Presentation, 2017 Kathleen Griffith, Founder & CEO Grayce & Co

1. why fear should be your compass
engaging fear+living creatively

2. this is personal.

5. Individuals who become
overachievers,
innovators,
adventurers
are they doing something else?”
What is this “else”?

6. The youngest
person ever to
circumnavigate
the globe
Phiona Mutesi
Uganda’s first female
chess grandmaster
Alex Honnold
The best free
climber in
the world
Laura Dekker

7. Analyzing the Risk
“Real fear should be a response to danger. And if you’re truly in
danger you probably shouldn’t run towards it, unless it’s a very
calculated decision or a very particular situation. The real question
to start with is does your fear mean you’re in danger or is it just a
psychological response?”
alexhonnold

8. Setting a Vision
“Be focused on your life, your game and whatever you are
doing and be patient.”
phionamutesi

9. Having the Right Attitude
“We are always optimistic that what’s to come is better.
Without hope, what good is life?”
syrianwhitehelmets

10. Taking small steps forward
“You don’t have to know that you can do something.
You just have to try.”
lauradekker

11. Risk Taking=Engaging Fear
Risks were possible by changing one’s relationship to fear
Instead of avoiding Fear, engaging it

12. If risk taking depends on engaging fear,
we first need to understand our response to fear

13. This is the brain on fear.

14. Fear first existed to keep us alive.
Now it holds us back from living.
The brain still thinks everything is life+death, but it’s not.
There is a dissociation between perceived outcomes vs. actual outcomes.

15. Fear is small
but mighty

16. with stress we become more fearful
fear is about threat detection + protection

17. With negative feedback
We become more fearful
Exploratory behavior is decreased

18. When we avoid fear, we become
risk averse + seek certainty.

19. Big job.
Nice stable salary.
Lots of responsibility.
Industry accolades+awards.
Beautiful home in NYC.
Impressive relationship.
Depleted with burnt out adrenals.
Working late nights+weekends.
No personal boundaries.
Completely uncreative.
No sense of a real, authentic voice.
Clients had all the control.
Hard to find anyone willing to rock the boat.
With an inner voice constantly telling me
I wasn’t enough. Not smart enough,
not talented enough, kind enough, enough.
Not enough.
And I was no different.
This was me.

20. Avoiding fear was killing me.
There had to be a better way.
So, I left a stable job+routines.
I started engaging fear,
taking a few small risks + getting used to
uncertainty.

21. sometimes win+lose business in 72 hours….
but I work less.
we work with clients of all sizes…
but I have a voice.
I actually make more than I did…
but I get to give back.
I’m up all night thinking about the business…
but it’s sustainable.
and I’ve still got that inner voice constantly
telling me I’m not enough…
but I hug her+go forward anyway.
This is me now.
The image+reality are one.

22. The unexpected miracle I discovered is engaging your
fear can be the most ‘certain’ path of all.
This is actually the least risky thing you can do.

23. This is how Grayce&Co was born…

24. People First. Product Second.
brave
background.
East Coast.
West Coast.
High octane.
Yogis.
Immigrants.
brave
skill set.
Agency.
Consulting.
Analytical.
Creative.
brave
thinking.
To us, there is
no failure from
taking a risk,
only lessons.

25. Inspired people
do inspired work.
Fireside Chat:
We grab a morning coffee and talk about the world,
because you can only leap from a solid foundation
Failure Lessons:
We share mistakes we make, what we learned
from them, and then we move on, because shooting
high means failure is inevitable
Culture Club:
We do one non-work related creative excursion each month,
like a gallery visit or cooking class, because to be truly inspired you
need to look beyond your field
Grayce for Good:
We give back to young women in the community, because
sometimes you need to be reminded how lucky you are
to be doing what you do

26. Inspired people
do inspired work. Grayce Gives:
We invest in and incubate leading women-oriented startups,
because being around companies whose everyday is risky
is inspiring
Brand Boot Camp:
We lead a business + brand strategy boot camp for
female small business owners
Risk Setting:
Each of us declares a risk we’re going to take,
personally and professionally, every quarter, because
you’re more likely to take a risk if other people are
holding you accountable
Retreat:
We go on a team retreat, because as humans we
need to restore our whole bodies.
Influence:
We have a video series that provides women at the
onset of their careers with access to women playing
at the highest level, with the goal of inspiring young
women to turn their biggest aspirations into reality.

27. We don’t do basic.
We want to change the industry, fundamentally, for women
and inspire confidence in the next generation through media
and messaging.
Our work is a means to an end.
We’re a marketing agency for women focused on growth
strategy, brand strategy, and market activation created to
empower a new generation of women and power true brand
admiration.

28. A Few Thoughts About Risk Taking
Analyze if the risk will actually kill you, or if it’s all in your head
Set a vision
To take a risk, you need to engage fear, not run away from it
Dealing with uncertainty is a muscle. Practice, practice, practice in small steps.
Less stressful environments cultivate creativity
Positive feedback is needed for exploration and risk taking
Growth and certainty do not co-exist

29. If You Can See It You Can Be It

30. The world isn’t binary.
Risks are born out of
diversity of thought

31. So how do we start practicing?
These are some of the “levers” to bring about results.

32. Declaration.
If you want something you’ve never had.
You must be willing to do something you've never done.

33. Momentum.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Take small wins+leverage them into bigger wins.

34. Pack.
A group that holds you up + encourages you to
take risks. This is your personal board.

35. Inspiration.
Look for inspiration outside of your primary
field, because breakthroughs happen at
the intersection of ideas.

36. Unchartered.
Gravitate toward brands, clients + groups who have strong values +
think out of the box, aren’t scared of failure, + allow you to take risks.

37. When you come up with more creative ideas, the more people feel inspired
the better our world becomes
When you’re comfortable with uncertainty, you come up with more creative ideas
When you start to engage your fear, you can take more risks
When you take more risks, you get comfortable with uncertainty
The more people feel inspired
Final thought

38. Kathleen Griffith
kathleen@grayceco.com
Q&A
@grayceco @grayce_co @grayce_co