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  • Go Mighty’s 31 Days of Inspiring Women, #22: Fiona Tang Meet Fiona, community builder extraordinaire. She’s co-founder of Signal Camp, a consultancy helping startups with community building and marketing strategy, and has previously worked with the Computer History Museum, Foodspotting and others. She’s a former Sydney-sider, and loves sharing fun and food. So, Fiona, what’s your story?  I’ve always been passionate about people and connections - and I’ve been lucky enough to build my career on those basic concepts in areas like marketing, communications and community. Having moved from Sydney to California right before my college years, I blame my constant search of new experiences on that big inspiring change. Now I thrive on traveling to different countries and learning new things as often as I can. My current obsession is baking sourdough bread - you’d think that bread baking would be straightforward enough, but it’s really a whole series of techniques to master.   How did you get where you are today? This may sound like a cliche but my two mantras “trust your gut” and “why not…?” have been instrumental in getting me to where I am today. I think about this quite a bit, because I truly love where I’ve ended up and I appreciate how I’ve gotten here. When it comes to every step in my career and the friends I’ve made along the way, I’ve always counted on those two statements. As for where I want to go from here, I’m using my Life List as a consistent guide but aim to gain new experiences through traveling with friends and making things with friends. Turning what I normally love to do on my own into collaborative experiences, means for richer, more interesting and unpredictable outcomes. Tell us a bit more about these ten goals from your life list. What’s the inspiration behind the goals you chose?  I’ve been particularly inspired by the Life List movement for two reasons: 1) I’m super duper goal-motivated, and 2) I’ve always had a Life List of sorts, though it felt more like a to-do list with deadlines. The GoMighty Life List has taught me to include things both big and small and check them off whenever I want - I can honestly say this approach never really occurred to me! Some of my goals are things that I’m afraid to do - like learning to swim, which Go Mighty has already made possible. Other things on my Life List are aspirations and things I can’t wait to make or to experience in travels. Any advice for others on how to stay motivated/focused on achieving their goals?  I’m a big sharer, so the best advice that I have for achieving goals is to share them with as many people as possible. It keeps you accountable, but also allows people to help you make them a reality too. Also, check in on your goals often for two reasons: 1) life gets busy and it’s hard to achieve your goals if you don’t remember them; and 2) your goals may have changed since you last looked (mine certainly have!), it only makes sense that if you’re constantly changing and growing, that your goals will be changing and growing too. Follow Fiona’s journey through completing her Life List here.  Want to make a Life List of your own? Easy—join the Go Mighty community here.  (Photo by Jessica Zollman)

    Go Mighty’s 31 Days of Inspiring Women, #22: Fiona Tang

    Meet Fiona, community builder extraordinaire. She’s co-founder of Signal Camp, a consultancy helping startups with community building and marketing strategy, and has previously worked with the Computer History Museum, Foodspotting and others. She’s a former Sydney-sider, and loves sharing fun and food.

    So, Fiona, what’s your story? 

    I’ve always been passionate about people and connections - and I’ve been lucky enough to build my career on those basic concepts in areas like marketing, communications and community. Having moved from Sydney to California right before my college years, I blame my constant search of new experiences on that big inspiring change. Now I thrive on traveling to different countries and learning new things as often as I can. My current obsession is baking sourdough bread - you’d think that bread baking would be straightforward enough, but it’s really a whole series of techniques to master.  

    How did you get where you are today?

    This may sound like a cliche but my two mantras “trust your gut” and “why not…?” have been instrumental in getting me to where I am today. I think about this quite a bit, because I truly love where I’ve ended up and I appreciate how I’ve gotten here. When it comes to every step in my career and the friends I’ve made along the way, I’ve always counted on those two statements. As for where I want to go from here, I’m using my Life List as a consistent guide but aim to gain new experiences through traveling with friends and making things with friends. Turning what I normally love to do on my own into collaborative experiences, means for richer, more interesting and unpredictable outcomes.

    Tell us a bit more about these ten goals from your life list. What’s the inspiration behind the goals you chose? 

    I’ve been particularly inspired by the Life List movement for two reasons: 1) I’m super duper goal-motivated, and 2) I’ve always had a Life List of sorts, though it felt more like a to-do list with deadlines. The GoMighty Life List has taught me to include things both big and small and check them off whenever I want - I can honestly say this approach never really occurred to me! Some of my goals are things that I’m afraid to do - like learning to swim, which Go Mighty has already made possible. Other things on my Life List are aspirations and things I can’t wait to make or to experience in travels.

    Any advice for others on how to stay motivated/focused on achieving their goals? 

    I’m a big sharer, so the best advice that I have for achieving goals is to share them with as many people as possible. It keeps you accountable, but also allows people to help you make them a reality too. Also, check in on your goals often for two reasons: 1) life gets busy and it’s hard to achieve your goals if you don’t remember them; and 2) your goals may have changed since you last looked (mine certainly have!), it only makes sense that if you’re constantly changing and growing, that your goals will be changing and growing too.

    Follow Fiona’s journey through completing her Life List here. 

    Want to make a Life List of your own? Easy—join the Go Mighty community here. 

    (Photo by Jessica Zollman)

    Source: helenaprice.com
    • 3 hours ago
  • Go Mighty’s 31 Days of Inspiring Women, #21: Sharon Radisch Meet Sharon, a photographer currently based in NYC. She’s originally from southern New Jersey (Philadelphia area) and has lived in NYC for 6 years. She’s also lived in Paris and have traveled throughout Europe, South America, India and Japan. Earlier this year, Sharon made the jump into full-time photography, and mostly recently won a grant to complete her newest photography project in Hong Kong. You can follow her photographic adventures on Instagram at @cacahuete_sr.  So, Sharon, what’s your story? I am a photographer based in New York City. I’ve lived in New York City for a total of 6 years. I am lucky enough to have called Paris home for a few years and to have traveled throughout Europe, South America, India and Japan. I am also a coffee drinker and a fashion and design enthusiast. It is interesting to see how life’s paths, though roundabout, can lead us to where we are supposed to be. I graduated from college with a degree in Biology/pre-medical studies and with a slew of French classes under my belt. My science background and my knowledge of the French Language, helped me get accepted to the University Pierre et Marie Curie, in Paris, where I completed my Masters Degree in Biology and Integrative Physiology. This experience allowed me to live for over two years in Paris and to become fluent in French, which was always a dream of mine. Obtaining my Masters lead me back to New York City, where I accepted a job doing clinical research. This job enabled me to stay in New York City, where I was able to work on my photography. My love of photography surpassed anything and everything, leading me to make the decision to become a freelance photographer. If someone asked me, 9 years ago when I graduated college, where I thought I’d be today, my answer then would have been very different from where I actually am today; however, I would not have changed anything, as this path lead me to be the person I am and to where I am today. With this in mind, I suppose I can’t exactly say where I see myself in the upcoming years; I can say that I hope I’m still creating, shooting, collaborating and traveling. Tell us a bit more about these ten goals from your life list. What’s the inspiration behind the goals you chose? The goals that I chose for my list are mainly centered on doing activities in NYC and traveling. Traveling and seeing the world is one of the most important things to me. I have traveled throughout Europe (Western, Central and Eastern), South America, India and Japan. I would love to return to Asia and backpack throughout China, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. I’d also really like to return to South America and travel through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile.  Since, I have so many stories from my travels, one of my goals is to publish a travel-related story or essay one day.  I would also love to live abroad again and to learn a third language. As far as my NYC goals, I’d really like to try every coffee shop in the NYC area and attend latte art and cupping classes. I also really want to attend New York Fashion Week in the near future. Any advice for others on how to stay motivated/focused on achieving their goals?  I’m a firm believer that if you want to accomplish something, you do it. I’ve made lists and goals before and it’s helped me organize my thoughts and priorities and has helped give me a general direction; however, when it comes down to it, having the drive, determination, work ethic, and getting past any fears is what has helped me achieve the goals that I have so far. That means working through the downfalls and the unexpected, constantly having the end goal in sight and not being afraid to take an unexpected route to get there. Follow Sharon’s journey through completing her Life List here.  Want to make a Life List of your own? Easy—join the Go Mighty community here.  (Photo by Sharon Radisch)

    Go Mighty’s 31 Days of Inspiring Women, #21: Sharon Radisch

    Meet Sharon, a photographer currently based in NYC. She’s originally from southern New Jersey (Philadelphia area) and has lived in NYC for 6 years. She’s also lived in Paris and have traveled throughout Europe, South America, India and Japan. Earlier this year, Sharon made the jump into full-time photography, and mostly recently won a grant to complete her newest photography project in Hong Kong. You can follow her photographic adventures on Instagram at @cacahuete_sr. 

    So, Sharon, what’s your story?

    I am a photographer based in New York City. I’ve lived in New York City for a total of 6 years. I am lucky enough to have called Paris home for a few years and to have traveled throughout Europe, South America, India and Japan. I am also a coffee drinker and a fashion and design enthusiast.

    It is interesting to see how life’s paths, though roundabout, can lead us to where we are supposed to be. I graduated from college with a degree in Biology/pre-medical studies and with a slew of French classes under my belt. My science background and my knowledge of the French Language, helped me get accepted to the University Pierre et Marie Curie, in Paris, where I completed my Masters Degree in Biology and Integrative Physiology. This experience allowed me to live for over two years in Paris and to become fluent in French, which was always a dream of mine. Obtaining my Masters lead me back to New York City, where I accepted a job doing clinical research. This job enabled me to stay in New York City, where I was able to work on my photography. My love of photography surpassed anything and everything, leading me to make the decision to become a freelance photographer.

    If someone asked me, 9 years ago when I graduated college, where I thought I’d be today, my answer then would have been very different from where I actually am today; however, I would not have changed anything, as this path lead me to be the person I am and to where I am today.

    With this in mind, I suppose I can’t exactly say where I see myself in the upcoming years; I can say that I hope I’m still creating, shooting, collaborating and traveling.

    Tell us a bit more about these ten goals from your life list. What’s the inspiration behind the goals you chose?

    The goals that I chose for my list are mainly centered on doing activities in NYC and traveling. Traveling and seeing the world is one of the most important things to me. I have traveled throughout Europe (Western, Central and Eastern), South America, India and Japan. I would love to return to Asia and backpack throughout China, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. I’d also really like to return to South America and travel through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile.  Since, I have so many stories from my travels, one of my goals is to publish a travel-related story or essay one day.  I would also love to live abroad again and to learn a third language.

    As far as my NYC goals, I’d really like to try every coffee shop in the NYC area and attend latte art and cupping classes. I also really want to attend New York Fashion Week in the near future.

    Any advice for others on how to stay motivated/focused on achieving their goals? 

    I’m a firm believer that if you want to accomplish something, you do it. I’ve made lists and goals before and it’s helped me organize my thoughts and priorities and has helped give me a general direction; however, when it comes down to it, having the drive, determination, work ethic, and getting past any fears is what has helped me achieve the goals that I have so far. That means working through the downfalls and the unexpected, constantly having the end goal in sight and not being afraid to take an unexpected route to get there.

    Follow Sharon’s journey through completing her Life List here. 

    Want to make a Life List of your own? Easy—join the Go Mighty community here. 

    (Photo by Sharon Radisch)

    Source: gomighty.com
    • 1 day ago
  • Go Mighty’s 31 Days of Inspiring Women, #20: Connie Hwong Meet Connie, Community Manager at GigaOM and founder of 2905(miles).  Born and raised in New Jersey, she went to college in New York City and moved to California with almost no cash and whatever could fit in the backseat of her friend’s Honda Civic. Ten years later, she’s still in San Francisco, though adventures (for work and for fun) have taken her back to NYC (my other favorite city), and across Europe, Asia, and South America. She’s currently the Community Manager at GigaOM, a media company here in San Francisco, but over the past decade, she’s bounced around the education, tech, nonprofit, journalism, art and food service industries. Some of her favorite gigs (besides my present one, of course): contributing editor at Flavorpill (SF), florist at Kingston Flower Company, bartender at the Greek Theater, grantwriter at the Bay Area Video Coalition, and Minister of Finance at the SF Embassy at SXSW, one of the hare-brainiest and most fantastic experiences ever. So, Connie, what’s your story? I was born and raised in Princeton, New Jersey, but I always to explore more: in high school, I spent a semester living in Seattle and attending school there as part of a domestic exchange program. I moved to New York City for college and spent another semester studying abroad in Rajasthan, India. After college, my best friend got into Berkeley for grad school, so I jumped in the car with him to travel out to the West Coast, and I’ve been here ever since. I like to tell people that I’ve held just about every job that doesn’t require a professional degree or major technical skills: I’ve been a substitute kindergarten teacher, a barista, a music journalist and editor, a grant writer, and a florist, among many other things. These days, I’m the community manager at GigaOM and I just launched 2905miles.com with Erica Berger. It’s a newsletter/website that connects the design, tech, and social change communities in New York City and San Francisco, the two cities that are nearest and dearest to me. We launched on May 2, and have so many great ideas on events, features, and other goodies as we move forward - I’m really excited to dig in here. How did you get where you are today?  When I was little, I wanted to be a doctor. Since then, my path has gotten a lot more convoluted, but all for the good. I spent five years in the nonprofit sector, working my way from an admin position to serving as the grants manager/grant writer at a media and tech organization (BAVC.org). I also co-directed an art gallery and social justice advocacy space in the Mission (kearnystreet.org) and sat on a grant-making board at the SF Arts Commission before I made the jump over to tech. In many ways, working at a nonprofit and working at a startup are really similar - there’s an interesting relationship between risk and passion there. I’ve got a blog post brewing about that, and I’ve promised myself to actually write it down one of these days. I guess I spent the first decade of my professional life engaging in an epic adventure in dabbling, like those electives classes they made you take in middle school - art, nonprofit, music, tech, media, journalism. Now I have to figure out how I can incorporate all those interests into my plans for the next 10 years. I’m still not sure what I want to be when I grow up, but I’m fortunate to have a fantastic network of friends and mentors who I can bounce ideas off of, and ask all sorts of silly questions from, and generally use as a life-crisis sounding board. Next, I really want to do something that combines my interests in music, media, and tech - I’m still trying to figure out what that something is. Tell us a bit more about these ten goals from your life list. What’s the inspiration behind the goals you chose? As you can see, travel plays a pretty major role in my life. Despite the fact that I’ve called San Francisco home for 10 years, I love to flee the country (or even just the city). It’s hard to explain why I like to travel without sounding trite - I prefer destinations that are a bit off the beaten path (I was in Burma this past January, but travel really help me put things in perspective. Travel’s like a mini-sabbatical: I get to wander around a place that is new and weird and different while reflecting on my goals and life back at home. As for some of the other goals: I guess it’s a mix of physical and mental spring cleaning and self-improvement. A friend of mine recently told me that he loved the way that I live my life, but wished I’d take more time for self-reflection. Admittedly, I’m terrible at that (I am hands-down, the worst meditator you’ll ever meet), but I’m really trying to figure out how to slow down and think more. Relatedly, I realize that I miss my former life as a music journalist - I’ve been a freelance writer since I was 18, and I was an editor at Flavorpill for a couple of years. But recently, I’ve been to busy to really pursue any freelance major projects - moving forward, I’m making it a priority to carve out time for more writing and pitching, and to make sure I don’t lose my connection to discovering new music and bands and getting excited about it. Any advice for others on how to stay motivated/focused on achieving their goals?  Be friends with people who are smarter than you are (just kidding! Sort of.) Seriously, though, my friends are a great source of inspiration and motivation for me. I know some people who are seriously dedicated and passionate about what they do, and speaking with them about how they got there and why they do what they do has been so incredibly useful to me.  Don’t deny the power of serendipity. At the risk of sounding like a bit of a hippie, some of the best things that have happened to me have been the result of a meeting a random person at a random place and time.  Follow Connie’s journey through completing her Life List here.  Want to make a Life List of your own? Easy—join the Go Mighty community here.  (Photo by Jon Wayne Kishimoto, Glass Coat Photo)

    Go Mighty’s 31 Days of Inspiring Women, #20: Connie Hwong

    Meet Connie, Community Manager at GigaOM and founder of 2905(miles).  Born and raised in New Jersey, she went to college in New York City and moved to California with almost no cash and whatever could fit in the backseat of her friend’s Honda Civic. Ten years later, she’s still in San Francisco, though adventures (for work and for fun) have taken her back to NYC (my other favorite city), and across Europe, Asia, and South America.

    She’s currently the Community Manager at GigaOM, a media company here in San Francisco, but over the past decade, she’s bounced around the education, tech, nonprofit, journalism, art and food service industries. Some of her favorite gigs (besides my present one, of course): contributing editor at Flavorpill (SF), florist at Kingston Flower Company, bartender at the Greek Theater, grantwriter at the Bay Area Video Coalition, and Minister of Finance at the SF Embassy at SXSW, one of the hare-brainiest and most fantastic experiences ever.

    So, Connie, what’s your story?

    I was born and raised in Princeton, New Jersey, but I always to explore more: in high school, I spent a semester living in Seattle and attending school there as part of a domestic exchange program. I moved to New York City for college and spent another semester studying abroad in Rajasthan, India. After college, my best friend got into Berkeley for grad school, so I jumped in the car with him to travel out to the West Coast, and I’ve been here ever since.

    I like to tell people that I’ve held just about every job that doesn’t require a professional degree or major technical skills: I’ve been a substitute kindergarten teacher, a barista, a music journalist and editor, a grant writer, and a florist, among many other things. These days, I’m the community manager at GigaOM and I just launched 2905miles.com with Erica Berger. It’s a newsletter/website that connects the design, tech, and social change communities in New York City and San Francisco, the two cities that are nearest and dearest to me. We launched on May 2, and have so many great ideas on events, features, and other goodies as we move forward - I’m really excited to dig in here.

    How did you get where you are today? 

    When I was little, I wanted to be a doctor. Since then, my path has gotten a lot more convoluted, but all for the good. I spent five years in the nonprofit sector, working my way from an admin position to serving as the grants manager/grant writer at a media and tech organization (BAVC.org). I also co-directed an art gallery and social justice advocacy space in the Mission (kearnystreet.org) and sat on a grant-making board at the SF Arts Commission before I made the jump over to tech. In many ways, working at a nonprofit and working at a startup are really similar - there’s an interesting relationship between risk and passion there. I’ve got a blog post brewing about that, and I’ve promised myself to actually write it down one of these days.

    I guess I spent the first decade of my professional life engaging in an epic adventure in dabbling, like those electives classes they made you take in middle school - art, nonprofit, music, tech, media, journalism. Now I have to figure out how I can incorporate all those interests into my plans for the next 10 years. I’m still not sure what I want to be when I grow up, but I’m fortunate to have a fantastic network of friends and mentors who I can bounce ideas off of, and ask all sorts of silly questions from, and generally use as a life-crisis sounding board. Next, I really want to do something that combines my interests in music, media, and tech - I’m still trying to figure out what that something is.

    Tell us a bit more about these ten goals from your life list. What’s the inspiration behind the goals you chose?

    As you can see, travel plays a pretty major role in my life. Despite the fact that I’ve called San Francisco home for 10 years, I love to flee the country (or even just the city). It’s hard to explain why I like to travel without sounding trite - I prefer destinations that are a bit off the beaten path (I was in Burma this past January, but travel really help me put things in perspective. Travel’s like a mini-sabbatical: I get to wander around a place that is new and weird and different while reflecting on my goals and life back at home.

    As for some of the other goals: I guess it’s a mix of physical and mental spring cleaning and self-improvement. A friend of mine recently told me that he loved the way that I live my life, but wished I’d take more time for self-reflection. Admittedly, I’m terrible at that (I am hands-down, the worst meditator you’ll ever meet), but I’m really trying to figure out how to slow down and think more. Relatedly, I realize that I miss my former life as a music journalist - I’ve been a freelance writer since I was 18, and I was an editor at Flavorpill for a couple of years. But recently, I’ve been to busy to really pursue any freelance major projects - moving forward, I’m making it a priority to carve out time for more writing and pitching, and to make sure I don’t lose my connection to discovering new music and bands and getting excited about it.

    Any advice for others on how to stay motivated/focused on achieving their goals? 

    Be friends with people who are smarter than you are (just kidding! Sort of.) Seriously, though, my friends are a great source of inspiration and motivation for me. I know some people who are seriously dedicated and passionate about what they do, and speaking with them about how they got there and why they do what they do has been so incredibly useful to me. 

    Don’t deny the power of serendipity. At the risk of sounding like a bit of a hippie, some of the best things that have happened to me have been the result of a meeting a random person at a random place and time. 

    Follow Connie’s journey through completing her Life List here. 

    Want to make a Life List of your own? Easy—join the Go Mighty community here. 

    (Photo by Jon Wayne Kishimoto, Glass Coat Photo)

    Source: gomighty.com
    • 2 days ago
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