Moving Forward is also available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
We’re moving forward with Paige Cantlin, founder and CEO of Full Society (www.fullsociety.org), an innovative company that is changing the way we dine, or rather check out, at restaurants, while also giving back to the community; one meal at a time. Today, you will learn how Paige got inspired to be a disruptive force in the hospitality space, following a string of bad dates. Paige will also share her entrepreneurial journey into the world of tech start-ups, having had no programming or UX development experience, just a vision, a mission and the sheer determination to see it come to fruition. Get ready, it’s time to start moving forward!
Successes at a glance:
Founder and CEO of Full Society:
Private Client Group, Brown Advisory.
Director of Investment Operations, Brotman Financial Group.
Avid marathon runner:
30 marathons across all 7 continents
Volunteer work:
CASA
Helping Up Mission
Shine Foundation
How Paige gets inspired to conquer the day:
Admittedly, Paige is not a morning person but has become one for the sake of Full Society. Although, she is tempted to go right back to sleep after the alarm goes off at the crack of dawn, Paige forces herself out of bed and then quickly becomes motivated by the daily reminder that she and Full Society are building something completely from scratch. Once that kicks in, it doesn’t take much to get Paige excited to get back to the office and get to work. For Paige, everyday is a learning opportunity and the chance to face new, often unexpected, challenges. Moving Forward listeners, are you seeing a bigger picture in your day-to-day? Ask yourself if what’s waiting for you ahead in your day, at your office, inspires you to get over the morning hump of waking up in the early hours so you can be your best and conquer the day.
Setback or failure that led to pivot and shift:
Several years ago, Paige broke her foot; a devastating injury since running is one of her biggest passions and her sole physical activity outlet. Imagine making all of this progress in speed, strength and endurance as a marathon runner, only to have it cut short and put to a screeching halt. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, Paige forced herself to try activities she never would have otherwise explored. As she was healing, Paige couldn’t run but was able to try swimming and biking. Even though she didn’t love it at first, these new activities eventually led her to try triathlon races, which she absolutely loved. Although not directly related to her career or business, this is a wonderful parable of how a major setback or failure can lead you try things that you never imagined you would fall in love with. Moving Forward listeners, what setbacks or failures are you facing today or this week? Can you look at the situation to see opportunities and avenues you never considered before? Moving Forward isn’t simply pushing through the tough times to get back on course. Sometimes it’s about reframing your mind to see which doors are open to you that you might have missed otherwise. As Paige so brilliantly points out on today’s episode, “every setback is actually an open door to somewhere else, you just can’t see it right away.”
Knowledge Bursts:
Resource or cultural experience that inspired Paige to move forward:
Cultural experience: Several years ago, Paige ran a 26 mile marathon in Soweto, Africa; a large town made up of many small villages. Through this amazing race, runners got to see both the developed metropolitan areas and places that were completely impoverished and without running water. Due to the excessive heat and this being early on in Paige’s marathon days, she considered dropping out. What was amazing though and what kept Paige going was that the entire town was running this marathon. Paige realized that if people living in dire conditions could run this race with full enthusiasm and smiles, then there was no way she was going to drop out! The camaraderie of the runners and the town’s people, inspired Paige to continue on and move forward.
How Paige stays organized and manages her time:
Paige has a very unique hack for phone calls. She limits conversations to 15 minutes. Paige finds that most 30 min – 1 hour calls can actually be condensed into 15 minutes of productive time. Thus, scheduling calls into 15 minute time slots forces the participants to prepare in advance and keeps everyone on point.
Favorite app / website / resource or productivity hack:
Slack (IOS | Google Play): a team communication app that allows for real time communication w/ search and archive functions. Paige shares this as a great way to cut down on email traffic. Paige also shares a best practice for using Slack in an organization: categorize your conversations and create separate channels for work and personal.
Support the Podcast:
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Paige’s Advice for you to Move Forward:
Sign up for something new that interests you. What Paige shares is taking that first step. You may not necessarily have time to do that new hobby or activity or meet up today, but signing up, registering or joining will move the needle so you will commit the time and energy to explore, learn and embrace. Some great examples Paige shares includes: scheduling an hour or two for a hike or volunteering your time for a great cause. Take those first steps so you can learn what it is that you’re passionate about and move forward.
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