Cathy Erway on Learning Passions From Role Model Grandparents

In Chapter 1 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Were Your Grandparents Like and How Did They Influence Your Development?" Erway shares how one grandfather shared his appreciation for music and writing poetry with his grandchildren, influencing their artistic education path. Her other grandfather showed Erway an appreciation for having a passion for cooking and gardening.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Cathy Erway on Developing a Recipe Writing Style

In Chapter 5 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "When Did You First Become Interested in Writing Recipes?" As a food blogger, Erway learns to appreciate how her viewers like recipes for her food blog posts. Over time, she develops a layered recipe writing style to find her voice in the words and images she uses to showcase her dishes.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Cathy Erway on Why to Question and Confront Status Quo Thinking

In Chapter 18 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Has Experience Taught You About How to Better Manage Confrontation?" Erway shares how confronting another person on a point of view is too often seen as a negative and should also be viewed as a positive. She shares why it is good to challenge and confront conventional thinking and how a resulting debate can be healthy. She shares an exaple of writing a blog about not eating out and challenging conventional thinking around dinners, dating, birthdays and weddings.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Phil McKenzie: Why High Confidence is Key to Entrepreneurial Success

In Chapter 13 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Phil McKenzie answers "What Role Does Confidence Play in the Work That You Do?" McKenzie notes confidence is everything. When selling his ideas to potential clients and partners, McKenzie notes being highly confident in what you are doing and why you are doing it is essential to influence others to understand you and commit to you. That confidence can take you over the top and go from having others appreciate what you do to having others want to be part of what you do.

Philip L. McKenzie is the Founder of Influencer Conference, a global content platform that brings together tastemakers in the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology to discuss influencer culture. Previously, he led an influencer marketing agency and was an equities trader at Goldman, Sachs & Co. He earned an MBA from Duke University and a BBA from Howard University.

Phil McKenzie on How to Handle a Confrontational Conversation

In Chapter 15 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Phil McKenzie answers "What Has Experience Taught You About How to Better Manage Confrontation?" McKenzie shares what he has learned about turning a confrontational conversation into a positive experience. He finds making a point clearly and also removing any connotation of a personal attack allows the confrontation to turn into a constructively critical dialogue.

Philip L. McKenzie is the Founder of Influencer Conference, a global content platform that brings together tastemakers in the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology to discuss influencer culture. Previously, he led an influencer marketing agency and was an equities trader at Goldman, Sachs & Co. He earned an MBA from Duke University and a BBA from Howard University.

Jullien Gordon on Lessons Learned Building a Personal Brand

In Chapter 10 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, business coach and public speaker Jullien Gordon answers "How Has Building Your Personal Brand Opened New Opportunities in Your Career?" Gordon shares why building a brand is fundamentally based on sharing who you are and being authentic about it. It's not about putting on a show, it's about being yourself. From there, it comes down to work - from writing a blog to self-publishing a book to even a Capture Your Flag video. Each way, on its own, connects with people to build brand awareness and, collectively, tells the personal brand story. 

Jullien Gordon is a business coach and consultant to organizations, individuals and teams who want to increase performance, motivation, engagement and retention. Gordon is also a public speaker on career planning for colleges, conferences, and corporations. He earned a BA from UCLA and MBA and M. Ed degrees from Stanford University. 

Jullien Gordon on Building Advanced Public Speaking Skills

In Chapter 15 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, business coach and public speaker Jullien Gordon answers "How Are You Improving Your Public Speaking Skills as You Gain Experience?" After taking storytelling classes and comedy classes to improve public speaking skills, Gordon improves more by researching his audience before speaking to them. By understanding audience experience, values, needs and expectations, Gordon can tailor a presentation, speech or talk that best resonates with listeners.

Jullien Gordon is a business coach and consultant to organizations, individuals and teams who want to increase performance, motivation, engagement and retention. Gordon is also a public speaker on career planning for colleges, conferences, and corporations. He earned a BA from UCLA and MBA and M. Ed degrees from Stanford University. 

Hammans Stallings on Building Storytelling Skills in a Strategy Job

In Chapter 8 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, strategist and management consultant Hammans Stallings answers "What Skills Are You Using More as Your Career Advances?" Stallings finds that he currently is focusing more on storytelling skills and less on analytics in his strategist work at frog design. The storytelling helps him improve group-based critical thinking needed to visualize a client problem to formulate a strategy.

Hammans Stallings is a Principal Strategist at frog design. Previously Stallings worked in strategy at Dell and investment banking at Stephens. He earned an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, a MS in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas and a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Hammans Stallings: Presentation Preparation Advice for Storytellers

In Chapter 9 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, strategist and management consultant Hammans Stallings answers "How Are You Learning to Give More Effective Presentations?" Stallings shares how making a presentation more effective starts with preparing your story so that the basic elements you are trying to share are clearly communicated. From here, Stallings finds a sincere excitement about the material elevate the storytelling process.  Doing these two things well increases the probability the audience will embrace the material, find themselves in the story, and share the message.

Hammans Stallings is a Principal Strategist at frog design. Previously Stallings worked in strategy at Dell and investment banking at Stephens. He earned an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, a MS in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas and a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Matt Curtis on How to Use Positivity to Give More Helpful Feedback

In Chapter 16 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Matt Curtis answers "What Type of Feedback Do You Respond to Best?" Curtis finds he responds best to feedback that acknowledges his work, is frequently given and is done in a positive tone. Whether it is about something he could do better or something he has done well, Curtis finds these three feedback elements motivate him best at work.

Matt Curtis is the director of government relations at HomeAway Inc. Previously he was deputy to Austin mayors Lee Leffingwell and Will Wynn. He has represented the City of Austin at the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities. In 2011, Curtis joined the Harvard Kennedy School Urban Policy Advisory Board to work on national best practices facing American cities. He earned his bachelor's degree in radio, television and film from the University of North Texas. 

Matt Curtis on Why Transparency is Key to Collaboration Success

In Chapter 19 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Matt Curtis answers "What Have You Found to Be the Keys to Creating Successful Project Collaborations?" Curtis finds the key to a successful project collaboration is being transparent. For Curtis, transparency opens a collaborative conversation or negotiation more directly toward moving forward with a solutions-focused outcome.

Matt Curtis is the director of government relations at HomeAway Inc. Previously he was deputy to Austin mayors Lee Leffingwell and Will Wynn. He has represented the City of Austin at the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities. In 2011, Curtis joined the Harvard Kennedy School Urban Policy Advisory Board to work on national best practices facing American cities. He earned his bachelor's degree in radio, television and film from the University of North Texas. 

Bijoy Goswami on Rethinking What It Means to Be an Entrepreneur

In Chapter 10 of 17 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, community leader Bijoy Goswami answers "What is a Journey Entrepreneur and How is One Different Than a Traditional Entrepreneur?" Goswami shares two definitions of what it means to be an entrepreneur. The first is the opportunistic entrepreneur who sees a strategic opportunity to make money and pursues that by starting a company. The second is what Goswami terms a "Journey Entrepreneur" who seeks to express himself or herself in the most clear way possible while fully embracing a motivating passion. He shares how Christian Louboutin, Steve Jobs and Richard Branson all represent journey entrepreneurs who stay true to values and seek to express themselves by following their passion.

Bijoy Goswami is a writer, teacher, and community leader based in Austin, Texas. He develops learning models to help individuals, organizations and communities live more meaningfully. Previously, he co-founded Aviri Software after working at Trilogy Software. Goswami graduated from Stanford University. 

Bijoy Goswami on How to Receive Feedback by Communicating Better

In Chapter 15 of 17 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, community leader Bijoy Goswami answers "What Type of Feedback Do You Respond to Best?" Goswami finds he can receive feedback best when others clearly understand what he is trying to do. This requires him to put a greater emphasis on communicating clearly and effectively to be understood so the feedback can be relevant and targeted.

Bijoy Goswami is a writer, teacher, and community leader based in Austin, Texas. He develops learning models to help individuals, organizations and communities live more meaningfully. Previously, he co-founded Aviri Software after working at Trilogy Software. Goswami graduated from Stanford University. 

Audrey French on Deciding When to Move in With Your Partner

In Chapter 1 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, new mother Audrey Parker French answers "How Did You Manage the Transition of Moving in With Your Partner?" French shares how she and her boyfriend had conversations around taking their relationship to the next level. They agree it makes sense to move in together as a next step toward eventually getting married while not putting too much pressure on the relationship and let it develop naturally over time.

Audrey Parker French is a new mother living with her husband and son in Austin, Texas. Before leaving work to focus on family, French co-founded CLEAResult, an energy management consulting firm she helped grow to #144 on the 2010 Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies and then sell to General Catalyst Partners. She graduated from Wake Forest University. 

Courtney Spence on How to Give More Thoughtful Feedback

In Chapter 9 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, nonprofit CEO Courtney Spence answers "What Type of Feedback Do You Respond to Best?" Spence finds feedback is best - thoughtful, purposeful, actionable - when it does not come with an agenda or a bias not specific to the situation. She finds people love to give advice but that often translates into them talking about their experiences. Spence finds effective feedback is more about the recipient and than the person giving feedback.

Courtney Spence is founder and CEO of Students of the World, a nonprofit empowering a diverse network of student and emerging filmmakers to apply storytelling skills in purposeful work. She is also the Founder and CEO of CSpence group, a creative agency building millennial-focused content and programs for brands. Spence earned a BA from Duke University. 

How to Use Storytelling to Increase Brand Awareness and Product Sales

In Chapter 9 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Randall Metting answers "What Role Does Storytelling Play in Your Brand Development Work?" Metting shares how he uses story to build brand awareness and differentiate his product from competitors.

Randall Metting is a brand development and marketing manager at Dulce Vida Spirits in Austin, Texas. Over 17 years, he has built brands in spirits, luxury real estate and lifestyle, music, and sports industries. He has been a radio personality at KGSR Radio and a marketer at a hyperlocal startup acquired by NBC Universal. Metting earned a BA in Advertising from the University of Florida and started his career at The Coca-Cola Company. 

andall Metting on How to Design a Better Trade Show Booth Experience

In Chapter 13 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Randall Metting answers "What Have You Found to Be the Keys to Creating Successful Project Collaborations?" Metting shares how he worked with his team and trade show staff to create a fresh, innovative booth experience for his product, Dulce Vida tequila. By building a faux tequila distillery, Metting is able to provide consumers a more memorable branded experience.

Randall Metting is a brand development and marketing manager at Dulce Vida Spirits in Austin, Texas. Over 17 years, he has built brands in spirits, luxury real estate and lifestyle, music, and sports industries. He has been a radio personality at KGSR Radio and a marketer at a hyperlocal startup acquired by NBC Universal. Metting earned a BA in Advertising from the University of Florida and started his career at The Coca-Cola Company. 

Matt Ruby on Learning to Act in a Comedy Web Series

In Chapter 6 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, standup comedian and Vooza founder Matt Ruby answers "How Have You Approached the Process of Becoming an Actor and Acting in a Comedy Series?" Ruby shares how he has transitioned from performing on stage as a standup to acting on film for a web series. After taking Meisner acting classes, Ruby learns by doing and working through the process of acting in Vooza webisodes. He finds acting on camera more nuanced than performing on stage in front of audiences and adjusts his approach accordingly.

Matt Ruby is a standup comedian based in New York City. He also founded Vooza, on online comic strip web series that makes fun of tech startup culture. As an actor, director, writer and producer, Ruby leads the creative direction for the team. Before his comedy career, Matt was employee #1 at 37Signals. He graduated from Northwestern University.