Interview with Cathy Kuzel - Business Coach, Professional Mentor, Speaker and Founder of The Connected Woman and the When Women Talk book series
Oct. 6th - Book 3 online launch. Sign up for exclusive link at Eventbrite HERE.
Oct. 22nd - Book 3 Vancouver Book Signing event register HERE.
Oct. 22nd - Book 3 Vancouver Book Signing event register HERE.
Please share a bit about the journey that led you to the diverse careers you have today. Looking back, do you see any early signs this would be your future?
Ever since I was young I have always been curious. Wanting to know the what, the why, the how - sometimes much to the annoyance of my mom and my school teachers, but it led me to have a deep desire for learning. My mom being a single parent for most of my life taught me that when someone says "it can't be done", there's always a solution or a workaround.
What are the most important skills needed to be successful in your career and how did you learn them?
In addition to my vocal training, the majority of my skills come from my desire to learn, so I have sought out resources to equip myself with what I needed. With many projects on the go and the inability to say no to someone who needs my help (I’m still working on that!) being highly organized is a must. I’ve always liked having a neat working environment, that’s not to say that there aren’t days where it looks like a bomb has gone off in my office! But to know where things are, to be able to put my finger on it within 20 seconds, makes things run smoothly and gives me the ability to juggle many balls in the air.
These skills are integral to my success and I draw on them every day, but the one thing I did not have was a mentor. I wished I had a "me" to be able to bounce ideas off of, bring my challenges to. So as a result, when an opportunity arose for me to move into that entrepreneurial ecosystem for women, it was a natural progression to want to be there for others. It has led me to volunteer for peer mentoring, and to be on a number of boards including WeBC, an organization for women business owners and entrepreneurs.
Can you share a little bit about each of the different aspects that make up your diverse career - coach, mentor, speaker, business.
There are so many different aspects to my career and each one of them overlap. I don't think you can find a defined line to separate coach from mentor from speaker and how those all carry through my business. To be effective in all areas of my career, it takes an acute sense of how to speak to individuals; an awareness to listen closely because most times the words they are speaking is not the meaning that they wish to convey; and to take that information and formulate questions to be able to help and assist that person.
My coaching business came from being the manager of 150 plus sales reps across Canada. I honed my skills by helping them build their individual business within their areas and territories because their success translated into my success. And, of course, when you work closely with your team, you become a mentor. My team did so well that eventually I had people outside of my industry ask for assistance, ask what my rates were and so I formalized my coaching business.
There are so many different aspects to my career and each one of them overlap. I don't think you can find a defined line to separate coach from mentor from speaker and how those all carry through my business. To be effective in all areas of my career, it takes an acute sense of how to speak to individuals; an awareness to listen closely because most times the words they are speaking is not the meaning that they wish to convey; and to take that information and formulate questions to be able to help and assist that person.
My coaching business came from being the manager of 150 plus sales reps across Canada. I honed my skills by helping them build their individual business within their areas and territories because their success translated into my success. And, of course, when you work closely with your team, you become a mentor. My team did so well that eventually I had people outside of my industry ask for assistance, ask what my rates were and so I formalized my coaching business.
The natural progression was then to have people ask me to speak about what I do and how I do it. How can they do it? What's the secret sauce? And that's where my skill sets from studying voice allowed me to stand on a stage in front of literally hundreds of people and share that insight and knowledge. And yes, I'm one of that 1% of 1% that actually enjoys being on stage sharing my knowledge. Don't get me wrong, I still get butterflies, and I still overthink my message, and I still question whether I have enough information. Will they get something out of it ... and then the curtain goes up, I get introduced and the magic happens!
What is your process when you book a new coaching client? A new mentorship? A new speaking engagement?
Having said that, many times I'll get off the phone after spending 30 to 45 minutes with someone who's called and my husband will ask, "new client"? And when I smile and shake my head he's says "Are you giving it away again"? What can I say? That goes back to me wishing I had a 'me' when I was building my business and for me, the knowledge I've acquired should be shared.
In your work life overall what comes easiest for you - your natural talent? What is hardest or more of a challenge?
I have been blessed with the gift of gab and a sense of humour. I can talk to anyone on almost anything and find a common ground or at least create a commonality between us. I love finding out about people and who they are and what they do and if there's some way that I can be of assistance to them. We all have our life experiences, our day-to-day challenges, and if the person you're speaking to connects with empathy, understanding and in a thoughtful manner, it's amazing the amount of information that can be exchanged.
I have been blessed with the gift of gab and a sense of humour. I can talk to anyone on almost anything and find a common ground or at least create a commonality between us. I love finding out about people and who they are and what they do and if there's some way that I can be of assistance to them. We all have our life experiences, our day-to-day challenges, and if the person you're speaking to connects with empathy, understanding and in a thoughtful manner, it's amazing the amount of information that can be exchanged.
“We all have a story to tell, there's someone that needs to hear it and by sharing it we can make a difference in the lives of others.” ~ excerpt from When Women Talk
In 2023, you decided to develop a collaborative book series called When Women Talk. Can you share a little about how the idea came about, what the process was like to launch this project, and what makes this series special?
In 2007, I started a community called the Connected Women Community because I found the networking events at that time were more transactional and impersonal. I wanted to have conversations and to learn what makes other women tick. So when the 15th anniversary came around in 2023, I thought what better way to honour all of those stories that we've shared. I chose 10 women to contribute to an anthology to share their stories, their challenges and their thoughts. Little did I know that it was the beginning of a series “When Women Talk.”
In 2007, I started a community called the Connected Women Community because I found the networking events at that time were more transactional and impersonal. I wanted to have conversations and to learn what makes other women tick. So when the 15th anniversary came around in 2023, I thought what better way to honour all of those stories that we've shared. I chose 10 women to contribute to an anthology to share their stories, their challenges and their thoughts. Little did I know that it was the beginning of a series “When Women Talk.”
For those of you thinking about writing your own book, one of the great pieces of feedback I've gotten from my contributing authors is that writing one chapter in an anthology is far easier than writing an entire book. The editing is taken care of. The cover design is taken care of, the inside formatting, the publishing - all of the bits and pieces that it takes to get a book to market is all looked after and all the author has to do is write their chapter.
I'm blessed and honoured to be able to share the stories of these authors and amplify their voices with the hope that I can continue doing so for years to come. Women need to step forward. They need to speak out and they need to show up. Not just for other women but also for themselves and I think that is what this project is all about.
I invite you to visit our website www.whenwomentalk.ca where you will find the biographies of all the contributing authors for volumes 1 through 3.
Philanthropy has always been a part of your life. One of the more prominent is your involvement with KIVA. Even your books sales support this organization. Why did you choose this organization, and how are your donations used?
KIVA is an organization that provides micro loans worldwide. The Connected Woman community chose to work with them because it allowed us to choose who we could help. When you give donations to most organizations, it’s theirs to do with as they please – you have no input. With KIVA we have choices. Three criteria that must be met before we provide funds are: 1. A woman 2. Education 3. Community embetterment.
Is there anything else I haven't thought to ask you would like to share - what's next, a fave quote, etc.?
I’m really looking forward to future volumes of When Women Talk. It’s my passion project that is now becoming my fulltime project. (retirement? Bwahahaha!) Watch for the upcoming launch of the When Women Talk podcast. I’ve been working on it for a while and my goal is to have it live for 2027. (but don’t quote me on that!)
Always remember, “Knowledge shared is Success amplified.” ~ CK
Links -
- Website business - www.CathyKuzel.com
- Website books - www.WhenWomenTalk.ca
- Instagram business - @cathykuzeltcw
- Instagram books - @whenwomentalk_CK
- Facebook business - @TheConnectedWoman
- Facebook books - @WhenWomenTalkwithCathyKuzel
- Linkedin - www.linkedin.com/in/cathykuzel/
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