Episode 5: Bringing Your Creation to Life feat. Michelle Curtis

Find the keys to becoming an influencer, creator and overcoming fear to bring your ideas forward and stand behind them! Michelle offers such vulnerable insight into her journey and what she has learned along the way.

Angela McCourt 0:00
Let's get ready for some serious shift.

This is a podcast shifting inside out hosted by your quantum shifter Angela McCourt, we're diving into ways to empower and enable a quantum shift. Inspiring topics hacks and guest speakers take us on a journey around authenticity, challenging status quo, personal power and living a purpose filled life.

In this episode, Michelle Curtis joins me to talk about the creator gift. She is definitely a creator, she has shown this gift not only in the workplace, but also in her personal life. And she goes into some of the ways that this brings passion into her life and purpose. And what is really interesting is she actually goes through different ways that she pulls together vision around creating a new idea, a new process, a new business unit, a new go to market, this process that she has includes collecting data, it includes intuition, but it includes her visualizing, and pulling together, what the possibilities could be, what the opportunities look like. She offers a lot of tools as well as processes to be able to bring your ideas to life. Now, this doesn't come without fear. And this doesn't come without taking risks. And without the naysayers. So we walk through different ways that she's been able to influence others, one using her passion, and also being able to speak to the audience. So understanding how they receive information, what's important to them, what motivates them, and how you craft the story, to be able to share your idea in a way that gets accepted and not giving up the first time, but maybe having to go back up to five times with different approaches to how you get your message across. Michelle also goes into emotional intelligence and how different styles of leadership and how it can impact the safe space needed to be able to allow creators to bring their visions to life. This is a really awesome episode. Michelle's energy is just fantastic. And I'm so excited to have her on. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode. As you listen. You can find me on LinkedIn at Angie belts McCourt, Instagram at Angie underscore McCourt or Twitter at McCourt, Angie.

All right, Michelle, welcome to shifting inside out. I'm so grateful to have you on this episode. To get started. Why don't you introduce yourself?

Michelle Curtis 2:51
Hey, Angie, thanks for having me. My name is Michelle Curtis. I am a mom of four kids. I live in Dunn, Eden, Florida. I'm in my late 30s. I know people don't often talk about it, but it's a fact about me. I am a director with a leading it company Microsoft. So I've had the that career in terms of where I am now. That is my current role from a work perspective. But yeah, that's that's

Angela McCourt 3:21
me. Very good. So let's do a quick round of questions to get to know you a little bit. So what is your morning ritual?

Michelle Curtis 3:31
Gosh, it depends on the month where I am in my personal life. But right now my morning ritual is I get up my kit my older three boys are pretty self sufficient in the morning in terms of getting themselves ready for school and fed breakfast and all of that. So my focus goes immediately to coffee, and then spending some time with my daughter who is three years old. So I spend some time on the couch with her we sit and watch Mickey Mouse, and then I step outside on my back porch for a bit and just sit outside and we now have a porch Bunny, which we rescued from our neighborhood. It was an indoor bunny or a house bunny that somebody let go into the wild so we took it on. So I spend some time out on my porch with my porch bunny now in the morning. So that's what I do. Sometimes, sometimes if I if I again depending on the month and where I am mentally and work related and time related. I do take some time to do some meditations and just listen to some soothing words and talks. I use insight timer a lot which is an app that has free meditations and they go anywhere from one minute to 30 minutes and more. So depending on my schedule, that kind of helps. Me clear my mind and get ready for the day.

Angela McCourt 5:03
Very good. I love the plug to any, any way we can all share tools with each other. It's so awesome. So how do you renew your energy, because you must use a lot of energy.

Michelle Curtis 5:14
Yeah, and this is something that I've learned about myself in the last several years. Nature for me is what renews me. So being outside, taking time for myself to be alone, I have a tendency to absorb a lot of energy around me, and it can be draining. So for me to just have some time and peace and nature and be alone in that. It really helps for new my personal energy.

Angela McCourt 5:46
I totally understand that. That's my number number one go to as well. Okay, what is your guilty pleasure?

Michelle Curtis 5:54
Oh, gosh, massages, and dark chocolate. Equally important in my life, for sure.

Angela McCourt 6:03
That's fantastic. I love it, I love it, I kind of view massages. Now as part of the health plan, it's like, it's not even just self care. Like it's an it's a necessity if you do it, if you can do it. Okay, so for today, one of the things that I really wanted to dive in with you, and you and I have known each other a very long time, I've had the pleasure of working with you to see you be a creator in the workplace. And I think that this gift because I actually do have a creator gift in my book that I talked about, and you were one of the people I modeled that off of everybody knows, I'm the creator and creating and being creative are all really amazing gifts to be able to not just feel purposeful, but also to be able to share with the world. And you know, my view of the Creator is someone who can visualize and create this big picture and connect the dots of kind of the beginning and the end and even before the beginning and the end, so that there's a kind of a beautiful flow of how something can be created, but also communicated, so others can understand what that vision is all about. And I think, you know, there are other roles that then might pick up, like, you know, the generator might actually be the person who ends up executing on this, but, you know, to, to have that gift is sounds like so extravagant and beautiful and all of this, but honestly, it can be very challenging to and, you know, I wanted to just kind of get into, you know, what are some of the things that you've been able to create over over time, but also like, what are some of the things that you've had to struggle through? in getting that vision out there and getting it influenced with others? And, you know, how did how did you handle that?

Michelle Curtis 7:57
Yeah, absolutely. And I agree, everybody has a role to play and creativity and being a creator has been something with me, throughout my entire life, although I haven't known it my entire life, it's just something now more recently than than in the past, where it's something that I need that creative outlet in whatever I'm doing. And it really starts for me in my personal life and my personal space. And you asked earlier, you know what gives me energy, it's nature, but it's also leveraging the creative aspect of things in my life as well, whether it's making lavender goat milk, soap, or you know, cooking something very unique and trying things out to make a good recipe and seeing that come together or, you know, designing a new area in my room because I need that extra boost of energy. It's those things that give me energy and help, you know, contribute and tie everything together. And honestly, it wasn't till being under you, as you having you as a leader where I understood the importance of that, bringing that power that superpower into my work and how it helped me really change the trajectory of my career path and explore really what is my passion in what I do and how I contribute to the various employers that I've worked for. And it really comes down to understanding what is the level playing field right now what is the status quo of everything around me and not thinking necessarily in a box. I know we've talked about this as well but thinking about what could be understanding how to read the market, read the room. Read them. needs of those that are around us, our customers that we serve our people that work for us and understanding, really, what could be. And that's really what drives me through the path of creation. When I look at, you know, in certain roles that I've had, whether it's creating from a marketing lens, whether it's creating new and fun and unique campaigns that vendors invest in, whether it's looking at IoT as a new investment area of opportunity for a company, it's really understanding where there's a gap, and seeing potential and taking risks. And that's a big part of being a creator, whether you're a creator in your personal life, like you're taking a risk by putting here your personal beliefs and your work style and showcasing a really personal part of who you are, you're risking that when you present, what you created to the world like, that is a really personal thing that you're taking forward. And I see that in a parallel way, when you create at work, like you are taking a risk by stepping out of your role and responsibilities. What you do on a day to day basis, by creating, whether it's a new role, or position, or business strategy and idea, or an entirely new business unit that you're taking, you know, to the company, you're taking a personal risk, and you're putting your own brand and identity on the line by doing that. So it's really having confidence in understanding that you could fail. By doing this, right, you could fail. But it's a an evolution. And it's a growth mindset, that I think being a creator has, always learning, always growing, always challenging, always finding the beauty and things that you can contribute and add value into the world and to those around you into your work environment. And that's that's really what I see as the power of creating, and how I've always viewed it. In terms of that aspect of it.

Angela McCourt 12:21
Yeah, and I think too, you know, when you talk about the exploration, the curiosity, the learning that, you know, one of the things that I've seen you do, which I mean was so amazing and impressive is, you know, back years ago, you had an idea, you brought it forward, you brought it forward in not just a way that was based on your background and all of your experience and knowledge, you actually went and learned something new, you learn the technical aspects of things you learned, what does this actually mean? And then you actually went out and did a bunch of research to globalize the idea to make this instead of it just being about, you know, at that time, one vendor, it should be a company thing, and you globalize the idea. And you know, so many people are just so afraid to kind of put their name on something that big, right? This is where your edge Walker, gift comes into play. Because you're stepping into the future, that people are not ready necessarily there yet for but then you also have one foot here, because you've got to stay grounded and be the bridge to come and bring back and forth. So in that type of a role, you know, how have you been able to bring people forward? You talked about passion, passion is a gift, in my opinion, as far as you know, getting people on board, but how did you how did you influence? How did you bring, you know, from people who maybe weren't quite there yet, you used all of these, you know, new knowledges and new information, to really build the credibility in yourself to, you know, bring this idea forward? What were some of the things that you did along that way? And how were you know, the challenge is to make that connection happen?

Michelle Curtis 14:07
Yeah, absolutely. And you call out some great, some great points there. And, you know, one of the things again, that you helped me understand the importance of and really introduced me to the topic of is around emotional intelligence. And I think that this goes it's such a critical skill, and it's finally being universally talked about more and it's trending on social at LinkedIn, and you're seeing it being introduced more at the college level and which I think is incredible because it's a skill that once you master that you really have a different approach on how you sell, how you sell yourself, how you sell your ideas, how you connect with people that may understand and may work in a very different style. than you. So that for me was was critical. You you introduced a book to your leadership team at the time called primal leadership by Daniel Goleman. And it is something that I have used in, in every position I have been in since. And it really talks about the different leadership styles and when to use what whether it's gathering people together and bringing everybody's ideas together and moving forward a path and more of a consensus way, or whether you're more directing on how to contribute and what you need from certain people to move forward. And that's the style that you need. In moving a project that is new, as a creator forward, you really, of course, passion is critical, if you don't have fresh passion for the project that you're putting forth, nobody else is going to have fashion party there. But having a buy in. And having people that are influential stakeholders to the final decision maker for investment or for moving an idea forward is so critical. And for really driving forth, what is the value going to be for that individual or their business? or How can it help, you know, uplift their team to a new level, and drive additional,

you know, differentiation and value for them as an organization, that part is really key in terms of how you take an idea and really start to weave all of the different elements of that idea together. Because when you look at a global idea, you talked about global, there's a lot of different factors, and what's important to me and my role and my geography is very different than somebody else's role and how they execute on a daily basis and what's important to them in another area of the world. So to taken into consideration all of those variable variables and, and really weave it into a story. And you talk about storytelling, and how important that piece is in selling an idea. And in creating that that process. I mean, you think about walking through an art exhibit as an example. To me that's, that's a crater in its purest form. It's telling a story through art. And you think about your you're going through bit by bit, and you're seeing all of these different unique elements. But in the end, it all comes together in one holistic story. And that's kind of how I see business and business planning, if you don't have a clear direction on or a clear idea on ultimately, what is your vision at the end of the day? What is that ultimately going to look like? It's going to be really hard to weave that story together in the right way. And the other thing that, you know, I have found through guidance from you is around a procrastination, okay, so I always thought it was a really bad thing, because I didn't understand what that meant to me. And it's not that I'm a procrastinator, I am doing all of this deep, intense work in my head. And I'm working through different scenarios. And some people call us overthinking But no, it's just my process and and how I work and that lends ultimately then to a final product that's put together that comes together. But I'm working through all these things internally in my brain and then ultimately ending up with where I want to be at the end and it comes together, honestly at the end quickly. But it's it's that's just like how a working style that you've helped me realize, too. But part of that like that process and bringing together all the bits and pieces are gathering, data gathering. You talked about learning and diving in, it's like collect collecting all of this information from all of these various parts and creating this beautiful web at the end. And, and that's that's kind of how I leverage all those different tools to help me get to a part that's, you know, giving of an idea or a solution or an area of investment to the company I work for. And that's really what drives me as an individual contributor is seeing, you know, that thing that I'm working on come to life. It's an incredible feeling.

Angela McCourt 19:57
Yes, yes. I love it. And I totally understand, you know, the whole procrastination thing. And I actually did a little bit on that and another podcast. But it's interesting when I talk to people, and they're like, Oh my gosh, I'm the worst procrastinator, everybody just kind of hones in on that as being a negative thing instead of, but really is it your process. And by the way, I didn't figure out that it was my process to until I was in my 40s. So I'm trying to help people earlier. So they kept beating themselves up, right. But you know, it's interesting, because when, when you're a creator, I've had a lot of conversations over the past few years with folks who are like, you know, I see this need, and I see this opportunity inside of my team or my company, and I have a lot of ideas around it, but I have no idea how to approach it. And then oh, by the way, I want to lead it, I want to be in it. I don't want to just hand the idea over. So, you know, I always get the question like, how do I create a new position? How do I do this? You know, how do I put the plan together? And then how do I just find the courage to be able to put it out there because I'm putting myself out there too. And, you know, I know you've done that as a creator, that's like a big thing, whether it's in personal life, or it's in because anytime I cook a dish I'm always waiting for Okay, what did they think of it? Right? I mean, it's everything. Yeah. So you know, what, what are what some advice? Or maybe what are some of the ways that you were able to, um, you know, put a new position on the table and say, This is what I want to do. And here are my ideas. And this is what it'll do for the company? Like, how have you done that in the past?

Michelle Curtis 21:37
Yeah, absolutely. And that is, the hardest part is getting started. And I can tell you that going through the process, and this is where the skill of business planning really is important, because it allows you to start with your vision, which is, you know, it's it's one thing to start with your vision, a mission statement of what you see the future, or what is your goal and identity going to be of this, this unique thing that you're putting forth. And then the business plan allows you to really break it down into chunks. And as you walk through the business planning process, it may alter and change your vision and your mission statement. Because as you learn, truly you break down, what are the strengths? What are the weaknesses? What are the opportunities? What are the threats out there, as you gather more facts and more data, it can alter where you think something needs to go. But you need to start there, you need to start with, here's what I think the company needs, or here's what I think this role could be, and then truly walk through how to get there. Okay, so from a, from a business standpoint, what is the market opportunity for this idea, go out research and look at the verticals, look at the business needs, look at, you know, product category, there's so much data on the internet. Now, I mean, it, I can't imagine doing this kind of work before the internet existed, because it would be really, really difficult. I mean, like, I had An Encyclopedia Britannica set when I grew up. And that was like my source of truth. And of course, those facts change over time, too, as more people learn and more research has contributed to, you know, databases and whatnot. So I think that's really interesting, by the way, as well to think about that change. But as you can see, my brain flies in all these different directions at the same time. So yeah, the the business plan is like a way to really pull together all of these various data points and help you organize your brain in a way that makes sense and lends itself to the story. So going through what are the goals? What are the objectives? What is the SWOT analysis look like? And then walking through, okay, I have a clear idea of what the actual opportunity is now how, how are we going to get there. And that's really where your go to market comes into play. Right? So in your route to market even more importantly, so I we, I do a lot of work now. And we actually even help customers through this process of business model canvases. So I think that's an incredible tool is one piece of paper, essentially, which has your routes to market Who are your customers? Who Who's your audience that you need to influence? And what is your story and how are you going to do those things? And what is your business model actually look like to make it happen? It's a pretty, pretty easy way to walk through what are the gaps in your strategy and what do you need to focus on. So I love that tool as well and it really helps customers innovate and Throughout throughout their paths as well. And so that's another great tool that you can use to really put your ideas down on paper and help you organize them in a way that makes sense into taking something to the next level where you're ready to then transition it into a formal business plan and into an executive summary even that helps you simplify that even further, which you can then go and sell in position to various audience members. And you know this well, because you've been through it, we've been through it together. But crafting that summary. In a way that makes sense for the person who's consuming it is really critical, too. So what is the value driver for that individual roll that individual person, how they consume the information. And as you and I walk through it, you need to touch people in like, five different ways to make sure that the information is consumed, the way that they need it to whether it is an email, whether it is a PowerPoint, and in person meeting, bullet points, you know, like there's, there's a webinar, there's many different things that you need to do. Because people receive information differently, depending on how they learn and how they consume and digest information. It's very different for each individual, and you need to take that approach when you're trying to sell and create as well.

Angela McCourt 26:30
Nice, very good. So, um, you talk a lot about data and information, but I have always seen the intuitive side to you as well. So how does intuition play into all this for you, as a creator,

Michelle Curtis 26:46
oh, I, I, it's good. And I and and it's, it's a energy draining at the same time, because you're hasn't as a intuitive person, you're often reading the energies in the room, and you're seeing trends and you're seeing things come together, whether whether it's through various podcasts or webinars, or you're seeing vendors invest in different things at different times. And they each have their own value proposition or story or identity. And seeing what is the next thing and how it's going to transform and come together in a unique way. Is, is really, that's that's the part that's that's the part that not everybody can see. And it's having, having that gift of looking at that, that opportunity of seeing all these things come together, and where you think it could be. And I think that's the risk and how it having that intuition of where you think things are going to go from a trend. Like I love trend hunters, because that's like so much is based on data, but it's also based on that person's intuition on where they think something's going to go, predicting what could be or what the future will look like. And there's a lot of inherent risk in that. But if you can take those nuggets of data and take trends of investments and help that tell the story to support your thoughts around where you where your intuition is telling you that it's going to go. That that's a big piece of it. And it's something that you can't always explain unfortunately, I mean, I wish I had a better answer for my intuition is based on X, Y and Z but it's not it's based on like I am super visual person. So things come together in in my brain and a very picture based way and I see diagrams and things floating together in front of me. It's weird, right? But it's it's it's how my brain starts to bring together facts and data and visualization of how I could build my story and where I see the market going. Like, right now I think AI ops is like a huge area of of innovation and the future of how technology comes together. And everything is unified and machine learning and AI based and hooked into each other to drive truly autonomous it and how we manage applications and infrastructure. And we're not there yet not everybody's there yet. And there's different various points of where those things are coming together. But it's something for me that it's not my job, but it's something I'm really passionate about and maybe I'll create another another job. And in that role, but um, you know, it's it's things like that, that I see over time and, and even that the transition of terminology and technology is really interesting because you see the Internet of Everything you see the Internet of Things, you see vertical industry focused things, and it's all, it's all the same thing, using different terms to explain it to be honest and talk about the value at the end of the day, it all comes down to what is the value for the person that is consuming that technology or that idea or that business. And that's kind of what centers mean, and drives me is really around the value proposition.

Angela McCourt 30:45
Now, that's awesome, because I think a lot of people they question, you know, the intuitive side, because everybody has an intuition, but they question it, to the point where sometimes they suppress it. And in reality, it's a gift that, you know, could give you a little bit of an extra edge. And if anything, if you open up to it, it's, it can create the passion for something. Because, like I found where I had maybe 25% of the data to support something, but I just knew it was the right thing. It was the thing that was the next thing to do. Yeah, the passion behind it is what got others on board. And you and I've had that conversation years ago about, especially at a time when passion, especially when women showed passion about something it was this, oh, they're emotional. No. Well, guess what? Everybody's getting over that. All right. And passion is actually a skill. Because if you aren't passionate about something, nobody else is going to get on board with you. Right? So in your many different creations that you've done. How did passion play a role in that and driving forward and driving past fear and driving past naysayers? and driving past? in supporting the intuitive vision?

Michelle Curtis 32:02
How? Yeah. That's, that's a great question. And, and this is something for me that's been with me, my whole life, like I've always been driven, not only by passion, but actually by an AC tells me, I, I can't do something, it's like, oh, really, oh, I sure will do it, you can bet your bottom dollar on that one. And that started, you know, even before I went to college, my my counselor in high school actually told me don't even apply to the University of Florida, there is no way that you're going to get into that school. And again, like, maybe it's because I was a girl. And, you know, I don't know what I don't know what that that driving function was, and him telling me that but I absolutely went out and I gathered all of this information. And I wrote this killer essay, and I had all the things right, that would allow me to get into the school, but taking that passion and wanting to be there and translating that into my essay to my, in my application essay, I feel like that kind of pushed me over the edge maybe and I got in, and that's where I went. So that, you know, those driving functions definitely are there. And then, you know, having, having passion. And again, even in the workforce, I've heard, you know, you, you need to sugarcoat things more, you need to be nice about things and you need to take it down, you're very emotional, and I am very emotional, like I wear my heart on my sleeve. And I wear my passion on my sleeve as well and in my energy and what I bring to my work and I think that's a really great thing. And I've seen the transformation in the workforce over the last five years really take shape. But it again, it depends on the company you work for, and the culture of that company, very, very much. I mean, I've had really great experiences and I've had really horrible experiences where being a woman and having that approach as naturally inside of you and how you operate. Having that tried to be suppressed. It's It is really impacting not only in your work and in what you do every day, but you take that back into your personal life as well. So I have this approach of you know, culture is really important to me and a culture that allows me to express myself in my true form is really important to me. And I actually I have a shirt on and I love the shirt it says do you do more of what makes you happy? And it like it said a driving thing for me Now personally, I'm I'm in it took me a really long time to get to this place in my my life where if I'm not happy personally and I'm not happy professionally those around me that I really care about in my life are significantly impacted. And because it it, it changes what I contribute to the organization, what I contribute as a mom, what I contribute as a wife, as a friend, and I start to go back into like this whole, right, and being in a place where that passion is supported. And people see that as a good thing. And as a gift that you contribute to an organization, and the energy level that you bring is really is really great to have support in that way and necessary. And if and if you're in a culture that isn't giving you that, I highly suggest that you seek out a culture that does give you that or a new opportunity that does give you that because it's not fun for anybody, when you don't have what you need to be successful. And that that passion and that energy level is critical, especially as a creator.

Angela McCourt 36:08
Yeah, exactly. And I think you know, you hit on the happiness factor is really tied to authenticity. If it's an environment, you feel safe, that you can bring your full, authentic self and not worry about, you know, that Oh, you're emotional, or you're, you do things a certain way. Well, that's who I am. And by the way, if you want the full me and you want the best, most effective, most impactful output for me, let me be me. Yeah, right.

Michelle Curtis 36:36
Exactly, exactly. And, and that takes time to learn. I mean, it takes, it takes time, like you come out of college, and you enter the workforce, and you don't have that right away because you you want to impress those around you and you want to fit in and you want to fit the culture of where you come in as a new employee, but the faster you figured out that you need to be true to you, and you need to be, you know, true to who's inside of you and your real self outside of the workforce. Like, the more successful that you bring, you'll be and the more you'll contribute to your your work on a daily basis and what you do for an organization. So I completely agree with that. And I feel like we're seeing this big shift right now where it's being more and more accepted and companies are being held accountable to be frank in terms of really putting that forth in their culture and how they approach their employees and and the individuality and the DNI aspect of it, it's super critical to a company's success and, and even from a revenue and profit standpoint. And I think that the data is there now that supports that companies that are more accepting and more diverse and more inclusive, and inclusive, being one of the more important parts of that, that they're, they're succeeding, they're growing faster, and that their ideas, they're innovative, you're seeing it across across the US and across the world. To be honest, though,

Angela McCourt 38:14
yeah. And, and I think, you know, COVID kind of gave us this window or portal, if you want to call it that, to shift to make the shift. And we, the people have a lot of more power to make this shift happen. Yeah, because in reality, people are like, I'm not going back to the way I lived before. I'm not going back to the environment I was in before I'm not going back to the way things were before, I now have a taste of a different way of doing things, I realized that it doesn't have to be how it's always been. And I think that it's given us this opportunity, freedom, as well as as a collective voice to say, companies you better change a little faster. Yeah, I that's not acceptable anymore. We're not doing that anymore. I think it's I think it's fantastic. And you know, the companies who are who are really going to listen and make changes and do things different and actually train their leaders to be able to have a, a more, more, less a less hierarchical structured mentality, and more of that inclusive, appreciative and, and also, you know, kind of looser boundaries, I call it like, giving people different opportunities and not putting them in the box. You know, to be able to one be authentic in the workplace, but also just try different things and do different things within within the workplace. And not a set path that's always been there. That will probably lead to even more innovation. But the companies who don't do this, they're not going to get the best talent. You're not going to get the best talent before. It was, we were up against companies were up against companies who were allowing remote work. And this and telecommuting, and this was like a really great competitive play. Well, now it's not a competitive play the competitive plays the environment, the competitive play is how leadership engages with the colleagues and how they allow them to work, how they allow them to do the work more autonomously, less micromanagement, you know, fix the problem, guys, don't shove them in the processes that don't work. So it'll be really interesting to see how that how that comes together. But I think what we could see out of this are a lot more creators coming forward. Because they're going to feel Yeah, less fear of the threat of putting myself out there, they're going to see it as opportunity to now come in and suggest the change come in and suggest the, you know, that they take on lead this and that they're willing to put themselves on that on that project from a credibility perspective. So

Michelle Curtis 41:01
yeah, it'd be totally great. And absolutely, and I think to another part of that is the leadership that companies bring in and making sure that the leaders are positioned and have that process around empowering their, their employees and their teams, to take risks and to create, I know that that's, that's really transitioned into what my passion has become I, I love creating honor from a personal perspective, but I love seeing my team create, and I love seeing them put forth those passions, and me giving them a pathway to do it, and giving them my tools that I learned along the way from you and other supporters in my own personal journey. And, and for me, that's really become a passion for me is empowering my teams to create and to drive and to, you know, think outside the box, think about what's next. Where do we need to go bring your ideas forth, and I'll help support you along the way and give you the tools to be successful. But I love it. And I think we need leaders who who allow that space for their teams as well.

Angela McCourt 42:18
Yes. And then encouragement. Yeah, absolutely. I think that's fantastic. All right. So we're going to wrap up. Do you have any companies, nonprofits, or anyone you'd like to call out on the podcasts for our audience?

Michelle Curtis 42:31
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So I've been a big supporter of girls, Inc, of Pinellas for a really long time. So girls, Inc, is a national organization that is focused around encouraging girls young girls to be strong, smart and bold, and giving them the tools and resources. Many times they're often in underserved communities, low income communities, so they need additional support and focus and a safe space for young girls to focus on growing as individuals and giving them confidence and the tools to be successful throughout not only their young adult life, but their their professional career and journey as well and exposing them to opportunities. So girls, inc.org is a great, great organization to get involved with. And again, they're across the country. So there, there could be a local chapter where you live in your city, if not one close by, so I encourage you all to check that out.

Angela McCourt 43:38
Excellent. Love, love the plug. Very good. All right, girl, think of panellists or girl think nationally. Michelle, thank you so much for joining, oh my gosh, you just have such great vision. And I love your vulnerability. And I thank you for sharing because you really there's so many bits people can take out of this episode. And I'll try to do my best to summarize for folks in the show notes but, um, but thank you very, very much. I know you're super busy, and I really appreciate you joining

Unknown Speaker 44:04
thank you for the opportunity. You too.

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