Matt Curtis on What Losing 200 Pounds Teaches About Weight Loss

In Chapter 11 of 18 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, HomeAway government relations director Matt Curtis answers "What Advice Would You Give to Others Who Are Also Trying to Lose Weight and Fight Obesity?" Curtis, who has lost more than 200 pounds believes more than anything the best way to fight weight loss is to prevent yourself from gaining weight. He finds eating cleaner, greener foods and tracking calories and nutrition information essential to controlling caloric intake, eating a balanced diet, and losing weight. While exercise is important, Curtis finds understanding nutrition and being honest about what you put into your body two ways to hold yourself accountable and lose weight. Curtis is the director of government relations at HomeAway Inc. Previously he was communications director for Austin mayors Lee Leffingwell and Will Wynn. He earned his bachelor's degree in radio, television and film from the University of North Texas.

Matt Curtis on How Weight Loss Improves Emotional Health

In Chapter 13 of 18 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, HomeAway government relations director Matt Curtis answers "How Have You Learned to Adapt When Things Have Not Worked Out As Planned?" As a heavier and younger man, Curtis found handling change hard and would get angry and upset when it happened. Over time, working in public service and controlling his weight, Curtis learns to take unexpected changes in stride and use his experience to work through the issues. Matt Curtis is the director of government relations at HomeAway Inc. Previously he was communications director for Austin mayors Lee Leffingwell and Will Wynn. He earned his bachelor's degree in radio, television and film from the University of North Texas.

Matt Curtis on Turning Low Self Esteem into High Self Confidence

In Chapter 14 of 18 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, HomeAway government relations director Matt Curtis answers "What Role Does Confidence Play in the Work That You Do?" Recalling his twentysomething years battling obesity, Curtis remembers his self esteem problems and depression battles. Over time, Curtis learns to take a more confident approach and emulate Bill Clinton, and using a smile and undivided attention to win over a room. Matt Curtis is the director of government relations at HomeAway Inc. Previously he was communications director for Austin mayors Lee Leffingwell and Will Wynn. He earned his bachelor's degree in radio, television and film from the University of North Texas.

Courtney Spence on How Mourning the Loss of a Loved One Brings Family Closer Together

In Chapter 1 of 20 of her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "What Childhood Experiences Have Been Most Fundamental to Shaping Who You Are Today?" Spence remembers her grandparents on her mother's side of the family. As a 10 year old, Spence recalls the importance of family coming together in a year where both her maternal grandparents passed away.

Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: What childhood experiences have been most fundamental to shaping who you are today?

Courtney Spence: I was very close with my sets of grandparents. On my mother’s side, it’s a big Lebanese family, so it’s lots of food, and lots of family, and lots of cousins, fifth removed but if there’s still a cousin. And I think that—so, for me, it was holidays, and good times, and hard times, the family always came together. And you realize that, you know, whenever anything great was achieved, or anything, you know, the passing of a grandparent, anything that was hard to get through, it was really about the family coming together and the community supporting each other. And, you know, I was just talking to my mother about this last night.

We were talking about her parents when they passed, and when we were going through the last year with them where we had to have in-home, you know, nurses, 24/7, and these women came into our home and they were like angels. And, you know, I was 10, but I have very vivid memory of that year. It was the year that I lost both my grandparents on my mother’s side. And although it was a difficult year, I have so many warm memories and so many memories of my family coming together. And I think that as I’m older and as I’m looking at my own family now, and I look at my family and work, and anything that I have achieved, it’s only because of the people and the community that surrounds you, and that supports you, and that brings you into their fold. And, you know, I just think that that appreciation of community and family is something that I continue to strengthen, and understand, and appreciate every year. So, that’s what’s on top of my mind right now.

Courtney Spence on Fatherly Advice on Why to Work Every Day Doing What You Love

In Chapter 2 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "Where Has Your Family Been Most Supportive in Your Career Development?" From an early age, Spence is encouraged by her father to "find a way to make a living doing what you love." He encourages his daughter, saying "I don't want you to have a job but I want you to work every day of your life." This guides Spence from college into her social entrepreneurship nonprofit work. All the while her parents find moments and space to support their daughter's development.

Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: Where has your family been most supportive in your career development?

Courtney Spence: Wow. They have been supportive throughout my entire career development. From the beginning, it was find a way to make a living, doing what you love to do, and my dad always said I don’t want you to have a job but I want you to work every day of your life. And it’s that different philosophy of I don’t go to my job that I have to, I go work hard because I want to. And, you know, it doesn’t mean that you enjoy what you do every day, all day, or even all month, but, you know, as long as you find your passion and are able to follow it, it just lifts you up and lifts those people around you. And so, I think that kind of started me off on that path when I was, you know, 16, 17, 18 through my early 20s, thinking about what I wanted to do.

Most recently, this has been a really wonderful year, but a year of a lot of challenges, a lot of ups and downs, a lot of new situations that I have not faced before as a leader in our organization, and some really hard times. And I think that, you know, it’s when the going gets tough, I get on the phone or I go to my parents’ backyard, and I’m lucky to have two really wonderful parents who are mentors and that who really are equally as passionate about my passion as I am. And so, I would say that while I would give them credit for putting me on the right path to following your passion, I think that knowing that I can turn to them in times of doubt, or crisis, or questioning what we’re doing, and being able to have that as like a sounding board, and a family is pretty amazing, actually, so.

Courtney Spence on How to Build Relationship Trust

In Chapter 3 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "How Do You Establish Trust When Building Relationships?" Spence shares how building relationship trust comes down to honesty, transparency, and vulnerability. She finds you create and maintain trust by being committed to honest communication and accepting that it is okay to be vulnerable.

Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University. 

Courtney Spence on How Children Ground You and Remind You Family Comes First

In Chapter 4 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "How Are Your Personal Experiences Shaping Your Professional Aspirations?" Newly engaged Spence shares how having her fiancee's 5-year old daughter has given her a more holistic perspective on life that puts family front and center. The experience allows her to take a step back and appreciate her family relationships and get a healthy separation from work. Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: How are your personal experiences shaping your professional aspirations?

Courtney Spence: This last year has been one of a lot more personal experiences, I guess, I would say. I got engaged.

Erik Michielsen: Congratulations.

Courtney Spence: Thank you. I, you know, have now a wonderful 5-year-old child in my life that I love, and what it has done for me is it has grounded me in a way that makes me realize what’s really important. And, again, there’s a lot of theme my family for me right now, and, you know, the things that really matter are the ones that you love most. And so, when you go through difficult times in your career, in your company, they don’t seem as insurmountable as they might have seemed a few years ago, and I think that’s because I have, you know—with the kind of the blending of this new family of mine, I now understand so many more things about just life in general that I don’t think I could have seen or understood before, so it has been a pretty profound year for that.

Erik Michielsen: Tell me more about that.

Courtney Spence: Especially when there is a child that you love, this daughter that I love, I am fiercely protective of her, and I get scared sometimes, or I get, you know, inspired, or l laugh a lot more than I did before, I mean just the range of emotions that comes with that, and it comes with seeing the kind of stepping back and starting to see the generations of my family, and spending more time with my parents, and my siblings, and my cousins, and then my new family, There’s a lot of just real understanding of just what’s important, and you see it daily. You see it daily. And what it makes me wanna do is when I do go to work, or when I am working, or if I’m working Friday night on my computer, I wanna work faster, better, smarter, harder, because I wanna wake up Saturday morning, go to the park, and that’s just a new—that’s something that has been pretty new for me, so.

How Courtney Spence Adapts When Things Do Not Work as Planned

In Chapter 8 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "How Have You Learned to Adapt When Things Have Not Worked Out as Planned?" Spence finds being present in the moment and not dwelling too much on the past helps her stay adaptive and flexible to the twists and turns life presents. Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

Courtney Spence on Performing Under Pressure and Facing Fear

In Chapter 9 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "What Does It Mean to Perform Under Pressure in the Work That You Do?" For Spence, performing under pressure starts with believing in the mission for the work that you do. Believing in her mission is fundamental and mission confidence will enable performance even in the face of adversity or fear. If the performance pressure is more personal, then she finds it needs to be addressed quickly or it will hinder her performance. Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

How to Give Better Advice When Someone Asks You For Help

In Chapter 15 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "How Have You Learned to Give Better Advice When People Ask You For Help?" Spence finds giving pause when someone asks her a question is a useful first step. By taking time to answer, she is able to better formulate a response and more fully understand context behind why the person is asking her for help. Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

How to Help Young Working Women Prepare for 20s to 30s Changes

In Chapter 16 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "How Are You Learning to Be a Better Mentor to Young Women Professionals?" Spence, now in her mid-30s, shares how connecting with her sisterhood of friends in the past year has given her greater context for where she can be most helpful to young women professionals in their 20s. She learns to appreciate the difficult decisions that make a woman's professional life more complex and the realistic professional trade offs that women make in their 30s to achieve personal goals. Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

Audrey French on How Parents Divorce Brings Family Closer Together

In Chapter 2 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Audrey Parker French answers "Where Has Your Family Been Most Supportive in Your Career Development?" While in high school, Parker and her brother see their traditional family structure collapse as her parents go through a divorce. She shares how she manages the stress of having to build separate relationships with her mother and father and, ultimately, the positivity, support, encouragement and direction that come with the new family dynamic.

Audrey Parker French is an entrepreneur who 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 currently volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and teaches children's choir. She graduated from Wake Forest University and lives with her husband in Austin, Texas.

Audrey French on How to Get Comfortable Living Outside Your Comfort Zone

In Chapter 4 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Audrey Parker French answers "What is Your Comfort Zone and What Do You Do to Break Free of Living in It?" French notes she has lived her life constantly outside her comfort zone, nearly always in environments where she is the outsider. This pushes her to always be moving and developing. As an introvert, she finds solace spending quiet time in those rare moments she is able to slow down.

Audrey Parker French is an entrepreneur who 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 currently volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and teaches children's choir. She graduated from Wake Forest University and lives with her husband in Austin, Texas.

Audrey French on What It Means To Be an Introvert

In Chapter 5 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Audrey Parker French answers "What Does It Mean to Be an Introvert?" French defines her introversion as having a need to recharge away from people and activity. Her need to find quiet space - a need she shares with her husband - pushes her to carve out time on her calendar for alone time often when others seek to fill that time with company. Audrey Parker French is an entrepreneur who 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 currently volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and teaches children's choir. She graduated from Wake Forest University and lives with her husband in Austin, Texas.

Audrey French on How to Find the Right Mentor at the Right Time

In Chapter 6 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Audrey Parker French answers "How Have Mentors Helped to Motivate You to Do Your Best Work?" French shares how different mentors have been valuable at different stages of her career. Out of college, French works for a female small business owner who inspires her own entrepreneurial leap. Later, after leaving the business world, French finds a female mentor that helps her come to terms with her new life after the company and her motherhood aspirations. Audrey Parker French is an entrepreneur who 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 currently volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and teaches children's choir. She graduated from Wake Forest University and lives with her husband in Austin, Texas.

Audrey French on How Emotional Vulnerability Can Build Relationship Trust

In Chapter 7 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Audrey Parker French answers "How Do You Establish Trust When Building Relationships?" French finds sharing a vulnerable moment or being open to showing emotional vulnerability is a good way to build relationship trust. This helps her create and open, sharing and accepting environment to engage others in and out of work. Audrey Parker French is an entrepreneur who 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 currently volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and teaches children's choir. She graduated from Wake Forest University and lives with her husband in Austin, Texas.

Audrey Parker on When Not to Take Relationship Advice From Friends

In Chapter 8 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Audrey Parker French answers "How Have You Learned to Give Better Advice When People Ask You For Help?" Reflecting back to when she was running a fast-growing business, French notes how she was constantly getting advice on how to solve her life problems, namely relationships. She realizes that there is a time and place for this and that it is okay to give yourself space to not ask for or take advice and instead to address these challenges in due course. Audrey Parker French is an entrepreneur who 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 currently volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and teaches children's choir. She graduated from Wake Forest University and lives with her husband in Austin, Texas.

Audrey French on How to Be a Better Mentor to Young Women Professionals

In Chapter 10 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Audrey Parker French answers "How Are You Learning to Be a Better Mentor to Young Women Professionals?" After selling the company - CLEAResult, she co-founded, French is able to get space and be a more engaged and useful mentor to young women professionals trying to better navigate their careers. Her own entrepreneurship experience teaches her the importance of not needing to have all the answers before moving forward on a big decision. Audrey Parker French is an entrepreneur who 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 currently volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and teaches children's choir. She graduated from Wake Forest University and lives with her husband in Austin, Texas.