BEST PRACTICES/BUSINESS COACHING
MAKING AN IMPACT IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
Something truly incredible happened the last week in August.
Hundreds of women — local entrepreneurs, business leaders
and even national thought leaders — all came together through
virtual meeting technology and socially distant watch parties to
receive a healthy dose of inspiration and motivation — at a time
when we all needed it most.
The IMPACT Summit, hosted annually by weVENTURE the
Women’s Business Center at Florida Tech, historically attracts
hundreds of women every year to a local venue to network
and learn. Since that sort of in-person, elbow-rubbing event
was impossible this year, weVENTURE found a unique way to
continue the legacy while pivoting to a virtual event. The new
format turned out to be a blessing, allowing women to access the
content long after the event premiere and recruiting five of the
highest-level national speakers the event has ever experienced.
Takeaways from the event were pertinent — not only to women
— but to all people currently struggling with the challenges of
everyday life during a pandemic. Here are just a few:
Liz Sara, chair of the National Women’s Business
Council, a resource to the U.S. Congress and
Executive Branch on behalf of female business
owners, discussed initiatives currently under way
to help female entrepreneurs — access to capital,
increasing patents for female inventors and making
national business resources more available to
businesswomen in rural communities.
Sandra Shpilberg, author of the bestselling
book “New Startup Mindset,” discussed the
secrets to creating a profitable company, while
dispelling some myths that hold female entrepreneurs
back — like feeling the need to have a
partner, and the “real” ways we can define success
for ourselves and our businesses.
Monique Picou, a 30-year corporate veteran
— having held leadership positions in global
companies such as Sam’s, Wal-Mart and Proctor
& Gamble — talked about the roles that women
can and should play at every stage in their
careers. A summary of Picou’s words of wisdom?
“Find your seat, leverage your seat, and set the
table for others. Be a she-ro.”
Gen. Ann Dunwoody, our nation’s first female
four-star general, took some time during the
Summit to talk about the personal courage it
takes to “do the right thing,” even when it may
not be popular. “When you walk by a mistake,
you set a lower standard with your inaction,” she
reminded us all.
The Summit concluded with actionable advice
from keynote speaker Lisa Dinhofer, known as
“The Crisis Tamer.” A specialist in the area of navigating
trauma, her words rang especially true during
this time of chronic uncertainty and emotional
fatigue. “Right now, we are experiencing a time of
constant adaptation to change, making many of
us feel helpless, powerless. We have crisis fatigue
from being in constant survival mode. However,
YOU CAN STILL ACCESS THIS YEAR’S
INCREDIBLE IMPACT SUMMIT
CONTENT FOR ONLY $20. VISIT HTTPS://
WEVENTURE.FIT.EDU/EVENTS/IMPACTSUMMIT/
NOW.” YOU WILL THEN BE SENT LINKS
TO VIEW ALL OF THIS YEAR’S CONTENT.
PROCEEDS FROM THE EVENT HELP
PROVIDE LOW AND NO-COST TRAINING
AND MENTORING TO LOCAL FEMALE
ENTREPRENEURS.
34 TCBusiness.com
Kathryn Rudloff holds a bachelor of science
degree in political science from The Ohio
State University and a master’s degree
in political management from George
Washington University. She has worked in
strategic messaging, communications and
fundraising for political committees and
campaigns in Washington, D.C., California
and Florida. She has worked on campaigns
at every level — local, state, federal and
even a 2007 presidential campaign as
Florida Director of Field Operations.
Rudloff joined weVENTURE, the women’s
business center program in the Bisk
College of Business at Florida Institute of
Technology in January 2020.
KATHRYN RUDLOFF
there is such a thing as post-traumatic growth,” she said. “Creating
meaningful connections, participating in gratitude, nature dosing
and connecting to something larger than yourself are just some of
the ways to go about creating meaning in your life and help your
perspective in current times.” Dinhofer then provided real solutions
on how to leverage what’s happening in today’s climate of
unrest to carve a path forward.
AND CLICK ON “REGISTER
Watch parties were held by companies like Health First, The
Viera Company, Collins Aerospace, local law firms and real estate
offices, the Florida Tech Alumni Association and many other local
business owners and entrepreneurs from Brevard, Indian River
and St. Lucie Counties.
You can still access this year’s incredible IMPACT Summit content
for only $20. Visit https://weventure.fit.edu/events/impact-summit/
and click on “Register Now.” You will then be sent links to view all of
this year’s content. Proceeds from the event help provide low and
no-cost training and mentoring to local female entrepreneurs.
Liz Sara
Sandra Shpilberg
Monique Picou
General
Ann Dunwoody
Lisa Dinhofer
/
/TCBusiness.com
/
