Nikki Gal | Influential Women Leaders | Exeleon Magazine

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Embracing Excellence

C O N T E N T S
APRIL WHITE
28

C O N T E N T S
LAUREN IMPARTO
56

N
G
FOUNDER
SEE THRU NIKKI
12 EXELEON MAGAZINE

Nikki
Gal
C H A S I N G D R E A M S
WWW.EXELEONMAGAZINE.COM 13
C O V E R S T O R Y

For Nikki Gal, the belief in
her inevitable journey in
entrepreneurship was what
led her to the heights of success.
She believed in her dream of
selling her own art someday and
the universe conspired to turn it
into a reality. Today, Nikki Gal is a
pioneering entrepreneur and digital
creator who is spearheading See
Thru Nikki, a digital art company
specializing in custom artwork
such as portraits, logos, and
animations.
Encouraging others to follow their
own dreams, Nikki mentions “You
can never give up on your dreams,
dreams do come true if you put the
dedicated work in. If you really
want something to happen, it will
happen. You have to believe.”
In this exclusive Cover Feature of
Exeleon Magazine, we 'see
through' the journey of Nikki and
beyond.
COLORING BOOK
It is said that creativity takes
courage. Creativity forces one to
think, imagine, and dream. For
Nikki, creativity was her language
of dreams.
Growing up in a small town in
Massachusetts, Nikki developed
her passion for the ﬁeld of arts at a
young age. Soon she realized it to
be her calling and was determined
to pursue her dream of becoming
an artist.
“It was something at the time that I
didn't know, or think was possible,
but I still kept the option open. I
never gave up on that dream,” she
recalls.
Nikki recalls her days in her
parent's living room scribbling
through a coloring book and
hoping to sell her own art someday.
“Now at 24, my inner child has
given me motivation, inspiration,
and continuous clarity within my
art and my business life.”
OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD
Nikki's artistic bend of mind led
her to the fashion industry. It
caught her attention at a young age
and remained on her radar as she
grew up.
“Fashion is a lifestyle, as it is
expression - it's hard to ignore.
Fashion is not only a creative
outlet, but it is also an outlet of
diversity, artistic vision,
innovation, and liberation.”
Nikki carved her path into the
modeling industry at the age of 15.
In order to manifest
anything, one needs to believe
in its inevitability.
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C O V E R S T O R Y

By the time she turned 17, she was
signed by two modeling agencies.
However, Nikki chose to quit her
modeling stint a year later as she
wanted to seek further
opportunities and work outside the
industry.
She remembers, “Although that
decision was diﬃcult for me to
make, changing my path was a
necessary decision for both me and
my career.”
Nonetheless, Nikki gained a lot of
valuable life lessons from her time
in the industry and leverages the
same in her day-to-day
entrepreneurial journey.
LEARNING ON THE GO
Talking about what she would
change if she were to start again,

#SAYHERNAME
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Nikki mentions “Looking back, I would
have not taken everything on so much
all at once- my career, my clients, my
craft.”
When Nikki first launched her company,
she never gave herself room to set
boundaries. As her company continued
to boom, she struggled to find a moment
to catch a breath for herself.
She recalls, “I realize that setting
boundaries back then would have saved
me much time from exhaustion. It's not
about how fast you can go; it's about
how far you can go. I have a bittersweet
relationship with how I operated my
company a few years back.”
Nikki explains by adding “Working 12+
hours Monday-Sunday was great at the
time because it gave my business the
momentum that made it what it is today.
Things are different now, and I have
grown immensely from that
experience.”
According to her, in business, it is
common to hit a point of fast
momentum and take off. However, it is
imperative for one to remind themselves
from time to time – You are a priority!
Learning to navigate and balance one's
life in a healthy way is one of the most
strategic things that one can do for
themselves and their mindset.
As her business continues to grow and
expand, Nikki has realized the
importance of this balance. She has now
learned to take life one day at a time;
“you cannot overwhelm yourself.”
SEE THRU NIKKI
At the age of 20, Nikki's creative exploration led her to
launch her very own digital art company – See Thru
Nikki.
“Launching a company at 20 years old was never the plan
for me, it just happened so I took control.”
She adds, “A friend of mine knowing I had a passion for
art requested me to do a digital design for her to post on
her social media. After my digital art was posted on her
social media page, it went viral. Her inbox was full, my
inbox was full, and at that point that's when I knew I had a
product and a business to pursue.”
Today, See Thru Nikki is well on its way to truly
becoming a legacy. A legacy of creativity and the ongoing
power of self-expression.
Since launching the company in 2019, it has gained over
4,000 clients, sharing a common passion and interest in
Nikki's artwork.
For Nikki, art is form of expression and she started using
her art to convey powerful messages that impacts people
and facilitates conversations about subjects of relevance.
'In June 2020, I created a dedicated art piece in honor of
the #sayhername movement, honoring the women who
lost their lives due to police brutality and racial injustice.
Knowing that I was speaking through my art on this matter
while also spreading awareness and education was one of
my proudest moments as an artist. That one piece gained
over 8 million social media impressions worldwide”
Her work caught the eyes of American actresses Tracee
Ellis Ross, Marisa Tomei, Amber Riley, Zoë Kravitz,
music talent Sheila E., Ice Cube, Afropunk, as well as
American author and anti-racist activist, Ibram X. Kendi.
“I wish for my clients to see their own vision through my
eyes; therefore, you are seeing through me, Nikki.”
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C O V E R S T O R Y
17

Leadership wit
a Vision
“I choose to remind myself throughout my
days that even though my ongoing
persistence is valuable, it can only get me
so far. Overworking myself will not do me
any good, so I set necessary boundaries.”
Nikki's thoughts and ideas echoes the
growth and maturity she has grasped over
the years as an entrepreneur.
GOING FORWARD
In the coming years, Nikki wants to
practice and produce the same ongoing
momentum within both her creative
journey and mental health advocacy.
Nikki wants to reach more individuals
within the mental health community, not
only within her art but also within her
voice.
Furthermore, Nikki passionately asserts “I
wish to meet more individuals while
gaining inspiration and spreading
inspiration. I wish to spread the ongoing
power of creativity for our future.
Personally, I strive for all to gain some
type of artistic voice within themselves-
creativity is a light that I believe everyone
can have the power to hold- you just have
the power to hold- you just have to see it.”
Much of Nikki's journey can be attributed to her
belief. She advices emerging women leaders to
stick to this very belief to achieve their individual
dreams.
“Stand your ground. There are going to be the
nonbelievers, naysayers, and people that just
don't understand you or your dreams. And that's
okay. Learning to accept that not only makes you
a stronger entrepreneur, but it makes you a
stronger human.”
A powerful woman in every right, Nikki believes
female leadership is deﬁned not only within the
mind, but also within the eyes. She explains, “You
have to envision a concept to truly capture and
feel the empowerment within.”
For her it has always been about controlling her
own narrative; her own idea of success. She
encourages others the same with her concluding
line “At the end of the day, you control your own
success. Don't let someone else deﬁne it.”
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C O V E R S T O R Y
18

th
AT THE END OF
THE DAY, YOU
CONTROL YOUR
OWN SUCCESS.
DON’T LET
SOMEONE ELSE
DEFINE IT.
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22

eKndnes
Caue Story
– Written By Mandy Cordia
have a photo on my desk of a
Ibright-eyed, eight-year-old
me. That little girl was so full
of hope and determination to
make a difference. She wanted to
change the world. Somewhere
along the way, someone made her
believe she was too small and
insigni icant to make a difference,
so she set that dream aside.
My irst love in life was fashion.
The glitz and glamour I saw in
fashion magazines were very
different from my hand-me-down,
small-town, Missouri life. I always
wondered what it would be like to
walk into a store, buy whatever I
wanted, and never worry about
how much it cost. That very idea
seemed outside the realm of any
possibility I knew. I was taught
very young that you have to work
for everything you want in life. I
got a job in retail at age 15 and
never looked back. I managed to
turn my love of shopping into a
full-time career. I had the pleasure
of helping others ind love and joy
through the clothes they wear
every day as a corporate retail
fashion buyer for companies like
Zappos.com, Dillard's, and The
Home Shopping Network.
My career as a corporate retail
buyer allowed me to live out my
childhood dreams of attending
fashion shows, traveling the
world, and working with brands
that had previously only been
within my reach in the pages of
fashion magazines. I was living
out my dreams, but those dreams
came crashing down quickly with
the onset of the pandemic.
The pandemic was my wake-up
call. I realized I wasn't that same
little girl anymore. Over the
course of my career, I got married
and had two beautiful children.
My job required me to travel
frequently, which meant I missed
out on irst birthdays, picture
days, and far too many other
important events to count. If you
were to ask my children, “Where
does mommy work?” They would
almost always reply, “New York,”
even though we live in Las Vegas,
Nevada. Prior to the pandemic, I
did my best to separate home and
work. I made it a point to be

present with my family, and my
kids rarely saw me working. The
pandemic changed that; they
saw mommy working all day,
pulling all-nighters, and
working on the weekends to
keep from drowning in the
workload. I was one of the
“lucky” ones who got to keep my
job in retail when many were
laid off or furloughed. My job
was already demanding, but
now I was taking on the work of
3 other people. Whenever I
received a phone call from an
Account Executive to tell me
they had been laid off, I secretly
wished I could trade them
places. The workload was
becoming more than I could
handle, and it wasn't long before
I crash-landed in burnout.
My breaking point was a day I
will never forget. I was at home
frantically working to meet a
last-minute deadline. I heard my
3-year-old son playing in his
room, and something he said
caught my attention. I got up
and peeked around the corner
to watch. My son had set up his
stuffed animals around his table.
He made a computer out of
paper and pretended to work
just as he saw me do every day.
After a few moments, he turned
to his stuffed animals and yelled
at them to be quiet. He said, “I'm
on an important call and need to
inish my work.” I cried. My
heart was broken. This was not
the example I wanted to set for
my children, and I knew
something had to change.
I didn't know what that change
looked like, so I started with
therapy. Little did I know then
that those therapy secessions
EXELEON MAGAZINE
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would change everything. One of
the most signi icant discoveries was
that I had been neglecting my
passion for giving back. Before
having children, I volunteered my
time to several charitable
organizations. Life had become so
busy that I no longer had time to
volunteer. We were still in the
middle of the pandemic, so
volunteering in person wasn't an
option. Plus, I couldn't bring myself
to take a lunch break away from my
computer, let alone enjoy helping
others, all while knowing the work
is piling up (don't worry, this was
also addressed in therapy).
As a mom, I felt like every time I
turned around, I needed to buy
another gift for a birthday,
housewarming, or wedding. I
started to buy gifts for my friends
and family that supported
charitable organizations as my way
of giving back. The gifts became
conversation starters about
important issues and a way to learn
about diﬀerent nonpro its.
However, it often took a lot of work
to uncover and learn about the
nonpro it bene iting from my
purchase, and the giveback was
often vague. As a product person, I
didn't always love the selection
oﬀered. There had to be a better
way. I decided that my many years
of retail experience, coupled with
my love of helping others, put me in
a unique position to tackle the
problem head-on.
I launched my business, The
Kindness Cause, in March of 2022
with three main goals: (1) make
giving back easy when life is busy
by incorporating giving into the
things we do every day, like buying
gifts for our friends and family; (2)
provide transparency around funds
donated with purchase and
transparency around the charitable
organization bene iting from the
sale; and (3) create a platform to
educate, bring awareness, and raise
funds to support the incredible
work of smaller, regional nonpro it
organizations. Getting to merge my
love of fashion, advocacy, and
philanthropy is an added bonus.
The causes and issues that I am
passionate about is an extensive
list. However, my initial nonpro it
partnerships for The Kindness
Cause focus on human rights,
women empowerment, the
LGBTQIA+ community, children,
cancer, and environmental issues. It
was vital for me to launch with the
right partners. I utilize Charity
Navigator, GuideStar, and tax
returns to vet and hand-select the
organizations for partnership.
Once I partner with a nonpro it
organization, I create and curate
merchandise around their mission
for a “Cause Collection.” These
collections are speci ic to one
nonpro it organization, and the
merchandise is only available for
purchase for a period of 60-days. In
every product description on the
website, I state how much we
donate to charity with purchase,
along with the nonpro it
purchase.
The Kindness Cause also features a
great assortment of merchandise
themed around kindness and
IN – FOCUS
25

positive af irmations that are sold
throughout the year in our
“Kindness Collection.” Like the
Cause Collections, every purchase
donates to a charitable nonpro it
organization, and we transparently
share how much we donate and the
sale.
So far, I've had the distinct honor to
partner with, bring awareness, and
raise funds for some incredible
charitable nonpro it organizations,
including but not limited to:
Ÿ Birmingham, Alabama,
nonpro it GASP, whose mission
is to advance healthy air &
environmental justice in the
greater-Birmingham area
through education, advocacy,
and collaboration.
Ÿ St. Louis, Missouri nonpro it,
Zugunruhe Experience believes
that to understand the world,
you must see the world and that
education through travel has the
power to be the most in luential
factor in inspiring a life illed
with meaning. They provide
opportunities to travel for
underserved youth to discover
their limitless potential.
Ÿ Las Vegas, Nevada nonpro it,
The Remissonaries, positively
impacts women ighting breast
cancer by providing comfort
during and after chemotherapy
treatment with their comfort
crates.
Ÿ Westlake Village, California
nonpro it, My Stuﬀ Bags
Foundation provides new
belongings, comfort, and hope
to thousands of children each
year rescued from abuse,
neglect, abandonment, and
homelessness across the United
States. The new belongings
address the immediate physical
and emotional needs of rescued
children and help support the
agencies caring for them.
I've discovered that life only gets
busier. When we have the inancial
means to give, we often do not have
the time. When we have time to
give, we often do not have the
inancial means to give. How we
give back evolves over time. It
doesn't matter how we give; it just
matters that we do. One of my
favorite quotes is by Mother Teresa.
She said, “I alone cannot change the
world, but I can cast a stone across
the waters to create many ripples.”
Every day when I sit down at my
desk to start my day, I see that
photo of 8-year-old me and smile. I
no longer feel small and
insigni icant. That photo is my daily
reminder of the beautifully broken
journey I've taken to ind my voice,
my worth, and to be here doing
what I love today. The work I do
makes a meaningful diﬀerence
daily, and the best part is I'm just
getting started. I know that 8-year-
old me would be so proud.
EXELEON MAGAZINE
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Bringing back Trust
into PR
he PR industry has gone through
Tconsiderable changes in recent
years. PR is no longer limited to
publishing press releases or articles and
keeping track of media.
Today, PR agencies work with
established and emerging brands to
deliver integrated marketing and
communication strategies. However, cut-
throat competition and ight for
relevance among brands is drawing the
industry out of its core trait –
authenticity.
When April White came to this
realization, she wanted to bring forth a
change in the industry. This change came
in the form of “trust relations.”
The term coined by herself, April
explains “Trust Relations is the art of
conveying a brand's authentic actions,
value, and goodwill, and illustrating them
through great storytelling and creative
brand activations that demonstrate how
the brand serves its target audiences.”
In this Interview, Founder and President
of Trust Relations Agency, April White
talks about the PR industry, her own
journey, and much more.
What according to you makes one a
powerful woman? How do you
integrate the same thought into your
leadership?
I am a powerful woman because I'm an
introspective, empathetic, ambitious
person who wants to make the world a
better place by being a servant of
mankind. I am iercely committed to
making a diﬀerence and creating a
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A P R I L W H I T E
FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT | TRUST REL ATIONS AGENCY

company culture that I always wish
had existed before founding my
own agency. My agency is equally
devoted to making a diﬀerence for
both employees and clients. We are
continuously improving to
maximize results and retention.
Talk to us about your growing up
years. What is your earliest
memory as a
leader/entrepreneur that you
remember?
I never thought of myself as a
leader but, looking back, I can see
that I was always the one in high
school who led group projects (and
sometimes, I even did them alone). I
have always felt a responsibility to
make the world a better place, and
frequently carried my own opinions
and ideas about how other agencies
and agency leaders could improve.
Eventually, rather than complaining
about what they did wrong, I
viewed these pain points as an
opportunity to build a better
agency model that addressed the
issues I saw.
What prompted your interest
and subsequently your foray into
the public relations space?
I initially wanted to be a writer. I
always loved stringing together
words to create ideas, feelings,
concepts, images, and emotions for
as long as I can remember.
I started my career as a journalist –
which my parents convinced me
was the most reliable career path
for a writer – but I quickly realized
that it was not the right path for me.
After a few years as a newspaper
reporter, I switched to PR and found
my true calling.
What was the idea behind Trust
Relations? Talk to us about the
signi icance of its name.
I irst entered the ield of
journalism and mass
communications in college because
I was interested in sharing
information, I believed people
needed to hear – but I realized over
time that PR had many roots in the
art of persuasion and wasn't always
based in authenticity or reality.
I began to think that the entire
premise of PR needed a paradigm
shift, since trying to convince
someone you are something, which
you aren't is a fool's errand at best
or manipulation at worst. This is
true whether you're an individual
or brand. You must do what you say
before you can say what you do.
This realization inspired me to coin
the term "trust relations." In
technology, trust relationships are
an administration and
communication link between two
domains. In communications, I
believe they are a bond of mutual
respect between a brand and the
people it serves.
In other words, trust relations is the
art of conveying a brand's authentic
actions, value, and goodwill, and
illustrating them through great
storytelling and creative brand
activations that demonstrate how
the brand serves its target
audiences.
What are the biggest challenges in PR
in the current marketing landscape?
How are you tackling the same?
The biggest challenge in PR today is that
the lines between earned and paid
media are getting blurrier with every
passing year.
As a result, one year ago, Trust Relations
introduced marketing services to its
offering, delivering a 360-degree,
integrated solution. At the onset of every
campaign, we conduct a proprietary
Trust Analysis so that we can better align
clients' storytelling with story doing.
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As the Founder, what role do you
play in the day-to-day
proceedings of the company?
Beyond honing the vision for the
company, I'm heavily involved in
the agency's business development
and marketing. I spend most of my
time speaking with prospective
clients and reviewing new business
proposals. I also participate in
podcasts, media interviews, and
speaking panels, in addition to
writing contributed content on
business and PR insights. I also
continue to oversee all of the other
company operations, inances,
client relationships, and staf ing
needs.
Looking back at your journey,
what would you have done
diﬀerent when starting out?
I would have taken more time to
ind a inance expert I could trust to
help me forecast and budget, to
ensure the business decisions I was
making wouldn't inancially stress
the company to potential breaking
points.
Finally, what would be your
advice for women entrepreneurs
and leaders in the PR space?
PR is and always will be a services
industry, which means that the
pro it margins will always be
modest and capped because, as an
industry, there is no current way to
automate the (wo)man hours
required to do the job well.
This is a client services industry
that will always be illed with
challenging personalities,
unrealistic expectations, stiﬀ
competition, and unfair
demands–and the talent pool is also
inite (and increasingly expensive,
as a result).
You have to truly love PR and be
very savvy to igure out how to
create an agency that is sustainable
and pro itable.
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What according to you makes one
a powerful woman? How do you
integrate the same thought into
your leadership?
According to me, I feel that if you
are a woman who truly knows what
she likes and pretty much can
identify it when you see it, can be a
very powerful thing. It can save a lot
of valuable time! I also truly believe
that it is very powerful to be blessed
in feeling accepted wherever you go,
in so many different settings or
situations.
I am the kind of person that chooses
to share and teach by example. By
presenting questions irst and then
moving on into conversation.
memory as a
remember?
From a very early age I have always
loved being outdoors and playing
sports. I was part of a lot of different
sports teams and, more often than
not, did very well.
I do remember very clearly starting
my sewing class in home economics
in the seventh grade and falling in
love with it. I loved working with
fabric, patterns, and embellishment
so much so that I took it all the way
through high school.
I would love spending so much time
in fabric stores searching out fabrics
and patterns to begin a garment
design. I would also love drawing on
newspaper sketches to create my
own design for what I was
envisioning. Eventually stepping
away from what I truly loved doing,
I entered into the workforce.
What is the vision of the Louise
Lynette brand? How are ensuring
optimal client satisfaction?
My vision for the Louise Lynette
brand is to help make women feel
comfortable and beautiful in so
many different settings. With many
choices of colors and fabrics and
embellishments for their choosing
for the event they would like it for. I
would love for it to be spread across
the United States, Canada &
International as well. But as a real
dream come true, I would Love to be
able to use some of my earnings for
supplying clean water to people
who do not have this.
As for us ensuring optimal client
satisfaction, we strive very much so,
to stay on top of good
communication with our customers
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I N T E R V I E W W I T H
Lynette Williams
F O U N D E R | L O U I S E L Y N E T T E

and send things out as soon as we
can and make sure packages are
received. As for my design styles
and optimal client satisfaction, it is
very important that my garment
pieces are as comfortable on the
inside with wonderful linings in
most pieces and the
embellishments are not scratching
the skin. We try our very best to
supply size charts on our website
for the best possible it for our
customers. It also means so much to
us that we share really nice pictures
of the garment designs so that you
can have a wonderful idea of how it
is looking.
What does life look like for
Lynette Williams look like? How
do you ensure work-life balance?
As for what my life has looked like
over the past two years, it has been
an awful lot of late-night work
hours, energy, thought and heart
and soul. Truly a labor of Love!
Learning so many new things, and it
would be an understatement to call
it a learning curve. But loving all
that I do!
In asking about the work- life
balance, this is quite the struggle,
especially when starting a new
business. So many hours are truly
required of you and sometimes you
just don't think that there are
enough hours in a day or a week.
But I do believe that we must take
good care of ourselves, eat well and
get exercise as often in a week as
we can. We are able to work better
if we do!
What have been the biggest
challenges for you in your
entrepreneurial journey?
My biggest challenge in my
entrepreneurial journey was when I
started my collection, Louise
Lynette, and the pandemic hit.
There were so many decisions that
needed to be made and things
needed to be scaled back and new
ways of meeting with people had to
be achieved.
My factory is in India and as you
know, India was hit very hard by
the pandemic. The factory lost
many of their workers and
ultimately put timelines way
behind. But you have to try and
make the best decisions possible
with the information that you have
at the time and stick with your true
calling and passion and keep
moving forward.
When looking back I wish that I
would have had a little better view
of how much everything was going
to cost me. Because this has not
been an inexpensive journey. It is
expensive! Try to know exactly
what you want to do and the cost of
what your endeavor might be.
advice for aspiring women
entrepreneurs struggling to take
that leap of faith?
Delve into all the information on
the internet about what you are
interested in, talk to as many people
as you can that are in the business
that you would like to pursue,
attend conventions or tradeshows
and most of all be prepared
inancially as best as you can. Seek
the Lord's guidance as to what his
plan is for your life and follow it as
best as you can!
At the age of 70, you went
on to pursue your life-long
dream of designing
clothes. What prompted
you to take this route?
It came to a point and time in
my life that I really did want
to know my true purpose
and what I was here for. So, I
put everything on hold and
took time oﬀ to try and ind
the answers to my questions.
After a few weeks had gone
by, I was on my way out the
front door to go on one of
our last walks with my dog
who was dying of cancer.
Walking across the front
lawn, a strong revelation
came over me. I was to apply
my designs to fabric.
Suddenly there were so
many pieces of the puzzle of
my life falling together in my
mind. It all seemed to make
so much sense.
That evening I shared my
experience with my
husband. The coming
January we attended our
irst textile convention in
New York and that was seven
years ago, and I was in my
early sixties. For the past two
years we have been working
very hard to bring my new
collection to the market as
Louise Lynette.
IN – FOCUS
37

I
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t
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i
e
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EXELEON MAGAZINE
38

Make Millions
with Government
Contracts
rowing up as a natural-born
Gleader, Karwanna D. always
envisioned herself as someone
who makes an impact on the lives of
others.
For her, success was a collective
endeavor, instead of an individual
pursuit. With this same thought,
Karwanna has impacted the lives of
hundreds of entrepreneurs.
As a Government Contracts Strategist,
Karwanna D. is helping businesses grow
and scale by pitching and winning
government contracts. Find out more
about this impactful leader in this
Exclusive Interview.
powerful woman?
A powerful woman is one that is willing
to do the work to achieve success or
whatever they want to achieve.
How do you integrate the same
thought into your leadership?
I was not born into success, I had to
work hard, shift my mindset, and invest
in myself to get to where I am now. And I
always tell my clients, success doesn't
just fall into your lap, you have to do the
E X E L E O N E X C L U S I V E
39

work and put in the work because
nothing comes for free.
“Free” doesn't just mean monetary.
It also means time. There's always
going to be a cost attached to
success, whether it be time or
money, or sometimes both.
What is your earliest memory as
a leader/entrepreneur that you
remember?
I remember I wanted to get up on
the pulpit as an inspirational
speaker and share my knowledge of
scriptures as a minister in our
church. It was made to be a joke as
if I wasn't approved for leadership
in that capacity. But yet there were
boys as young as 10–12 years old
who were praised for getting up on
the pulpit to share their knowledge
in scripture and leadership.
What I learned from that
experience is that there is a time
and place for everything, and it was
just not the place nor the time for
me to be great. I didn't let it deter
me from developing into the leader
I am today. Also, the con idence that
I had as a little girl, made me realize
now that I was a natural-born
leader.
How are you helping
entrepreneurs grow their
business with government
contracts?
Government contracting is the most
untapped resource when it comes
to growing and scaling a pro itable
business and I simply teach
entrepreneurs the step-by-step
process on how they can make
millions pitching and winning
government contracts as a small
business. By showing how
businesses can play their cards
right, they can easily add 5, 6, or
even 7- igure income in just one
contract alone - doing the things
they are already doing with their
business.
As a Government Contracts
Strategist, what are the roles and
responsibilities that you are
needed to shoulder?
Many entrepreneurs spoil their
success by not taking action on
opportunities because they
disqualify themselves by thinking
that it's not for them or they think
they just don't it the bill. Hence, my
role as a Government Contract
Strategist is to make sure that my
clients have the tools, knowledge,
and strategy to land a contract
where they can do it themselves all
they need to do is to take action.
I believe in the principle of teaching
a man to ish so that they never
starve again. While it's good to do
all the work for someone on their
behalf, that's not really a
sustainable business model. That's
why I always empower my clients
to win contracts on their own, it
actually helps them to grow and
develop in their own professional
space where the sky is the limit.
Being an established
entrepreneur, what according to
you are the most essential things
when it comes to building a
business?
1. Foundation
Like building a house, having a solid
foundation is important. And I
always talk about building a
business around government
contracting and having the right
foundation with your business will
attract government agencies, which
will open up a pool of opportunities
for your business to land a lucrative
contract.
2. Invest
You must plant seeds to reap a
harvest. Many entrepreneurs think
they have to save to get ahead and
that it's better to get something for
free or cheap rather than make a
serious investment into something.
This is the principle I've learned
while building my business and it
helped me to turn my struggling
business into a multi-million-dollar
empire.
Invest in yourself - get a coach.
Invest in your business - build a
website, buy that software, hire
people or really anything that will
elevate your business.
What have been the biggest
challenges you have faced in your
entrepreneurial journey?
I use to be very shy about sharing
my success stories with others
because I didn't want people to
think that I was bragging, or they
might get the idea that I was better
than them. And this is one of the
biggest challenges I had in my
entrepreneurial journey.
So I have to overcome my own
thought, change my mindset, and
stand boldly in my greatness, and
evolve into the philanthropist that I
am now where I am impacting the
world by sharing not only my
knowledge as a government
contract expert but also my success
EXELEON MAGAZINE
40

“Success doesn’t just fall into your lap,
you have to do the work and put in the work
because nothing comes for free.”

stories knowing that somebody
needs to hear my experience and be
inspired by my story and
transformation.
I used to really undervalue myself
and my business offer and I didn't
ever see myself either making
hundreds of thousands of dollars a
year or generating millions of
dollars as a solopreneur until I did
the math. I realize that being goal-
oriented in business, especially
when it comes to forecasting
predictable income…. requires
math as well as a roadmap to get
there.
It was just a few short years ago,
that I was at a conference full of
motivated women entrepreneurs
whose goal was to make their 1st
million in business. The presenter
broke down so clearly what was
required to achieve that goal that it
literally changed my life forever. She
shared the million-dollar math. To
make a million you have to sell a
$1000 product or service 1000
times, or a $10,000 product or
service 100 times, or a 100,000
product or service 10 times, and so
on...
The more the premium price, the
less hard you have to work, and that
simple concept made my head spin
off the wall. To sell at a premium
price, you have to have a premium
offer to sell to premium buyers and
you know what? The government is
a premium buyer! And so are
corporations! So, this is de initely
something I could've done
differently when starting out.
Finally, what does the future look
like for you, both professionally
and personally?
Professionally, I am looking to train
more coaches to coach my clients
with a team to run all the
operations. Ultimately getting my
business to run ef iciently on its
own.
Personally, I will continue to expand
my reach as a philanthropist and
make a global impact. Write more
books. And at the same time have
more quality time with my family
while we cross out more things on
our travel goals and vision board.
EXELEON MAGAZINE
42

EMPOWERING LIVES WITH
STORYTELLING
YVETTE BODDEN
FOUNDER | AWAKENED WOMAN
t our core, we are all stories. Stories
Aof love, death, and life. Stories that
make us smile as well as cry; stories
of success and failures; stories of black,
white, and grey. Story is a journey; a journey
of truth and false, of hope and death, a
journey of one within and one beyond.
For Yvette Bodden, stories are that powerful
medium that can impact the lives of
countless people and guide them towards a
journey of being better.
From her own journey of healing, Yvette
Bodden leveraged the power of stories to
empower the lives of many.
Read this exclusive interview with the
Founder of the Awakened Woman, wherein
she shares her 'story'.
powerful woman? How do you integrate
the same thought into your leadership?
Power comes in diﬀerent forms. A powerful
woman owns who she is, uses her voice to
empower herself, and inspires others to do
the same. She freely shares her thoughts
with self-con idence but does it with
humility and kindness.
Good leadership isn't only about making
dif icult decisions. It's about managing a
team of people and making them feel valued.
Bringing out the best in them and
encouraging everyone around you to
contribute skills and share ideas. Lastly,
having the courage to listen is just as
important to ensure you are staying in touch
with the people with ears on the ground. We
all have a superpower, think about how
much stronger we can be working together
than apart. I try to integrate this thought
into my leadership style to remind myself, I
couldn't do what I do as ef iciently without
my team.
IN – FOCUS
45

memory as a leader/
entrepreneur that you
remember?
I am the daughter of Dominican
immigrants who believed in the
American Dream. They passed on
their strong work ethic and like
many parents, ingrained into our
brains that education was the key
to a castle. "You had to become a
lawyer or a doctor," anything other
than those careers was a waste of
energy.
Growing up, there was no space for
alternatives. They wanted the best
for me and thought these were the
only roads to success.
Around the age of 19 or 20, I had a
burst of creativity when I began to
draft ideas about a bilingual
magazine. A platform that would
educate and cater to women that
looked like me since I had not seen
anything like it. Eventually, I gave
up the dream since I had no clue
how to begin to build the vision.
Looking back, I don't think that I
was ready to challenge my parents,
or the world or have enough
experience to understand this type
of responsibility but it was the irst
time, I was thinking outside of the
box.
writing?
Journaling has always been an
outlet for me. Whether writing a
song, poem, or passage, these have
all been my way of letting the ideas
low, purging toxicity and pain, or
organizing my thoughts. However,
for as long as I remember, it has
been a private space. Writing a
book and articles for the world to
read is a very diﬀerent experience.
Opening oneself up to opinions and
letting others be witnesses to your
vulnerability is scary. The decision
to share my story with the world
came from a desire to help others,
What according to you is the impact of
storytelling? How important of a role
does storytelling play in your vision?
Storytelling is one of the best tools we
must connect with others. Think about
the power of emotion when you read,
listen, or watch someone whose story is
similar to yours and what they've
overcome. We can't help but feel inspired
or consider the possibility that we have
the same power.
Telling these stories in a way that honors
the person sharing and helps someone
else is everything when it comes to
playing out my vision. There is a common
thread in all our stories, the human
experience. I want to tell stories that
make people feel like they can be better
and can do better.
EXELEON MAGAZINE
46

sparking me to begin writing about
my journey and inding other
powerful voices to share theirs.
What was the idea behind
Awakened-Woman? What is your
vision through this?
Depression triggered by a painful
divorce forced an introspective
period in my life. I was grateful to
have resources such as family,
friends, and therapy to get me
through this dark time. The journey
to mental, spiritual, and physical
well-being took a lot of work and
time. Millions of people around the
world do not have the same access
or freedom to do the same.
Finding healing is never easy, while
some know they need help there
are many that may not realize there
is anything wrong or prefer to
suffer in silence. I wanted to create
a platform that came at no cost to
reach women and men around the
globe and inspire their journey.
AW seemed like the next natural
step, it began with the Awakened-
Women.com digital platform illed
with hundreds of articles and
interviews. Today, we have the AW
Con idential podcast and YouTube
channel to supplement because we
understand that people absorb
information differently. We don't
want anyone to be left behind in
their journey to better themselves.
What does a day in the life of
Yvette Bodden look like? How do
you ensure work-life balance?
Work-life balance is the goal! If
Covid has shown us anything, it's
that life is not only about work;
love, laughter, and the bonds that
make life extra special deserve our
attention, too. Soon as I open my
eyes, the day begins with gratitude
and a 10-minute meditation to
ensure I get centered. Once that
part is done, I can be ready for the
day ahead.
The morning consists of a small but
healthy breakfast and a written to-
do list which I review every day. I'm
always learning to do things more
ef iciently and being able to pivot at
any time is incredibly helpful with
the different interruptions
throughout the busy day. The visual
of getting things on and off the list
is key for me.
The life of an entrepreneur
demands we wear different hats.
We do not have the luxury of getting
frazzled when a landmine goes off.
Stay prepared for the unexpected
but don't lose yourself in the
process.
differently when starting out?
Honestly, I can't say that I would
have done anything, differently.
Were it not for the decisions made, I
would not be here, today. However,
if there was one thing I'd do better,
it would have to be asking for help,
earlier, in my journey. I trained
myself to believe that I have to do it
all, but it is not humanly, possible
without losing my sanity. Knowing
when to ask for help and
understanding that I can do
everything but not simultaneously
has been a lesson that took a case of
burnout to learn.
What would be your advice for
young and aspiring women
leaders?
Whatever your dream is - give it a
go! You will be afraid and that is
okay. The greatest growth that will
take place in your life will come
from taking on the challenges and
doing the things you didn't think
you could do. Early on in my
journey, a friend said to me, "It is
better to wake up with that little
feeling of regret than to wonder,
what if I had done that thing, I
wanted to? What would my life be
like now?" People are often
discouraged by the thought of
failure, but these are only lessons
disguised by disappointment.
like for you and Awakened
Woman?
The beauty of the future is that I'm
writing it every day. Never
imagined being an author, having a
book published, and building AW as
a multimedia platform that inspires
others.
Currently, I'm working on a second
book and leveling up the platform
to increase awareness on issues
that affect our mental and spiritual
health. As we grow into the shoes of
leaders, entrepreneurs, and life
changers, it is critical to nurture
overall wellness. I want to continue
creating great content that
empowers women to do the same.
We have the power to create the life
envisioned and practice self-care
that promotes longevity. Thank you
to Exeleon Magazine for the
opportunity to share AW's message.
IN – FOCUS
47

Meet the
Film
Festival Doctor
For Rebekah Louisa Smith
confronting herself about her
passion for academia led her to a
life-changing realization.
She realized that she didn't really have
the emotional connection with the ield.
Neither did she felt excited about it. “I
knew I did not want to do it for the rest of
my life,” she recalls.
This was the moment that facilitated the
journey of Rebekah Louisa Smith – an
inspiring entrepreneur, award-winning
ilm festival strategist, producer,
published author, speaker, and more.
Rebekah is the Founder of The Film
Festival Doctor, a company that helps
ilmmakers get their work seen by
audiences around the world.
An In luential Women in all regards, read
this exclusive interview of Rebekah
Louisa Smith where she discusses her
journey, her book, and much more.
powerful woman? How do you
integrate the same thought into your
leadership?
A powerful woman integrates diplomacy
and kindness into their leadership while
asking for help when needed. Admitting
you need help as a leader does not mean
that you've failed; instead, it opens the
door to new solutions and possibilities
that help you grow as a person and as a
CEO. As soon as I asked for help and
showed my vulnerability, I didn't feel like
I was stuck anymore. I felt strong.
EXELEON MAGAZINE
IN – FOCUS
50

R ek Louisa Smith
IN – FOCUS
51

Diplomacy also makes a powerful
woman shine. I work with creative
types who can become emotionally
attached to their ilm and have
dif iculty taking criticism. Instead of
responding with anger to their
challenges, I respond with patience.
I explain to these clients how
prioritizing a growth mindset can
help their ilmmaking and oﬀer
them constructive criticism. I gently
encourage them to view the
feedback as a gift to gain new skills
which can help them become more
successful in their careers.
What is your earliest memory as
a leader/entrepreneur that you
remember?
I will never forget April 17th, 2011;
I submitted my Ph.D. thesis at 9 am
and had the plan to build my
business and live the life I created
for myself in England.
Building my business was quite a
dif icult time in my life. I was lonely
as I was trying to build up a
business from scratch with no
previous business experience and
create something very niche and
new. However, after eight months of
building up my social media
presence and attending networking
events, people in my industry began
to notice me and trust my brand. At
this point, a community that
wanted to help me grow my
business and work with me formed,
and I felt supported.
the ilm and media space?
This is what I call the 'Ah–Ha'
moment! While I was writing my
Ph.D., I could tell I was not waking
up every morning excited to work
on it and only somewhat enjoyed
writing it. I then got asked to co-
produce a Film Festival; I realized I
was in my element and felt much
more alive and inspired.
Suddenly, this made me question
whether academia was my passion.
After consideration, I realized that,
deep down, I did not love the world
of academia; I had no emotional
connection to it, nor did it excite
me. I knew I did not want to do it
for the rest of my life. I'm grateful
for the Ph.D. process, it
strengthened my project
management skills, and I would
never have known how to create
award-winning ilm festival
strategies for my clients if I hadn't
irst started down the path of
academia.
What was the idea that led you to
start The Film Festival Doctor?
What was your vision through
this platform?
I caught the ilm festival bug while
co-producing the 2009 Abertoir
Horror Festival in Aberystwyth,
Wales, where I was living and
studying for my Ph.D. As
mentioned, I realized my career
ambitions were not in the world of
academia but within the ilm
industry, and my specialist niche
area was ilm festivals.
The skills I learned and developed
while writing my Ph.D. helped me
identify a gap within the ilm
industry. A common problem for
ilmmakers was that they needed
help getting their ilms seen at
festivals; they didn't know how to
do it, how to create a festival
strategy, or whom to turn to for
help resolving the problem.
At that time, USA-based Film
Festival Secrets was the only
company actively providing a ilm
festival strategy service and had an
internet presence. I knew I could
also help my target market resolve
this pain. While working behind-
the-scenes co-producing a ilm
festival, I traveled around Europe
and met with festival programmers
to learn how they curated their
festivals. I discovered which type of
ilms ilm festival programmers
wanted to screen. There was a
global market of ilmmakers who
needed help, and I needed to turn
my knowledge into a thriving
business, so I learned what a
festival strategy looked like and
how to create one.
Talk to us about your book –
Born to Do It – and how it can
help emerging entrepreneurs
take the leap of faith.
Unexpectedly, during the COVID-19
pandemic, I became very inspired
to write. An Indian publishing
company was compiling a book
called "Unique: Positive Stories to
Inspire You," they approached me
and wanted to include my story.
When the Unique book went live
and was available to buy
internationally, a publishing
company called Butter ly House
approached me about writing my
own book to inspire others. After
having a long hard think, I knew
that writing a book was exactly
what I wanted to do. I was thrilled
that people had engaged with my
story and resonated with it. I
received feedback from business
owners who now felt motivated to
keep going and no longer feel alone.
EXELEON MAGAZINE
IN – FOCUS
52

I was not interested in writing a dry
"how to start your irst business"
book that was very formulaic and
had been done to death a million
times. Instead, I wanted to write a
book that showed people how to
launch their irst business using
essential business practices that
draw upon spiritual techniques
which would help them discover
their soul purpose and teach them
how to co-create with the Universe.
My book is designed to help others
pondering the leap into
entrepreneurship or are already on
the journey but yearning for more
success and pro itability.

Rebekah Louisa Smith look like?
How do you ensure work-life
balance?
I am at my most creative and feel
most inspired in the mornings. I get
up at 6:30 am, do ive minutes of
meditation and stretching, put the
kettle on, and make my hot water
and lemon. Then I respond to all my
emails, text messages, Facebook,
and What's App messages. There
tends to be a lot upon waking as I
am six hours behind the UK. I have
a large client base in the UK, and
several of my staff are based there
too.
After breakfast, at around 8 am, I
dig into more creative stuff, which
includes creating festival strategies
& Zoom meetings. Around 11 am,
I'll be able to get up and get
showered. After that, I get back to
more emails until lunch, then back
at it until I begin to wind down for
the day. I always take an hour off for
a long walk to detox from my
iPhone.
The evenings will be staying in and
relaxing, or if I am going out, it will
be seeing friends or attending the
opening of a ilm festival. The good
thing about the time differences
between the UK and USA is that
after 5 pm in Dallas, the East coast
is winding down, and over in the
UK, they are asleep, which gives me
a nice bit of space to ind that
balance as it is very peaceful to
catch up on some me time.
Looking back, I would have hired a
business coach in the beginning. I
wish someone had told me to work
with a coach before I launched my
business, as it would have saved a
lot of migraines and loneliness!
When I began working with my
business coach Gerlanda, she
immediately identi ied what was
missing from my company: an
infrastructure. She helped me to
create a sales forecast, pipeline, and
monthly key performance
indicators. I thought I was doing
well when closing deals, but as it
turned out, I needed to re ine my
sales pitch to work with more
clients. And it's thanks to her
expertise that I now have this
knowledge.
and leaders in today's business
environment?
My advice to women entrepreneurs
and leaders is to ignore the
imposter syndrome and adopt a
perpetual positive mindset.
Keeping a positive mental attitude
is very important; by adopting this
mindset, you can let your
enthusiasm, self-belief, and passion
for your business, clients, and
industry shine through. Having the
right mental state will help you
igure out how to position yourself,
as it is critical to present yourself as
an expert in your ield, even when
you are starting out. Always
remember that you know you have
the knowledge and skills and are
good at what you do.
EXELEON MAGAZINE
IN – FOCUS
54

EXELEON MAGAZINE
IN – FOCUS
56

powerful woman? How do you integrate
the same thought into your leadership?
I really think that being a powerful woman
comes from the core values instilled in you
that you can't see and don't exactly talk
about. In essence, a powerful woman
shows integrity and sticks to their word;
not just for others, but to be true to
themselves. If you promise yourself that
you're going to do something, ensure that
you're meeting your own expectations and
following through, whether it's with your
own projects and ambitions, embracing
the drive to strive ahead in your career, or
focusing on self-care so you can wake up
and do it all over again.
Leadership comes from within - it
shouldn't seem forced, trite, or repetitive.
In life and business, I'm very much myself.
Raw Lauren is what you see and what you
get. If you work for me, with me, alongside
me, or you're a client, you'll get the same
version of me. That's something that I
know resonates with many people.
What is your earliest memory as a
remember?
Ironically enough, my earliest memory as
an entrepreneur was my irst lemonade
stand in the summer. And I can say without
a doubt, I learned more about
entrepreneurship in those moments than
you can imagine. I spent that entire
summer getting my irst lesson on pro it
and loss, ethics, making in-the-moment
decisions, and catering to the customer.
My second foray into leadership was at the
high school where I grew up in Northern
California. Lacrosse was an east coast
sport that many of my cousins played, and
I envied them. I wanted to play that sport
at my school. I decided to campaign at my
high school and ended up starting the irst
female lacrosse team in Northern
IN – FOCUS
57
T H E W O M A N W I T H A
VISION
LAUREN IMPARATO
Innovator | Socio-Entrepreneur | Best Selling Author

California. It took months of hard
work; petitions, budgeting, and
actually teaching people the game.
During lunch, I'd hold clinics
throughout the year and try to
convince women to play this as a
spring sport instead of the other
typical options my high school
oﬀered. We ended up winning a
bunch of championships.
A few years ago, I saw a woman on
the streets of New York wearing a
sweatshirt with my high school
alma mater that said, “Women's
Lacrosse” and it made me proud. At
a young age, I had to igure out how
to take an idea and bring it to
fruition, convince a bunch of
people, and make it happen.
What were the biggest challenges
when you took the leap of faith
and started your entrepreneurial
journey in 2009?
Fear. I'm not personally afraid that
often, but I was remarkably afraid. I
hadn't been ired or laid oﬀ during
the inancial crisis and was doing
well. I went to a good school, and I
loved it; overall, I was comfortable.
The idea of getting over the fear of
quitting was the hardest thing for
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58

me. The day I quit, I was a ball of
nerves, and my palms were sweaty.
I was risking something I was good
at where I was inancially stable to
go off into the unknown. But I knew
that fear is something that you face
and it's natural to be afraid, and you
really have to battle through it or
else you won't get anywhere.
What would be your advice for
aspiring entrepreneurs
struggling to take that leap of
faith?
Entrepreneurship is romanticized
these days. So many people say if
you do a good job and follow your
passions, everything will work out.
But truthfully, it's more complicated
than that. You have to have a
business plan and be meticulous
about it. You need to know that
your plans might change, and it will
be hard, diligent, and repetitive
work.
If you're ready to work hard and
stick to a plan, know that being in
the trenches on a day-to-day basis
is a reality. But if you have the drive
and passion, trust your gut and
jump in head irst.
Talk to us about your global
leadership organization – The
Association and what it stands
for.
The Association is a irst-of-its-kind
global leadership organization for
career-driven women that uses data
science and a proprietary
leadership methodology to create a
vetted group of Elite, extraordinary
women.
The Association curates 'Your
Personal Board of Directors' for
each member to help these women
assess and achieve their greatest
goals, challenges and opportunities
in their career and life. We have
of icially rolled out 20 boards
across the globe in cities including
New York, LA, the Bay Area,
London, Boston, Madrid, Miami,
D.C., Philadelphia and more, and
will continue to debut new cities
quarterly.
What it stands for is simple: it's a
non-girls club female organization.
Yes, we are women, but we're not
just a girl's club where you can chat
and complain. We make a point
with our structure and
methodologies to see how you can
extract value spending time with
The Association. It's less of a
sisterhood, and more of an
organization. We've built The
Association into something that
works for women by women in a
way that's applicable to society.
Lauren Imparato look like? How
do you ensure work-life balance?
Having just had a baby in
September 2022, I have a different
day-to-day life than I did even two
months ago. But whether it was
pre- or post-baby, I know that
work-life balance is a tough thing to
ind. That said, I make sure I talk to
somebody I love every day, share a
meal with loved ones and exercise
every day. Usually the second I'm
up, and often times before I start
anything like having a glass of
water in the morning, I'm talking to
my co-founder, Janelle Hallier, who
is based in Spain and 6 hours ahead
of me. After we connect, I try to get
some exercise in before I get back
to The Association because we have
teams on the west coast just about
to start their day.
My days don't have structure, but
it's emblematic of the life of a
founder. Chaos can happen within
minutes and things change quickly.
As an entrepreneur, you need to
pivot and be lexible, whether that's
in your personal life or with
business.
I also make it a priority to turn off.
In my irst business I founded back
IN – FOCUS
59

in 2009, I never turned off or took a
vacation. I worked seven days a
week and was constantly on the
edge of burnout (and trust me, I got
there). Now with The Association, I
make a point of learning from my
mistakes and ensuring that when
I'm on vacation, I'm 100% on
vacation. That means I'm not on my
phone between dinnertime and my
coffee in the morning and instead
I'm focused on being present. I trust
my team I've built to keep the
momentum and know they can do it
without me while I take the time to
regroup.
Honestly, I wouldn't have done
anything differently. Not because I
think I did it perfectly, but because
the way I did it taught me so much
along the way. The irst business I
did alone and didn't have a co-
founder. I purposely didn't work
with investors and turned down
various opportunities. That led to a
lot of extra work, challenges, and
stress, but it taught me how to man
the ship of a skilled business.
Now my cofounder, Janelle, and I
work great together as a team.
Looking back, I wish I would have
had my own personal board of
directors or an unbiased place to
discuss balancing business, answer
my questions, face challenges, and
how to look at opportunities. But
that's why we created The
Association, so women can now
access that whether they're an
entrepreneur, VP, CFO, or artist.
like for The Association? What
are you most excited about?
The Association is in a big moment
of growth. We have 20 boards
across the globe which is incredibly
fast in comparison to how long
we've been at it and how
meticulous we are with member
acceptance. We're about to hit a
tipping point for growth which will
really help change the fabric of
working women and their careers.
I'm most excited about the fact that
we're launching our irst app and
are planning our irst global retreat.
We have members around the globe
that will meet for the irst time
which will add exponential power
to the organization and these
women, personally and
professionally.
I'm most excited to be able to bring
The Association to life for women
who have been seeking out
opportunities to connect with like-
minded innovators in the way that
both Janelle and I were looking for
in our own lives. While there are
countless women's groups out
there, there are very few that cut
through the noise of negativity and
competition to actually empower
and energize each member to be
the best versions of themselves. At
The Association, we're hyper-
focused on uplifting the individual
and the collective.
EXELEON MAGAZINE
60

EXELEON MAGAZINE
IN – FOCUS
62

READING
LIFE
RENEE BACHNER
Founder | Renee’s Readers
Leadership is a continually
evolving medium. There is no
set de inition or thumb-rule
to leadership. Much like life
itself, leadership is ever
evolving.
Thus, it is imperative for a
leader to stand out and attain
success, they need to evolve;
evolve with time, technology,
culture, and so on.
Renee Bachner is an example
of a leader who has
continually evolved her
leadership approach to
garner success in her
entrepreneurial venture.
In this Interview, Renee
Bachner shares how she built
her eyewear business –
Renee's Readers, her
relationship with her parents,
and the challenges she has
faced in her journey.
What according to you
makes one a powerful
woman? How do you
integrate the same thought
into your leadership?
Quite honestly, I never
thought of myself as a
powerful woman but now
that I think of it – maybe I am.
Many people have told me I
am a strong woman. I think
you need to be a strong
before being powerful. There
are many strong women who
get through tough times
simply because they have no
choice. Their strength
transforms into power when
they use those experiences to
motivate, set goals, and give
to others with insightfulness
and compassion.
IN – FOCUS
63

Looking forward but not forgetting
how I got to this point cultivates a
motivating, respectful environment,
a key ingredient to how I approach
leadership.
BTW, when the day gets crazy and I
ind myself feeling frustrated just
wanting to get things done, I
remind myself to step back and
think of the phrase that I must have
repeated a hundred times while
raising my children – “treat others
the way you would like to be
treated.” Respect is powerful.
years and your relationship with
your parents.
My parents were immigrants. They
came here with no money, and they
were determined to make a life for
themselves, so they worked very
hard and were very resourceful. We
weren't wasteful with food and or
anything else and we repurposed
whatever we could.
Through hard work, opportunity,
sacri ice and determination, my
father grew a very successful small
business. My mother was fashion
savvy, an extremely talented
dressmaker and homemaker. That
laid the foundation for my
entrepreneurial spirit and their
outside-the-box approach to many
things in their lives now lives in me.
The desire to create started when I
was very young.
I sewed my own doll clothes, made
jewelry from household and food
items, and spent hours poring over
the Sears catalogue, at the time the
only “fashion magazine” I knew. As
a little girl, I remember on my
frequent NYC subway rides with my
mother I would observe the other
passengers and reimage them in
fashions of my own pretend
creation. Even back then, I had a
vision for coordinating style with
comfort – and here I am almost
Medicare eligible doing the same
thing but with reading glasses!
What prompted you to start your
own business? What was the
inspiration behind RENEE'S
READERS?
I had a store front optical business
where I sold other companies
reading glasses and my customers
would complain about them. They
were supposed to be better quality
than what you would buy in a drug
store, but the lens clarity and it still
wasn't good. So, I started to think
what I would do if I were to make
reading glasses.
During that time, my father had
died, and my mother's Alzheimer's
progressed considerably until she
passed 4 years thereafter. Losing
my parents, made me think about
my life and all the things I wanted
to do – RENEE'S READERS was one
of them. With an undergraduate
degree in Marketing and English
and lots of determination I got to
work.
My inspiration was the easy part, it
was all around me. In my optical
store customers, friends, family, and
many times complete strangers.
Throughout my working life I've
seen time and time again how the
things that we experience
throughout our lives surface in our
product picks and just by adapting
our own method of wear forms a
style that is unique to every one of
us.
What has been the biggest
challenges for you since starting
this venture?
There have been many challenges
since starting the brand, but one of
the biggest is iguring out how to
continuously evolve the business to
communicate with both your
existing loyal consumer base and a
newer, younger consumer.
How you as a business
communicate with the newer and
younger generations can be a
challenge, as trends come and go
and so do social media channels.
Instagram and Facebook may not
be the primary socials your target
audience uses but staying relevant
among the younger demographics
is also crucial.
I work to overcome these
challenges by reading, researching,
monitoring, being hands-on, but
also outsourcing where needed.
Then, I step back and evaluate and
analyze to identify trends and what
works and what doesn't work for
my business.
How do you ensure work-life
balance?
When you have your own business,
often there are no borders
especially when irst starting out.
I am not sure I could have done
things diﬀerently because I had
other responsibilities that I could
not just walk away from. I was a
mother of three, a caregiver and a
small business owner. That kept me
back from devoting the exorbitant
EXELEON MAGAZINE
IN – FOCUS
64

amount of time it takes to
conceptualize, design, develop,
manufacture, market and sell a new
product.
Talk to us about your thoughts on
giving back and your works with
the Alzheimer's Association.
As a one-time caregiver, I
unknowingly found myself sinking
into a mentally and physically
exhausting, depressing world. I was
too consumed with caring for my
mother and my family and working
that I didn't realize that I was
slowly being swallowed up by
fatigue and sorrow. Those were the
worst years of my life.
As a support group facilitator, with
training from the Alzheimer's
Association, I draw from my own
experiences to help the other
caregivers. A shortage of quali ied
caregiving help has left many
caregivers with the burden of care
24/7. They are going through the
same thing that I went through.
Sometimes just a hug or an
empathetic ear can be comforting.
To say I know what you are going
through, and I am here for you…
you are not alone. There is a
community at the Alzheimer's
Association that will help you. If I
could help, I wanted to be a part of
that. Support services such as my
caregiver group are a lifeline. It is
hard to go through their grief with
them, but I feel their appreciation
for the comfort I bring to our group
meetings. It makes me feel good.
when it comes to starting a new
business?
By nature, I have always been a very
practical, fashion conscious and
detail-oriented person – which
translates into the quality and
thought that goes into every pair of
my reading glasses. At the heart of
RENEE's READERS, my focus has
always been on providing high-
quality reading glasses that's
enduring in style and wear with a
purposeful aesthetic inspired by the
personality and needs of my
customers.
If anything, creating RENEE'S
READERS has taught me that
sometimes we don't realize our
own strengths. As a mother, I raised
my children to believe in
themselves, work hard to
accomplish their goals, and when
they fall trying, not to give up and
treat others the way they would
want to be treated. My own words
empowered me, and I hope they
will empower women
entrepreneurs as well.
Starting a business, today more
than ever before requires a huge
commitment in every way
imaginable. The one bit of advice I
can oﬀer is if you want to make it a
success be prepared to give it
everything you got!

How to win at
entrepreneurship
a n d parenting
want to be honest about
Isomething I haven't shared
before.
I've got two kids — age 3 and age
20 months.
And I coach some incredible
entrepreneurs who are also
parents.
We all want to win at
entrepreneurship and at parenting
— without compromising our
success or sanity — so how can we
do it?
The same solution comes up:
WORK. LESS. IN. YOUR. BUSINESS.
Yes, you need to work less hours if
you want to win at
entrepreneurship and parenting.
Hear me out.
We need to screw the idea that you
can work the exact same as before
you had kids and everything in life
will be smooth sailing.
You'd be lying to yourself or you're
actually not there for your kids or
for your partner or for yourself.
HERE'S ARE 8 WAYS TO WORK
LESS WHILE GROWING YOUR
BUSINESS:
1. Double your prices and cut your
clients in half.
2. Finally stop F***ing around half
the day and focus.
3. Hire a team member (or 100)
and delegate the small stuﬀ that
doesn't move the needle.
EXELEON MAGAZINE
IN – FOCUS
68
Written by Tracy Livingstone

IN – FOCUS
69

EXELEON MAGAZINE
Tracy
Livingstone
IN – FOCUS
70

1. Stay in your zone of genius. Do work
that matters. Do work that brings in the
money!
2. Fire sh** clients and people that don't
add value to your life.
3. Work a 4-hour day (or week) in peak
performance, low-states, and elevated
emotion.
4. Automate as much as possible.
5. Understand that being easy on
yourself, taking time off, sending your
kids to day-care, sharing parenting
duties, is completely normal and
necessary. Do it more often.
BEFORE KIDS, I WORKED ALL THE TIME
MAINLY TO FILL UP MY LIFE.
I'd bum around London to coffeeshops,
networking events, coaching at all hours of
the day, coming home late at night.
I loved it.
And then in my irst four years of business
— I had two kids. That comes to 32 months
(!!) out of 48 months experiencing
pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and
postpartum recovery.
I stopped being an all-hours entrepreneur.
I stopped illing up my time with stuff that
didn't move the needle.
And I implemented these 8 solutions that
allowed me to increase my revenues every
year.
I don't work on Fridays. I'm with my boys
5+ hours every day. And I sleep 8 hours at
night.
WHY NOT DESIGN THE NEXT CHAPTER
OF YOUR LIFE FROM A PLACE OF
STRENGTH? POSSIBILITY?
UPLEVELING?
That's how you will win at
entrepreneurship and parenting.
What do you think? Agree or disagree?
Email me at tracey@livlitceo.com to share
what does it take to win at
entrepreneurship and parenting, from your
perspective? I'd love to hear your
experience and wisdom.
ABOUT TRACEY LIVINGSTON
Tracey Livingston Howard is the Co-
founder of Liv.Lit! and is a coach for high-
growth entrepreneurs and trainer in
con lict resolution. Her coaching
philosophy blends the science of peak
performance with spirituality because she
believes that: "leading a high growth
company requires a high-growth version of
you."
She has coached and trained over 2,500
people across 31 countries in 5 years. Her
roster of clients include: LVMH Moët
Hennessy Louis Vuitton, CVC Capital
Partners, Deloitte, numerous YPO
Members, Corporate Connections
Members, and Forbes 30 Under 30
members.
Tracey is joyfully the mother to two young
boys, Liam and Henry, and her husband
Chris is also the Co-Founder and CFO of
Liv.Lit!. She loves reading, writing, and
running by the ocean at her current place
of residence, Curacao.
IN – FOCUS
71

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