the 3 C’s strategy, our clients are able to diminish their impostor syndrome thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to improve the quality of their work and personal lives.

The 3 C’s Strategy involves reflecting on all aspects of your life, some of which you may not have considered (e.g., your self-constructed narrative), as well as clearly identifying factors that may have influenced the development of your impostor syndrome (e.g., family dynamics). It also prompts you to actively engage with others about your impostor syndrome rather than suffering with it in silent shame. While you may periodically have those impostor syndrome thoughts and feelings, applying the 3 C’s Strategy will cause them to occur less frequently and have less of an influence on your behavior.

Each of the three phases of the 3 C’s Strategy contains three steps, for a total of nine steps. When working with our clients, we tend to move through the phases in a sequential manner, with tangible activities to complete in each area. There is no set time period to move through the phases, but it is important to remain consistently focused on the tasks required for each phase. Such consistency will facilitate your ability to apply the strategy for its maximum effectiveness.

The 3 C’s Model

The 3 C’s strategy will be a key tool to help you overcome impostor syndrome. By progressing through each step within each phase, you will build confidence, change your thinking, create a more positive narrative, and finally own your greatness. When your impostor syndrome rears its ugly head, you will be well-equipped to spot it, neutralize it, and continue on your road to living in the glory of your accomplishments and excitement about your future.

Chapters 2 through 4 will review Phase 1 (Clarify) and the first three steps of the 3C’s strategy, which are knowing your origin story, identifying your triggers, and changing your narrative. Chapters 5 through 7 will examine Phase 2 (Choose) and the next three steps, which are speak your truth, silence automatic negative thoughts, and value your self-care. Chapters 8 through 10 will cover Phase 3 (Create), and the final three steps of the 3C’s strategy, which include experimenting with new roles, establishing your dream team, and understanding the optimal conditions for your success.

In these next chapters, we are going to outline our program for overcoming your impostor syndrome. We will lay out the 3 C’s Strategy to put an end to the way that impostor syndrome impacts your life, your view of your accomplishments, and your performance and advancement. We are going to help you to feel a sense of control and a reduction in fear of being revealed as a fraud. Once you can really own your greatness, you are going to be unstoppable!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

You understand the key components of impostor syndrome.

You comprehend its impact on career and work.

You have learned how gender may impact impostor syndrome.

You see how stereotyping around culture and identity can impact the perpetual impostor syndrome.

You have evaluated your own level of impostor syndrome.

You understand the brief overview of the 3C’s Strategy.

Sources:

[1] Clance and Imes, “The Impostor Phenomenon in High-Achieving Women,” 241–47.

[2] Gravois, “You’re Not Fooling Anyone,” in If I’m So Successful, Why Do I Feel Like a Fake? eds. Joan C. Harvey and Cynthia Katz (New York: Random House, 1985). 

[3] Cozzarelli and Major, “Exploring the Validity of the Impostor Phenomenon,” 401–17; McGregor, Gee, and Posey, “I Feel Like a Fraud,” 43–48. 

[4] Cromwell et al., “The Impostor Phenomenon and Personality Characteristics,” 563–67; Bernard et al., “Applying the Big Five Personality Factors,” 321–33.

[5] Chayer and Bouffard, “Relations between Impostor Feelings and Upward and Downward Identification,” 125–40.

[6] Tao and Gloria, “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” 1–14.

[7] Chayer and Bouffard, “Relations between Impostor Feelings and Upward and Downward Identification,” 125–40; Yuen and Depper, “Fear of Failure in Women,” 21–39.

[8] Kumar and Jagacinski, “Impostors Have Goals Too,” 147–57; Neureiter and Traut-Mattausch, “An Inner Barrier to Career Development,” 37–48.

[9] King and Cooley, “Achievement Orientation and the Impostor Phenomenon,” 304–12. 

[10] Badawy et al., “Are All Impostors Created Equal?” 155–63.

[11] Cokley et al., “The Roles of Gender Stigma,” 414–26.

[12] Blondeau and Awad, “The Relation of the Impostor Phenomenon to Future Intentions,” 253–67.

[13] Steele and Aronson, “Stereotype Threat.”

Watch Lisa's workshop on Create & Cultivate IGTV to learn more and discover the steps to overcoming imposter syndrome.

Own Your Greatness: Overcome Impostor Syndrome, Beat Self-Doubt, and Succeed in Life

by Dr. Lisa Orbé-Austin and, Dr. Richard Orbé-Austin

Click to Buy

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The Top 3 Questions From Our Money Moves Slack Channel—Answered

Photo: Vlada Karpovich from Pexels

What is your relationship with money? Do you budget and plan ahead or do you live in the moment and spend more than you save? Either way, we need to get better at talking about it if we ever want to be better at managing it (and eventually having more of it)—especially when you consider that globally, women drive 70 to 80% of all consumer purchasing.

Now, more than ever, we need to help women plan ahead, to take ownership of their money, and to become masters of their own financial futures. To do that, we teamed up with during our recent Money Moves digital summit for a live discussion on how we can plan it forward and have confidence in our financial well-being. 

After the chat with our CEO and founder, Jaclyn Johnson, we opened it up to a live Q&A so attendees could ask our panelists, Lindsey Bell, Chief Investment Strategist of Ally Invest and Emily Shallal, Sr. Director for Consumer Strategy and Innovation of Ally Bank all of their burning money questions—and you didn’t hold back. In fact, the questions kept coming even after the live discussion had ended in our dedicated Ally slack channel.  

So, we decided to compile a list of some relevant questions we received and asked both Bell and Shallal answer them for you. Read on to learn more about how you can plan it forward and be sure to let us know what money topics you want to learn more about in the comments below.

1. What about social impact investing? Do you have recommendations on resources for this? How I might educate myself? I want to be able to dictate where my money goes and what types of businesses I’m supporting through my investments. Where do I start?

LINDSEY: This has become an important factor for many people as they invest. For sources of education, I like this guide CNBC put out (includes examples of different funds that focus on ESG investing). If you really want to really dig into the trend, check out The Forum For Sustainable & Responsible Investment, they have a ton of research and information you can dig through.

 Just keep in mind that those resources are for informational and educational purposes only, and the information provided does not represent an investment recommendation or investment advice by Ally Invest.  

“Reviewing your current situation as well as the risk of losing current income is the first step in making any decision. — Lindsey Bell, Chief Investment Strategist, Ally Invest”

2. Would you suggest re-adjusting your financial goals for the year or just figure out other ways to make your original goals?           

LINDSEY: This is tough because it is a personal question. Reviewing your current situation as well as the risk of losing current income is the first step in making any decision. Instead of changing your goals or changing your life to meet those goals, it might make more sense to push those goals out while you weather the current storm. Writing out what your goals are and the options you have to reach those goals could be helpful in making the decision.

EMILY: If things haven’t changed for you and your income and expenses are still relatively the same, then keep your original goals. If your income has taken a hit and you think it’s likely to have long term consequences then you may want to readjust your goals. Sometimes with all of this uncertainty, working with shorter-term goals can be more manageable. Take your longer-term goal and break it down into monthly goals—what can you do in the next 30-days? This can be motivating and give you some emotional happiness that you’re still working on (and hitting) your financial goals.

“Paying off high-interest debt is usually always the right choice. But the right choice today has to factor in your job stability and your emergency fund. — Emily Shallal, Sr. Director for Consumer Strategy and Innovation, Ally Bank”

3. During these crazy times, do you think it's wiser to pay down your credit card debt or stick with the minimums and put money in savings? 

EMILY: In these uncertain times, standard financial advice isn't always the best choice. Paying off high-interest debt is usually always the right choice. But the right choice today has to factor in your job stability and your emergency fund. If you have a large emergency fund, you probably want to pay down your debt.  But if you don’t, you may want cash if you’re worried about job stability or are really uncertain about the future.  The good thing is that if you don’t need those savings when we emerge from this crisis, you can use that money to pay down your credit card debt. 

MISSED THE MONEY MOVES SUMMIT? WE GOT YOU!
READ THE TOP QUOTES FROM ALLY x MONEY MOVES FINANCIAL WORKSHOP BELOW:

On prioritizing yourself…

“If you don't pay yourself first, you're always going to feel like you’re a step behind.” — Emily Shallal

On having an emergency fund…

“You never want less than three months of income sitting in your savings account.” — Emily Shallal

On investing in the stock market…

“Research shows investing in the market may be a good way to get a return on your money.”

“Start small. You don’t have to put your life savings into the stock market on day one. Start with something that you know. You have to do your homework on the company.”

“You want to get used to what the market feels like, the daily ups and downs, and the volatility of the market.” — Lindsey Bell

On putting money into a 401k…

“Once you start small, you’re going to see this momentum, you’re going to see that balance start to grow and you’re going to get excited about it.” — Emily Shallal

On adapting during COVID-19...

“Innovation and iteration are part of the business process and it will take you places you never thought you were going to go.” — Emily Shallal

On finding the right financial advisor...

“Working with a financial advisor is like working with a therapist because you really need to get along with your financial advisor.” — Lindsey Bell 

On finance resources to read...

“If you’re looking for just solid information, anything by Warren Buffett. The Wall Street Journal is also a great resource for building your financial acumen.” — Emily Shallal

“The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham will give you a great perspective about the market.”

— Lindsey Bell 

On the meaning of success...

“Success doesn’t have to be a destination. It’s about being a better version of yourself every day.”

— Emily Shallal

To see what Ally has to offer, visit Ally.com

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Hey, C&C Campers! Here's What to Expect at Our Digital Summer Camp

Photo: Create & Cultivate

Here at Create & Cultivate, we know the importance of some good old-fashioned fun—but we also know that you’re always looking for ways to further your career and build your business, whether you’re soaking up the sun on the beach or leading a meeting in the boardroom. That’s why we’re redefining the meaning of a working vacation with a jam-packed digital summit filled with real-talk panel discussions, impactful workshops, virtual networking with fellow C&C campers, and a mentor power hour with the best in the biz.

As you know, we always bring our A-game but our lineup for Saturday, June 13 is stacked. BK Yoga Club is kicking off the morning with a live yoga session, Danielle Fishel Karp is taking the virtual stage to talk about switching lanes from entertainer to clean beauty entrepreneur, Chloé Watts of cholédigital is leading a must-watch workshop on building content marketing funnels, Farnoosh Torabi is sharing tips for leveraging a podcast to build a brand, and Brad Goreski is pulling back the filter on the fashion industry. Not to mention, nostalgia-inducing workshops that’ll enable you to stretch those creative muscles, real-time digital networking opportunities, and so much more. You don’t want to miss this one!

Read on to discover everything we have in store for this jam-packed day, and if you haven’t already, be sure to buy your ticket ASAP!

THE DATE

Saturday, June 13, 2020

TUNE IN FROM HOME

First things first! On Saturday, June 13, you’ll receive an email with your link and password to access the exclusive Summer Camp site. Please note: All content will go live on Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), including the launch of the exclusive Summer Camp site. To find out what time a session is happening in your time zone, use this handy time zone converter.

Summer Camp is made up of pre-recorded video sessions hosted via Vimeo and live video sessions streaming via Zoom. We recommend that you have a strong WiFi connection and find a comfortable place to tune in from home. Summer Camp is optimized for desktop, so it is best viewed via a computer or laptop, rather than a tablet or phone.

While the live content is specifically designed to be watched in real-time, you’ll be able to access and view it until Friday, June 19 at 5pm PDT (Insiders, you have all-access even after the cutoff via your C&C Insiders dashboard!). Tickets will be available to purchase until June 19 at 5pm PDT. 

THE SCHEDULE

Summer Camp is built just like our in-person conferences, which, of course, you all know and love. We have a stacked schedule with an A-list line-up of speakers so we suggest taking notes along the way. 

Want the full lineup? Check out the play-by-play schedule to map out your big day. Please note, all times are listed in PDT (Pacific Daylight Time), as C&C headquarters is located in sunny Los Angeles. To find out what time a session is happening in your time zone, use this time zone converter. 

It’s going to be HUGE so we recommend getting a head start on planning out your day now. Download this handy checklist to keep track of the pre-recorded video sessions and this checklist to keep track of the LIVE video sessions to make sure you don’t miss anything.

THINGS TO PREP AHEAD OF TIME

Here are a few things to prep before the big day so it goes off without a hitch:

• Make sure you have a strong WiFi connection.

• Install Zoom on your desktop computer or laptop and test it out.

  • Zoom tips:

    • Find a quiet place to tune in. Try to situate yourself in a small room that does not have an echo. 

      • Try and stay away from noisy electronics and silence your cell phone and computer notifications for an optimal experience.

    • When possible, limit your internet connection to solely the device you’re using for the Zoom conference.

      • Set your phone to airplane mode, pause your television connection, ask others in your home to pause anything that may require a strong internet connection, etc. 

• Set aside your athletic gear and your mat (or towel) and fill up your water bottle for our morning moves session with BK Yoga Club. No equipment needed!

• Gather the ingredients you’ll need to make an immunity-boosting smoothie during the breakfast workshop with Weelicious. Get the ingredients list and the recipe here!

• Purchase the supplies you’ll need in order to follow along with the workshops in real-time if you’d like! You can find shoppable supplies checklists for each workshop here. Scroll down to The Schedule and click on the “Supplies Checklist” below each workshop to open up PDFs with shoppable links.

• Download the workshop downloads so you can follow along with the expert in real-time. Note: Your exclusive workshop downloads will be available on Saturday, June 13 via the exclusive Summer Camp site, which you will gain access to on the day-of. 

• Take the What Is Your Instagram Content Creator Type Quiz prior to the Content Coordination: How to Plan Your Content and Build Instagram Workflows for Your Creative Type workshop powered by Tailwind.

• Peruse the list of mentors who will be answering questions in real-time in hour-long Zoom webinars and choose your mentor(s). 

  • We have experts in everything from raising money to creating engaging content to growing a dedicated following on social media. If there’s more than one mentor you want advice from, don’t worry! You can hop from session to session over the course of the hour if you’d like. 

  • Don’t forget to jot down any questions you have for the mentor sessions ahead of time! You’ll be able to ask your Qs in real-time by typing them into Zoom’s Q&A feature.

GET SOCIAL

Stay tuned for exciting announcements and updates by following along on our social at @createcultivate.

To access our custom Summer Camp IGS filters, head to @createcultivate on Instagram and click on the smiley face icon beneath our bio, or open your camera in Instagram and click on “browse effects” and search with keyword “createcultivate.” You can also search “ccsummercamp” on Instagram to use our custom GIFs.

Don’t forget to tag @createcultivate and use the hashtag #CCSummerCamp for the chance to be featured in our Instagram Stories throughout the day!

NETWORK

Networking is a huge part of our event and our Create & Cultivate Summer Camp Attendees Slack Workspace is a great place to mix and mingle with your fellow Create & Cultivators before, during, and after the big day. We’ve created channels for every workshop and panel, as well as channels for international attendees, networking, and more! 

Attendees will receive a link to access our Create & Cultivate Summer Camp Attendees Slack Workspace in our What to Expect newsletter on Wednesday, June 10. This Slack channel will remain accessible until Friday, June 19 at 5 pm PDT. Not familiar with Slack? Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Download the Slack app to your phone, computer, or both

2. Complete your account profile with a profile photo, your name, and what you do

3. Public conversations will happen in the channels (ex: #networking) and are located on the left-hand side of the app. You can also start direct messages with others in the Slack workspace

4. Hit send too early on a message? Slack has an edit feature! Click the three-dot icon located on the right side of the message to open the drop-down of message options

5. We’re all about GIFs at C&C! Here are instructions on how to integrate GIPHY into your Slack account.

6. Our Slack workspace is a busy, happening place on the day of the event. Streamline the notifications you receive by using the “mute” feature on channels that don’t pertain to you. To mute a channel, simply open up that channel, click the three-dot icon labeled “more,” and select the mute option

7. Most importantly, be kind and respectful of others. If you don’t follow this rule, you will be removed from the Slack group

If you have any questions on the day of the event about navigating the schedule, accessing the workshop downloads, or anything else, you can drop them into the customer service channel in Slack.

C&C INSIDERS’ PERKS

Our Insiders get a ton of perks at all our events—and our Digital Summer Camp is no exception. As an Insider, you get free admission and you’ll have access to all of the panels and keynotes after Friday, June 19 at 5pm PDT via your C&C Insiders dashboard. Not an insider yet? Don’t miss out—you can sign up here. 

VIRTUAL GIFT BAGS

We know you want ‘em! Get your inbox ready for gift bags and promo codes from some of your favorite brands, including The Sill, Janessa Leoné, Golde, Be Free by Danielle Fishel, Weelicious, Atarah Avenue, Style Rituals, and more.

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES?

Live chat with a C&C specialist on CreateCultivate.com. You’ll see a “Chat With Us” pop-up in the bottom right corner of your screen.

WE ARE SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU ONLINE! Who are you most excited to hear speak? Which workshop are you looking forward to most? Tell us in the comments below!

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This Founder's Curly Hair Salon Is Helping Women and Girls Love Themselves Just As They Are

We know how daunting it can be to start a new business, especially if you’re disrupting an industry or creating an entirely new one. When there is no path to follow, the biggest question is, where do I start? There is so much to do, but before you get ahead of yourself, let’s start at the beginning. To kick-start the process, and ease some of those first-time founder nerves, we’re asking successful entrepreneurs to share their stories in our new series, From Scratch. But this isn’t your typical day in the life profile. We’re getting into the nitty-gritty details—from writing a business plan (or not) to sourcing manufacturers and how much they pay themselves—we’re not holding back.

“

Marketing is important, but not more than the quality of what you’re offering and the customer service experience. Word of mouth is GOLD.

”

—Carolina Contreras, Founder and CEO, Miss Rizos

Disrupting an industry isn’t easy.

Just ask Carolina Contreras, who decided to open a curly hair salon in New York City the very same year that New York state legally banned discrimination based on hair texture at work and in schools. The law, which went into effect in 2019, marked a long-overdue step in defining mistreatment based on hair texture or style as racially discriminatory, especially when you consider that Black women are 1.5 times more likely to be sent home from the workplace because of their hair.

“Miss Rizos is a curly hair salon that helps women and little girls love themselves just as they are,” the founder and CEO explained during our Digital Money Moves Summit pitch competition, which awarded a $10,000 grant to the deserving small business owner. “We use not only our curly hair salons but also our social media presence to redefine beauty standards and create a more inclusive picture of what it means to be beautiful. Our goal is to change the world one curl at a time."

In this installment of From Scratch, Contreras shares the nitty-gritty details behind what it really takes to get a business off the ground, including what it took for her to self-fund the company at the beginning (spoiler alert: all her savings) and how COVID-19 has impacted her brick-and-mortar business.

CREATE & CULTIVATE: Did you write a business plan?

CAROLINA CONTRERAS: When I first started my business, I wasn’t sure what I was doing. I knew we needed a mission, vision, and values, so my little tiny team of two (my best friends, btw) and I took a two-hour car ride to our favorite beach town in the Dominican Republic, Las Terrenas. There, we hashed out all of our ideas and goals for a curly hair haven in a place where our hair wasn’t validated or celebrated. Before the salon, Miss Rizos was a blog, so we used this online platform as an inspiration for our space. I’ve written long- and short-term strategies for the business, but we are just now—five and a half years after opening—actually putting a real business plan together. I say, do it early if you, can because it will help you strategize and reach all of your business dreams. 

How did you come up with the name Miss Rizos?

Originally, I named my blog Miss Rizos for a few reasons. First, there weren’t any curly hair beauty pageant winners, so calling it Miss Rizos (Miss Curls) was satirical. I also felt like my curls were adorning my head and making me feel powerful, sort of like a crown, and misses wear crowns at these pageants. The name Miss Rizos embodies this idea that I can make my own rules and define my own beauty. 

 What were the immediate things you had to do to set up the business? What would you recommend to new founders reading this?

I definitely trademarked the name first so that no one would use it. I registered the website the moment I thought of the name and created a social media handle I thought we could potentially use. Finally, defining the mission, vision, and values of a company is so important, and I recommend people actually spend time doing this because these principles will guide the way and help you make the best decisions. 

What research did you do for the business beforehand? Would you recommend it?

I recommend benchmarking within and outside of your field. I love watching videos about digital marketing and really understanding the importance of the digital space in this very digital era. Finally, I would look at all of the administrative details of your company like permits, licenses, and tax information. Don’t let this stuff intimidate you from starting, just start! 

“Insecurities, doubts, and fears will always exist, don’t let them paralyze you. Do it afraid. ”

How did you find the first hairstylists that you partnered with? Did you have any bad experiences? What did you learn and what advice do you have for other founders looking for trustworthy partners?

Omg, I’ve had my fair share of terrible experiences with business partners. USE CONTRACTS! Make sure agreements are legally binding and that you are incredibly transparent with all of the terms. Hire slow, fire fast. This means take your time hiring, do several interviews, and invite other people in the team or in your community to do interviews with you. Finally, hire and fire based on the values you defined for your company. It’s nothing personal, if someone doesn’t align with the values of your company, they will bring down team morale and potentially ruin a relationship with a client. 

How did you fund the company?

I used a lot of my savings, actually all of my savings! I also pre-sold appointments and apparel using crowdfunding platforms. I have bootstrapped mostly, but a year ago, we acquired a new partner who also an angel investor. Again, this person’s values aligned with ours and our relationship has been incredible.  

How did you determine how much to pay yourself?

I still struggle with this so much and hope to be able to make peace with it soon. I actually didn’t pay myself until like two years in. It’s really a symbolic payment more than an actual salary. I do have the business cover a lot of my expenses like phone, transportation, etc., and this is super important because it allows me to live a decent quality of life and be more present for my business.

I say, if you’re just starting, make sure you have savings that will support you for three to six months, so that you’re not putting a financial burden on the new venture. Then, it’s definitely important to create a salary or arrangement that will allow you to have peace of mind and concentrate on running the company. Finally, I say create a plan to get to that dream salary and work your way there. 

How big is your team now, and what has the hiring process been like?

We started with the team of two, and now we are a team of nearly 40 people. As I mentioned before, hire slow, fire fast and let your values guide the way. I had lots of experience hiring from being a project manager in the nonprofit world for many years. Interviews should be a two way conversation and not an interrogation process. 

Did you hire an accountant?

I hired an accountant late in the game and it cost me thousands if not hundreds of thousands! Get a CPA early in the game, learn the taxation system in your state and country. Get an online bookkeeping platform and keep all receipts and the books organized. When you can afford it, get a financial advisor who has experience with small businesses and can help you make sure your prices are right and identify what new strategies need to be implemented. Learn early what your point of equilibrium is, this is how much you need to make to break even. This will help you come up with a number of what you need to make a month, a week, a day, and even per hour. Be comfortable and in control of the numbers. It will empower you to make better decisions. 

What has been the biggest learning curve during the process of establishing a salon business?

Definitely human resources. It’s not easy putting a dream team together. 

How did you promote your company? How did you get people to know who you are and create buzz?

I created a community before I had a business and this helped tremendously. I also created a lot of buzz surrounding my activism, which got me a lot press. Social media has been instrumental, but more for my community-building than the actual random reach. Create good free content, give value to your potential clients. I’ve had a marketing team since the beginning. She worked for free for a while, now she owns 20% of the company. Hire a publicist as a consultant even if just for an event to get you in the media or for one to three months, if you can’t afford it. Marketing is important, but not more than the quality of what you’re offering and the customer service experience. Word of mouth is GOLD.  

Do you have a business coach or mentor?

I didn’t for years. Get one when you can afford it, in the meantime there is Youtube. 

“It’s important to have purpose and define it so that when things get really hard, you can always visit that “why.” ”

How has COVID-19 impacted your business operations and financials? What tactics and strategies have you put in place to pivot and ensure your business is successful through this period?

We had to close our stores. We pivoted by moving sales online and doing online consultations. We were very intentional about applying to as many grants and financial opportunities as possible, including pitch competitions, and I am grateful to have won the pitch competition for Create & Cultivate. 

What short-term changes will be crucial to your business strategy long-term post-COVID-19 and what plans are you making for when we get back to “normal?”

We are definitely going to invest more on our online e-commerce experience. We plan on making sure we are generating revenue in lots of different ways and not just the salon experience. 

What advice can you share for small business owners, founders, and entrepreneurs who are also reeling in response to COVID-19?

APPLY to everything! See what aspects of the business can be done online. Create a new product or revamp an old one that could be sold online. Give your community lots of free important content, with this you’re communicating how important they are to you. Check up on clients. Call your landlord and let them know what you’re doing to pivot and think of ways to negotiate the rent payments without being defensive. Honey pulls more bees. 

For those who haven’t started a business (or are about to) what advice do you have? 

Be curious. What do you love doing and would do for free because you love it so much? Now find a way to make this, or an aspect of this, your business.

“

Hire slow, fire fast, and let your values guide the way.”

—Carolina Contreras, Founder and CEO, Miss Rizos

What is your number one piece of financial advice for any new business owner and why?

Scale slowly, not too slowly, and listen to your clientele. Don’t get into a bigger store or buy a ton of inventory you don’t need. Cash is king, so don’t just go crazy on making your overhead bigger if you don’t know how it’s going to get paid. It’s not magic, it’s strategy and planning. Robin Sharma says vague planning equals vague results. Strategizing and planning in advance, allows you to make the best decisions about growing your business. Take risks, but smart risks.  

If you could go back to the beginning with the knowledge you have now, what advice would you give yourself and why?

Get a CPA and make sure to always use contracts! 

Anything else to add?

Being a business owner is scary! There are so many responsibilities. So it’s important to have purpose and define it so that when things get really hard, you can always visit that “why.” Insecurities, doubts and fears will always exist, don’t let them paralyze you. Do it afraid. The worst thing that can happen is that the business fails, but you’ll learn in the process and will gather tools, resources, and networks to do it better the next time. 

Enter to win a $10,000 grant for your small business

We're dedicating proceeds from our Digital Beauty Summit ticket sales toward a $10,000 grant for a small business owner in the health and wellness industry, including beauty, health and wellness, and self-care. We'll be selecting three finalists to pitch their businesses LIVE to a panel of judges for a chance to win the grant. Want in? Click here to check out the official rules and apply by Friday, July 17, 2020 at 11:59 PM PDT.

Up next: 32 Black Female-Owned Brands and Entrepreneurs to Support Now and Always

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Ask an Expert: The Three P's of Launching a Beauty Brand

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

“When you cannot speak directly to the buyer, your product speaks for you.”

—Elle Johnson, Founder of Elle Johnson Co.

So you have a great business idea—now what? Between identifying a void in the market that you can fill, developing a quality product that you’re proud of, and defining your brand’s mission, aesthetic, and voice, getting from concept to launch can be overwhelming—especially when you’re entering a category as crowded as beauty.

To get into the nitty-gritty details of what it really takes to launch a brand in the beauty industry, we tapped Elle Johnson, founder of the botanical-based luxury skincare line Elle Johnson Co., for insight. In the latest installment of our Ask an Expert series, she breaks down the complicated process into the three p’s: purpose, product, and packaging.

Scroll on for some of the highlights, as told to Create & Cultivate by Johnson via IG Live. If you missed the conversation, you can watch it in full here, and be sure to tune into our next Ask an Expert conversation on Instagram Live.

Purpose

What is the fuel that is pushing you to launch this brand? What is the story behind your brand? Is there a void that you’re filling? Who are you helping? What need are you meeting?

The best beauty brands are the ones that are addressing a need for their consumer base. So, who are you targeting your product to? You want to know: Who are these women? Where do they work? Do they have children. Do they travel a lot? All of these things will help you learn how to market to your demographic and meet their needs.

Product

What is your product? What is it made of?

When it comes to creating a product, there are two options: Private label or manufacturing. With a private label, you go to a lab or a developer and they have an array of products that have already been created, deemed safe, and are ready to package. With a manufacturer, you have complete creative control, which can be extensive and expensive.

A few things to consider when developing your product:

• Is it safe?

• Is it clean?

• Who are you selling to?

• Is it a lifestyle?

• Is there room for growth?

Packaging

How do you want to package and sell your product?

The packaging is so key. As you go into retail placement, you have to think about so many things: What does your packaging look like on the shelves? How does it compare to your competitors? Does it have an educational element?

When you get to retail, you are going to be on the shelf next to your competitors, and when you cannot speak directly to the buyer, your product speaks for you.

About the Expert: LaVonndra "Elle" Johnson is the founder of the botanical-based luxury skincare line Elle Johnson Co. She has a formal background in branding and became a skincare enthusiast after witnessing so many women struggle with skin conditions, oftentimes leading to lowered self-esteem and confidence, and a reliance on artificial beauty. Follow her on Instagram.

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

MORE ON THE BLOG

80 Powerhouse Quotes From Black Women and WOC Create & Cultivate 100 Honorees

It’s no secret that women are driving the economy in America. In 2019, American women started an average of 1,817 new businesses every day. A whopping 42% (nearly 13 million) of all American businesses are women-owned. They employ 9.4 million workers and generate $1.9 trillion in annual revenue.

And Black women-owned businesses are leading the way.

According to the American Express 2019 State of Women-Owned Businesses report there are 2,681,200 Black women-owned businesses in the U.S.—that’s 21% of all women-owned businesses—making it the largest segment of women-owned businesses after non-minority women. In fact, Black women-owned businesses represented the highest rate of growth of any group in the number of firms between 2014 and 2019 and between 2018 and 2019.

Our team has had the honor of working with so many intelligent, talented and strong women of color and Black women founders, entrepreneurs, creatives, musicians, artists, chefs, and small business owners, spotlighting their incredible work at our events, on our platform, and in our annual Create & Cultivate 100 list. And, we look forward to continually growing and expanding upon this as a key part of our community.   

Now approaching its fourth year, this list honors 100 inspirational women who are disrupting industries and smashing glass ceilings across 10 different categories from fashion, food, entertainment, entrepreneurship, health & wellness, content creation, beauty, fashion, music, small business, and more. We come together as a team to ensure the list is diverse and inclusive with a mix of household names you know and love as well as up-and-comers you need to read about.  

But this list is about so much more than just a number. It’s about the ripple effect it inspires. 

When you honor 100 women who are 100% in it, you encourage 100 more to create a future we all want to be part of. After all, if you can’t see it, you can’t be it. 

Your recommendations this past week alone have been amazing in bringing even more Black women-owned businesses to our attention, and we want to thank you for that. Please, keep them coming—we’re listening and compiling, and will be integrating many of them into all we do long-term.

Read on to hear from 80 Black women and women of color who have been honored in our Create & Cultivate 100 list each year.

Create & Cultivate 100, 2017

Sanaa Lathan, Actress & Philanthropist

“One positive moment with a young person can change their path forever. ”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Jackie Aina, Beauty Influencer

“Most people naturally just assumed I only do makeup tutorials for African American women, not realizing that we come in so many different shades and you don’t have to necessarily look exactly like someone to learn a new tip. ”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Lindsey Day, Co-Founder and EIC, CRWN Magazine

“It’s the love of my people and seeing a woman or girl flip through CRWN and her eyes light up…or when a sister confides in me about her hairstory and how CRWN is a place where she can finally see herself…These are the reminders that CRWN is so much bigger than Nkrumah and myself.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Andrea Brooks, Creator, Andrea's Choice

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. It’s about creating yourself.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Nikisha Brunson, Co-founder, Urban Bush Babes, and Founder, Folie Apothecary

“Life is too magical to put barriers on it.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Raye Boyce, Beauty Vlogger

“Female empowerment is knowing that you can do anything, even if it might be in a field dominated by the opposite sex.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Cleo Wade, Poet, Artist, Speaker

“Compassionate listening is the greatest and simplest form of peacekeeping.”

Read the interview.

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Nicole Byer, Comedienne

“All women are beautiful, smart, strong as fuck, and special.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Franchesca Ramsey, Comedian, Actress, Activist, and YouTube Personality

“Being a woman of color on the Internet is challenging, let alone being one that openly talks about racism and feminism. I deal with an intense amount of harassment, which at times can be discouraging, but is also a reminder of why these conversations are so important.”

Read the interview.

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Kai Kan, Chef

“Take the time to plan your life or settle for what life gives you.”

Read the interview.

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Siham and Iman Hashi, Faarrow

“Being able to see yourself in every woman regardless of race, class, religion... when that happens empowerment is just a byproduct.”

Read the interview.

Follow them on Instagram.

Kitty Ca$h, DJ

“I learned to be grateful, honor my worth, and love myself the way that I am.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

---

Create & Cultivate 2018

Kristen Noel Crawley, Founder, KNC Beauty

“When women support each other we can accomplish anything!”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Megan Lytle, Beauty & Hair Vlogger

“There are a lot of things that happen behind the scenes that people would be surprised about when it comes to the beauty world and even more when it comes to being an African American influencer.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Myleik Teele, Creator, CURLBOX

“I wanted make the black hair experience fun and beautiful for Black women.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Pat McGrath, Make-Up Artist

“Beauty has nothing to do with one’s age, gender, body size, socio-economic status, race, religion, or culture.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Erica Chidi, Founder, Loom

“Give negativity little to no oxygen.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Morgan DeBaun, CEO, Blavity Inc.

“Actions speak louder than words and execution is everything.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Yvonne Orji, Actress

“I like being able to go into male-dominated spaces and blow their minds anyway.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Tiffany Haddish, Actress, Comedian

“I obviously went through these things for a reason, and if it’s not to share with other people so they can handle their situations better, well, I don’t know what the hell I went through it for. I might as well share it because this the only life I got to live and who knows it might save the world.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Kimberly Bryant, Founder, Black Girls Code

“I consider myself a fighter and a revolutionary and I’m driven to stand up to injustices and inequities whenever I see them manifest.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Aisha Bowe, Co-Founder & CEO, STEMboard

“Don’t spend life daydreaming about ‘what could be’. Invest your energy in what is right in front of you and see how it can be cultivated into something meaningful #realtalk.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Arlan Hamilton, Founder, Managing Partner, Backstage Capital

“It started with my mom telling me I deserved to be in any room and shouldn’t shrink myself to make someone else feel better about themselves.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Mandela Schumacher-Hodge Dixon, Founder & CEO, Founder Gym

“I am not just a woman in STEM. I am a Black woman in STEM, who grew up in a low- income household, who never took a technology, business, or finance class in K-12 or college, didn’t go to an Ivy League school, and didn’t know a soul in tech prior to entering Silicon Valley in 2011.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Anita Bias, and Paris and Amber Strother, We Are King

“I’d love to break down barriers that any woman feels when it comes to following your art.”

Read the interview.

Follow them on Instagram.

Lion Babe, Musician

“The more your honor your spirit and soul, the more that energy grows around you.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Kelsey Lu, Musician

“You learn to make space and time for yourself.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Monique Coleman, Actress, Founder, GimmeMo’

“My passion stems from my deep belief that empowering girls does change the world.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Shaun Robinson, S.H.A.U.N. Foundation for Girls

“I was raised by a mother who taught me that I was complete all by myself.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Nia Batts, Co-Founder & CEO, Detroit Blows

“Representation is important in the stories we tell.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Mari Copeny, Youth Ambassador

“My focus is on making the world see that kids are not just the future. We are the present as well and we can change the world now.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Grace Mahary, Founder, Project Tsehigh

“Be authentic. You’ll break through the static when you find your secret sauce and share it with the world.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Denise Vasi, Actress & Founder, Maed

“Any challenge at hand is an opportunity, a chance to dig deeper.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Destiny Green, Creator, Mom Crush Monday

“I think too many people are afraid of failing. I’m not.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Jenna Wortham, Writer

“All victories count. There’s no need to compare yours to someone else’s.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Karen Okonkwo, Co-Founder, TONL

“Sometimes, especially in the black community we feel tokenized. I’m not trying to act like the spokesperson for the black community. I’m simply someone who is trying to provide change and influence. I may have some missteps along the way. Try to give people grace as they launch their businesses and feedback.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Massy Arias, Fitness Coach

“The day I die, I’d like people to remember me as someone who taught them how to be fearless and how to create their own destiny. I would love my daughter to say I was her motivator and role model.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Lauren Ash, Founder & Executive Director, Black Girl in Om

“Preventative and holistic self-care and self-love allow us all to breathe a little easier and slowly but surely it can become a lifestyle. This is what Black Girl In Om is all about.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Angela Manuel-Davis, Co-Founder, AARMY

“A bump in the road doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Sometimes it just calls on you to push through a little bit harder.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Emma Grede, Co-Founder and CEO, Good American

“We believe very strongly that it’s so important to show a real representation of women in fashion and the wider media landscape. We wanted to liberate women from feeling as though they need to live up to an unreal external projection of how they should be.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Paola Mathe, Founder, Fanm Djanm

“I’m inspired by women. I’m inspired by black women. I’m inspired by women who have found their voice, and who know what they want (or at least what they don’t want).”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Create & Cultivate 100 2019

Felicia Leatherwood, Celebrity Natural Hairstylist 

“Sometimes the challenge, at least for me, has been getting women to change the way they feel about their hair and embracing the beauty that they were born with.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Frédérique Harrel, Fashion Blogger, and Founder, RadSwan

“I was born as a black woman for a reason, and I just want to make sure I don’t miss it.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Courtney Adeleye, Founder, Foolproof Body, and Generational Advantage Fund

“If you’re not teachable, there’s no way you can evolve.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Candace Reels, Founder, The Female Collective 

“Activism to me means taking a stand for something you believe in or something you’re against. Not just stating it, but taking actionable steps in creating the change you want to see. There are so many ways you can activate in your community, big or small. Marching, volunteering with or donating to organizations that support what you believe in, starting a movement on social media, having courageous conversations with your friends and family, and calling out people when they have done something wrong in your eyes. There are additional ways to go about it, these are just a few.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Alex Elle, Poet, Author, Host of Hey, Girl Podcast

“No rain. No rainbows... people relate to authenticity and I truly believe that being vulnerable helps amplify that.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Laci Jordan, Artist 

“I decided to bet on my own magic.”

Read the interview.

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Shantell Martin, Producer & Artist 

“Hearing a NO is a sign that you’re growing and aiming higher and higher.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Kenesha Sneed, Art/Creative Director 

“My internal monologue was all over the place. “Will I be able to continue doing what I love?”, “Will I get paid equal or more than what I’m earning now?” Also let’s talk about the weight of being the only black artist in that workspace at the time. There was a feeling of guilt I know many POC feel in majority white spaces. I was like “If I leave, no one here will look like me.” This is why representation is so important. ”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Nancy Twine, Founder, and CEO, Briogeo 

“Find something you really believe in and that you won’t quit until you’ve succeeded. ”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Gabi Gregg, Founder, Playful Promises Lingerie, and Swimsuits for All

“Maintain your integrity and trust your gut.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Shiona Turini, Stylist, Costume Designer, and Consultant

“Sometimes you have to trust that even without past experience, you can figure it out.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Sophia Roe, Chef

“It’s important when things go wrong to stay calm, assess the situation in a realistic way, and shift gears accordingly.”

Read the interview.

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Ayesha Curry, Chef & Author 

“Take the mistakes and failures, and make something out of them.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Koya Webb, Founder, Get Loved Up 

“Social injustice and the state of our government (keeps me up at night). I feel politics are a bit out of control. It’s always been rough but now it’s getting nasty. Some of our leaders can’t even be looked up to as good role models for our kids, and that should be a prerequisite... at least be a decent person who is kind and loves all people.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Melissa Alcantara, All Natural Athlete

“I learned early on in my life that no one will be there for you more than you; no one will take action for you to accomplish the things you want like you.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Ally Love, CEO and Founder, Love squad, Peloton Instructor, Brooklyn Nets Host, and Model 

“Understand that you cannot apply equal energy to everything. Be conscious of your immediate goals and operate accordingly.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Kiana Lede, Singer, Actor, Mental Health Advocate 

“I choose to empower myself by empowering others.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Chloe x Halle, Singer-Songwriter 

“Our parents always taught us from a young age that we can do anything we put our minds to and no to be afraid to dive in to do something that may not be considered things for little girls to be doing.”

Read the interview.

Follow them on Instagram.

BOSCO, Singer

“Surround yourself with people who are going to nurture your gifts and be transparent about your growth and how to improve.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Sarah Kunst, Managing Director, Cleo Capital 

“Nothing is easy, so stop trying to figure out easy and instead focus on enjoyable, fulfilling, meaningful.”

Read the interview.

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Lisa Mae Brunso, Founder and Chief Visionary, Wonder Women Tech 

“Rev. Jesse Jackson told me something so basic that it was also profoundly powerful, he said, “You just have to show up.” Those two words are something I carry with me every day when I feel like giving up. ”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Krystle Rowry, Web Designer, Digital Strategist, Kriss Dit It

“I look at hurdles as a time to learn, pivot, & get excited for what’s next.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Kaya Thomas, Computer Scientist, App Developer, Writer, and Founder, We Read Too App 

“When I hit a hurdle I remember what I’m working toward in the first place.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Twitter.

Janice Bryant Howroyd, Founder and CEO, ActOne Group

“Communicating with clarity, purpose, passion, and honesty will enable you to serve others in a profound way.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Create & Cultivate 100 2020

Shani Darden, Founder, Shani Darden Skin Care

“Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and take risks. Be your most authentic self. ”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

TyLynn Nguyen, Lingerie Designer, Model, Content Creator 

“Believe in yourself, don’t be afraid of change, and have a perspective.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Daisha Graf, Actress, Dancer, Model, Singer, Influencer, Fitness Coach, and Co-Founder, D(n)A arts 

“‘Making it’ is subjective. I have in no way, shape, or form ‘made it’ in my mind. I feel once I’ve ‘made it’ there will be nothing left to pursue. I never want to feel that. ”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Tonya Rapley, Millennial Money Expert 

“Keep trying things. In my experience, you have to try things out that aren’t for you in order to find what is for you.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Kiitan Akinniranye, Content Strategy, and Lifestyle blogger 

“I am my only competition. It’s definitely a hard mindset to keep at all times, but I think society has really tried to push this idea that there’s only so much space in any room for people who aren’t white men, and that’s completely false. I’m unique because I’m me, sharing what I love with people who love it too. I’m always challenging myself to push my limits and try new things, but it’s an internal push, not an external one.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Lindsay Peoples Wagner, Editor in Chief, Teen Vogue

“You always hear that, as a Black woman, you have to work three times as hard. Sometimes working hard is enough, and sometimes it’s not. That was so hard for me starting out.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Lalah Delia, Author and Founder, Vibrate Higher Daily

“When you move through fear and resistance, new strength and resilience that you never knew you had, takes control.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Noelle Scaggs, Co-Lead Singer, Fitz and the Tantrums 

“Find your own voice, and dont be afraid of telling your authentic-to-only-you stories.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Melissa Bennet, Co-Founder, Technology, Heatwaves

“To get into the room with big brands, you need a reason to be there. Think about what you can bring to the table that’s unique, valuable, or exciting. Be the meeting that people look forward to.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Trinity Mouzon Wofford, Co-founder, Golde

“Being an entrepreneur is basically just a series of unending failures... You can choose any of these moments to give up, or you can see them as learning curves that will prepare you for the next thing.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Tia Mowry, Actress, Content Creator, Author, Entrepreneur, Founder, Anser

“It takes time to discover yourself, but once you do, the rest is history.”

Read the interview.

Follow her on Instagram.

Tyra Banks, Model, Entrepreneur, TV Executive, and Business CEO 

“My mama has always—and still—teaches me to never give up. She always compared success to access inside a house. She’d say, ‘It doesn’t matter if you get into the house through a window, a door or through a hole in the roof—you just get in! Doesn’t matter if the front door is closed. You get in!’”

Read the interview.

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Nyma Tang, Content Creator 

“You don’t have to settle for what people think you deserve.”

Read the interview.

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Nyesha Arrington, President, Arrington LLC  

“Sometimes things fall apart, it’s part of the journey.”

Read the interview.

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Wendy Lopez and Jessica Jones, Content Creators, Podcast Hosts, and Authors, Co-Founders, Food Heaven

“We’ve had so many people of color—particularly Black women—tell us that they thought nutrition and healthy eating was for White people, but once they discovered our platform, they realized it was for them too.”

Read the interview.

Follow them on Instagram.

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Ask an Expert: How to Take Back Your Time and Get More Out of Your Days Without Running Yourself Ragged

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

“

Start believing that you actually deserve to be happy, regardless of whether or not everything on your to-do list gets done.”

—Whitney A. White, Creator of Take Back Your Time

We've all been known to “rise and grind,” but as we’ve had to learn the hard way, activity is not the same thing as productivity—it's time to bid adieu to the "I'm so busy" mantra. More often than not, attempting to tackle a never-ending to-do list just leads to feeling stressed, burnt out, and, ultimately, unfulfilled.

In this installment of our Ask an Expert series, we asked Whitney A. White, the creator of Take Back Your Time, to share her expert time management tips. Ahead, she breaks down four critical mistakes that are holding you back from living the life that you want and the actionable steps you can take to break these bad habits and get more out of your days.

Scroll on for her tried-and-true tips for maximizing your time, honing your focus, and avoiding burnout. If you missed the conversation, you can watch it in full here, and be sure to tune into our next Ask an Expert conversation on Instagram Live.

Mistake #1: Taking pride in being busy.

“Stop thinking that working like crazy and being exhausted is some kind of badge of honor.”

“When you’re on the verge of burnout, you’re less efficient, less effective, and way more prone to mistakes. You are juggling so many different balls that, at any moment, they could all come crashing down.”

“If you keep doing this, you’ll be trapped in the anxious feeling that everything could fall apart at any moment.”

Step #1: Prioritize outcome over activity.

“Focus on outcomes over activity. When you get off that hamster wheel and focus on outcomes, you can stop being busy and getting the most important things done.”

“Prioritize achieving the goals that really matter and taking pride in accomplishing what you truly want to do.”

Mistake #2: Trying to tackle to never-ending to-do lists.

“Stop feeling like you need to do every single thing that ends up on your to-do list.”

“We all intuitively know that some things are more important than others, but when we’re trapped in the realm of the never-ending to-do list, getting anything done feels like an accomplishment.”

Step #2: Nix low-value tasks.

“Not everything on your to-do list absolutely has to get done. You want to be investing your precious time in the tasks that are truly most important in your life.”

“This will give you the brain space to focus on high priorities that really matter. You will start to feel empowered. Remember, you have a choice in what you do with your time.”

Mistake #3: Thinking only you can.

“Get over feeling like no one else can do as good of a job as you can.” 

“Because you think no one else can do as good of a job as you can, you’re afraid to let go. You end up convincing yourself that you have to do everything yourself.”

“By making this mistake, you walk around with the weight of so many responsibilities on your shoulders.”

Step #3: Delegate, delegate, delegate.

“You are not the only competent person on the planet.”

“When you delegate, you can reap the benefits of applying laser-like focus to the tasks that truly matter to you.”

“True focus feels like you are operating at your peak level and you know that nothing can get in your way.”

Mistake #4: Sacrificing what you can’t get back

“Stop believing that you have to sacrifice your health, wellness, and happiness in the present in order to get where you want to go in the future.”

“When we over-index in one aspect of our lives and neglect the others, we end up feeling unfulfilled because there are parts of ourselves that we’re not letting flourish.”

Step #4: Give yourself permission to prioritize your own happiness.

“Start believing that you actually deserve to be happy, regardless of whether or not everything on your to-do list gets done.”

“Enjoy your life today in the here and now. Invest your time in the ways that you really want to—you don’t want to be grinding all the time just to feel unfulfilled.”

“That feeling of freedom and personal fulfillment is truly priceless.”

About the Expert: Whitney A. White is the founder of Afara Global, an organization that helps startups, corporate innovation teams, and nonprofits launch and scale new products and services. She is also the creator of Take Back Your Time, a transformational coaching program designed to help business leaders get on a clear path to achieving the goals that matter to them most. Follow her on Instagram.

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

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5 Black Women Changing the Investment Landscape

Statistically, female-led and owned businesses make more money, but women are still underfunded, especially women of color. Out of $85 Billion in VC funding in 2017, only 2.2% went to female founders, and every year, women of color get less than 1% of total funding. And Black women-led startups get even less. According to a 2016 study, of the 0.04% of Black women-led startups, they only raise an average of $36,000 in funding (or about .01% of the money pulled in by the average successful startup). Of the 88 tech companies featured in the study, only 11 had raised $1 million or more. 

But when you hear that women of color account for 89% (1,625) of the new businesses opened every day over the past year, the numbers just don’t add up. However, these five women are changing the game by becoming investors themselves. They’re breaking the VC ceiling, stacking the odds back in their favor, and putting the dollars into the businesses who need it most.

Read on to learn more and get ready to pitch your business.

Arian Simone, Founder & CEO, Fearless

Serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, angel investor, best-selling author, and marketing expert, Arian Simone is on a mission to change the glaring inequality in the venture capital industry that too often leaves black women behind. As the co-founder and investor in the Fearless Fund, Simone invests in WOC led businesses seeking pre-seed, seed or series A financing. It’s also the first VC Fund built by women of color for women of color.

Follow her on Instagram.

Buy her book.

Sarah Kunst, Managing Director, Cleo Capital

Just 4% of female-led startups are run by black women—Sarah Kunst is one of them. Despite the statistical odds, Kunst is the managing director of Cleo Capital with an impressive resume. The entrepreneur and investor (she has advised and invested in 40+ companies), has worked at Apple, Red Bull, Chanel, and Mohr Davidow Ventures, to name a few. The CC100 2019 honoree was also the founder of LA Dodgers-backed app ProDay, a subscription workout app that allows users to workout alongside professional athletes and fitness celebs. Oh, and she’s also a contributing editor at Marie Claire as her hobby. Kunst is a force to be reckoned with and she’s on a mission to change the odds and help more Black women achieve their dreams.

Follow her on Instagram.

Pitch your business.

Arlan Hamilton, Author of It’s About Damn Time, Host of Your First Million podcast, and Investor

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A post shared by Arlan (@arlanwashere) on Apr 27, 2020 at 11:31pm PDT

When it comes to inspirational stories, nothing comes close to Arlan Hamilton’s. She built her venture capital fund, Backstage Capital while homeless. Built quite literally from the ground up since 2015, Hamilton has raised more than $10 million and invested in more than 130 startups led by women, POC, and LGBTQ founders. She was the first Black woman non-celebrity to feature on the cover of Fast Company magazine in October 2018 and she just released her new book It's About Damn Time where she shares her remarkable journey from food-stamp recipient to a successful venture capitalist.

Follow her on Instagram.

Buy her book.

Listen to her podcast.

Arielle Loren, Founder, 100K Incubator

As the founder of 100K Incubator—the first business funding mobile app for women, Arielle Loren’s mission is to help 100,000 early-stage women entrepreneurs get funding for their businesses and scale to 100K+ in yearly sales. Loren helps early-stage women entrepreneurs get the funding and cost-effective business coaching they need to build the business of their dreams.

Follow her on Instagram.

Download her 100K Incubator App.

Kathryn Finney, Founder and CEO, digitalundivided

Photo: Courtesy of digitalundivided

Inc. Magazine called her “one of the most influential women in tech” and it’s easy to see why. After selling her company, TBF GROUP—one of the first influencer media companies—Kathryn Finney launched digitalundivided—the only space and program dedicated to the growth of high-growth tech businesses founded by Black and Latinx women through the startup pipeline from idea to exit. Since 2013, DID has impacted thousands of people and helped raise over $100 million in investments. But on May 22, Finney wrote an essay on why she was leaving digitalundivided and what she plans to do next. “I hope to change the narrative that leaving something, especially for talented black women, is a negative event,” she wrote. “We deserve to be our full selves like everyone else. I know I will.”

Follow her on Instagram.

Buy her book.

Know of another Black woman changing the investment game? Share it with us below and we’ll continue to update this list.

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29 Quotes on Diversity and Inclusion From the Create & Cultivate Stage

To put it simply, diversity matters, and the stats speak for themselves and new research makes it crystal clear. Companies with a more diverse workforce perform better financially. In fact, companies in the top 25% for gender and ethnic diversity at the executive level are more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the bottom 25% (not to mention they’re also 33% more likely to outperform the competition).

But it’s not enough to just listen and learn. We have to take action and understand our responsibility in moving the needle and making inclusion the norm, not the exception. Diversity, inclusion, and the importance of allies at work have always been an important conversation, but now more than ever, we need to talk about it, get uncomfortable, and do the work.

Read on for 29 quotes from powerful Black women and POC voices from the Create & Cultivate stage on the importance of diversity and inclusion so we can create cultures, communities and companies where everyone belongs.

Photo: Courtesy of Create & Cultivate

Panel: Inspired Inclusivity: Creating Cultures and Companies Where Everyone Belongs
Where: LA 2020 Conference

Panelists:

Nyma Tang | Beauty Influencer & Inclusivity Advocate

Adrienne Houghton | Singer, Actress, Talk Show Host, Lifestyle Personality, & Entrepreneur

Shahd Batal | Model, YouTube Star, & Influencer

Arnell Armon | YouTuber & Influencer

Sunita V. | Influencer

Moderator: 

Randi Bryant | Sista-Intendent, Diversity and Inclusion Strategist"

On bringing inclusivity into the boardroom…

“Everything I do, I want it to be inclusive. I wanted diversity. It was important to me that people could see themself in the brand.” — Adrienne Houghton

On representation...

“I wasn’t represented, which is why I do what I do now.” — Shahd Batal

“I think brands really need to look internally and ask, ‘Why haven’t we created these shades? Why are they ashy? And do we have people in boardrooms who can speak up?’” — Nyma Tang

On the entertainment industry…

“Us as consumers need to recognize our power. Be the change we want to see.” — Adrienne Houghton

On representation in work culture…

“You’re hiring black influencers but there are no black people on your team. Actually hire us and work with us.” — Arnell Armon

On the future of inclusivity... 

"We need to stop taking baby steps. I want to jump, I want to leap. I want to see everyone represented." — Shahd Batal

“You’re hiring black influencers but there are no black people on your team. Actually hire us and work with us. — Arnell Armon”

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Panel: Intersectionality in the workplace: A conversation on diversity and the important role of allies at the office

Where: The San Francisco Conference 2019

Panelists:

Bhavagna Bhattiprolu | Vice President, Blended Strategy Group

Miatta David Johnson | President and Co-Founder, MVD Inc

Massah David | Co-Founder, MVD Inc

Ally Maki | Actress

Sahara Pynes | Partner, Fox Rothschild LLP

Moderator: 

Randi Bryant | Diversity and Inclusion Strategist, Author, Speaker, and Trainer

On the importance of diversity versus inclusion…

“I think it’s important because diversity on its own can only serve optics, inclusion is making sure that people’s voices are being heard, being in the conversation, not just the topic of the conversation.” — Massah David

On creating real change…

“Bring us in the room because it’s great for optics but if you’re not hearing from us nothing is going to change.” — Miatta David Johnson

“If they understand this will affect their profits that’s what is going to create a change.” — Miatta David Johnson

On how to make real change in large companies...

“Make sure the right people are in the room. To have diversity conversations without white male founders is pointless. Unless you bring the decision-makers into the room nothing will change.” — Sahara Pynes

“It's easy to bring people in the door, but you have to get them to stay and feel like they’re a contributor.” — Sahara Pynes

“Leadership has to start from the top. There has to be accountability at the top as well. There have to be regular check-ins.” — Sahara Pynes

On the importance of advocacy…

“Leadership lending a hand is important to the discussion. We are all a group. It’s important to me that I'm reaching out to all women, all ethnicities. I’m not boxing myself into such a narrow group that I'm ultimately not including someone else.” — Bhavagna Bhattiprolu

“I think allies are so, so important. I think the way we have to look at it is we are all a group. I see it as I am a woman of color who has had a certain level of success and it’s important to me that I’m reaching out.” — Bhavagna Bhattiprolu

“Get people trained so they can handle these roles.” — Bhavagna Bhattiprolu

On diverse representation...

“I grew up in a world where I consumed so much content where people didn’t look like me. It’s really exciting to be in a time where people have different perspectives represented.” — Bhavagna Bhattiprolu

On her work impacting the next generation…

“Truly one of my life missions now is to give the next generation of girls growing up what I'm learning now in my 30’s. I look back to when I was young and I didn’t feel worthy of being in any room or any table.” — Ally Maki

“Providing a seat for these girls and changing the narrative inspires everything I do because I sometimes still see myself as that eight-year-old girl who didn’t belong.” — Ally Maki

“Bring us in the room because it’s great for optics but if you’re not hearing from us nothing is going to change. — Miatta David Johnson”

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Panel: Modern Activism: Exploring the Role of Diversity, Inclusion & Politics in the Workplace
Where: The NYC Conference 2019

Panelists:

Nabela Noor | Content Creator, Activist, and Public Speaker

Halima | Model & Activist

Hunter McGrady | Model & Activist

Denise Bidot | Model & Activist

Lindsay Peoples Wagner | Editor-In-Chief, Teen Vogue

Nikki Ogunnaike | GQ Deputy Fashion Director (former Style Director, ELLE)

Moderator:

Heather Records | former VP of Marketing, Create & Cultivate

On including activism in the workplace…

“Pretty much every meeting I go into, most people know I’m the only black editor-in-chief in the US. That’s really hard because there really isn’t leadership above me that has done what I’m trying to do. There isn’t a blueprint. You just gotta push.” — Lindsay Peoples Wagner 

“I feel like if I don’t say something, and I don’t speak up, no one else will.” — Lindsay Peoples Wagner 

“Just stand up for what you want. Go, be bold” — Denise Bidot

“Before, models were just models, and now we’re activists. We should be held accountable for our actions.” — Denise Bidot.

“We have to talk about culture and what women really need. If we’re not doing that, we’re not doing our jobs.” — Lindsay Peoples Wagner 

“Be what you needed when you were younger.” — Lindsay Peoples Wagner 

On diversifying the workplace…

“The onus to effect change often falls on women of color, but women who’ve helped me most are the whole women in the room who’ve said, ‘No, this is not OK.’ It’s not just on the people of color to bang down that door, it’s really on the people who don’t look like us to bring us along with them to help diversify that room and that table.” — Nikki Ogunnaike

“Who you chose to align yourself with is a really big indicator in what you believe in” — Nabela Noor 

In response to people who say “we don’t see color” …

“I need you to see color. I need you to see it, to understand it, to get comfortable with it.” —Nikki Ogunnaike

In response to people in corporate America…

“People need to get comfortable with the uncomfortable and I think corporate America isn’t there yet. There aren’t a lot of people at the top who aren’t white males. My biggest marching order for myself is to help diversify that space.” —Nikki Ogunnaike   

“There’s this saying, ‘Ignore the bullies.’ I don’t believe in that or think it’s helpful for the world to change. I’m going to face them head-on and tell them I love myself.” —Nabela Noor

“I need you to see color. I need you to see it, to understand it, to get comfortable with it. —Nikki Ogunnaike”

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Opinion: Why You Should Make a PPT (People, Places, Things) List to Own This Chapter of Your Life Right Now

Photo: Courtesy of Ariel Upton

When I was in my early twenties, my life guru and now business partner, Betsy Tomlinson, a woman forty years older than I, introduced me to a ritual she had created earlier in her career.

For each season and chapter, she kept detailed lists of the most important people, places, and things in her life. In her beautiful scrawl, she filled pages of hand-selected Italian leather journals (her favorite) with notes like:

• 3 pm at The King Cole Bar

• Chatting with Ricky at Blue Agave over a margarita—extra ice

• Long late lunch with C at Bistrot Margot

• Watching the sun dance through the apartment in the afternoon

• The first day of planting season

• White taper candlesticks

There was no intent for what the list accomplished other than it helped her acknowledge and appreciate the things she held dear. With each list, she cemented the people who meant the most to her, the places that brought her the most comfort, and the things that elevated her life. 

I adopted this practice immediately. Today, we formally call it a people, places, things (PPT) list. I was 22, newly graduated, a fresh young professional living in downtown Chicago. My list looked something like this:

• M&M—new coworkers who make 9:00-5:30 too much fun

• Summertime picnics in the park

• My bright coral H&M dress 

• Fuji (my pet name for my first city bike) and taking rides by the lakefront

• The Curse (a Wrigleyville dive bar that was our very own version of Cheers)

A decade later, I can vividly see these people, places, and things, and the impact they had on my daily life. I can reflect and see with absolute clarity that these were the things that made my life feel right and feel like mine at the time.

While it’s been nearly ten years since Betsy introduced me to this practice and my lists have changed often, direct reflections of the distinct chapters of life following the thread of new jobs, new friends, new cities, and new focuses. 

Focus. 

This is what this practice has brought to my life. As we grow we are essentially in a phase of constant expansion if we allow ourselves to be. There is always room for more—more growth, more experience, more interests. And while more can be appealing, it can also be terribly distracting. More pushes us to go wide, instead of going deep. 

It’s important to recognize that there are seasons for more just as there are seasons for less.

Enter COVID-19. This pandemic, while completely without a playbook or any certainty on what the other side of this will look like, is a transition at its core. Similar, not the same, to transitions we’ve all navigated before: new job, new city, new spouse, new child, new chapter, new season. 

This transition is begging for a PPT list all it’s own. 

I’ve lost track of what day of quarantine I’m on, the days of the week continue to lose their pre-corona meaning, and the lines of time continue to blur. As a result, I’ve found myself more and more distracted by the bombardment of constant communication with dozens of people I haven’t spoken to in years in addition to my closest people and colleagues. There’s no shortage of suggestions for new things to do or try at this time to fill the hours. My relationship with place has been forced to change. The newness and the change of it all can be overwhelming.

So I sat down and started the age-old practice of creating my PPT list for this chapter of life. Once again, this exercise helped me deduce what is essential vs. what is a distraction in this new season we’ve been forced into.

Today, my list looks something like this:

• The blue couch in my living room 

• My garden

• Himalayan Salt Lamp

• Grunty (my car) 2006 Volvo station wagon

• Puzzles (I can’t believe I love puzzles)

• Aunt Bonnie’s recipe for soda bread

• My Morning Rightness Writing Group

• A very short list of people who bring me comfort 

• Tracy Anderson workouts

• The bathtub

In response to the pandemic, we, like so many others, pivoted our business strategy. What once was a focus on printed copies of a journal only available in the United States and in-person events, gave way to a digital edition that could reach anyone anywhere, and online events. I was so skeptical about the latter.

On March 15th, just as the world turned upside down, I put a casual message out on Instagram, “If anyone wants to meet for 30 minutes to reflect on a daily journal prompt and share our answers, send me your email.” Today, 50+ women from around the world participate in “morning rightness” on a bi-weekly basis from six countries and 10 states.

Last week, I invited them to write and reflect on their own PPT list. I had no idea that this prompt would spur so much emotion in the group and myself. I found myself crying when it was my turn to share, so moved by their reflections on how they viewed their lives today. I was amazed by their resilience and commitment to celebrating the people, places, and things they love most as they are right now.

As you navigate the pandemic and the inevitable transition that follows, how can you focus your energy on the people, places, and things that delight you instead of those that drain you? 

How can you unapologetically prioritize your essentials and let the rest fall away?

If you want more, sometimes you have to reach for less. 

Writing Activity: Make a list of the 10 people, 10 places, and 10 things that mean the most to you right now. Continue to refine your PPT list as you move through different chapters or seasons of life. 

About the Author: Ariel Upton is on a quest to do it right every day of her life and help others do the same. She is the co-founder of The TODAY I DID IT RIGHT™ Approach and Self-Connection Journal. She is an intentional activator in all of her work as an author, writer, speaker, and mentor. To individuals, corporations, and communities, she is a careful coach that champions self-connection through writing into existence. Ariel believes living a right life on a daily basis is the secret to living a right life. She is an American ex-pat (former Chicagoan, forever Floridian) living in Sweden, where you can currently find her gardening, writing, and exploring the countryside @todayididitright.

TODAY I DID IT RIGHT is generously offering Create & Cultivators a15% discount on The TODAY I DID IT RIGHT Digital Edition. Simply enter code "CC15" at checkout. 

How to Talk About Money With Your Significant Other (No Matter How Stressful the Times Are)

Photo: Jack Sparrow for Pexels

Whether you’ve been together for years or are just starting to date, talking about money with your partner can be fraught at any stage of the relationship. 

In fact, it’s often harder to bring up personal financial beliefs than it is topics like your sex life, politics, or even religion. During a pandemic, it’s even more challenging, yet deeply necessary. With so many households losing one or both incomes or simply feeling anxious about money, now is the time to foster open communication with your partner about money and how it makes you feel. 

As a financial therapist, Amanda Clayman, a financial therapist and Prudential Financial’s wellness advocate, is here to guide couples through this conversation all the time and is here to tell you that you are not alone and it gets better. With practice and an emotionally aware approach, you can navigate financial power dynamics, underlying assumptions, insecurities, and conflicting money styles and actually use money to bring you closer together than before.

Here are some tips to get you started.

Take an Emotional Litmus Test 

Money has a dual nature as a symbol and a tool in our lives. Before moving into a conversation about how you and your partner use money practically (to pay the bills, shop, etc.), consider what significance you symbolically place on money in your lives. Do you mentally tie your savings to your sense of self-worth? Or perhaps certain spending behaviors help you craft your personal image? These core meanings we attach to our money often go unexamined but can explain much of our emotional response when our financial lives are disrupted.

With the pandemic in full swing, job security uncertain, and markets moving up and down, it is normal to have a tidal wave of feelings. Take the time to acknowledge each one and think about why you are responding that way. Ask yourself what that feeling is trying to tell you about your values. By sharing these money triggers and truths with your partner, you can connect on a deeper, more meaningful level instead of squabbling about numbers.

Remember There Is No “Right” or “Wrong”

The way we choose to handle money is based on temperament, past experiences, and family learnings. These factors create a unique money style for each of us, and chances are, yours is not the same as your partner’s. Suspending judgment is essential in exploring money as a couple. Like any highly personal topic, the temptation to protect your own decisions by labeling them as objectively “right” is strong, but it is impossible for either of you to share the vulnerable details of your financial actions and feelings if this attitude is part of the conversation.   

Get to know each other’s money styles and stories by asking what money was like growing up for your partner. What was their first financial memory? How did they hear money talked about as a child? The more you know, the more you can emphasize and see not only the logic but the emotional reasoning behind choices that may have puzzled you before. When you both step back from trying to convert the other to your money style, you open the door to more creative solutions and compromises. 

Make It a Date—and Lean on Each Other

There never seems to be a good time to talk about money, even though it’s constantly on our minds.  Take the awkwardness out of beginning the discussion by making regular monthly or bi-weekly “money dates” with your significant other. Try ordering takeout from your favorite spot or opening a bottle of wine so you can both look forward to the conversation instead of dreading it. In these times of uncertainty, you may feel the need to increase the cadence of your money dates to once a week or more. Just remember, when more stable times return, don’t give them up! Choosing to talk about finances when times are good will provide you with a sense of normalcy when you need to talk about it in times of stress. 

These regular dates also allow you to keep each other grounded, especially during a crisis. Money is directly wired into our sense of survival, so when things feel out of control in our financial lives, we are wired to be reactive in a way that is not necessarily proportional to the actual threat. Consistently talking through these feelings with your partner will provide a perspective other than your own to gauge how well your emotions are matching up to reality. Gently support your partner and turn toward each other to decide on a healthy response to money stress and not make rash decisions in a silo. 

In conclusion, personal finance can be one of the most emotionally difficult topics to initiate in a relationship, but the more you practice it, the less scary it becomes. In times of upheaval, like this pandemic, we have a choice to let our anxiety drive us apart from our partners or have brave, productive, and affirming conversations. Times of difficulty are also opportunities to expand our empathy and find a deeper level of connection with our significant others. The important thing to remember is that this pandemic and subsequent financial uncertainty is neither you or your partner’s fault and will pass with time. In the meantime, Let’s come together on the things that matter, like supporting each other emotionally and remaining present. 

About the Author:  Amanda Clayman, a financial wellness advocate for Prudential Financial, is a widely recognized leader in the field of financial therapy. She helps her clients decode how thoughts, feelings, and associations shape their financial choices and identifies how those patterns serve and limit them in their lives. For over a decade Amanda has been helping people move beyond shame and frustration to find opportunities for personal growth embedded in the financial challenges they face.

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I Took CBD Oil Every Day for a Week to Ease My Anxiety—Here’s What Happened

Photo: Courtesy of Equilibria

Given that we’re in the midst of a global health crisis of unprecedented proportions, it’s safe to say anxiety levels are at an all-time high right now. In an effort to help lower our cortisol levels, we partnered with our friends at Equilibria—a science-backed CBD brand created by women, for women—to put their line of premium daily drops, softgels, and relief creams to the test.

For the uninitiated, CBD is a natural ingredient found in hemp flowers (and doesn’t induce an intoxicating effect that makes you feel “high”). Though the science behind CBD's effectiveness for treating anxiety, pain, and insomnia is still a work in progress, it’s stress-reducing benefits certainly look promising. "In this unregulated market, quality varies considerably from brand to brand, and even when using a high-quality product, dosage, and delivery techniques are highly personal," explains Equilibria CEO and co-founder Coco Meers. "Finding balance through CBD is our mission, and delivering on that promise requires an impeccable, standardized product, and investing in education and clinical support."

Given that it takes time, consistency, and the right dosage to experience the full effects of CBD, we decided to put these products to the test every day for a week and log the results. Here’s what happened. 

The Product: Equilibria Daily Drops ($47 with code “createcultivate”)

The Goal(s): Stress relief and better sleep!

The Taste: The drops have an earthy taste, not medicinal or too strong!

The Ease of Dosage: I love that they connect you with a CBD educator from their team that helps you with how/when you should dose. They check in on you to adjust as needed.

The Effect(s): I'm a new mom with a nine-month-old and even though she sleeps through the night, I have not been, and I find myself waking up on her old newborn schedule. I’ve been taking 1 1/2 droppers full at night and find that I don’t wake up as many times during the night. I also wake up so much more refreshed. My job as an account manager is super fast-paced and I often find it hard to wind down at night. This dose has really helped me to feel calm, wind down, and sleep much better!

Equilibria

Daily Drops

$58 ($47 with code “createcultivate”)

SHOP

The Product: Equilibria Relief Cream ($47 with code “createcultivate”)

The Goal(s): Relief from aches, pains, and soreness.

The Scent: It has a lavender and rosemary scent.

The Ease of Application: Once mixed, the application was very simple. Over the course of the next seven days that I used the product, I noticed it began to solidify and become a similar texture to a moisturizer. The application was still pretty easy. I do wish the mouth of the container was larger, and I felt like it took multiple attempts to get the amount of the product needed for use.

The Effect(s): This was the first time I've used a CBD cream, and I am honestly so thrilled with the results. I've always known that I carry my stress in my neck and shoulders so these areas were my first test. The cream provided instant relief, and as the week went on, I began to notice that I was waking up less sore each day. With not having a true office desk set up during this time I've noticed a lot more tension in my neck and shoulders and the cream is working wonders. I've also applied it after a workout and notice I am less sore the next day as well. It's really helping my recovery time. I am truly so grateful this product came into my life during this time. It's keeping my body at ease!

Equilibria

Relief Cream

$58 ($47 with code “createcultivate”)

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The Product: Equilibria Daily Softgels, Extra-Strength 25mg (30ct) ($92 with code “createcultivate”)

The Goal(s): Stress-relief, migraine-relief.

The Taste: I’ve test-run flavored CBD drops and oils in the past as a sleep-aid and for stress-relief, but I wanted to see which CBD product fit my daily WFH routine best in terms of ease and efficiency, if I’m being honest. The plus-side of an unflavored option is that I can eliminate a couple of steps and just take it with a gulp of water, which I always replenish throughout the day and have handy at my WFH desk at all times.  

The Ease of Dosage: This was my first experience trying CBD in softgel form. I loved the Equilibria packaging and the dosage instructions were super easy to follow, but the game-changer for me was turning to the how-to video on the Daily Softgels product landing page which featured a Dosage Specialist breaking everything down for me. That helped a ton. 

The Effect(s): I started to incorporate the softgels into my daily routine starting Sunday, April 26 evening with the goal of taking one (1) softgel in the mornings after a light breakfast for five consecutive days. (This was the week leading up to our inaugural Money Moves Digital Summit, so it was all hands on deck!) I wanted to be proactive about my stress-levels during this time by getting enough sleep, eating well, and fitting in a 30-minute sanity walk in the afternoons. Day 1-3 felt like an “orientation” for me, I stuck to the morning ritual I set for myself each day and was feeling focused and good. On Day 4, I woke up with a gnarly migraine—these are rare for me, and I attribute it to a high-stress, exciting week, the great news was that it started to mellow out throughout the day. Phew! Day 5 went off without a hitch, all was calm and I felt energized for the weekend. I’m currently on week two with my Daily Softgels, and I am excited to see how things progress after a month.

Equilibria

Daily Softgels, Extra-Strength 25mg (30ct)

$115 ($92 with code “createcultivate”)

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The Product: Equilibria Daily Drops ($47 with code “createcultivate”)

The Goal(s): Stress relief, and insomnia 

The Ease of Dosage: Dosage was super easy and straight forward. Keeping product by my bed made it easy to incorporate into my evening routine. 

The Effect(s): Definitely relaxed me faster, and helped me get ready for bed. Normally, with everything going on in my day-to-day, I go to bed thinking of all of the things I need to finish or do the following day. After taking this, it helped me chill out and disconnect in some way to fall asleep faster and thus get a better nights rest to accomplish everything the following day! 

Equilibria

Daily Drops

$58 ($47 with code “createcultivate”)

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The Product: Equilibria Relief Cream ($47 with code “createcultivate”)

The Goal(s): To relieve muscle tension from stress and to aid sleep. 

The Scent: Immediately upon opening the balm I loved the herbal scent. So many of the CBD creams I’ve used in the past tried to mask the smell and that was always a turnoff for me. I’m also allergic to a lot of fragrances (even natural ones can make me sneeze) so I appreciated how simple and stripped back this one is. It smells like the source it was made from which for me, is a sign that it isn’t filled with anything synthetic and instead, focuses on the ingredients that will work and treat the area I need it to. 

The Ease of Application: It has a beautiful balm-like consistency that is easy to apply. The nourishing ingredients of activated full-spectrum hemp flower oil, coconut oil, and shea butter make this a cream that works overtime in terms of relief—it eases muscle tension while providing intense hydration. I applied it to the back of my neck and shoulders to relieve stress and tension from sitting at a computer all day right before I went to sleep each night. I also used it for areas that were sore from a hard workout the day before such as my lower back, thigh, and calf muscles.  

The Effect(s): In recent years, I’ve become less reliant on traditional medicine for aches and pains and instead, tap into my body and diet first to understand where it’s coming from before masking it. When I do need relief from cramps, anxiety, stress, or tension, I reach for relief creams with CBD because it just targets the area rather than numbing my whole body. This relief cream has been a nightly ritual for me. I prefer a topical cream because it absorbs into the skin without entering the bloodstream and helps to calm the tension so I can fall asleep naturally without any after-effects. I wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go the next day. 

Equilibria

Relief Cream

$58 ($47 with code “createcultivate”)

SHOP

The Product: Equilibria Daily Drops ($47 with code “createcultivate”)

The Goal(s): Uninterrupted sleep.

The Taste: As an irregular CBD user, the taste took some getting used to.

The Ease of Dosage: I love dropper applicators. Taking my nightly dosage was quick and painless.

The Effect(s): The first few nights required some guessing and checking. On nights when I couldn't get my full 8+ hours of sleep, the required dosage left me feeling groggy in the morning (in a good way though—I was so relaxed and comfy I didn't want to get out of bed). I played around with the dosage after those first few nights and found that 50-75ml was my personal sweet spot. I love it! Usually, I wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom or re-position, but the nights I've used the Daily Drops I sleep straight through the night, uninterrupted. Excited to use these more on weekends when I'm able to sleep in!

Equilibria

Daily Drops

$58 ($47 with code “createcultivate”)

SHOP

The Product: Equilibria Relief Cream ($47 with code “createcultivate”)

The Goal(s): Relief from muscle aches and soreness.

The Scent: Herbaceous with hints of lavender, eucalyptus, and rosemary.

The Ease of Application: The cream is really thick and is more balm-like than cream -like. It melts into the skin quickly and easily, but it did make my hands quite oily.

The Effect(s): I was training for a half marathon when the stay at home order was put in place. Now, I’ve been working out indoors and doing a lot more strength training, which my body is not used to. (Let me tell you, if you’re looking for a tough workout, enroll in Kirsty Godso’s Burn program on the Nike Training Club app.) I’m typically skeptical of CBD products, but this relief cream has been a game-changer. When I wake up with sore muscles, I rub on this cream and notice an almost immediate difference. Over the course of a week, I have to say, this cream made me a CBD convert.

Equilibria

Relief Cream

$58 ($47 with code “createcultivate”)

SHOP

The Product: Equilibria Daily Drops ($47 with code “createcultivate”)

The Goal(s): Stress relief and uninterrupted sleep.

The Taste: Honestly, the taste was not as strong as I had initially anticipated. I didn't mind the overall taste, it does linger a little bit after you swallow but for the most part it was relatively minimal for me.

The Ease of Dosage: The dropper was super easy to use and very helpful to count out the amount of drops that I wanted with every use.

The Effect(s): Overall, I really enjoyed this product. This was my first foray into CBD in droplet form, and I was happily surprised. I will definitely continue to use it for my nighttime routine as it significantly helped me sleep better. I did wake up a little groggy some days, but maybe that was just because I got too much REM sleep.

Equilibria

Daily Drops

$58 ($47 with code “createcultivate”)

SHOP

Our friends at Equilibria are offering Create & Cultivators an exclusive 20% discount with the code “createcultivate.” Head to Equilibria to shop now.

Photo: Courtesy of Equilibria

As per FDA guidelines, Equilibria is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any ailments or disease. As always, consult with your physician before starting any new program that may interact with your current health plan.

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Ask an Expert: How to Create Financial Wellness By Rebuilding Your Personal and Financial Life Post-Layoff

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

“

Taking the time to create a financial roadmap will help you feel more in control and take the uncertainty out of your future financial picture.”

-Kathy Entwistle, Senior Vice President of Wealth Management, UBS Financial Services Inc.

It happened. It’s not a drill. And you most certainly aren’t happy. Why would you be though?  You were part of a major layoff, a restructuring, or some other term your company arbitrarily chose to deliver bad news, and now you are wondering what to do. You don’t want to spend time on a government web page endlessly scrolling for answers on unemployment, and you definitely don’t want to breach the subject with your friends or family yet. 

That is exactly why Kathy Entwistle, the senior vice president of wealth management at UBS Financial Services Inc., has outlined clear, actionable steps for you to take because while it is always acceptable to ask your network for help, a little preliminary research can bring a sense of independence and the power to stay positive and keep moving forward. Consider this your go-to source for handling all things personal and financial wellness for the next 30 days. 

Find your best Spotify playlist, give yourself a hug, and let’s get to planning your next act!

Put Yourself First 

Take some time to process the fact that your day-to-day life has changed. Not only is social distancing starving the human condition for connectivity and engagement, but your routine and purpose will have to be redirected, too. Find time over the next few days to look inside, reflect, pause, and even try meditating if this is not something you normally do. There are many great mediation apps, and most are offering free trials. 

Set Your Goals and Objectives

Whether you choose meditation or some other form of internal reflection, one important guidepost in your checklist and planning will be your purpose and intention. Setting an intention as to your schedule, routine, and plan to get yourself back on track will be crucial. The less intentional you are about your goals and objectives, the less effective you will be in pursuing them. 

Let’s start with your career intention and work our way to your financial intention. LinkedIn just became your new best friend (or same old friend for some who use it often). Reaching out through messaging, connections, and coffee breaks will provide exposure to the people who can provide proper guidance, advice, and possibly even the interview you wanted all along. 

A great book to read to help guide you on your new career path is called, “What Color Is Your Parachute?” It will give you some great questions to ask yourself when assessing your career intention, and possibly, a new career path.

Assess Your Resume

Find time to recraft your resume and ways to be a storyteller rather than a fact board. Make sure your resume tells your authentic story and is crafted to the right target audience for jobs you will now be applying to. Let’s not forget; your current connections at your company are extremely valuable. Reach out to both those who have been laid off and those who haven’t, but you know well. Their recommendations and willingness to help you on your next path are not to be overlooked!

Review Your Financial Plan

You want to first reacquaint and understand where you stand financially. How much you have, how much you need, and where you can pull cash flow from. Is it your portfolio kicking off dividends or coupons from stocks and bonds? Do you have an emergency fund with three to six months of easily accessible funds? Do you have anyone who is depending on you?  

Make sure to take a look at your credit card statements or activity online. This will tell you where you might be able to cut costs, like shopping for clothes online or ordering takeout. Just as you would block off time on your schedule for meetings, block out time on your schedule to review your plan, we might even suggest you accompany it with a matcha or your favorite cold brew.

Review Your Severance

The standard is two weeks of severance for every year you have worked at the company, but that is not mandatory. Make sure you take the time to understand what they are offering you, you are even permitted to try and negotiate. 

Also, check to see about your health insurance coverage. Will your employer be providing Cobra coverage and for how long? If you have a partner or spouse, make sure to account for yourself on their benefits when appropriate. 

Not everyone’s package will be the same, so focus your energy on yourself and what you can control. While we are still in the assessment stage, we are already moving forward. Keep that playlist rolling!

Review Your Debt

If you have credit card, auto loan, or student debt, now might be the time to conserve and preserve your cash. Don’t pay anything other than the minimum until you get back on your feet and are in a better position to get back on track and put together a plan to reduce your debt.  These are debts that you will want to be able to eliminate once you have your cash flow back in place and you have an emergency fund set aside.

Map Out a Savings Strategy

It might seem that much more difficult to worry about your day-to-day expenses let alone remember to stash away some for later, but it is important to keep saving, even if you have to decrease your contributions to your savings account. Ideally, you would not be selling any of your investments to fund your day-to-day expenses so you can continue to let your nest egg grow, however, we realize that you might need to sell some investments to get by.

Come Up With a Selling Strategy

You will want to be aware of any tax impacts of selling investments with unrealized gains. Unrealized gains are taxed at capital gains, instead of your higher ordinary income rates, and could cause an even larger burden if you don’t have the funds to pay the taxes. You will also want to keep in mind your long term investment strategy. If the investment has good prospects for future return or it is an investment providing cash flow, you might want to rethink selling that position just for liquidity.

Consider Borrowing 

Think about borrowing, as long as the rate of return will outmatch the rate of borrowing and opportunity costs. For example, rather than selling your investments to access cash, think about keeping your long term investment strategy running and borrowing for short term liquidity. When you get back on your feet, you will be happy to see your nest egg was compounding for a longer time and without any tax drag or reduction in size.

Money can be stressful. Not having money can be very stressful. Taking the time to understand your financial picture and take the steps necessary to create a financial roadmap will help you feel more in control and take the uncertainty out of your future financial picture.

About the Expert: Kathy Entwistle is the senior vice president of wealth management at UBS Financial Services Inc., providing straightforward financial advice tailored to the life you lead. Kathy has been in the financial services industry for more than 25 years. A former stay at home mom who donated her time teaching local financial classes to women, she rose to the heights of being named a "Forbes America's Top Women Wealth Advisor" in 2017 and 2018. As a seasoned multigenerational practice within UBS Private Wealth Management, Kathy, along with her son and the rest of her team, has guided generations of sophisticated families as well as senior executives and entrepreneurs through complex financial challenges.

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

The CARES Act: What Are the Facts?

Photo: Vlada Karpovich for Pexels

The rapid spread of the coronavirus has led many states to mandate stay-at-home orders to protect the lives of hundreds of millions of residents. Although these social distancing measures are intended to safeguard the health of the public, the economy has come to a halt as a result. As of the end of April, over 26 million Americans have lost their jobs. 

The CARES Act was enacted by Congress and signed into law on March 27, 2020, as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on the economy. Coronavirus-related legislation is being quickly developed on both state and federal levels to help Americans during this unprecedented time, but the speed of the measures passing sometimes makes the new developments unclear.

Here’s a closer look at the CARES Act and how it can help you.

What Is the CARES Act?

CARES stands for the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security. The act is essentially a $2.3 trillion stimulus bill to support the U.S. economy through the coronavirus crisis by providing payments, tax breaks and loans to local governments, Americans, and businesses over the next decade.

The CARES Act is intended to provide help to the people and the local governments responsible for them. The main focus of the act is to preserve jobs and protect those who are unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides help in four parts:

• Assistance for American Workers and Families: Payments to help Americans during the challenging economic times.

• Assistance for Small Businesses: Funding to help small businesses maintain existing payroll and hire back any laid-off employees.

• Assistance for State and Local Governments: Providing $150 billion in funding to state, local and tribal governments to navigate the COVID-19 crisis.

• Preserving Jobs for American Industry: Employer and small business tax breaks, loans, and deferrals to help businesses keep their employees.

What Does the CARES Act Do?

The U.S. government has allocated almost $2.3 trillion for this act. The funds are meant to keep Americans employed or at least financially covered until they can work again, as well as encourage local governments and businesses to continue to operate. Some of the most notable spending includes the following:

• Issuing one-time stimulus checks of at least $1,200 to qualifying taxpayers.

• Expanding and extending unemployment benefits by $268 billion.

• Providing $887 billion in loans and grants to local governments and businesses of all sizes.

• $276 billion in tax cuts for businesses including payroll tax credits and pushing back payroll tax due now to 2021 or 2022. 

• Providing at least $1.25 billion in aid to each state impacted by the slowdown in the economy which has created a decrease in tax revenues the states would normally use to fund public services.

• Providing $153 billion to healthcare facilities and support teams due to the impact of the coronavirus. 

• Allocating $42 billion for additional food stamps, housing support, and child and family services funding nationwide.

• $40 billion for education-related spending, including the deferral of student loan interest for six months and maintaining student aid for existing students.

• $20 billion for individual tax cuts to give the public a break as they struggle financially.

Who Does It Help?

The CARES Act helps nearly everyone. Employees, employers, independent contractors, the unemployed, small and large businesses, and states and local governments all benefit from provisions in the act.

If your small business is struggling, you may be eligible to receive payroll tax breaks and defer your payroll tax until next year. You may also qualify for loans and grants to keep your business afloat and your employees in place to weather the outbreak. 

If you’re currently unemployed, your state’s unemployment benefits have been increased and extended. Even freelancers and independent contractors, who would not normally be eligible for unemployment in the past, are now eligible through the CARES Act’s Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. Contact your state unemployment office for more details, since states have rolled out their independent contractor benefits at different times and with different conditions.

How Much Money Are You Eligible For?

Aside from the assistance mentioned, all households are eligible to receive a one-time stimulus check. The CARES Act provides all households with a payment of up to $1,200 per adult (with an income of less than $99,000 or $198,000 for joint filers) and $500 per child under 17 years old. That adds up to $3,400 for a family of four.

How Can You Apply?

You don’t need to apply to receive your stimulus check. If you file tax returns every year, you don’t have to do anything further. If you haven’t filed in the last couple of years because you don’t make enough to file, you can sign up to receive your economic impact payment through the IRS website. You can also track the progress of the payment, as well as choose to receive the check via paper check or direct deposit through the website.

If you collect Social Security, you also don’t have to do anything but wait. The IRS will use the information provided on Form SSA-1099 and Form RRB-1099 to generate your economic impact payment.

Navigating the Crisis

The current COVID-19 situation isn’t easy. Luckily, state and federal governments are taking measures to support you as the situation evolves. Do your part to help the economy by buying from small businesses to support them during the COVID-19 crisis. The outbreak is likely temporary, but its economic impact will remain for years.

About the Author: Jori Hamilton is an experienced writer from the Pacific Northwest who enjoys discussing social justice, empowerment, and how to improve the workplace. You can follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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I Tried This Wellness CEO’s Morning Routine to Set Me Up for Success in Self-Quarantine

Photo: @Sacha.Strebe

There’s a reason why the most successful people in the world have a morning routine. It’s the only time in our “always-on” culture where we can enjoy a few moments of sacred silence before the outside world demands our attention. If you’ve never really thought about turning your A.M. into a ritual, then now, more than ever, is the time.

A consistent morning routine can help establish a sense of stability and control. And in a time where it can feel like a lot of things are out of our hands, that idea is incredibly comforting. Of course, creating a morning routine sounds good in theory, so before you get started, just be aware that it can take some trial and error to nail down the one that suits your life, or want to stick to. And it doesn’t matter what that ritual is—there are no rules here—it’s entirely individual. 

But, if we are going to take notes from anyone, it will be from the people who run multimillion-dollar businesses, oversee international teams, and have built brands from scratch, because let’s face it, they must be doing something right to have the energy, determination, and organization to pack as much as they do into one day without burning out. 

But, if you haven’t given thought to how you spend those first few hours, take heed from former Target exec and now CEO of Rae—evidence-based vegan supplements made for women making moves—Angie Tebbe. Despite a jam-packed schedule, Tebbe takes time every morning for self-care, mindfulness, and coffee! 

Photo: Courtesy of Rae Wellness

As someone who has really struggled with sticking to any semblance of a schedule since self-quarantine began, I wanted to give Tebbe’s morning routine a spin and see if it helped set my day up for success too. For context. I typically get up at 8 AM (it was 6:30 AM pre-quarantine), I have a cup of earl grey tea while I’m checking emails, I take a shower and then jump into my sweats or exercise gear (in the hope it will inspire me to workout later). I have been known to work from my dining room table from 9 AM until 7:30 PM without a proper break and snacks in between. It’s safe to say my water intake is at an all-time low too. Can anyone reading this relate? 

So, I was ready to start creating a morning habit that could not only help my health, but also quell my stress and anxiety, so I can take charge of my to-do list and power toward my goals in a better mood. Read on to learn how Tebbe uses the first hours of sunlight to give her day the best chance of success, then discover how I went about incorporating it into my own routine.

(Spoiler alert: It greatly impacted my mood, metabolism, and stress levels.)

“I

no longer check my emails in the morning; it has helped me be less reactive and more present and patient as I start my day.”

—Angie Tebbe, CEO, Rae Wellness

CEO of Rae Wellness, Angie Tebbe’s Morning Routine

Wake Up Before Everyone Else
I always used to find mornings stressed and rushed, until I realized how important it was to create rituals that work for you. Since becoming a CEO, I have made intentional choices about mindset and routine to make sure I show up for my family, team, and partners. I wake up at 5:45 AM to ensure I have a few moments to myself before my household begins to rise, beginning with my 5-year-old at 6 AM!  I find that I am my best when I can first ground myself in gratitude, especially right now given everything going on in the world.

Practice Gratitude
I meditate every night, so I save the deeper rituals for then but in the mornings I practice gratitude for two-three minutes. A mentor once taught me—visualize the most important moment you remember with your partner, and the first time you met your children. What did that feel like, sound like, etc.? It helps me plant my feet and ensures I’m in the right headspace to approach the day.

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

I drink about 20 ounces of water every morning (the first few sips are always with our Hydration Drops) before I allow myself to drink my Americano with our Vegan Collagen Boost Powder, cream, and monk fruit.

Photo: Courtesy of Rae Wellness

Fast Until 9 AM

I have experimented with intermittent fasting a bit and typically fast from 6 PM until 9 AM—15 hours is how I feel my best. The first thing I have in the morning is coffee at 9 a.m. and then I’ll drink an almond milk and pea protein smoothie—I blend it with ice.  It keeps me going for three hours until lunch at 1 PM

Do a Workout

I like to workout in the morning, but being at home has changed my routine a bit. I typically work out on weekdays (running or spinning), and on weekends I’ll spend the mornings with my husband and boys instead. Due to the quarantine, I’ve been working out around midday and taking a walk with the family after dinner.  Getting it in is the most important part so I try not to worry if the time slot changes given everything we are all trying to juggle right now.

Don’t Check Your Inbox

I recently changed my own habits on this, and no longer check my emails in the morning; it has helped me be less reactive and more present and patient as I start my day. 

Tackle Important Tasks Early

I minimize distractions and give myself a couple of completely uninterrupted hours to work in the morning before any meetings. I find that I’m more productive and “fresh” to tackle challenging questions or needs of the business right away.  As the day progresses, I make sure to keep my energy up with lots of water and protein.  At lunch, I take our multivitamin, which gives me energy through the afternoon.

My Verdict

Name & Title:

Sacha Strebe, Editorial Director, Create & Cultivate

The Routine:

I tried Angie Tebbe, CEO, Rae Wellness’ AM ritual for one week!

The Products:

Rae Wellness Hydration Drops
Rae Wellness Vegan Collagen Boost Powder
Rae Wellness Multivitamin
Rae Wellness Destress
Rae Wellness Energy Drops
Rae Wellness Sleep

The Goal(s):

I have always been so intrigued by the morning rituals of successful people. CEOs are some of the busiest people on the planet and from all of the articles I’ve read, they swear by an AM ritual to kickstart their day and maximize their time. Upon reading Tebbe’s morning routine it immediately reminded me of my own.

I am very ritualistic, especially since becoming a mom, so a lot of her steps resonated with me but since quarantine began, my schedule is entirely out of whack so I wanted to test out Tebbe’s to reintroduce structure and ritual in a bid to bring about some normalcy in this “new normal.”

My end goal in testing Tebbe’s morning routine was to enhance my energy and mood, relieve stress, and encourage better sleep.

My Week in Review:

Tip 1: Wake Up Before Everyone Else
Since I don’t have to commute to the office in self-quarantine I have been sleeping in much later so I’ll admit that waking up at 5:45 AM was a struggle. But I’m never going back (although I may schedule it slightly later to 6:30 AM instead!). I absolutely love having my own time in the morning before the family wakes up. It’s the only part of the day where I can truly let my mind relax, there isn’t anyone demanding anything from me—it’s just me, the sunlight through the window, and a cup of tea.

Tip 2: Practice Gratitude

This is something I have always done with our family but I haven’t ever formalized it into my AM routine. I now use that quiet time before the house wakes up each morning to run through what I’m grateful for and sometimes I will write them down, too. It has really helped me approach each day with intention and mindfulness, something I think I took a little for granted before.

Tip 3: Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

I loved starting my morning with 20 ounces of water and the Rae Wellness hydration drops with pure and powerful hyaluronic acid and electrolytes. (I also added in their energy drops which was so much softer on my stomach than traditional Vitamin B tablets). I struggle drinking water normally so this ensures I’m getting maximum hydration with every drop. I also found that prioritizing water first thing before any other liquids are key to making sure I’m hydrated throughout the day. Tebbe also inspired me to get back into making green smoothies each morning. I add the Rae Wellness Vegan Collagen Boost Powder into the mix with baby kale, spinach, blueberries, protein powder, and rice milk. I’m a vegetarian, so I’ve been searching for a vegan option that isn’t bovine for ages and this one is also flavorless so it’s a win-win.

Tip 4: Fast Until 9 AM

While most of Tebbe’s morning routine looked reasonably simple to achieve, I wasn’t sure how the intermittent fasting would work for me. Our family usually eats around 8 PM (or later since self-quarantine), so fasting from 6 PM was tricky for me. But on the nights that I did, it definitely helped my sleep overall because it allowed for proper digestion before going to bed. I also went to bed earlier, which in turn saw my energy levels increase the next day. I definitely want to continue eating our dinner earlier so I can fast for 15 hours like Tebbe each day. It made enough of a difference to warrant continuing it and turning it into a habit—the research behind intermittent fasting is compelling. On the nights I couldn’t sleep, I took the Rae Wellness sleep capsules with melatonin (and they worked) but I found on the days I

Tip 5: Do a Workout

I’m glad that Tebbe switched her morning workout to midday or later since quarantine because while I have been working out more, I have never been able to motivate myself to exercise first thing. I definitely prefer the afternoon or early evening. Like Tebbe, I have also been less focused on “working out” and instead, making sure I incorporate some type of movement into my day. It has dramatically enhanced my mood, my metabolism, my sleep, and my energy.

Tip 6: Don’t Check Your Inbox

I used to practice this but I got out of the habit since self-quarantine. Before I started Tebbe’s routine, I would wake up, grab my phone, and dive into emails while I was still sitting on the side of my bed. My poor brain hasn’t even had a chance to wake up yet and I’m already bombarding it with tasks and requests. So, now I’ve reverted back to the “no emails” rule in the morning, and instead, I focus on mindfulness practice, setting myself up for success, both physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It’s the one part of the day that belongs to me! It’s a game-changer.

Tip 7: Tackle Important Tasks Early

Most mornings I am pretty focused early, but since I have been waking up earlier and incorporating Tebbe’s gratitude practice, my brain is sharper and laser-focused. At 9 AM, I sit down at my dining table come makeshift office during quarantine with my decaf latte and really focus on urgent tasks for a good hour and a half before our seniors meeting at 10:30 AM. It has been so impactful. I definitely have fewer distractions in the morning from my family and team (they’re usually all logging on) so I have been able to get so much done during that time period. I will definitely be incorporating this into my morning routine moving forward.

Final Verdict:

I am so grateful for Tebbe’s AM tips. I feel like I have more structure, more focus, and more gratitude this past week which is especially needed while we navigate this “new normal.” It’s also a realistic routine to emulate, unlike some other CEO morning routines I’ve read about so I’ll definitely continue to incorporate them into my own morning ritual. I loved all of the Rae Wellness products too, especially the hydration and energy drops—so genius! The Destress capsule and Multivitamin (I loved the mint flavor) was also a great addition to my daily supplement line-up—they’re also incredibly affordable, too.

While I loved mimicking a CEO’s morning routine for a week, ultimately your morning should be exactly that, your morning. So don’t feel like you have to copy anyone else’s routines and expect the same results. The goal here is to find a ritual that works for you and it will change as you and your circumstances change. Self-quarantine is an emotionally and mentally challenging time for all of us, so be kind on yourself, do what works for you, and your personal health and wellness will improve, too.

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Ask an Expert: How to Process, Cope, and Move Through Grief Right Now

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

“In order for us to heal, we have to feel our feelings.”

—Dr. Morgan Francis, Licensed Mental Health Therapist

Grief is something that most of us are experiencing right now. In the wake of COVID-19, just consider all that we’ve lost: the lives taken by the coronavirus, the lost livelihoods, the depleted savings, the upended routines, the canceled plans, the postponed weddings, and so much more. Odds are, each of us is processing and attempting to move through one of the five stages of grief right now.

In this installment of our Ask an Expert series, we asked Dr. Morgan Francis, a licensed professional counselor with a doctoral degree in clinical psychology, to share her insights on how to process, cope, and move through grief right now. Scroll on for some of the key takeaways from the conversation and follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram to tune into the next installment of the ongoing series.

The 3 Us

“In order for us to heal, we have to feel our feelings,” Dr. Francis wisely points out. In order to do so, there are three things about grief that we all need to be aware of and understand, a.ka. the three us:

U #1: Unique. “Your grief is unique,” explains Dr. Francis. “Your loss is unique to you. There’s no benefit when we compare our suffering. Your pain is worthy of being recognized and being noticed. Your pain matters.”

U #2: Universal. “Your loss is unique, yet it is universal,” says Dr. Francis. “We all feel it and can relate to one another though everyone’s grief is unique to them.”

U #3: Uncertainty. “There is so much uncertainty right now, and it’s an uncomfortable place to be,” notes Dr. Francis of the current COVID-19 crisis. “Here’s the thing about uncertainty, it allows possibility. There’s a lot of possibility right now in your life. There’s going to be a change and a shift.” 

If you’re struggling with uncertainty (U #3), Dr. Francis suggests the following exercise: “Think about a time in your life when you didn’t know the outcome, she explains. “Then ask yourself what have you overcome when you didn’t know the outcome?”

This could include anything from moving to a new city, starting a new job, entering a new relationship, or having a child. “There have been plenty of times when you haven’t known the outcome but you adapted and you made it through,” she reminds us.

The Box Breathing Method

Originally developed by the Navy SEALs to help them cope with their environments, box breathing is an effective tool for reducing anxiety, calming down, and grounding yourself, explains Dr. Francis.

To practice the method: Inhale for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, exhale for four seconds, and finally hold your breath for four seconds.

“You can repeat as many times as you need to until you feel more grounded and calm in your body,” says Dr. Francis. “It’s a great tool for regulating how you feel in your body.”

The 5 Stages of Grief

According to Dr. Francis, it’s important for you to name what you are feeling. “Grief is not a linear process, the key is to identify which stage you are in so you can start to understand and feel your feelings,” Dr. Francis reminds us. This is where the traditional five stages of grief come in handy:

Stage #1: Denial. “We want to remain in our preferred reality,” explains Dr. Francis.

Stage #2: Anger. “We’re mad about our reality,” she offers. “We want accountability and we want somebody to be responsible for what happened.”

Stage #3: Bargaining. “It’s the idea that if I did this, could I have that,” Dr. Francis explains.

Stage #4: Sadness. “It’s the feelings of hopelessness and helplessness,” she says.

Stage #5: Acceptance. “In this stage, you’re starting to accept the reality,” Dr. Francis explains. “However, this does not mean that you like this reality.”

Dr. Francis recently launched a new online course, Loving Yourself Through Loss, and is offering Create & Cultivators $100 discount with the code CULTIVATE100.

About the Expert: With over 20 years in the mental health field, Dr. Francis is a licensed professional counselor with a doctoral degree in clinical psychology. She is the founder and owner of Scottsdale Premier Counseling, a private practice in Arizona providing individual, couples and group therapy. She specializes in the treatment of body image and eating disorders, self empowerment, sexual compulsive behavior, mood disorders, relationships, and trauma.

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

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Ask an Expert: How to Reduce Anxiety and Fear Right Now

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

“Resilience is something that you can cultivate.”

—Michelle Kuei, Author, Life Coach, Speaker, and Founder of elevatelifecoaching.org

If you’re feeling anxious as a result of COVID-19, your’e certainly not alone. In fact, more than one-third of Americans (36%) say that coronavirus is having a serious impact on their mental health and most (59%) feel that coronavirus is having a serious impact on their day-to-day lives, according to a new poll by the American Psychiatric Association.

For tips on how to cope with anxiety and fear in the midst of this crisis, we tapped Michelle Kuei, an author, life coach, speaker, and the founder of elevatelifecoaching.org, for the latest installment of our Ask an Expert series. Ahead, we’re sharing three actionable steps she swears by for dealing with anxiety and fear during coronavirus and beyond. Be sure to follow Create & Cultivate to tune into the next conversation.

Step 1: Understand Your Fear

“You’re probably familiar with the following acronym: Fear is false evidence appearing real. It’s our body’s natural response to the unknown. 

So, here are a few empowering questions to ask yourself to start understanding your fear:

1. What are you telling yourself when you are afraid?

2. What are you afraid of?

3. Is what you’re afraid of real? (Avoid falling into the trap of that acronym.)

4. How likely is it that what you’re afraid of is going to happen?

Recognizing fear is step one, and now you have a choice: you can run away from fear or you can overcome it by creating a safety net.”

Step 2: Create a Safety Net

“Start by asking yourself: What is the worst thing that can happen? You might lose your business, you might lose your job, you might not be able to pay your rent. Think through all your worst-case scenarios and write them down.

Then, look at your worst-case scenarios and ask yourself: How likely is it that it’s going to happen? If you feel like the worst-case scenario is a likely outcome, come up with a plan. Planning can help us reduce some of the unknowns and can help alleviate the fear and stress that comes with uncertainty.

Another way to manage fear: Fake it till you make it or, as I like to say, face it till you get it. Start thinking about your fear as a part of you and you don’t need to get rid of it. The fear is showing up because it wants to protect you. Instead of resisting it, walk with it.”

Step 3: Cultivate Resilience

“I recommend that everyone keeps a judgement journal. Journaling is a great way of keeping track of what happens and as an outlet for our emotions.

To start a judgement journal, here’s what you do: Keep track of your negative thoughts, and for each negative thought, come up with two different ways of looking at it.

This is a process that we call “reframing.” Every statement that we use and the phrases that we speak to ourselves matter. The more that we can train ourselves to have a different perspective we train ourselves to use those different judgment muscles, such as gratitude and resilience.

Remember, resilience is something that you can cultivate.”

About the Expert: Michelle Kuei, Pharm.D., ACC, CPC, ELI-MP, is an author, life coach, speaker, and the founder of elevatelifecoaching.org. She’s an ICF associate certified coach, a certified professional coach, a certified energy leadership index master practitioner, a certified Cor.E transitions dynamic specialist, a WomanSpeak Circle leader, and a doctor of pharmacy.

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!