Are you ready for a brand new life rhythm? Today’s guest Kristen Rzasa brings a unique approach to entrepreneurship. She’s a life and business strategist and helps her clients find balance that leads to greater success. Kristen’s brings her corporate and entrepreneurial experience to everything she does. Her corporate job was with Daimler Chrysler and she had a side hustle too. When she found herself outside of corporate, she went into fulltime entrepreneurship. After years of being driven, and successful she realized she was burned out and in danger of breaking down. Kristen made another big shift. That’s where conversations about life rhythm began. She explains the 4 components that help her understand her client’s priorities. It’s eye-opening to hear how she can discover where things are out of alignment. You’ll love the example Nancy shares. What if we said, “it’s not a priority” instead of “I don’t have time?” What would change for you? It’s time to create a new rhythm in our lives. That begins with living our values. Reprioritizing what really matters to us is the first step Kristen takes with her clients. What are you waiting for? Today is the day. No more waiting until. Kristen shares how HAYVN has brought a sense of community that she realized she was missing. Collaboration and the opportunity to receive and give back is also fulfilling. Connect with Kristen: Website – Get her Rhythm Reset Guide Instagram Connect with Nancy: Website Instagram

HAYVN Hubcast co-host Nancy Sheed is talking with Soledad Matteozzi the founder of Thinking Beyond Business, a company that helps businesses improve their environmental footprint. Soledad’s journey has taken her across the world. She grew up in Patagonia. That’s where her love for the outdoors was nurtured. She then began her career in NYC, drawn to the city by the energy and reputation for success. As an attorney she worked with US based and international companies providing legal guidance and strategies for growth including mergers and acquisitions. But there was always something missing. Once she became a mom, having 2 babies in 12 months, she knew that the time commitments of her current job were not going to fit her changed lifestyle. In perfect timing, her husband was offered a job in Stockholm and the family moved. Soledad explains how the lifestyle there was much more manageable. It’s also where she began to learn more about sustainability. Then moving to China was a wake-up call. She saw firsthand the pollution in Beijing and realized that environmental issues where a “now” problem. She went back to school studying Environmental Social Governance. Once back in the US, she knew that private industry must be a part of the solution to climate and environmental concerns. She realized companies who want to help and are committed to acting didn’t know where to start.  Soledad met her business partner at HAYVN (of course!) Silvina Skverer and started the company to help save the world.  Most companies they work with now:  Have concerns about climate change  Are forward thinking about how they can impact their community  Want to empower their employees and find new ways to keep them engaged  Are committed to making an impact beyond making money  Soledad outlines how they begin with an assessment. Each company has their own version of best practices, and they want to help them understand where they are and bring on that. They also identify opportunities and risks so there are steps for short-term and long-term gains. From there they create an action plan. That includes actions as well as how to measure and evaluate. They meet each client where they are and help them develop the path forward. She explains that there is a misconception that this work will be costly. She wants everyone know that this is good business. It’s being part of the solution which will ultimately help in business success too. Simple places for any company to start:  Recycle if you are not already  Cease using plastic plates, bottles, and cups  Reduce printing  Motivate everyone to recycle by sharing results with your team HAYVN has been a valuable resource for Soledad and her business. They work with other members for legal and marketing support. They know that collaboration helps everyone so they think “HAYVN first” when they are looking for other resources. “Everybody can do something if you have the will to do it.” Resources:Get Tips to Green Your Business Here Website Soledad on LinkedIn Conscious Leader Network

When Shea Phinney & Jeff Cohen got married in 2018 they discovered the inspiration for the current business while on their honeymoon.  The husband and wife business team join Nancy Sheed and share how their business, E-Bration may be the answer you’ve been waiting for, just in time for the holiday season. And they also give us a sneak peek to their business journey. What Shea and Jeff did was what any good business would do. They set out to find a solution to a problem that wasn’t being solved--how to handle all of the moving parts of life’s memorable moments. Think about it. If you take your age and multiply it by the number of birthdays, holidays, life events, and festivals you attend over a lifetime, the number is truly overwhelming. Now, think about all the cards you receive and the photos you take. Here are just a few of the solutions E-Bration is bringing to our overly cluttered and disorganized lives (and reasons to check them out): Card fatigue (too many paper cards) Declutters show boxes and storage bins from the garage. Create a digital card platform your family can enjoy years from now. They built a product and tested it with beta groups 10 months before officially launching their company. 3 Startup Lessons to Remember: Feedback! Feedback ! Feedback! Look for opportunities to partner with adjacent businesses Connections matter, let people know what you’re up to. My biggest piece of advice is just getting feedback from as many people as possible, getting connected with people in your industry, and startup advisors. -  Jeff Cohen Connect with Shea and Jeff: Website Instagram Connect with Nancy: NancySheed.com 

When you’re a parent, one of the most challenging things you can face is mental health issues affecting your child. It’s difficult to imagine and tougher to discuss when you are in the middle of dealing with the consequences of your son or daughter going through a crisis especially when mental health issues have been left undiagnosed.  Wendy Ward is a loving mother and passionate advocate who went through exactly this. Turning to her problem-solving nature, she dove headfirst into research that opened her eyes to whole new world of problems needing solutions regarding children’s mental health.  Did you know?  Suicide is the second leading cause of death [for] children aged 10-24  FuturesThrive is the company Wendy founded. Her journey began with the mission to uncover why mental health in kids was not being diagnosed. She focused on better mental health screening and partnering with parents and medical professionals to upgrade a standard that has been unchanged for too long.  1 in 5 kids suffer from a diagnosable mental health condition  In this episode, Wendy shares both about her mission to improve mental health screenings and how her mission has evolved to a full-on tech business recognized by the State of Connecticut making an impact.  Two key ideas Wendy discusses that have been helpful in growing and shaping FuturesThrive:  Building a team of people that support the vision and motivate you  Focusing on the minimally viable product (MVP) that accomplishes the next best goal.  The way Wendy’s journey has taken shape over time is truly inspiring.  “FuturesThrive is really truly creating the tools that can identify and track pediatric mental health easily, early, and often.”  FuturesThrive has such a powerful message and honorable mission “to start early intervention and prevention the way we do for every other health measure.”  If you have a child between 9 and 14 years of age, you can be part of the research to move FuturesThrive forward by sitting with your child while they take this survey.  Connect with Wendy Ward:  Website  Twitter  LinkedIn  Connect with Nancy Sheed:  Website  Twitter  LinkedIn   

Being a more effective leader may be one of the most coveted skills in business. Whether you are an entrepreneur, solopreneur or executive, being effective in your role managing teams is critical. Carrie Skowronski is a Business Consultant, Gallup-certified Strengths Coach, Dare to Lead™️ Facilitator, and the founder of Leadology. As a member of the Havyn community, she’s made her way here from New York City and has been finding ways to creatively thrive as an entrepreneur through Covid. 3 Key Points Carrie Touches On: How and why she helps new managers become more proficient as leaders How she helps managers become influential communicators How to assess your top five strengths and navigate your way around your bottom five “When you want to learn how to give feedback or delegate, or talk about change, or receive feedback, all of those skills are communication, and when we can do that more effectively, we can help our teams” Though Carrie specializes in working with new managers, her advice and outlook on the importance of communication is almost universal. Being able to communicate effectively, get feedback, and really galvanize your team regardless of your role or the size of your team is a critical skill worth developing. Carrie is also certified in the Brene Brown Dare to Lead Journey and she shares the value she’s experienced in taking the Top 5 Clifton Strengths assessment to learn the top 5 strengths of herself and the people she helps. In the end, the goal of being a better communicator is being able to inspire and influence your team to action that moves the business forward. Connect with Carrie: Website  Instagram  Activate, 8 Week Effective Leader Accelerator Course Connect with Nancy: NancySheed.com 

Financial literacy, personal finance, and investing may be words that make you cringe, but surely we can agree on their importance. Nancy Sheed is speaking to HAVYN member and financial literacy expert, Galia Gichon about 3 easy steps you can take today to help you gain a little control and more confidence for better financial decisions. Galia Gichon’s approach to personal finance is also the name of her website, Down to Earth Finance where she is using 20 years of experience from finance and 10 years of experience from Wall Street to help women, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and anyone willing to simplify their finances and feel more empowered. In this episode, Galia explains why these 3 steps are so important and why they are a great place to start understanding your finances and the options available to you. 3 Steps to Better Money Habits: Learn what investments you have (this is empowering) Consolidate your investments (save on fees and frustrations) Look at the Retirement Forecast Calculator (plan for the future) Nancy also highlights the incredible author Galia is. She released her first book, The Accidental Suffragist, a historical fiction that weaves together the values, passion, and love Galia has for female empowerment. Something inspiring that Galia shares, we can all take with us, is the power of doing something for yourself. Her journey to becoming a published author started as a selfish time for herself to enjoy and be part of something different. Feeding our inner desires and pursuing our passions can lead to a number of possibilities, but you’ll never know if you don’t open up and explore. Connect with Galia: Website Twitter Instagram Connect with Nancy: NancySheed.com

Join Sue Yasav, CEO of Marquette Marketing as she talks to Hayley Segar, a social media influencer with tens of thousands of followers. Hayley has been on social media since she was 12 years old and she shares tips on how to expand your following and get noticed using social media strategies. She discusses specific social media channels, as well as how to generate great content for specific audiences. Hayley’s info: ● YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvXWn2EjTVUanEeOAAm4tw ● Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hayleysegar/?hl=en ● Contact Hayley at: hayleyistcb@gmail.com Sue Yasav is a marketing expert and the CEO and founder of Marquette Marketing, focusing on marketing strategy, positioning and content for small and medium-sized businesses and startups. You can contact Sue at sue@marquettemarketing.com. Website: www.marquettemarketing.com

Weddings are where brides shine the brightest and that is where Ashley Krauss comes in, the founder and owner of A Little Something White bridal boutique. Co-host Nancy Sheed will be talking about the experience that a bride wishes to have on their wedding day and how Ashley and her team fulfill those despite the pandemic. Ashley named the kind of assistance that a full-service bridal boutique serves from bridal gowns to accessories to bridesmaids' dresses and bridal gown alterations up to gown cleaning. Serving their bride’s fashion needs will always be the top priority. Even if Ashley’s educational and work background was far from her current role, she believed that the seeds of the dream were already born way back when she was little and she used to play dress-up with her younger sister. After her son was born and a few months of soul-searching, she finally found the perfect calling and that is bridal fashion. As pointed out by Nancy, owning bricks and mortar store may have had its own challenges especially when the pandemic started but Ashley proved still that competition is less likely to measure up once the core soul of the business (which are bridal gowns) have already been established and the experiential value the company offers remains to be a stand-out amidst the current circumstances. Ashley also shares why 2020 turned out to be a successful year for A Little Something White and these are: You have to know what your brides are going to want to wear and you have to buy with them in mind. Hire people who are excellent communicators and have a good work ethic and personality. One of her values systems is treating their brides like their sister/ best friend and that extends across the entire team. Step out of the way of those good people in the team and let them shine. After COVID, Ashley actually believes that a business managed correctly should be able to thrive without the owner there every day. Alongside, she spent more time on business growth opportunities than on day-to-day business affairs. Building a reputation in the wedding industry also took years of work and Ashley knows the growth can continue moving forward with proper networking and further exposure with the right connections. Being a social member of the Hayvn community and participating in numerous events help her meet an incredible group of people to bounce off ideas with. You can find Ashley Krauss store address on her website HERE. Or email her at: ashley@alswbridal.com.

Join Sue Yasav, CEO of Marquette Marketing and Nalini Goolsaran, CEO of Edgespace Marketing, as they discuss how to perfect your search engine strategy. We discuss how to get found on Google and using keyword analytics to get prioritized in search results.The discussion will also include creating a search optimized website, free tools to find keywords and analytics to measure success. This podcast is a wealth of information for those who need to learn the basics of SEO. Contact for Nalini Goolsaran: info@edgespacemktg.com or https://edgespacemktg.com/ Sue Yasav is a marketing expert and the CEO and founder of Marquette Marketing, focusing on marketing strategy, positioning and content for small and medium-sized businesses and startups. You can contact Sue at sue@marquettemarketing.com. Website: www.marquettemarketing.com

In today’s episode, Nancy Sheed will talk about real business solutions for small business owners with the accounting guru, Gina Palcio of Level & True Accounting. Gina’s entrepreneurial roots from their family business sparked her inspiration to pursue helping small businesses level up their game through customized accounting system automation. Before starting out a small business, Gina shares the following fine points to ponder with: Take care of all the legal paperwork to avoid serious consequences. Accounting software is just a tool. You still need professionals to make it work smart for you. Be on the lookout for proper guidance and the right information from the start. In choosing the right accounting system to set up, know your options and always weigh the pros and cons. Gina also shared some of the processes which can be simplified through the system of automation. This will eliminate a lot of work right up front and would only require certain approvals. The basics in the proper set-up of automated accounting systems is already a huge time-saver and efficient management helps in maintaining the accuracy of data delivered for the owner’s decision-making needs. Gina also pointed out the importance of understanding your true cost as a business owner at the end of a business year and how taking automation to a whole new level plays a big role in it. There are recommendations that Gina revealed in getting the beauty of automation amid data security concerns and these are some of the things one must look into if you want sophisticated bank-level security. Another thing she emphasized is the creation of important audit trails through historical information access and gave out tips to avoid fraud and hacking problems in the future. Being proactive in the business and on top of your numbers is one of the major factors Gina sees will make an automated system work well for any business. Better systems. Effective automation. Smoother accounting. Get hold of Gina Palcio through her website HERE.