Monthly Archives: March 2021

03.17.2021

Women in Tech Tampa Bay: Muirelle Montecalvo, CEO of Vacayou

In celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, Embarc Collective is excited to introduce you to Women in Tech Tampa Bay — a content series profiling women who are building at Embarc Collective and how they’ve built their careers.

Meet more women tech founders and investors across the state of Florida here.


Meet Muirelle Montecalvo, CEO of Vacayou.

What pivotal points in your career led to your current role?

After college, I planned to work in the travel industry in the agency world. I took my first job out of college in the hotel industry and quickly discovered that I was good at sales. I have had the opportunity to be part of the sales teams as a top producer at some of the most successful online travel and consumer marketplace startups. Although I have always been entrepreneurial and in 2017 I was in a role at my company that was not really for me. I missed traveling and building relationships and working with national and international accounts. The timing was right and I wanted to get back into the world of travel. The travel industry is a strong relationship business and I was missing being a part of it. The timing was right and I decided to fulfill a lifelong dream and start my own travel company. At the time after seeing some health issues in my family I was learning a lot about wellness and living a healthy lifestyle. I was embracing daily workouts, healthy eating, although I still loved to get away with my friends to the spa or a good wine tasting trip! How could I incorporate both! I was looking for a spa getaway for a group of friends to enjoy while we were traveling and I spent hours and weeks trying to find the right one and it was only a small piece of the trip we were planning! It was at that point I realized there was an opportunity to combine both so why not build a wellness and active travel company! Vacayou was born!

What do you wish you had known earlier in your career?

Be yourself, be heard, voice your opinion, trust your intuition and don’t be afraid to seek external advice. Believe in yourself and your abilities and stand Up for what you believe in and don’t let people hold you back.

What communities, networks, or resources have helped you build in your career?

I was very fortunate to work with a company in my 20’s that had an amazing culture and some really great people. This network of people have remained constant in my career moves and decisions. Almost like a family! I had an amazing female mentor who ran the division of a team I was on early in my career. She gave me some amazing advice that I still use today. “Surround yourself with the best and you will be the best”.

The other resource that changed the landscape for me was LinkedIn and being able to build connections very quickly with people that may have been less reachable before.

What is one piece of tactical advice that you would give to another woman considering your career path?

Place passion and joy at the center of what you are doing. Don’t get anxious about what other people perceive of your abilities. Concentrate your energy on the joy you get from your work, your clients, and your team. Be yourself and confident in your abilities, don’t question yourself and let self-doubt get in the way of your decisions. Your passion will come through

Connect with Muirelle and follow Vacayou.

Want to stay up to date on the latest startup news, events, and resources? Get the Weekly Collective delivered directly to your inbox by subscribing here.

03.08.2021

International Women’s Day: Women in Tech Tampa Bay

In celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, Embarc Collective is excited to introduce you to Women in Tech Tampa Bay — a content series profiling the women who are building at Embarc Collective and how they’ve scaled their careers.

We all know the woeful stats of women in the technology field: in 2020, women comprise only 5% of leadership positions at tech startups (source: Economist) and raised just 2.3% of venture capital funding (source: All Raise). With this series, we #ChoosetoChallenge these statistics by amplifying the stories of women founders and startup operators who are in our own backyard.

Meet the women building technology startups at Embarc Collective:

We welcome you to connect with these women, share their stories, feature them as speakers during your events, and invest in their companies. Together, let’s build a local tech culture where women are leading and shaping the future.


03.05.2021

Women in Tech Tampa Bay: SaLisa Berrien, CEO of COI Energy

In celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, Embarc Collective is excited to introduce you to Women in Tech Tampa Bay — a content series profiling women who are building at Embarc Collective and how they’ve built their careers.

Meet more women tech founders and investors across the state of Florida here.

What pivotal points in your career led to your current role?

I’ve had a diverse career in the energy space; over the last 25 years, I’ve held roles at utilities, startups, and organizations that I now consider competitors. One of the most pivotal moments in my career was when I stood with the executive team of my former company as we went public on Nasdaq. I began selling demand response when there were just 40 employees and was able to experience the startup success journey firsthand. This experience taught me how to thrive at a startup and transform it into a major player.

More importantly, it inspired me to start my own company. Through this success story and the variety of roles I’ve held in energy, I’ve gained firsthand knowledge into what customers want and what they’re being offered. I felt that there was a gap to fill between what they were asking for and what utilities and typical energy management companies were providing. With COI Energy, we set out to accomplish this by ingraining transparency and a customer-first mindset in our organization. Fast forward to 2020, and I was featured on the Nasdaq billboard in Times Square as part of their Milestone Makers program.

What do you wish you had known earlier in your career?

Something I learned along the way is that it is okay to say no when something does not feel right. As an entrepreneur, it can sometimes seem as though any deal is better than no deal. While it is important to be open-minded and humble, it is equally vital to know your worth and adhere to your own set of values when considering partnerships and agreements.

What communities, networks, or resources have helped you build in your career?

We have participated in several accelerators and incubators, each of which not only armed us with tangible resources and strategic mentorship, but also provided me and my team with the opportunity to forge relationships with incredible individuals across a variety of spaces. Morgan Stanley ICIL and USF helped COI Energy get off the ground. We participated in SAP.iO and are now an endorsed solution on the SAP App Center. In 2020, we joined Embarc Collective, Greentown Labs, the Koffman Incubator, and participated in Nasdaq Milestone Makers, MassChallenge, and Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders. Each of these programs connected us with dedicated mentors, tangible resources, and fellow entrepreneurs who have not only propelled COI Energy, but also supported our team members as individuals and leaders. Most recently, we were chosen as one of SheEO’s newest venture. This is a community of radically generous women who tackle the world’s to-do list in hopes of achieving a more equitable world. The strategic and tactical support we’ve received, whether in sales and marketing, product development, or human resources, has been vital to our growth as a team.

What is one piece of tactical advice that you would give to another woman considering your career path?

Stay true to yourself, your mission, and why you believed you were the right person to solve the problem at this time because you will get a lot of naysayers. You will need something to ground you to push through the noise, so believe in yourself more than you ever did before. It will come in handy very early on during your journey.

Want to stay up to date on the latest startup news, events, and resources? Get the Weekly Collective delivered directly to your inbox by subscribing here.

03.05.2021

Women in Tech Tampa Bay: April Caldwell, CEO of fayVen

In celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, Embarc Collective is excited to introduce you to Women in Tech Tampa Bay — a content series profiling women who are building at Embarc Collective and how they’ve built their careers.

Meet more women tech founders and investors across the state of Florida here.


Meet April Caldwell, CEO at fayVen.

What pivotal points in your career led to your current role?

Serving in the Air Force for ten years really helped me develop as a leader — it taught me how to serve selflessly, work with integrity, and communicate with others in order to achieve a mutual goal. I believe that the military helped me fine tune skills and forced me to step out of my comfort zone time after time, creating the desire, confidence, and assurance to know that I could keep stepping out, without worrying about the specifics of HOW all the time.

My first business was owning and operating a gourmet popcorn company, because we made our popcorn from home, I had to get creative with where I could sell it. Farmers’ markets just weren’t cutting it and decided to start going to local businesses to see if they’d allow me to sell out front of their stores… from those experiences and talking with other vendors like me, fayVen was born — a dual-sided marketplace for vendors and venues to connect.

What do you wish you had known earlier in your career?

I wish I had known that entrepreneurship was a possibility for me sooner… once I decided that I was going to start a business, all these amazing resources started pouring into my life. I realized that there was this whole other world full of entrepreneurs just like me, willing to share their knowledge, experiences, and resources. I wish I knew that there was an alternate to the corporate world, the 9–5. I feel like I lost a few years off of my life doing things that didn’t serve me — ultimately, they led me to where I’m at now, so I know those years served a purpose… I just wish that I had figured that out sooner.

 

What communities, networks, or resources have helped you build in your career?

SO MANY! I have such an amazing network… I started with SCORE, SEED SPOT, Bunker Labs, IVMF, InLab at HCC, Action Zone, TWO39 Labs, SCF Incubator, FGCU, AMSE, Embarc Collective, Synapse, Babe Crafted, TheVentureCity, FAVOB, Veterans Florida, JULO Strategy, 1 Million Cups, ECC, WBEC, TBWBC, TBBJ, Tampa Bay Inno Business Made Simple University, MasterClass, the list goes on and on!

 

What is one piece of tactical advice that you would give to another woman considering your career path?

Starting a business isn’t for everyone. I would tell someone getting started on the same path as me, that resiliency and tenacity are imperative to becoming an entrepreneur. If you don’t have the heart to be told no or turned down around every corner… this may not be for you. I call it the entrepreneuracoaster because there are so many highs, lows, twists, and unexpected turns. It’s exhilarating but it can also be very stressful and disappointing at times. You really need to do a heart-check before you start down this path that is taxing on your time, energy, finances, relationships, etc. But once you decide that it is for you — go ALL in!

Connect with April and follow fayVen.

Want to stay up to date on the latest startup news, events, and resources? Get the Weekly Collective delivered directly to your inbox by subscribing here.

03.05.2021

Women in Tech Tampa Bay: Lori Dann, COO/CFO at Breeze

In celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, Embarc Collective is excited to introduce you to Women in Tech Tampa Bay — a content series profiling women who are building at Embarc Collective and how they’ve built their careers.

Meet more women tech founders and investors across the state of Florida here.

What pivotal points in your career led to your current role?

I had worked in the Industry for several years and the frustration of our clients lead me to leave for a year. I was presented with the opportunity to run a startup to disrupt our industry — the idea of doing “it right” intrigued me to take the position.

What do you wish you had known earlier in your career?

I believe this is unfortunate, but get everything in writing. I was brought up knowing that your word meant something, but in the world we live in today, that does not always apply. If you are made promises professionally, make sure you get it in writing.

What communities, networks, or resources have helped you build in your career?

I have had the pleasure of having wonderful teams to work with, which has allowed me to take on more. I had the opportunity to work with an executive coach that reminded me to always keep learning, which sometimes that seems difficult when you are a working mother. Don’t forget to build your network and take every opportunity to learn. However, my greatest resource was my father and what he taught me growing up. Always stand by your word, be honest and hard work will pay off in the end.

What is one piece of tactical advice that you would give to another woman considering your career path?

Over the past few years, I was introduced to Brene Brown, who reminded me of an excerpt from a speech of Theodore Roosevelt gave that I have come to love:

Don’t let anyone criticize you if they are not in the arena with you. It is not the critic who counts; not the woman who points out how the strong woman stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the woman who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends herself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if she fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that her place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Want to stay up to date on the latest startup news, events, and resources? Get the Weekly Collective delivered directly to your inbox by subscribing here.

03.05.2021

Women in Tech Tampa Bay: Heather Holland, Managing Partner at Edgility

In celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, Embarc Collective is excited to introduce you to Women in Tech Tampa Bay — a content series profiling women who are building at Embarc Collective and how they’ve built their careers.

Meet more women tech founders and investors across the state of Florida here.


Meet Heather Holland, Managing Partner at Edgility.

What pivotal points in your career led to your current role?

  • Working in multiple healthcare systems around the country to assist implementation of their Electronic Medical Records technology system gave me the exposure to see what is going wrong and right.
  • Moving from Tampa to San Francisco and working at PwC gave me the boost of confidence I needed to take the plunge and go out on my own with my co-founder.
  • I have a passion and empathy for the frustration that is faced on a daily basis at healthcare systems. I not only saw it, I experienced it first-hand. Having these experiences gave us the courage to say; you know what, we know we can fix this and help this problem, so let’s do it!

 

What do you wish you had known earlier in your career?

This is a roller coaster the lows are LOW and the highs are HIGH but just buckle in and try and enjoy the ride (easier said than done) You will wear many different hats.

 

What communities, networks, or resources have helped you build in your career?

  • Embarc Collective, of course!
  • WITI
  • HIMSS
  • Local support (mentors, friends, family, colleagues)

 

What is one piece of tactical advice that you would give to another woman considering your career path?

Be empathic and confident, have values not goals, and do not lose sight of who you are! Be responsive to like-minded women and foster those relationships where you can! And know that you are not in this alone.

Connect with Heather and follow Edgility.

Want to stay up to date on the latest startup news, events, and resources? Get the Weekly Collective delivered directly to your inbox by subscribing here.

03.05.2021

Women in Tech Tampa Bay: Tatyana Harris, CEO of PECRKO Research

In celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, Embarc Collective is excited to introduce you to Women in Tech Tampa Bay — a content series profiling women who are building at Embarc Collective and how they’ve built their careers.

Meet more women tech founders and investors across the state of Florida here.


Meet Tatyana Harris, CEO of PECRKO Research.

What pivotal points in your career led to your current role?

I am a Clinical Researcher, IRB Administrator/Education Coordinator and an Adjunct Faculty. As I grew in my field, I learned the importance of research as well as why minorities are needed in the participation of pharmaceutical and medical research. When minorities do not participate in pharmaceutical and medical research, the medication and medical devices can have unknown side effects which cause medical issues. This causes more doctor visits and increases healthcare costs for all citizens. There is a large deficiency in the amount of minority research participants and the reasons may vary from trust in their medical provider to discrimination to access. — largely due to trust and education. Many minorities do not trust the federal government or their medical provider, nor do they understand research or research regulations. With my comprehension of this distrust and on the topic, I feel that it is my duty to present this information in a way that minorities can understand. Not only am I a Black-African American Clinical Researcher, but I am also a Veteran, and I understand the complexities in learning and participating in clinical research. This makes me uniquely understand the barriers in pharmaceutical and medical research and able to explain why pharmaceutical/medical research must facilitate trust. I created PECRKO Research to facilitate trust, teach, and connect. I want to have a platform that supports trust, explains research and research regulations in simple terms and then I want to take it a step further and connect minorities to local researchers.

 

What do you wish you had known earlier in your career?

When I fell into this career, I had many questions about research. I didn’t understand the importance of research nor how it helps in the development of medications, medical equipment, and therapies. I also had some stigma against research due to my distrust of the federal government and medical providers.

I wish I had a better understanding of the impact of research on the medications, therapies, and medical devices that we as a community utilize. Then I would have obtained more certifications and research education to support my community earlier in my career.

 

What communities, networks, or resources have helped you build in your career?

I am a veteran and utilized the many veteran entrepreneurial opportunities that Florida offers such as the STRIVE and Veterans Start-up. I have also utilized business start-up companies such as White and Black Consulting. In addition, I utilize the network opportunities available across USF, Task Force Communities, Erwin Tech, and through the Hillsborough Advisory Committee.

 

What is one piece of tactical advice that you would give to another woman considering your career path?

As a minority women business owner, I have a network of other business owners in a variety of businesses to offer me support. Having a network of individuals that are entrepreneurs at various phases in their entrepreneurial journey allowed me to have a team of experts that can help me in the different entrepreneurial phases. I would suggest that women seek out these entrepreneurs to support comprehension and team building. It can be a lonely road but with support, you know that you are not alone.

Connect with Tatyana and follow PECRKO Research.

Want to stay up to date on the latest startup news, events, and resources? Get the Weekly Collective delivered directly to your inbox by subscribing here.

03.05.2021

Women in Tech Tampa Bay: Basha Ferdinand, Director of Partner Success at Synapse

In celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, Embarc Collective is excited to introduce you to Women in Tech Tampa Bay — a content series profiling women who are building at Embarc Collective and how they’ve built their careers.

Meet more women tech founders and investors across the state of Florida here.


What pivotal points in your career led to your current role?

For me, it was when I decided to stop freelancing and go back into a traditional work environment by working for an organization.


What do you wish you had known earlier in your career?

The power of leveraging your network. There are career goals I feel I could have achieved sooner if I focused on building my network and leveraging the connections I had. It’s okay if you don’t have all the answers and you don’t have to do everything on your own. Use your network!

What communities, networks, or resources have helped you build in your career?

Having a background in the Meeting and Events, industry-specific groups such as Meetings Professional International or PCMA were very valuable to me at the beginning of my career. Now I enjoy a mix by participating in local networking groups like Emerge with the Tampa Chamber of Commerce or Working Women of Tampa Bay. I also follow various people on Medium that produce content on professional development.

What is one piece of tactical advice that you would give to another woman considering your career path?

Stay in tune to how the industry evolves. The way your dream role looks today might look different a few months from now. Be open to evolve as the skills needed for your role evolve.

03.05.2021

Women in Tech Tampa Bay: Ally Gannon, Marketing Director at Synapse

In celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, Embarc Collective is excited to introduce you to Women in Tech Tampa Bay — a content series profiling women who are building at Embarc Collective and how they’ve built their careers.

Meet more women tech founders and investors across the state of Florida here.

What pivotal points in your career led to your current role?

It’s going to sound cliché, but the ugly, unhappy, tough and trying periods in my career are what led me here. There are definitely a handful of wonderful moments in there as well. Times when I experienced lift through mentorship (thank you AMA Tampa Bay past presidents Greg Millman, Glenn Zimmerman, and Colleen Chappell) and of support and excellent leadership (thank you Kelly Pyper, Mike Barbaro, and Dan Dunnivant). But, for the most part, I got here by listening to my gut and getting out of jobs and roles that were not a good fit for me.

What do you wish you had known earlier in your career?

What I wanted! Ha! Finding the right role is like dating to find a love match. You just don’t know what works and doesn’t until you live it; until you experience it. I do wish I’d learned how to recognize those ill-fitting roles and jobs more quickly though. Don’t get me wrong, the duration sometimes was just as formative as the intensity of the hardships, but there were times in my early career that I hung on to a job because I thought. “This is what work is! You’ve got to grin and bear it and keep your head down, and eventually, you’ll get promoted and be above it.” About halfway through my career, I realized promotions won’t protect you, and there isn’t really a perfect company. They’re flawed, all of them, and what I uncovered is that working for a company (and leader) that valued transparency in trying to be better mattered to ME. My career love match includes working for companies and leaders that do their best, that acknowledge their faults, are quick to apologize and correct, and who walk the talk of constant improvement. Using the dating analogy again, that’s who I want to build a future with. Just keep in mind, with each relationship your check-list changes and so does the priority of those must-haves.

What communities, networks, or resources have helped you build in your career?

The American Marketing Association of Tampa Bay was a huge platform for me. I learned so much from being on the board, and from the community as a whole. But I’ll say, personal connections have really been the biggest catalysts for my career. I think every woman needs to have:

  • Personal Board of Directors — A close and diverse network of girlfriends that are open, honest, and unafraid to share their perspectives with you
  • Friend-tor — Amentor that’s invested emotionally in your success
  • Samsies — A close friend (or two) that are EXACTLY like you so you can act as each other’s mirrors
  • A Benefactor — This is someone that’s usually at the very top with many more years experience, ideally an accessible leader, but not a friend. Someone willing to invest their time in you. I guess you could call them a Mentor, but for me it was more than that. I was lucky enough to have a handful of benefactors in my life; people that knew how to “play the game”, understand how personal equity works, and were willing to impart their knowledge. They trusted me with information above my paygrade so I could see the full picture.

What is one piece of tactical advice that you would give to another woman considering your career path?

Keep your must have’s checklist handy and up to date, and find your benefactors! The personal board, the samsies, and the friend-tors will come along organically, and it’s your job to keep your eyes open to recognize them when they do. But benefactors can be cultivated. I found mine by being brave, honest, and unafraid to ask questions. It is a risk worth taking.

Want to stay up to date on the latest startup news, events, and resources? Get the Weekly Collective delivered directly to your inbox by subscribing here.

03.01.2021

Women in Tech Tampa Bay: Whitney Marshall, EVP and Co-Founder of qualifiedMEETINGS

In celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, Embarc Collective is excited to introduce you to Women in Tech Tampa Bay — a content series profiling women who are building at Embarc Collective and how they’ve built their careers.

Meet more women tech founders and investors across the state of Florida here.

 

Meet Whitney Marshall, EVP and Co-Founder of qualifiedMEETINGS.

What pivotal points in your career led to your current role?

Everything that has led me to where I am today is because I took a chance. When I graduated college, I accepted a job that I thought I wanted as a career based on my major. I quickly realized it wasn’t the career I wanted so I took a chance and applied for a position in tech sales that I knew very little about. Ultimately, I fell in love with the industry and the opportunities that came along with it. When starting qualifiedMEETINGS, I took a leap of faith and just went for it! There’s never going to be a perfect time to start a business but if you have a great team (or you’re flying solo and can make the time), a vision and the tenacity, you can create something amazing.

What do you wish you had known earlier in your career?

Something that isn’t discussed nearly enough for entrepreneurs is prioritizing mental health. When starting a business, you are going to have to wear multiple hats, be a “yes” person and feel like you need to be Super Woman all of the time. This is important to you get your business off the ground but not for a long-term strategy to scale AND to stay happy and healthy. Compartmentalize all of the things you do into specific job roles and know that you will need to hire people to specialize in them. Designing your business to operate without you from time to time allows you to take the breaks you need for self-care that helps avoid burnout. Neglecting your mental health will become detrimental to everything you’ve worked so hard to build. Being an entrepreneur will always have its stressors but it is critical that you care for yourself and train to cope with anything that’s thrown your way.

What communities, networks, or resources have helped you build in your career?

The Tampa business community in general has been an incredible place to network and learn about other entrepreneurs and their journeys; more specifically, Embarc Collective and Synapse. They have truly been wonderful, welcoming, diverse and educational resources. From meeting emerging leaders & successful entrepreneurs, getting advice on any topic I need insight on or just having someone be a sounding board, I genuinely feel lucky to be a part of a community that is the biggest advocate for people like me and couldn’t be prouder to be involved.

Books in general have also been wildly helpful resources for me on this journey. No matter what I’ve been going through, there’s always been a book for it. Reading has helped me pause and be in the moment which allows me to come back and be a better me for my business.

What is one piece of tactical advice that you would give to another woman considering your career path?

My ultimate #1 piece of advice is if you’re offered an opportunity and don’t feel you’re ready for it, take it anyway and work hard to figure it out as you go. That’s what it’s like to be an entrepreneur. When I began my career in this industry, I didn’t know everything but I had the will to learn, the mind to be innovative and an amazing mentor who I now call my business partner. Because of that experience, I felt more comfortable starting a business knowing that I was going to have to figure things out along the way.

Connect with Whitney and follow qualifiedMEETINGS.

Want to stay up to date on the latest startup news, events, and resources? Get the Weekly Collective delivered directly to your inbox by subscribing here.

03.01.2021

Women in Tech Tampa Bay: Sheron Brown, Executive Director of Tampa Bay Healthcare Collaborative

In celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, Embarc Collective is excited to introduce you to Women in Tech Tampa Bay — a content series profiling women who are building at Embarc Collective and how they’ve built their careers.

Meet more women tech founders and investors across the state of Florida here.

Meet Sheron Brown, Executive Director of Tampa Bay Healthcare Collaborative.

What pivotal points in your career led to your current role?

Over the course of climbing my career ladder, I’ve experienced a break every 3–4 years. In 2007 it was a health issue, in 2012 I was laid off, and in 2016 I was laid off again. By the third break, I knew the universe was trying to show me something and it was time to pay attention. I decided to pause “climbing the ladder” and started health coaching, became a yoga instructor, doing speaking opportunities. That led me to organize a health and wellness conference at USF St. Petersburg in 2019. Then it hit me — I wanted to do work where I could bring people together to solve health inequities.

What do you wish you had known earlier in your career?

To know how to go with the flow — in my career and in life. You don’t have to struggle and hustle so hard, but instead, set clear intentions and work from your heart every day while paying attention to what the universe is putting in front of you. This is a much more joyful experience than simply climbing the ladder.

What communities, networks, or resources have helped you build in your career?

Leadership programs like New Leaders (during my time as a school Principal and Superintendent) and Leadership St. Pete (as a recent transplant to the region). In both instances, I built formative relationships and friendships that lastest beyond the term of the program. Another resource is to identify whatever keeps you grounded and go deeper in that in order to build a network with folks that moves you forward to your center. For me, that’s been through yoga instructor training and a philosophy school I visit annually in India.

What is one piece of tactical advice that you would give to another woman considering your career path?

Two that go hand-in-hand. First, no matter what you’ve accomplished, if you feel there’s a direction you’re being drawn toward, explore that. I spent 20 years in K-12 education before pivoting to health. When you look at everything you’ve done and the skills you’ve developed, think beyond the “role you were in” and know that the industry knowledge can be gained from books.

Second, create a clear vision for what you want in life, develop a plan, and then surrender and allow the flow of life to take you in the best direction. When you’re confused about where to go, step back and evaluate what the universe has put in front of you.

 

Connect with Sheron and follow Tampa Bay Healthcare Collaborative.

Want to stay up to date on the latest startup news, events, and resources? Get the Weekly Collective delivered directly to your inbox by subscribing here.