Briana Dai | Empowering Women Leaders to Watch in 2023 | Exeleon

Embracing Excellence
www.exeleonmagazine.com
Natalie
Stavola:Be
anExample
IN - FOCUS
IN - FOCUS
Interviewwith
Modeland
Entrepreneur
ReShonda
Parker
Emp wering
o
WOMEN LEADERS
TO WATCH IN 2023
Briana
Dai
EMPOWERED AND UNSTOPPABLE
Diversity and
Inclusion, or
Beauty but
not the Beast

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Embracing Excellence

C O N T E N T S
NATALIE STAVOLA
22

C O N T E N T S
JAMIE MITRI
48

#MyJo
Exeleon Magazine Presents

B R I A N A D A I
Empowered
Unsto
12 EXELEON MAGAZINE
C O V E R S T O R Y

&
d
oppable
WWW.EXELEONMAGAZINE.COM 13

“IT’S NOT ABOUT
BEING THE BEST,
IT'S ABOUT BEING
WILLING TO PUT IN
MORE WORK THAN
ANYONE ELSE.”
14 EXELEON MAGAZINE

history we have
been surrounded by stories.
Stories of love, death, and life.
Stories that make us smile as well
as cry; stories of success and
failures; stories of black, white, and
grey. Story is a journey; a journey of
truth and false, of hope and death, a
journey of one within and one
beyond.
In our search for such unique and
powerful stories, we have stumbled
upon a passionate entrepreneur
who is building her legacy by
empowering women across the
globe.
Meet Briana Dai, Creative Director
of eWomenNetwork, Speaker, Brand
Strategist, Former Makeup Artist,
and Mompreneur.
Aside from all the mentioned roles
and adjectives that one might use to
describe Briana, she is more than
anything an Empowering Woman.
Fittingly, Briana Dai features as the
Cover of Exeleon Magazine's
Empowering Women Leaders to
Watch in 2023. Herein, we look into
the story of Briana – the
entrepreneur, Briana – the leader,
and Briana – the woman.
BEING THE BEST
From her growing up years, Briana
was surrounded by strong leaders;
leaders who instilled within her the
courage and values of an
entrepreneur.
Both of her parents were leaders
and high achievers in their
respective industries. As the
daughter of Sandra Yancey, a CNN
American Hero, who founded the
#1 Entrepreneur Womens Network
in North America, Briana always felt
empowered. She explains, “I've
always felt empowered not because
my mom told me I could do
anything, but because my mom
showed me that SHE could do
anything.”
For Briana, her mother has always
been an example of empowerment.
She proudly mentions how grateful
and blessed she is to have her
mother as a female igure to look up
to.
Briana states that her parents led
by example and had an innate
willingness to aim to be the best at
whatever they do. However, she is
quick to point out that being the
best doesn't necessarily mean that
someone can be termed as a leader.
She explains, “I think the irst time
it really hit me that being a strong
leader has less to do with being the
best, and more to do with being the
best at inspiring others to be THEIR
best, is when I earned the title of
Cologuard Captain my sophomore
year in high school.”
She continues, “I wasn't the best
and everyone knew I wasn't the
best. But leading up to the audition
for the title, I worked my butt oﬀ so
that I could BE the best. And I
practiced relentlessly.”
On the day of the audition, Briana
couldn't follow up on her relentless
practice and failed to make the
perfect impression. She was
devastated and broken. The
following day, when the results
were announced for the captain,
Briana couldn't even motivate
herself to look at the results.
Suddenly and almost unexpectedly,
a fellow student yelled out
“Congratulations Briana, You're The
Captain!”
It was at this very moment a young
Briana Dai realized that being a
leader isn't about being the best.
Rather, it's about being willing
enough to put in more work than
anyone else. It's about inspiring
C O V E R S T O R Y
Throughout

others to raise their game. She
asserts, “These leaders inspire
others to want to dream bigger,
learn more, and become more by
just being around them.”
Briana chose to be that leader.
THE PATHWAY
Briana's love for hair and makeup
brought her into the industry at the
age of 16. Working as a makeup
artist and hairstylist for Glamour
Shots elevated her career in the
beauty space and brought upon
new opportunities.
Eventually, the opportunities
guided her into working as a full-
time agency-represented makeup
artist and hairstylist on massive
campaigns for brands like Famous
Footwear, Bloomingdales, James
Avery, the ESPN Body Issue, and in
the company of celebrity clients like
Mariah Carey and LeAnne Rimes.
Recalling the experiences, Briana
mentions, “Working in production
for some of the biggest brands in
the world is where I really fell in
love with brand strategy and
ultimately started dabbling in
Creative Directing.”
Following this, Briana launched two
companies. The irst company saw
her train and certify aspiring
makeup artists, and the second
company was built around the
concept of a membership-based
community for beauty industry
professionals.
Briana asserts, “Building and
growing those businesses was the
most ful illing thing I'd ever done.
And what I realized along the way,
in both cases, I had subconsciously
built two niched-down, beauty-
focused versions of the
eWomenNetwork concept, the
family business that was created
and founded by my mom, 17 years
prior.”
This realization guided Briana to
the next part of her journey –
empowering women. She wanted to
leverage her learnings and
experiences developed in beauty
and branding to expand
eWomenNetwork.
“In 2018, we merged brands, I left
the beauty industry, and I joined the
family business, and began my 10-
year succession plan to ultimately
inherit the eWomenNetwork name
as CEO by 2028.”
EWOMENNETWORK: MISSION
ONE MILLION
Briana mentions that the
eWomenNetwork mission is simple
– to help one million women
achieve one million dollars in
annual revenue.
With only 2% of women business
owners ever reaching the million-
dollar mark, eWomenNetwork is on
a mission to change that.
She explains that every networking
event, masterclass, training, blog,
conference, and summit is aligned
and centered around this mission.
“We are empowering women by
ensuring that we are bringing them
the latest information, tools,
resources, connections, and
opportunities to move them closer
towards becoming a million-dollar
(or more) business owner.”
As the Creative Director of the
company, Briana handles all the
outward-facing areas of the brand.
She oversees the digital marketing,
graphic design, and event design
teams as well as looks into the
brand partnerships and af iliations.
“My role is to ensure the brand
message is carried out cohesively,
and consistently, and is in
alignment with our mission to help
one million women each achieve
one million dollars in annual
revenue.”
Moreover, Briana shares that she
absolutely loves representing the
eWomenNetwork as a speaker
across the country.
ENSURING FLUIDITY
Having collaborated with multiple
brands, worked with leading
companies, built her brand, and so
on, Briana has grasped the
understanding that balance is a
never-ending pursuit. She mentions
that wearing diﬀerent hats requires
one to be luid.
“No two days are ever the same in
my world, so you just go with the
low of the current situation while
also having intentional boundaries
to help steer things back to the
center as needed. Know your non-
negotiables and don't waver from
seeing that they're met,” she points
out.
Perhaps it is luidity that has
enabled her to be grateful for the
lessons she has learned along the
way.
C O V E R S T O R Y
16 EXELEON MAGAZINE

R E S H A P I N G T H E L A N D S C A P E O F
Female
Entrepreneurship

“IT’S SURREAL HOW
MANY WOMEN HAVE
CREATED LIFELONG
FRIENDSHIPS, BUSINESS
PARTNERSHIPS WITH,
COLLABORATIONS, AND
CLIENTS BECAUSE OF
EWOMENNETWORK.”
18 EXELEON MAGAZINE

Talking about if she would do
anything differently if she were
to start again, Briana says that
are collective experiences,
including the ones of failure and
pain, has made her become the
person she is today.
Moreover, she shares that one of
the most painful lessons she has
learned as a leader is that it is
easy to overlook bad attitudes
when people put out good work.
“But the lesson I learned the hard
way, and have had to learn a few
times, unfortunately, is that good
performance coupled with a bad
attitude will do more damage
than good in the LONG haul,” she
adds.
Briana advises, “It's critical to
align with people who share the
same values. And the second you
get a whiff of misalignment, you
need to run, not walk, RUN in a
different direction.”
THE EXCITEMENT AHEAD
Briana mentions that the future
is full of excitement for
eWomenNetwork. She is
especially excited to watch the
brand open new chapters across
the globe. “We have 118 Chapters
right now across the US, Canada,
the UK, and Australia, so I'm
amped for the continued growth
of our network and sisterhood of
women entrepreneurs!”
“It's surreal how many incredible
women have created lifelong
friendships, business
partnerships with,
collaborations, and clients
because of eWomenNetwork. The
thought of what we as women
can do for this world as that level
of connection continues to
multiply blows my mind.”
On a personal level, Briana is
excited to grow into the CEO of
the next generation of
eWomenNetwork. She concludes
saying, “I still have so much to
learn, but if my growth over the
last 5 years is any indicator, then
I really look forward to getting to
know the woman I am
becoming.”
C O V E R S T O R Y
One Book Entrepreneurs Must Read –
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small
Businesses Don't Work & What to Do
About It, Michael Gerber
One Productivity Tool / App that
Everyone Should Use – Asana
One Podcast / Course that you would
Recommend – Earn Your Happy Podcast
with Lori Harder
One Movie / Show that you would
Recommend – Ozark & Schitts Creek
One Quote that Motivates you the Most –
“To whom much is given, much will be
required.” Luke 12:48
One Investment Advice that you Follow
– 1) start early and 2) Diversify your
investment strategy with short, medium,
and long-term investments.
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Be an
Example– NATALIE STAVOLA
What according to you makes one a
transformational woman? How do you
integrate the same thought into your
leadership?
I think awareness. Awareness and implementing
that awareness would make anyone
transformational. Speci ically, with women, being
a transformational woman would be becoming
aware that there are cultural biases,
objecti ications, diﬀerent traumas based on
gender and races… and learning how to heal from
all of that and becoming who you were meant to
be (or come back to yourself). Learning how to
stand up and speak up for yourself and others – I
believe that to be a powerful tool to use for
anyone in the leadership position.
How I personally integrate this into my own
leadership is by healing and learning. Healing
from the things that hurt me and learning to see
myself more clearly and respectfully. The more
clearly I see myself, and honor and respect
myself, the more clearly I can see those around
me and honor and respect them as well.
Transforming myself so I can help show others
how to do the same and join in to be a leader in
change.
Talk to us about your growing up years. What
is your earliest memory as a leader?
I grew up in Connecticut and then we moved to
Florida right before my teen years. So I got the
best of both worlds – New York City and winters
full of snow… then spending my time in the ocean
as much as possible. I'm a city woman meets
outdoorsy woman through and through.
My earliest memory as a leader is being an older
sister. When my brother was born, we were
pretty close in age, but I always looked at him,
even when we were babies, as this is my family, I
will protect this person and lead this person as
best as I can. I couldn't say “baby brother” when
IN – FOCUS

my parents introduced me to him, so I called him Bobo. I
still call him by that name to this day.
There were times when our parents would compare us
(as parents do) because I always had my nose in a book
and my brother was, I believe at that time, struggling
with his grades. I remember even then, as teenagers,
understanding that the books I was reading were
FANTASY, they were an escape for me. Not something to
be compared to and make someone else feel bad about. I
pulled my brother to the side one day and I told him
that, “don't even listen to them or anyone else compare
you to me or others. I am reading these books because
I'm escaping in them. They're not even academic. You
keep listening to what you need and ind your path.”
He went on to go to college and become an award-
winning journalist. He's got a masters now and
continues his education.
What prompted your interest and subsequently your
foray into the coaching space?
Growing up, helping others was always something that
felt natural. I used to give everything I had away (I was
that type of kid). To the utter shock of my parents at
times. I grew up with a lot of chaos and trying to igure
people out, so naturally I wound up getting a degree in
psychology and communications. I used to double major
with Criminology and Psychology (that was fun!) I've
always been fascinated with human behavior… I'm also
an actress so I love tackling characters and diving into
the WHY behind people's actions… and the HOW behind
overcoming obstacles and pain to reach your dreams.
After college, I started focusing on acting but then
addiction took over… I was in a lot of pain from the toxic
relationships I'd been in, I was trying to cope and was
destroying myself in the process. I was still helping
others; I was still giving everything I had to everyone
around me, I just had to learn how to give and be there
for others without it costing me my sanity, my mental
health, and me anymore. I had to learn how to stop the
chaos from childhood that still lived inside of me and
learn to choose healthy over comfort.
After I got sober and healed more, I wanted to share
that. I got certi ied for coaching, for NLP
(neurolinguistics programming, similar to what Tony
Robbins does), continued mentoring and coaching,
continued doing the work with my own coaches,
sponsors, therapists, healers, and the recovery programs
I love… and started learning what I pass on to my
clients…
Learning your worth, your boundaries, your values, your
standards and moving in alignment. Learn to pour into
your cup FIRST and then pour into others (as best as we
can). Getting comfortable with your own depths, and
inding people who are on the same journey as you…
inding your aligned partnerships.
My entire life and overcoming my own obstacles
prompted me to be a coach and help others do the same.
I get to be an example today.
What is the approach followed by you in your
coaching to ensure optimal client satisfaction?
I'm not sure if it's an approach so much as just care and
consideration for the client, but it's just about paying
attention to their goals and needs and discovering
what's working and what's not and then using the tools
to remove the blocks standing in the way of their goals.
We ind the issues, we discover the solutions, we use the
tools to get it done. I think what ensures satisfaction the
most is that we're doing this together and they're seeing
the results for themselves. They're doing it. They see
they can do it. That they've had the power and
empowerment all along. I just get to help them through
their journey.
You have spoken about addiction and abuse as some
of your biggest challenges, among many others in
your journey. For people facing similar challenges,
what would be your biggest advice?
GET HELP!!! ASK FOR HELP!! The moment you start
hearing yourself or your head say, “It's ine. I'm ine. I
CAN FIGURE IT OUT!” Nooooooo. Grab the phone, call
the substance abuse hotline or whatever hotline you
want or a HEALTHY friend, and GET HELP. We DO NOT
DO THIS ALONE. No one does. Not even the “self-made
millionaires”. EVERYONE has help. Even if it's from their
parents or mentors or whoever… EVERYONE has help.
24 EXELEON MAGAZINE
IN – FOCUS

Don't do this alone. I DEFINITELY do not.
There's no such thing as a bottom, the bottom
keeps getting worse. You can stop and get
help and get out of the dark place you're in,
ind out how. Get help from the people who
have been through it and OUT of it now, too.
Being an entrepreneur, speaker, coach,
actor, and more, what does a day in the life
of Natalie Stavola look like? How do you
ensure work-life balance?
Luckily for me, I'm doing a lot of things that
bring me joy. So, most of the time I have to
ind my balance between how much I am
giving to others and in what ways am I giving
back to myself.
Without art and acting, I'm pretty much
useless to others. I have to ill my soul up in
order to hold space for others. That's the
main balance for me.
A typical day looks like… wake up, meditate
(or at least put it on and breathe deeply)
make my coﬀee (latte!), jump into coaching
(helping someone wakes me up the fastest),
audition, or work on a script or read/write,
then pause… ask myself “what do I need
now”… this is where I'll go hang out with a
friend, go to a dance class, cultivate joy in
some way… something that makes me silly
happy.
Throughout the day, I'm checking in with my
sponsors and coaches and mentees.
I wish I could give some huge magic “this is
how you do work-life balance” that would
blow someone's mind… but it's really simple.
And the same thing I pass on to clients now…
I LISTEN to myself today. I'm a much better
listener to myself and my needs… so I check
in throughout the day and see where am I
hiding or playing small? Where am I
overworking now? Am I escaping anything?
What do I need? How do I meet that need?
It gets so much faster to be in that low of life
and pivot when life is doing its life thing and
throwing things my way… I'm good today. I
listen to those needs, I meet them. And when
I fall short, I love myself through it and have
incredible people around me today that we
walk through this whole thing together. I do
not do this alone.
What are some of the most intricate things
that we often get wrong in relationships?
And how can one overcome this for a
sustainable relationship and life?
The pain and limiting beliefs we picked up
from childhood that are still on repeat in
adulthood.
Everything and everyone around can be (and
typically is) a mirror for what's going on
inside of us. The answers are already within
each of us. Your answers are already inside of
you… get with someone who's good at
helping you read your own answers, heal,
overcome, and ind your truths.
Learn how to drop your guard and up your
boundaries. Guards block good things and
great people. Boundaries help let the good
things in and keep out the things that hurt
you or don't align with you.
Finally, what does the future look like for
you and your brand? What are you most
excited about?
Expanding and helping more people. I am so
excited about just growing my platform and
becoming more of an example of what it looks
like to overcome anything and showing
others how to do the same.
Ultimately, what I would love to do is ilm-
make more, be on set more, create, and just
pass out all of this information for others to
live their best lives, too.
26 EXELEON MAGAZINE
IN – FOCUS

One Book Entrepreneurs Must Read –
The Mountain is You by Brianna Wiest
One Productivity Tool / App that
Everyone Should Use – Notes (lol so
simple)
One Podcast / Course that you would
Recommend – TBM To Be Magnetic
One Movie / Show that you would
Recommend – The Woman King
One Quote that Motivates you the Most –
“Do your work. When you're scared, do it
anyways.”
One Investment Advice that you Follow
– Invest in yourself. Wait for the fear and
insecurity to pass so you're not doing it
from lack mindset and then spending
money on things that won't help
(con irmation bias.) Invest in yourself. It's
worth it. More people will bene it from you
investing in you irst. Be an example.
Exeleon Shorts:
IN – FOCUS

How Two Young Female Entrepreneurs
Use Their Love for the Arts to Advance
Their Community
The coronavirus pandemic inspired
countless adults to reassess their
careers and life choices and perhaps
make some changes. But it was not only
adults that felt they could have a greater
impact. Two young female entrepreneurs felt
compelled to share their love for the
performing arts with their communities.
Their goal: improve con idence and mental
health among children and create performing
arts opportunities for others.
HOW MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES
CREATED A SPARK
In the early days of the pandemic, stories
about mental health challenges among kids
and teenagers abounded. Uncertainty,
lockdowns, and fear of the disease put
additional pressure on young people who
already felt the need to perform at school and
beyond.
While external demands continued to mount,
many felt their con idence drop, often
because they were unable to express
themselves, demonstrate their talents, and
realize their potential. About one-third of
high-school students reported mental health
challenges during the pandemic, according to
the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC). A Johns Hopkins survey
found that nearly one in ive young people
suffered from an increase in depression.
While those igures are rightly giving cause
for concern, they inspired two accomplished
young artists. Elite dancer Madeleine Chen
and award-winning musician Elizabeth Echt
decided to use their love of performing arts
for the bene it of young people in the wider
community. They founded Vision for
Con idence (V4C), a non-pro it with the goal
of supporting aspiring artists on their
journey and sharing the mental health
bene its with their wider community.
HOW FINE ARTS SUPPORTS MENTAL
HEALTH
For years, evidence of the mental health
bene its of exposure to and participation
in ine arts has been mounting up, both
anecdotally and scienti ically. For
example, studies have shown a
connection between ine arts
activities and increased mental
health and well-being in those
affected by autism.
Madeleine and Elizabeth believe
that every young person can
bene it from easier access to ine arts
activities, whether they are dealing with
a disability or suffering from low con idence
in general. One of their most recent target
IN – FOCUS
30 EXELEON MAGAZINE

Madeleine Chen &
Elizabeth Echt,
Co-founders

groups includes young people with
rare diseases. Their conditions have
been linked with a higher risk of
feelings of isolation and other
mental health problems, including
low self-esteem.
Aside from these speci ic groups,
the two entrepreneurs are looking
to create performing arts
opportunities for young children
and teens who would otherwise
have missed out. Although arts
feature in many schools'
curriculums, funding cuts in the
public school system have made
access to ine arts education and
related opportunities more dif icult.
As a result, talented children and
teenagers have been missing out on
an important creative outlet, and
some are missing once-in-a-lifetime
career opportunities. V4C is
attempting to make up for the
shortfall.
“We've been involved in ine arts
from a very young age, and we
realize that the resources that were
given to us are not necessarily
available to a lot of other kids
outside of our own community,”
says V4C co-founder Madeleine
Chen.
“That inspired us to create a
program that supplies resources
and monetary support to students
who want to pursue the arts as a
career when they get older.”
Since the non-pro it's inception, the
team has been able to raise nearly
$30,000 in scholarship funds and
has started transforming lives. In
June 2021, for example, V4C
awarded a travel scholarship to an
exemplary young artist at The
Dallas Conservatory. The
scholarship allowed her to
participate in the national inals of
the New York City Dance Alliance
(NYCDA), an incredible opportunity
she would have otherwise had to
miss.
The result speaks for itself. The
scholarship recipient used the
opportunity to win a $100,000
scholarship to PACE University's
commercial dance program,
successfully laying foundations for
continued education and a career in
the arts.
A WIDER VISION FOR
CONFIDENCE AND MENTAL
HEALTH
With early success stories
con irming that the organization is
on a promising path, founders
Madeleine and Elizabeth have not
lost sight of their bigger vision.
“I think there is a direct link
between con idence and success,
and we want to help other children
attain both of those things through
performing arts,” says Madeleine.
Psychologists believe that
projecting con idence helps people
gain credibility, deal with pressure,
and tackle personal and
professional challenges. All of those
could also be considered
prerequisites for success.
The V4C founders believe that
performing arts can become a
gateway to growing con idence for
children from less privileged
backgrounds, or those with
disabilities or rare diseases. They
are poised to share their skills and
passion not only by teaching the
arts but also by establishing long-
term relationships with scholarship
recipients and others.
The V4C founders believe that arts
and self-esteem training can help
children with disabilities or rare
diseases participate more fully in
society. While it may be easy for
these children to become
marginalized and somewhat
trapped, performing arts and self-
esteem training can help them step
outside of their niche. As they grow
their con idence, they will ind it
easier to participate more fully and
increase their quality of life in the
long term.
BENEFITTING ALL OF SOCIETY
Mental health concerns affect all
age groups. However, mental health
challenges in children and young
people can be particularly
detrimental as they may predispose
the person to a lifetime of mental
illness or mental health concerns.
Using performing arts as a path
toward improved self-con idence
and mental health not only helps
those affected by mental health
challenges since the pandemic.
Their changed mindset can make a
big difference for entire families
and our society as a whole. As the
pandemic continues to recede, we
all stand to bene it from a
generation of healthier, happier,
more con ident young people.
IN – FOCUS
32 EXELEON MAGAZINE

Jessica Wong, Founder and CEO of
Valux Digital, is a digital marketing
expert and experienced PR
executive with over 20 years of
success driving results for clients.
Using cutting-edge technology,
Jessica and her team at Valux Digital
helped corporations and startups
achieve digital transformation and
develop robust data-centric
marketing campaigns. They strive
to improve ef iciency, aﬀordability,
rapidity, quality, and - most
importantly - results.
As a digital expert, Jessica was
invited to publish thought
leadership articles on Forbes as an
of icial member of the Forbes
Communications Council. She also
provides business advice to
millions of Entrepreneur.com
readers. She was named the Most
In luential CEO by CEO Monthly
magazine.
The Women in IT Awards have
named Jessica a inalist for the
Digital Leader of the Year. MARsum
USA has recognized her as one of
the Top 100 Marketing &
Advertising Leaders. In recognition
of her work with Valux Digital, The
Female CEO of the Year Awards
recognized her as the Best Digital
Marketing & Public Relations
Agency CEO. The Global100 Awards
have also named Jessica CEO of the
Year.
Through her extensive digital
experience in pharmaceutical,
healthcare and biotechnological,
Jessica has been named as the
authorized digital transformation
advisor for the Rare Advocacy
Movement (RAM), the irst
community-based decentralized
autonomous organization dedicated
to the best interests of people
diagnosed with life altering rare
diseases and their families.
About the
Author
IN – FOCUS

Diversity And
Inclusion,
Or Beauty But
Not The Beast
Written By: Dr. Thomas J. Bussen
The industrialist Andrew Carnegie once said, "Teamwork is
the ability to work together toward a common vision. The
ability to direct individual accomplishments toward
organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people
to attain uncommon results.”
True, perhaps, but not always so. Teams can also lead otherwise
productive individuals to wither and burn, to crack, break, and
shatter. What distinguishes Carnegie's hopeful team's outcomes
from the dreary and painful?
To be sure, teamwork is a complex, multi-faceted phenomenon,
and so explanations for team outcomes bely a singular
explanation. And yet, in an ever more global world, the diversity
of teams – or its lack thereof – is a vital predictor of team success.
Does then diversity improve team performance, or does it harm
team performance? Somewhat unfortunately, “yes” seems the best
answer. Before exploring the ways in which diversity may both
harm and help a team, a brief excursion to consider exactly what
is meant by diversity is useful.
E X P E R T O P I N I O N S
36 EXELEON MAGAZINE

UT Austin's David Harrison and colleagues
conceptualize diversity at the surface level and at
the deep level. Surface level diversity is that
diversity which is quickly and readily apparent.
This is the diversity of the young and the wizened
coming coming together, the accents of different
ethnicities, the visible manifestations of gender or
race.
By contrast, deep level diversity is rather sneakier
– a team may exhibit very little surface level
diversity but may over time come to recognize its
differences across various psycho-social
spectrums. You are an extrovert; I an introvert. His
values differ from her values, her behaviors are at
odds with his. These deep level differences may
be invisible during early interactions, but the
longer a team works together, the more familiar
each becomes of the others' little peccadillos.
THE DOUBLE-EDGED SWORDS OF DIVERSITY
At irst glance it may appear that surface level
differences ought to cause teams the biggest
headaches. And indeed, they do. In the absence of
signi icant deep level differences, however, the
timeline is brief. Imagine that you and I come
together with a kaleidoscope of surface level
differences – differences in age, gender,
nationality, religion, perhaps even different roles
and responsibilities in the organization. The
similarity-attraction theory holds that initially, we
may not much take to one another.
This theory proposes that we humans tend to
prefer that which is similar, and to disdain that
which is different (lest we judge our species too
harshly, suf ice it to say that this preference has
evolutionary roots, roots which arguably serve us
less with each globalizing day).
But then imagine that as it happens, our surface
levels differences mask deep level similarities. We
both are big St. Louis Cardinals baseball fans; we
support the same national politicians; our sense
of morality overlaps; and heck, we both love
cruise ships despite their icky reputation. Before
long, the two of us are getting along splendidly,
having long ago intuited that those surface level
differences matter little amidst similarities that go
38 EXELEON MAGAZINE

more to our senses of identity.
What really matters, therefore, are those surface
level differences. Take the reverse situation.
Initially two teammates seem to have much in
common at the surface level. Similarity attraction
bias acts to magnetically attract the two, and all
assume a friendship or at least collegial
relationship is fast budding. But as deep level
difference after deep level difference rises to the
surface, the relationship begins to fray.
The research offers us this, therefore: surface level
differences initially disrupt team harmony, but over
time matters less and less. By contrast, deep level
differences initially matter little, but disrupt team
harmony more over time.
The takeaway may appear obvious: to avoid deep
level differences. Alas, such a takeaway would
ignore a vital strand of research. That while deep
level differences do indeed tend to harm teams,
they also tend to improve team outcomes much
more than does surface level diversity.
All of that deep level diversity allows team
members to learn from one another, to better
explore decision making paradigms, and to
exchange a greater quantity and quality of
information. In and of itself, for instance,
differences in team members' ages or ethnicities
offer little; but when those differences in age and
ethnicity lead to dramatically juxtaposing life
experiences, or when other deep level differences
do so, now the team has a rather more diverse set
of opinions and ideas to view decisions from all
perspectives.
The problem is that deep level differences may
prevent the sort of communication needed to
leverage such learning opportunities. Similarly,
surface level differences may prevent team
members from learning enough about one
another to recognize that despite their surface
level differences, and perhaps despite deep level
differences, they also have deep level similarities.
The challenge for teams, therefore, is to avoid the
potential con licts arising from diversity, and to
thereby gain access to the goldmine that is a

deeply diverse team. The Similarity-
Attraction Bias offers insights as to how,
exactly, we can do this.
WEAPONIZING THE SIMILARITY-
ATTRACTION BIAS
I spoke to Doug Mattheus, the senior
marketing executive at telecommunications
company Cell C until 2019, and now an
independent consultant and professor at
Nelson Mandela University. He explained to
me that while working for Firestone Tire in
post-Apartheid South Africa, during the
heady days surrounding Nelson Mandela's
election to President, Firestone provided
diversity training to its employees. Mattheus
explains that a psychologist divided the
group into partners based on surface level
differences: this man with that woman, that
white South African with that black South
African, and so forth.
Then, the trainer asked the partners to
converse and aim to discover what
characteristics they held in common. While
all of the partners engaged in the activity,
Mattheus recalls two individuals in
particular. These two individuals were
over lowing with surface level differences:
one male and one female, one a white and
one a black South African, one a senior
organizational member and the other a low-
level worker. But now both were crying.
30-odd years later, Mattheus felt the
goosebumps rising as he tells the story. It
turned out that the partnered professionals
were each the parent of a developmentally
disabled child. Did their surface level
differences matter in the face of this
realization? Of course not. They now shared
something, something deep, that far
exceeded the import of such surface levels
characteristics.
This is the similarity-attraction bias at work
for us. Far from allowing the bias to
manipulate us into a place of separation, that
psychologist working for Cell C leveraged
the bias by helping trainees to identify
similarities that would prove more
important than differences.
The psychologist Jonathan Haidt, similarly,
advised that surface level differences may be
“drowned in a sea of similarities.” He was
correct, in part. We ought indeed to highlight
similarities, though to “drown” our
differences may not quite hit the mark.
Rather, we ought to highlight similarities,
but use the similarity-attraction bias to
create the space for embracing differences,
too. Only then do we facilitate a working
relationship that is based on mutual
attraction, while also learning and bene iting
from each other's differences.
While Mattheus' story is powerful, it is
admittedly anecdotal. As researchers like to
say, it has an n of 1 - a sample size of just one
person, hardly suf icient to generalize at
large. Psychologist Jerry Burger tested this
proposition, however, and his indings are
perhaps even more provocative.
In the study, research participants complete
a psychological survey, which they are made
to believe is the focus of the study. The real
study, however, came later – as participants
were exiting the study, another would-be
study participant working undercover for
the researchers asked if the participant
would be willing to read his 8-page essay,
providing one page of feedback within 24
hours. Somewhat surprisingly, 48% agreed.
This represented the control group. A
second group of participants were subjected
to the same procedure, but during the
purported psychological study were told
that they shared a Type-E ingerprint with
another research participant. This is not
surprising, they were told; approximately
80% of the population has Type-E
ingerprints. Leaving the research study
later, lo and behold their ingerprint twin
comes approaching – asking as before
whether the participant would review his
eight-page paper and return the notes
40 EXELEON MAGAZINE

within 24 hours. This time, 55% agree – a
slight increase but not a statistically
signi icant one.
The real breakthrough came in study
three. This time, the participant is again
told that he shares type-E ingerprints
with the undercover research participant,
but now he is told that only 2% of the
population has these same prints.
Approached to review the essay by the
ingerprint friend, now a full 82% agree to
review the essay.
The study suggests that, as Wharton's
Adam Grant once put it, we don't simply
highlight commonalities. We highlight
“uncommon commonalities”. Paired with
Mattheus' story from Cell C, we might also
seek to highlight important commonalities
(which presumably the Type-E
ingerprints were not).
In creating the terms by which team
members may communicate and
recognize uncommon commonalities, and
important ones too, organizations play a
key role. The risk is that employees never
reach this vital place of communication,
and this is most likely to happen when
employees are too blinded by their
prejudices and stereotypes to recognize
the multitude of commonalities that all of
us humans inevitably share.
Organizations, therefore, ought to play an
active role in facilitating an environment
not just of diversity, but of diversity and
inclusion. An inclusive environment is one
in which cultural and other diﬀerences are
embraced; in which diﬀerences are seen
as opportunities for learning, for personal
growth, and for achieving excellence. By
championing diversity, by ensuring
employees recognize the potential value
when opting into diverse teams, the
foundation is laid for just the sort of
breakthroughs seen by Mattheus, and in
the Burger study.
About the Author:
Dr. Thomas J. Bussen, with a Doctorate of
Busines Administration, JD, and MBA, is an
Assistant Teaching Professor at Miami
University in Oxford, Ohio, and a cross-cultural
management scholar. He is the author of
several cross-cultural books, including
Shaping the Global Leader (2019).
His latest book, Enlightened Self Interest:
Individualism, Community, and the Common
Good (coming in 2023, Georgetown University
Press), makes the case for a more inclusive
and globally minded professional ideology.
42 EXELEON MAGAZINE

How to win at
entrepreneurship
a n d parenting
want to be honest about
Isomething I haven't shared
before.
I've got two kids — age 3 and age
20 months.
And I coach some incredible
entrepreneurs who are also
parents.
We all want to win at
entrepreneurship and at parenting
— without compromising our
success or sanity — so how can we
do it?
The same solution comes up:
WORK. LESS. IN. YOUR. BUSINESS.
Yes, you need to work less hours if
you want to win at
entrepreneurship and parenting.
Hear me out.
We need to screw the idea that you
can work the exact same as before
you had kids and everything in life
will be smooth sailing.
You'd be lying to yourself or you're
actually not there for your kids or
for your partner or for yourself.
HERE'S ARE 8 WAYS TO WORK
LESS WHILE GROWING YOUR
BUSINESS:
1. Double your prices and cut your
clients in half.
2. Finally stop F***ing around half
the day and focus.
3. Hire a team member (or 100)
and delegate the small stuﬀ that
doesn't move the needle.
44 EXELEON MAGAZINE
IN – FOCUS

Tracy
Livingstone
46 EXELEON MAGAZINE
IN – FOCUS

1. Stay in your zone of genius. Do work
that matters. Do work that brings in the
money!
2. Fire sh** clients and people that don't
add value to your life.
3. Work a 4-hour day (or week) in peak
performance, low-states, and elevated
emotion.
4. Automate as much as possible.
5. Understand that being easy on
yourself, taking time off, sending your
kids to day-care, sharing parenting
duties, is completely normal and
necessary. Do it more often.
BEFORE KIDS, I WORKED ALL THE TIME
MAINLY TO FILL UP MY LIFE.
I'd bum around London to coffeeshops,
networking events, coaching at all hours of
the day, coming home late at night.
I loved it.
And then in my irst four years of business
— I had two kids. That comes to 32 months
(!!) out of 48 months experiencing
pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and
postpartum recovery.
I stopped being an all-hours entrepreneur.
I stopped illing up my time with stuff that
didn't move the needle.
And I implemented these 8 solutions that
allowed me to increase my revenues every
year.
I don't work on Fridays. I'm with my boys
5+ hours every day. And I sleep 8 hours at
night.
WHY NOT DESIGN THE NEXT CHAPTER
OF YOUR LIFE FROM A PLACE OF
STRENGTH? POSSIBILITY?
UPLEVELING?
That's how you will win at
entrepreneurship and parenting.
What do you think? Agree or disagree?
Email me at tracey@livlitceo.com to share
what does it take to win at
entrepreneurship and parenting, from your
perspective? I'd love to hear your
experience and wisdom.
ABOUT TRACEY LIVINGSTON
Tracey Livingston Howard is the Co-
founder of Liv.Lit! and is a coach for high-
growth entrepreneurs and trainer in
con lict resolution. Her coaching
philosophy blends the science of peak
performance with spirituality because she
believes that: "leading a high growth
company requires a high-growth version of
you."
She has coached and trained over 2,500
people across 31 countries in 5 years. Her
roster of clients include: LVMH Moët
Hennessy Louis Vuitton, CVC Capital
Partners, Deloitte, numerous YPO
Members, Corporate Connections
Members, and Forbes 30 Under 30
members.
Tracey is joyfully the mother to two young
boys, Liam and Henry, and her husband
Chris is also the Co-Founder and CFO of
Liv.Lit!. She loves reading, writing, and
running by the ocean at her current place
of residence, Curacao.

M
48 EXELEON MAGAZINE
IN – FOCUS

Moss Guru
meet the
What was the idea that led to the start
of Moss Pure? What was the market gap
that you wanted to address?
I founded Moss Pure during a startup
competition at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology in June 2020, called the MIT
Lebanon Challenge. Moss Pure won First
Place Startup in the competition in Track
1B Health, Energy, and Waste
Management. From there, the United
Nations invited me to compete in their
Development Programme in August 2020,
where it won the Top 10 Startup.
During the competition, I realized that
moss has several bene its. But there
weren't many companies that were using
live moss. Most moss companies use
preserved moss or dried moss, which are
no longer living. Because preserved and
dried moss are no longer living, they are
not able to improve air quality as only live
moss can.
In talking with customers and scientists, I
found that:
1. No other company was able to use moss
as an eﬀective air ilter.
2. No other company was able to keep live
moss alive in indoor environments for
more than a few days.
3. Existing living walls and moss walls
used a great amount of water and
electricity and were bulky and required
time to assemble.
Using engineering and biology, I created
the irst and only live moss design that
improves your air quality and provides
therapeutic relief without needing any
watering, sunlight, or maintenance. I
wanted to create an aesthetically pleasing,
yet simple decor piece that anyone could
use in their everyday, modern space.
How Jamie Mitri used engineering and biology to create the first and only
live moss artwork that improves your air quality – Moss Pure.
IN – FOCUS

Talk to us about the science that went
behind the creation of the product.
A great deal of science is used in the creation of
our products. We are not simply just putting
moss on a wall frame. Although I have a strong
science background, I spent months and many
hours doing hands on research with moss to
engineer Moss Pure.
I formulated a multi-layered design of eco-
friendly materials that sustain the moss within
our product in any environment – indoor and
outdoor. Because of this, our products do not
need watering, sunlight, or electricity. Our
proprietary technology extends the life of live
moss from days to years. The multi-layer also
works in synergy with the live moss, so that the
moss uses toxic pollutants in the air as its food
source, therefore improving your air quality. Air
purifying plants take decades to purify the
surrounding air. Moss Pure's technology
enhances the air iltering capability of live
moss.
We are the only company that has certi ied
analytical results showing that our live moss
products improve your air quality within
minutes, capturing carbon dioxide, dust,
allergens, pet dander, VOC, metals and certain
bacteria and viruses.
I also worked with 150 customers in the U.S.,
gathering feedback on the aesthetics of our
design. I conducted prototype, alpha, and beta
testing with our customers to create the inal
Moss Pure products you see in our online store
today.
As the Moss Guru, what role do you play in
the day-to-day proceedings of the company?
I'm a very hands-on CEO. I am involved in every
aspect of the business in some way – whether
it's working with a customer on a custom moss
wall, helping assemble our products, pitching to
a distributor, sales, marketing, PR, accounting,
inances – you name it and I'm doing it or have
50 EXELEON MAGAZINE
IN – FOCUS

done it. I am able to combine my passion for
science and fashion and interior design every
day and I'm stepping out of my comfort zone
to grow the business.
Looking at your journey as an
entrepreneur, if you were to start again,
what would you do differently?
Absolutely nothing. Every milestone, every
mistake, every failure, and every success
accompanied a learning lesson, and I wouldn't
take any of it back. It has been such a
rewarding and amazing experience, even on
the crazy days.
What would be your advice for emerging
entrepreneurs bringing-in new and
innovative sustainable solutions?
Being an entrepreneur and launching a
business is dif icult in itself – let alone
creating an innovative product in an existing
market. When you create such an innovative
product, you have to make sure your
messaging is right so that you capture
people's attention and then you have to clearly
explain why you are different from your
competition. It's incredibly challenging but if
you know it's worth the risk and you are
consistent, the business will grow and
everything that you've worked so hard for will
pay off – and it is such an amazing feeling.
Finally, what does the future look like for
you and Moss Pure? What are you most
excited about?
I'm excited to get the word out about the
company and expand it. Moss Pure has such a
positive impact and story and I want to share
it with the world. We are also always learning
and growing, and we are releasing new
products with feedback from our customers.
My creative and intellectual mind is always at
work coming up with something and I love it.
IN – FOCUS

Interview with
ReShonda
Parker
Model & Entrepreneur
Can you please introduce yourself and your background as a woman entrepreneur.
Hi! Mt name is ReShonda and I am a 45 year young mother of 3 beautiful children ages 24,
19 and 11!
I have been a professional fashion model for 20 plus years now. I also create one of a kind
and custom jewelry pieces and I've been a vendor at an open-air market for 6 years now.
The name of my jewelry business is " Sugar"!
I also enjoy cosplay modeling where I become diﬀerent characters from X- Men's Storm to
Morticia Addams! I've always been a creative and because I have a background in fashion as
well, I create costumes. I have always loved jewelry and decided to start my own business
back in 2012. It was so amazing to see people get excited about my work and even more
exciting to see them wear my pieces!
Talk to us about your brand. What is the nature of your service or solution?
My business " Sugar " is an accessory business where I create quirky, fun, classy, one of a
RAW AND BOLD
54 EXELEON MAGAZINE

kind pieces that speak to the wearer.
Being a woman entrepreneur, what are
some of the biggest challenges that you
faced in your journey?
One of the challenges I faced was not so
much being a woman as it was competing
with big chain stores that people already
knew about. It was a little dif icult starting
out because not everyone will see your
vision, but I put in a lot of work to get my
name out there. Also sometimes being a
woman, people may not take you seriously.
You have to just show them diﬀerent.
What according to you makes one an
empowering woman?
A woman who stays true to self and
doesn't allow others to sway her from her
dreams. Someone who has been through
many struggles and at the end of it still
stands. A woman who lives by example,
relies on God, and doesn't give up when
things get hard.
What would be your advice for aspiring
and emerging women entrepreneurs?
Follow your heart and chase your dreams.
Give it your all and do what you love. It'll
never feel like work. I also say do your
research, never stop learning. And pray
often.
Where do you see your business or your
brand in the near future?
I see myself doing bigger things with my
modeling because I enjoy networking at all
my events. I want to start an organization
to help young girls and women do what
they are passionate about and to never
stop striving to be their best. I also want
my jewelry to be in those big stores I use
to look in for jewelry!
RAW AND BOLD

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Briana Dai | Empowering Women Leaders to Watch in 2023 | Exeleon

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