089 Bridgette Mayer: Rising Above Your Circumstances

Dec 13, 2016

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"Faith is like a muscle. It's similar to going out for a run- if you don't do it normally run, you're going to sweat and it's not going to be comfortable. If you step into having faith when you don't know what the end is going to be, then that's something you can build every single day and you can rely on it." - Bridgette Mayer

This show is for everyone who believes that their past determines their future.

How did a young girl who came through the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DYFS) system and foster care end up in the art world with a multi-million dollar gallery and consulting business? Through the kindness of strangers, fierce determination, and a survivor’s sheer will, Bridgette Mayer’s is a success story for the ages. In her inspirational memoir of gross neglect, violent abuse, and ultimately redemption, she shares her journey from the projects of Jersey City to eventually becoming one of Philadelphia’s most celebrated gallery owners.

By following her heart and passion for art, Mayer’s interests evolved from a means of escape into her salvation and her security. She used her inherent self-assurance, natural curiosity, and scrapper work ethic to overcome the damage inflicted on her as a child and create a harmonious, rewarding, and charitable life — for herself and the artists she represents.

Rising Above Your Circumstances

"Anger is a much more proactive emotion than despair. I've used anger and fear to propel me forward. I've learned how to use both pretty well at this point. I've used such experiences to make me a better." - Bridgette Mayer

Bridgette's memoir, The Art Cure : A Memoir of Abuse & Fortune (published by Little Lion press in September 2016), is for anyone who aspires to a career in the arts and who has been told it’s too difficult or impractical to pursue. With bravery and tenacity, anyone can achieve the life of their dreams, no matter how out of reach it may seem. Mayer offers readers a bridge to color and a lifeline of hope for the future.

After suffering an abusive childhood that landed her in foster care homes and on the streets, starving and beat up, Bridgette was adopted by a wonderful family at the age of nine and began her life transformation.

Her early and challenging experiences gave her a tenacity of spirit, unbreakable creativity and a desire to make her mark in the art world. Now a successful art dealer, curator, art adviser, author and entrepreneur, Bridgette Mayer has spent decades cultivating her passion for art, artists, the clients she advises and finding her way to the top of the art world.

Creating The New Story

"I had a moment of frustration and I said to myself, 'The next 10 things that I'm asked to do, I'm just going to say 'yes' to them and figure it out.' The next day, I got a call from CNN to be on Anderson Cooper's show, 'On the Rise.' " - Bridgette Mayer

Bridgette's background of struggle and overcoming obstacles lead to her current success and spurred her to write, “The Art Cure: A Memoir of Abuse & Fortune.”

Her passion for artists and managing them to the highest level as well as working with top collectors from around the world has guided her business the past seventeen years. Bridgette's expertise encompasses a whole approach to art collecting, creating authentic environments both public and private with art.

Her mission is to continue to inspire those around her and especially artists, women and entrepreneurs to live the life they dream even in the face of insurmountable obstacles.

Bridgette Mayer Gallery

The Bridgette Mayer Gallery has been featured on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 as a small business “On The Rise” and was recognized as a recommended Philadelphia arts destination in The New York Times Magazine. In 2013, Mayer was named one of the top 500 Galleries in the world by Boulin ArtInfo, and was also featured in the Tory Burch Foundation’s “Women To Watch” series.

Mayer has been a featured speaker on many panels in the Philadelphia area and has guest lectured at a number of Universities, where her talks focus on how emerging artists can promote their work and sustain a career in the arts. A graduate of Bucknell University, Mayer was an active member of the University’s Arts Board for several years. She is currently a board member of the Arts & Business Council, Philadelphia, PA & Vox Vopuli, Philadelphia, PA.

About Bridgette Mayer

For the past sixteen years Bridgette Mayer has been running a top contemporary art gallery in Philadelphia and helping her clients and the artists she serves improve the quality of their life through art. Growing up in an abusive home in the projects of Jersey City and filtered through the foster care system until she was nine years old, Bridgette was finally adopted by a wonderful family. If you had seen the conditions she grew up in, you would not even believe it that someone could come from there and get to where she is now.

She had to learn how to read and get started living a life that was no longer centered around the drugs, alcohol and physical abuse. Over the years she has come through many challenges and worked for her dream of being a top arts professional in the gallery industry. For her entire life, Bridgette had big dreams, and has dreamed the dreams that others said would not be possible.

Bridgette is living proof and this is not a Hollywood movie. She literally came from the other side of the tracks and built a life of abundance for herself.

From Bridgette:

"That is why I wanted to write a book to share my story with you. Part memoir and part how I got my start in the art world, this book is for anybody who might need inspiration or might want to know how somebody like myself who came from nothing, was able to build a multi-million dollar business in the art world. You see, It is possible. I hope you will share my journey and see what is possible for you!"

Resources Mentioned On the Show

Bridgette's Book "The Art Cure"
Bridgette's Website
Bridgette's Art Gallery on Facebook
Bridgette's Art Gallery on Twitter
B Mayer Art
Micheal Gerber's Books
The Real-Life MBA by Jack and Suzy Welch
Purple Cow by Seth Godin
Check out the WF podcast episode with Jake Ducey
Tony Robbins' Website

What You'll Hear On The Show

1:50 Josh discusses today's show topics
4:30 Josh introduces Bridgette
5:45 Bridgette shares her childhood history
7:00 What was your birth mom's struggle?
8:30 Bridgette's transitional experience into foster care
13:30 How Bridgette discovered her artistic gift
15:30 Bridgette talks about how her emotional wellness grew because of art
18:00 How did you decide to become a gallery owner?
25:15 What was your mindset like during this transition period?
27:00 What did you write to your mother in your 10 page letter to her?
33:00 What's your connection with your clients?
34:00 What do you do now to cultivate emotional wellness?
36:00 A lot of us deal with fear. What 10 things did you say 'yes' to with an incredible result in the end?
39:10 What can people do to fight their fears from an action perspective?
42:40 How Bridgette uses feelings of anger to push her goals into motion.
44:20 How do people know when to quit or keep going?
46:00 How do you know when to make changes?
48:40 How was your mindset different than your siblings that help to transcend you to the next level?
51:00 7 for 7: Josh asks Bridgette 7 fast questions
53:20 Bridgette's mantra for when she's feeling stressed or having a bad day
54:40 Bridgette's definition of wellness
56:30 Takeaways from today's show

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