The People We Are November 2015

November 2015

Monthly Newsletter of the Professional Women’s Association of Rome

PWA is an international hub in the heart of Rome where ideas and values, tradition and innovation, diversity, culture and professionalism meet and intersect.

On our journey into the future our travel companions are respect, ethics, and a sense of social responsibility.

Overcoming Fear Facing our fears ― or even worse, trying to overcome them ― is scary stuff. It means getting out of the comfort-zone, putting ourselves at risk, and perhaps regretting it later... It is so much safer and easier to just let our fears control our lives and avoid situations where we are challenged to face them. The result? We end up living a half-life and, most likely, dozens of bucket-list items without a single tick of accomplishment.

So, how can we assure that this won’t happen? A great role model of inspiration is Michelle Poler, a 27-year-old branding student, who faced a hundred (!) of her personal fears to complete a school project. And what results! She now leads an international Fearless Community that has gained enormous support and interest and involved media and celebrities all over the world.

Her journey into living fearlessly ended at her Tedx Talk in Houston.

Michelle explained that all of her fears could actually be categorized into 7 macro-areas: Fear of pain, danger, disgust, embarrassment, rejection, loneliness and losing control. If you stop and think about your own fears, they fit in here as well. In fact, while speaking with Michelle, I realized that one of my biggest fears is the fear of confrontation — stemming from a fear of rejection and loneliness. I am afraid of saying what I think and standing up for myself, for fear of not being accepted or being rejected by my counterpart. The cure to my fear: Not shutting up! Expressing my ideas and feelings rationally and openly, even with the risk of them not being 100% accepted or shared. It will require a conscious effort, but might not be so difficult nor horrendous after all.

A very close friend of mine was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks ago. Talking about the near future, she confessed that the worst thing for her was not the tumor, but rather facing her fear of doctors and hospitals. Together, we decided that this would be her challenge: overcoming that fear and conquering a better life for herself. For as Michelle says (page 6), conquering my fears has certainly made my life richer and my world a better place for me to be.

Tonight we will hear the story of another brave role model, Julie MacKenzie, who has made a career out of dealing with difficult and hazardous situations; ranging from nuclear testing to environmental issues and waste recycling, from prison management to poverty reduction, from war zones to nation building, from pollution to sustainability. Julie will tell us what has given her the courage and strength to pursue an unusual career that has not been exactly a walk in the park!

So, what’s your biggest fear? Or better yet, how did you overcome it?

Share your story ― as well as your photos, articles, news, milestones & more ― in our December issue.

Don’t let your fears stop you, Hanna

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Editing Team

Hanna Suni editor and layout designer www.hamedesign.com newsletter@pwarome.org Lisa R Tucci co-editor www.artemediacomm.com

in this issue

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November Conference: Overcoming Fear If You Think You Have No Fears, You Are Just Ignoring Them On Fear Member Spotlight: Dulce Casadiego Gets IT with Google PWA Principles: Focus on TimeBank Principles October Wrap-up: The DreamBuilder November Networking: The Eatalyan ConneXion Cultural Corner: James Tissot ― Premiers in Italy Let’s Go Social: Making the Most of Facebook & LinkedIn Health in Our Hands: The Evils of the Season Esercito della Salvezza: La Tavola Rotonda Coming Soon: RBS and PWA Leadership Summit

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PWA NovEMBER ConferencE

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself"

Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his first inaugural address as President of the United States, 1933 A New Zealand native (or ‘Kiwi’ as they call themselves), Julie Mackenzie grew up in a socially pioneering country in an era of burgeoning women’s rights. Tonight she will recount her personal story, from modest small town origins to Ambassador to Italy, the United Nations and beyond.

It is a story of almost insouciant accomplishment, self-doubts and self-respect – in that order. We will hear about her home country, her upbringing, the role that chance played in her life, and her personal philosophy of just doing it. She will draw a few lessons from her experience for all to take inspiration from, and will invite PWA members and guests to share their own.

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About Our Speaker

Julie MacKenzie

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ulie, a self-described, ‘citizen of the world’, holds a Master of Arts, First Class Honours from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand in Political Science and Japanese. From there, she went on to conduct doctoral studies at Tokyo University, Japan in Political Science, Law School, her research in ”Subcontracting in Japanese industry”.

Armed with her dual passion for lifelong learning and pursuit of what counts in life, Julie started her career as a corporate analyst for the Nikkei, Japanese Stock Exchange, little did she know where this would lead and what challenges she would be called to face. She became a career diplomat with the New Zealand Government, covering economic development, trade, security, nuclear testing and peacekeeping issues while based in

Wellington, Tokyo, Brussels, Noumea, Dili and Rome. She was selected as New Zealand’s Ambassador to Italy, cross-accredited to Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, Malta, Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina. With her post she was Permanent Representative to the United Nations offices of the FAO, WFP, IFAD and the Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai. She currently holds the role of Senior Consultant, Environmental Sustainability, World Food Programme where her skills are put to the test in strategy development, policy formulation, communications and mentoring.

Conference Sponsor

Teleborsa è un’agenzia di stampa nazionale specializzata in ambito economico e finanziario. È un provider di dati finanziari qualificata, Software House e si occupa di investor relations per le società quotate, di media relations e di comunicazione sui social network. Teleborsa fornisce servizi a banche, uffici studi e media.

www.teleborsa.it 5

IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE NO FEARS, YOU ARE JUST IGNORING THEM

by Hanna Suni Day 55 - ride a roller coaster

“I came to the conclusion that I needed to take advantage of the fact that I could live a normal life. So instead of staying in my comfort zone, I decided to step out of it and make the most of every day. I call my fears ‘optional’, because there is no deadly need to face them. However, conquering them has certainly made my life richer and my world a better place for me to be.”

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hen signing up last spring for A brand called you, just a standard branding class at the New York School of Visual Arts, Michelle Poler, 22, had no idea it would change the direction of her life. What started out as a simple class project has propelled her into the limelight of international media. But she still believes her greatest reward is knowing that she inspires people the world over to overcome their fears.

Growing up in Caracas, Venezuela, Michelle Poler was forced to lead a very sheltered life. The outside world was full of imminent dangers ― and this taught her to be on her toes. Her path from Caracas to New York was made of cautious, intermediate steps: she first moved to Savannah, Georgia, then to Miami, Florida, before finally, three years later, landing in the city of her dreams, New York. “I could never have moved from Venezuela straight to NYC, I needed to do it stepby-step. Living in the Big Apple completely changes your perspective on everything. The world moves faster, trends die hurriedly and you are forced to grow up immediately.”

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Studying branding in New York, Michelle enrolled in several classes. One of the class exercises she had to complete was to uncover her true personal brand in a hundred days. While sketching out her brand and the way to uncover it, Michelle realized it was going to have to take some courage. “While some of the students took on relatively small challenges with the hopes of easily finishing the assignment, I took on the biggest challenge of my life: Having to face one of my fears every day of the project, record the experience, edit the video and then share my story with others through my blog.”

Michelle claims to have more fears than all of her friends together. Her no-no-list includes big dogs, black birds, bees and cats. Donating blood, getting lost and skydiving. She is afraid of the dark, alcohol and rollercoasters. In short, it was not hard to come up with one hundred fears she could try facing. “One of the biggest fears I had was that of being alone. I didn’t trust myself to find my way back home, do stuff on

my own or defend myself in a dangerous situation.

So I would rather hang out with people I didn’t really like, than spend time on my own,” Michelle confesses.

This was one of the main reasons she decided to face all of her fears, get out of her comfort zone and start enjoying NYC the way she yearned to do.

After composing her list, she started facing one of her fears each day. She would then post videos of the experience on her blog. By Day 42, international media outlets ― CNN, CBS, Cosmopolitan, Glamour and Foxnews, just to name a few ― picked up her website and all of a sudden her class project went viral. Michelle believes this happened because her approach was both vulnerable and authentic. Her followers were inspired by the young girl they saw on the videos, and they felt as if they were part of her project; simply by being there for Michelle, supporting her, or sending her nice messages or ideas on how to face her fears. Michelle was very grateful for the incredible outpouring of support and throughout her project, replied to every single email, comment and letter she received. Those who shared their stories with her, were gifted a handwritten letter and water tattoo that read, Conquer.

But along with worldwide fame and attention comes also envious haters with their negative comments.

One of the most common criticisms was that Michelle’s fears were futile, “first-world” problems, such as being afraid to dye her hair or spend a day without her cellphone. “But of course,” Michelle responds, “I now live in a first-world country. When I lived in Venezuela my biggest fear was not to get kidnapped, robbed or murdered whenever I went outside my house.” That outlook changed in New York, when, ironically, although she could do whatever she pleased without fear of getting killed, she realized she was afraid of almost everything.

“I came to the conclusion that I needed to take advantage of the fact that I could live a normal life.

Day 52 - Holding a tarantula

Day 59 - Quitting a job

So instead of staying in my comfort zone, I decided to step out of it and make the most of every day. I call my fears ‘optional’, because there is no deadly need to face them. However, conquering them has certainly made my life richer and my world a better place for me to be.”

Michelle still has fears, as facing some of them didn’t help her overcome them. But the project did change her entire approach to life. “The fact that I am now able to say ‘let me try it’ instead of ‘no thanks’ is a huge step for me. I’m willing to do stuff that makes me uncomfortable for the sake of experiencing life, try all kinds of foods because I might just find something I didn’t know I loved, and reconsider every single thing I once said I would never do,” Michelle explains. And she did also overcome some of her biggest fears. During her project, she did so many solo activities that she now actually enjoys being by herself. She is considering getting a dog and conquered to a certain degree her fear of letting go of control. “I now live a more relaxed life, as I am not panicking about commanding everything that happens around me.”

Michelle wrapped up her 100-day journey at TEDxHouston on October 18, 2015. Her next goal is to create a platform and a community, in order to allow her followers and those ready to start facing their fears, to do it consistently, without giving up. When she started out with the project, Michelle did it purely for herself. But now she knows that even though her main followers are young girls like herself, trying to figure life out and craving for a better future, anyone regardless of sex, age, race or religion can identify themselves with her project. “We all have fears, even the bravest people alive do. Those who think they don’t, are only ignoring them.”

Day 72 - Walk around NY in a bikini

Day 95 - Cliff diving

Are YOU ready to join the Fearless Community?

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by Lisa R Tucci

Art&Media Communications Quantum Learning SuperCampItaly www.artemediacomm.com

ON FEAR Halloween may be long over…but I’m still in a hauntingly good mood.

In fact, when it comes to facing your fears, I like to take the advice of Petra Kuenkel, Executive Director of the Collective Leadership Institute at the WINConference Plenary: You want to improve your life? Go on a strict media diet.

The media these days seemingly will do anything to keep us fretting under the covers with the lights on.

You will be able to watch excerpts of her speech and many others on the WINConference YouTube Channel, but go there to get some good inspiration from years past. And…if you have fear of the future, these notes of inspiration might get you through the noise.

And while you’re wasting time on YouTube, not for the faint of heart, check out the GoPro Channel. You will have adventures like you have never experienced. Recently, I joined a pelican as he learned to fly and fish. It’s like having an IMAX® Theater right on your desktop.

One of my favorite books that really helps put this thing called Life in perspective is Gavin De Becker’s The Gift of Fear. He truly knows how to assuage our most base fears like having your child kidnapped. Or here in Italy, if you want the scoop on real threats, check out Francesca Maggi’s blog or book, Burnt by the Tuscan Sun — She’ll set you straight and free you to leave the house with wet hair, eat the skin off fruit, or jump in the sea just after a big Italian meal.

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In what I like to call the modern update to Dante’s Inferno, Albert Brooks’ movie, Defending Your Life is in my top 3 favorite films of all time. In it, he has to face his fears in a sort of purgatory, visit the Past Lives Pavilion, and eventually see if he will move on. I have seen this film about a dozen times and still laugh as Meryl Streep runs into burning buildings to save the family pet.

A RomCom for the ages.

And finally, the Best News Ever for anyone fearful of growing old, and maybe losing some of their mental faculties: Champagne may help ward off Alzheimer’s disease. No word if this is only because, after imbibing, people felt like their ‘old selves’ nor whether or not it applies to Prosecco as well. But, I for one am willing to donate my body to science in order to find out.

Cin Cin.

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The People We Are... Member Spotlight

by Valerie Baxter

Google

Dulce in a Venezuelan restaurant, Los Angeles.

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nyone who meets Dulce Casadiego will immediately discover her positive, happy attitude, common to most Latin Americans. Originally from Valencia, Venezuela, she laughs easily and enjoys the simple things in life. Not one to hide her emotions, she is always quick with her wit, or passionate about her family, or even tearful over a romantic film.

These traits might seem out of place for Dulce, with her innate flair for mathematics and physics. She found she had a natural talent for the sciences, and got her degree in Computer Sciences. From there, Dulce went on to win a highly competitive scholarship from the Venezuelan Government to pursue graduate studies in the USA. She chose to pursue an MBA in International Management from the prestigious Thunderbird International Business School. Moving to the USA, she got her first taste of cross-cultural communications. She found that while Latin Americans indirectly suggest what they want, North Americans ask directly. Never one to dismiss a challenge, she managed not only to receive her MBA, but went on to work in international business for 13 years, in the United States.

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Dulce and her husband Fabio, Rome.

With a career focused upon Telecommunications and IT (Information Technology), she went from IBM to Avaya, working in Dallas, Texas where she met and married her Italian husband. Along the way, she learned to adapt, become more flexible, and even more aware of different cultures. Arriving in Italy in 2006, she was selected to join Cisco Systems. Here in the Bel Paese she realized how staying put could heavily influence one’s outlook on life. Nonplussed, Dulce not only learnt Italian in order to work, she also learned to embrace Italian culture. At Cisco, she consistently achieved her sales goals, and, in 2010 doubling her quota, she was recognised with a Sales Champion Award.

From a professional point of view, Dulce is convinced that even the most technical people need to learn about business in order to understand how their work impacts the overall strategy of the company and what value they bring to the end customer. You can only get IT when you get it – “When what you do is meaningful, it brings value to someone,” Dulce states, clearly professing her own philosophy towards strategic organization.

Dulce during the “Camino de Santiago”, Spain.

When ‘out-of-office’, Dulce gets a kick out of cooking (it helps her relax) and adores international cuisine. But Dulce’s N°1 priority is her family: her husband and twin boys.

She loves travelling and spending time with them, being in their company. Incredibly, both at home and at work Dulce lives in a male environment. But it suits her just fine: When considering her years studying engineering, her MBA and her career, Dulce has always felt comfortable in a ‘man’s world’. Since childhood, Dulce has also had a passion for sports – she gets it about baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, biking, car racing and more.

In the U.S., she used to go to NBA, NFL and MBL games – even paying $600 for a World Cup ticket in San Francisco. Dulce loves biking and has completed two challenging biking experiences, the Camino de Santiago - St James Way (a 820 Km route through Spain) and the Hotter than Hell race in Texas (a 100 mile route in August under 100 degrees Fahrenheit).

Shortly after arriving in Rome, Dulce joined PWA looking to connect with international like-minded professionals who had worked abroad like herself. In 2007, she joined the Board as Secretary. Quickly realizing that the greatest difficulty of attracting ever more international members was due to a shortage of funds, a limited budget and above all lack of visibility, she whole-heartedly pursued transforming PWA from a club to a full-fledged legal entity. Dulce and the 2007

Dulce at New Years Eve, Mexico.

board were instrumental in giving new life to the Professional Women’s Association; Not only navigating the byzantine bureaucracy to register our Statutes, but also setting up a PWA bank account. PWA could then transparently and proudly promote itself as a professional association. Dulce considers funding a means to do important things, to attract people and grow at a faster pace.

Dulce makes it a priority to maintain her connections in life. In 2013, after reconnecting with a friend from Thunderbird, she decided to invest in a new business venture. She became Managing Director of eSource Capital Italia and a stakeholder of the company. Devoted to the importance of the end user, Dulce was looking for an experience with the consumer market. Yet after 25 years working in B2B sales, she found it difficult to make the move.

Her flexibility and steadfastness proved once again to serve her well. The explosion of smart devices and social media made the enterprise world change; Businesses more than ever are heavily influenced by their customers. With “Consumerization of the Enterprise” it was the perfect opportunity to fulfill a dream, partnering up with one of the most important brands in the consumer world, Google.

Her advice to the next generation? “Network for new opportunities; Make connections with other people and make those connections last forever.” After all, you never know…

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Professional Women...

The Brains behind our Brawn

by Valerie Baxter PWA President

PWA PRINCIPLES

Too often, we live close together, but as strangers. We don’t know what our neighbors can do; We don’t know whom we can trust.

TimeBanking provides the vehicle to discover the vast wealth of capacity that surrounds us—and it makes trust possible because every action creates a track record known to others.

When?

The TimeBank concept was developed in 1986 at the London School of Economics by Edgar S. Cahn, JD, PhD. The first TimeBank in Italy opened in 1992 in Parma from a pensioners’ group initiative, becoming a legal entity in 1995 on a proposal by the Council’s Equal Opportunity Committee.

Why? There should be other ways than market price to place a value on people’s time. There needs to be a way to honor, record, and reward that kind of work. The TimeBanks movement represents a determination to take a stand for a more equitable, inclusive economic order.

Core Values Conventional economic success tends to be at the expense of the communities and families that underpin most of what is valuable in life.

It is OUR fault that society has clung too long to an old-fashioned idea of professionalism.

The truth is that no institution can succeed without the active, equal and enthusiastic partnership of their clients and beneficiaries.

One-way services that fail to achieve this don’t work. Even conventional volunteering, where non-professionals reach out to neighbours, has failed to tackle this central issue. There is another kind of mutual volunteering, which gets forgotten amidst the flurry of semi-professional mentors favoured by policy-makers. The crux of the matter is that they forget that reciprocal relationships between people are more

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enduring than dividing the givers from the receivers. Not only are our institutions failing, but we are ignoring a vast resource that needs to be brought to bear on our struggling social capital – people’s time. TimeBanks have been developed as a tool of institutional reform and empowerment that can bring those two problems together to create a powerful and innovative solution.

What?

A different kind of money that provides a new way to link untapped community capacity to unmet needs. The market — or money economy fails to value or reward many types of critical work — the work of raising healthy children, building strong families, revitalizing neighbourhoods, preserving the environment, advancing social justice and democracy.

Some services offered in TimeBanks Child care · Legal assistance · Language lessons · Home repairs · Respite care · Account management · Copywriting· Office/Business support · Tutoring · Graphic Design · Driving instruction · Delivery and... what about you?

How? TimeBanking refuses to grant money a monopoly on the definition of value, instead creating a new kind of exchange originally called “service credits.” That idea has become known as Time Dollars, and later, as it spread beyond the United States, TimeBanks. The concept is simple: one hour of help of any kind given to another member earns a time credit, exchangeable for an hour of help in return.

One equals one. TimeBanks are not commercial barter organizations, so time credits earned are not treated as taxable income.

The Bottom Line TimeBanks can be seen to solve social problems such as: • Health Service Delivery ― The Sentara Hospitals in Richmond, Virginia paid time credits to asthmatic patients to create a network of people with asthma; befriending, advising and informing. They managed to cut the cost of treating asthma by over 70% in just two years.

• Tackling Crime ― Youth juries are about the only institutions capable of using young people to reinforce healthy interactions.

• Gaining Experience ― A TimeBank member who has been out of employment for a while can use their banked time. Their monthly credit statement becomes a definite record for prospective employers showing they are trusted, actively involved and useful members of their community.

The Future TimeBanking has already moved on to the phase of co-production. This involves getting the nonprofit world and human service professionals to appreciate that they accomplish most when they enlist the clients and community they served as co-workers and partners who “coproduce” the needed outcomes. This can yield major institutional change in all kinds of areas: child development, elementary and secondary education, family support, professional training, juvenile justice, eldercare, violence reduction, prison reform. Transformation is already underway in field after field; it could go viral, as we learn to understand the possibilities that exist beyond conventional money.

There’s also an emerging use of TimeBanking that’s less familiar. As governments cut services and programs for the most vulnerable, TimeBanking is moving beyond individuals: Institutions are attempting to fill the gaps by enlisting their communities as partners in their work.

The breadth and magnitude of what TimeBank initiatives can do: • Research has long established that peer tutoring by older children consistently generates major gains. Using TimeBanks to sustain it and engaging parents provides the data needed to prove outcomes.

• In Washington D.C., teenagers have earned time credits as jurors in the Time Dollar

Youth Court, in cases of peers accused of nonviolent crimes. Offenders may be sentenced to community service, life skills classes, an apology, writing an essay, or jury duty. Recidivism rates are less than 10%; The District saves $9,000 for every offender who goes to Youth Court instead of the traditional system.

• TimeBanking is also getting a boost from new software that will make it easier to log, track, and share hours (the software documents engagement, reliability, punctuality, and trustworthiness). Over 200 separate TimeBanks are now using open sourced versions to build customized websites. By next year, Smartphones and tablets will radically expand TimeBank access.

The Big Picture: Global TimeBanking In 2013 TIMEREPUBLIK launched the global TimeBank. Its aim is to eliminate geographical limitations of previous TimeBanks. Via the Community Exchange System (CES), a global network of communities using alternative exchange systems, TimeBanks can trade with each other wherever they are, as well as with mutual credit exchanges. The system uses a base ‘currency’ of one hour, and the conversion rates between the different exchange groups are based on national average hourly wage rates. This allows TimeBanks to trade with mutual credit exchanges in the same or different countries.

TimeBank in Numbers After 25 years of experimentation, learning, and expansion, the United States has 300 registered TimeBanks. The smallest has 15 members; The largest, 3,000. At present, TimeBanks have enrolled 30,000 members in the United States, 30,000 in the United Kingdom and an additional 100,000 scattered across 34 countries. Italy has 320 TimeBanks (Banche del Tempo ― BdT) which in Rome alone involves 7500 people and in Lombardia 5000. Over 8.600 participants of Rome TimeBanks alone in 2010 activated over 72.000 hours (9.000 working days) exchanging various types of activity, approx 150 overall, paid in time, but these have been estimated in a real market value of €900.000 in community services.

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October Conference: The DreamBuilder Text Lisa R Tucci Photos Hanna Suni You lose your dreams, you die. Who doesn’t remember Nick saying that to Jennifer Beals’ character in Flashdance?

And so, when we heard that our last speaker, Cristiana Durante had actually repatriated in a reverse brain drain back to Italy to tell us about Building our Dreams, well…sign me up! Cristiana, it turns out, is a DreamBuilder Coach, certified from Los Angeles’ Life Mastery Institute. She has spent a career on a continual search for the connection of Body, Mind & Spirit, and now helps people use their higher brains to get to their higher selves.

I have spent the last ten years studying some metaphysics, trying to put into practice The Law of Attraction, and now, realizing that all change happens in the mind. Through my work with Quantum Learning, I also know the importance 1) Cristiana Durante DreamBuilder of positive self-talk and not being judgmental (but I suppose I could have just paid more attention at catechism oh so many years ago!) But, DreamBuilder practice seems to either combine all of these important points, or, according to Cristiana, actually demands that you ‘unlearn’ all of these things you’ve known or done before, prior to putting a positive foot forward in the direction of your dreams.

Her bottom line? When we change our minds and start visualizing our dreams or goals, we change the way our neurons connect in the brain to build new patterns, undoing old connections and creating new ones. In short, rewiring our brains for imminent success. In short, as another one of my gurus, Dr Wayne Dyer used to love to quip, If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

Cristiana enriched us with many more premises and practices behind her terrific work. She takes on private coaching clients and…even if you don’t know, exactly, what you’re dream or vision is, she can help you articulate it. It’s a matter of inner work, a 12 week experiment with your life. I spoke with her later, and loved her energy, background and drive. Accompanied by her life as an expat in the USA, I think many of us can ‘relate’ to her easily as multicultural people as well.

I for one have many dreams I am pursuing and can’t wait to work with her as a coach so they don’t just gather dust in the far reaches of my mind.

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2) Alessandro Caporalini, Federprofessional 3) Valerie Baxter, PWA President

The Eatalyan ConneXion Text and photos by Hanna Suni The latest ConneXion proved yet again that PWA is the perfect place if you are looking for quality aperitifs!

The Eatalyan ConneXion, organized by Social Director Isabella Cattan at the new Eataly location in Piazza Repubblica, was yet another great success.

We enjoyed a wide variety of beautifully presented antipasti in the joyous company of both members and guests.

To top it all off, the baristas created tasty and pretty cocktails... and all this for only 10 euro!

If you are a wine lover, make sure not to miss the December ConneXion at the Trimani Wine Bar. Eataly is the largest chain of Italian marketplaces in the world, comprising of a variety of restaurants, food and beverage counters, bakery, retail items, and cooking schools. It was founded by Oscar Farinetti, and counts 34 stores around the world. Rome hosts two of them and they are definitely worth a visit!

SHAKE IT!!!

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James Tissot - Premier Exhibition in Italy

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ART, the exhibition producer for Rome’s beloved Chiostro del Bramante, situated just off of Piazza Navona, is hosting a unique collection of works for the first time in Italy, dedicated to the French artist Jacques Joseph Tissot. Born in Nantes in 1836 to Marcel Théodore, a fabric merchant and Marie Durand a hat designer, he was surrounded by the fashion world from an early age. A strict fashion sense permeates his work, especially when it comes to depicting women’s wear, carefully executed in fine detail.

Against his father’s wishes he decided to become an artist, moving to Paris to attend the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Setting out on a new life and career, he took the name, James Tissot. In just a few years his works became quite popular and in 1859, at the age of 26, he exhibited five master works at the Paris Salon for the first time.

He was awarded a medal for his talent.

Tissot first depicted Medieval themes before being inspired by Goethe’s Faust. After his painting,The Meeting of Faust and Marguerite, was purchased by the French Government for 5000 francs in 1860, he decided to focus on contemporary life. He painted scenes from both Paris and London, where he was living from 1873.

The Roman exhibition focuses on Tissot’s works dedicated to ladies’ daily lives, coming from important international museums including the Musée d’Orsay, the Tate Gallery, the Nantes Musée des Beaux-Arts and others.

The Exhibition shows 80 works including masterpieces such as the Lady with Parasol (1878-80) and A Convalescent (1880-82), both dedicated to Kathleen Newton. She had met James in 1876 and became his muse, model and mistress till her premature death in 1882.

This tragedy struck Tissot deeply, who then sold his house in London and returned to Paris.

He turned to Catholicism and after a mystical crisis spent his last years making Old Testament illustrations and even travelling to Palestine. He died in Buillon in 1902.

Fascinating, is seeing his works side-by-side with those of the Italian painter, Giuseppe De Nittis — another apt observer of modern life!

Also quite interesting is the section dedicated to 19th century fashion (both men’s and women’s clothing and millinery) and the fabrics used for them at the time in a sort of homage to Tissot’s family roots.

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CULTURAL CORNER

By Laura M. Rizzi www.laltraroma.net

James Tissot, Lady with parasol (1878-80)

James Tissot, Self portrait (1865)

Giuseppe De Nittis, Intorno al paralume (1879)

SIGN UP NOW

PWA Cultural ConneXion January 17, 2016 ore 16.00

Mostra James Tissot Chiostro del Bramante, Rome guided visit in Italian prepaid RSVP - €20 info: social@pwarome.org

let’s go “social”

Utilizing Facebook and LinkedIn Groups For Your Professional and Brand Success

by Paola Devescovi www.projectprosperity.com Networking has taken on a whole new meaning in the Internet age. Going to networking and industry events is no longer enough. Keeping up with the competition demands cultivating contacts, being seen as an authority in your field with all this now happening online.

Privileged networking venues are LinkedIn and Facebook groups that, when used effectively, can and do open doors to great opportunities.

Groups offer you a chance to demonstrate your industry knowledge, reveal what you bring to the industry, and build your Personal Brand.

Let’s examine a few ways you can use groups effectively.

Choose Groups with Care A common error many professionals and executives make is they join too many groups, often at random. Choosing the right groups is important, especially on LinkedIn, to enable you to contact your targeted network. This should include potential customers, thought leaders, referral partners, and contacts that can be useful to you and your brand.

Joining too many groups will prevent you from managing them well, and that often leads to wasted opportunities.

When you join a group you should be able to view the members. Make a note of the most useful and start trying to connect with them.

Post with Care When you post in a group make sure it is relevant to the audience. For example, you share an article about leadership to a career management group but you don’t share it to an app development group. If the audience is not relevant to the article, you will not build good connections, and may possibly damage your own reputation.

As a rule of thumb: • Keep updates relevant • Only post your own blogs in response to specific queries • Keep an eye on the group rules and don’t break them Engage with Others in the Groups To make Facebook and LinkedIn groups work in your favour, it is essential that you engage with others in the group. Liking posts and replies, making comments, all make for good networking practices. When you comment, decide whether the comment is for the public domain, or if it is best sent to the person privately.

A common mistake people make when commenting is that they don’t monitor their own contributions. This is a bit like saying something to somebody and then turning your back. It is good practice and polite to respond to comments and likes on your posts, and take note of what others are saying. It makes for a terrific way to make a contact. and that’s the whole point.

Follow up your Connection Once you have made a connection in a group, try to move the conversation offline especially for contacts you have identified as strategically important. You should aim for phone and face-to-face meetings if you feel they may be beneficial to you.

Using Facebook and LinkedIn groups effectively will take awhile. Success will not happen overnight. So be patient. By being professional, over time you will see people wanting to connect with you and ask your advice. This leads to opportunities, good connections and to your professional and brand success.

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IN OUR HANDS

H E A LT H

C

by Monica Sorcetti www.chiedialladottoressa.com

THE EVILS OF THE SEASON

olds and flus, the so-called ‘evils of the season’, are caused by aggressive pathogenic micro-organisms called viruses, whose name derives from Latin virus = poison. Viruses are unable to reproduce on their own, so they are forced to insert themselves inside of living cells for their very survival; Exploiting their reproductive functions, in order to perpetuate themselves. It’s no wonder viruses are actually called, “forced intracellular parasites.”

The viruses that cause colds are called rhinovirus. They are numerous and their ability to alter themselves once inside the cell nucleus is great. This mechanism allows them to fool the body’s immune system and acquire an increased virulence that facilitates infection thereby rendering the virus even more aggressive and harmful.

The increased virulence, when associated with a compromised immune system, increases the likelihood that one will contract colds, influenza (the flu), and other viral diseases. A body with a strong immune system in contrast, is able to ward off attack and protect itself from disease thereby maintaining a healthy balance.

There are several factors that can weaken the immune system: physical or mental stress, recurrent infections, surgery, chronic diseases, heart disease or diabetes, lack of regular sleep and an overall unorganized lifestyle. Children’s immune systems are even more fragile, because they are still immature, while the defenses of the elderly diminish over time, due to the physiological aging of the organism.

Some people are more frequently attacked by colds and seasonal flus, while others are more refractory in contracting such infections. This is precisely because the former group has a less efficient immune system compared to the latter.

It is therefore important to try and maintain your immune system in top shape. This is through a healthy and regular lifestyle, without smoking and with moderate alcohol consumption. It is also important not to abuse medications, especially if they are not prescribed by a physician. By way of example,

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antibiotics alter the balance of physiological microbial intestinal flora. Thus weakened, leaves open the way for the aggression of pathogenic bacteria.

Antibiotics are also completely ineffective against viruses, so it is completely wrong to use them as a remedy against a cold or a flu caused by virus. Only if a doctor has prescribed them in special cases to prevent bacterial complications should they be used.

So how can we prevent the common cold? We can increase our natural defenses by using remedies such as antioxidants, probiotic lactic acid bacteria, propolis, and some phytoderivates. We can make sure our diet is rich in antioxidants by consuming copious amounts of fruits and vegetables daily; They neutralize the free radicals which can weaken our system. There are also some terrific natural supplements that help boost our immune system such as propolis, grapefruit seed extract, lactic probiotics and vitamin C. Propolis, rich in antioxidants, is considered a natural antibiotic and a powerful antiviral for colds, flus and even sore throats.

Grapefruit seed extract is rich in bioflavonoids that have antibiotic, antiviral and anti-inflammatory qualities and it is a great natural remedy for respiratory infections as well. Probiotic lactic acid bacteria have the ability to fight the growth of harmful microorganisms and stimulate the formation of antibodies that enhance the immune response.

Vitamin C, found in plants such as Acerola and Rosehip, acts both as an antioxidant and as anti-free radical; Important in immune responses to stress as well as against bacterial and viral attacks. Vitamin C also helps strengthen our body’s natural defenses.

In nature there are also several herbs that contain active immune stimulating properties, such as Echinacea, Elder, Cat’s Claw and a very particular fungus used in China and Japan, Reishi. They have been found to restore and enhance the immune system by inducing an endogenous response ― allowing our body to fight and destroy viruses and bacteria.

So, as we head into flu season, be sure to strengthen your defenses. After all, the best defense is a strong offense. Even against the common cold.

IN OCCASIONE DELLA GIORNATA MONDIALE CONTRO LA DISCRIMINAZIONE DELLE DONNE ABBIAMO IL PIACERE DI CONFERMARE IL NOSTRO INVITO

LA TAVOLA ROTONDA che si terrà il 25 novembre prossimo è un’iniziativa dell’Esercito della Salvezza in Italia che vuole promuovere una maggiore conoscenza degli attori nella lotta contro la violenza subita dalle donne nell’ambito familiare e lavorativo e in quelle situazioni di maggiore vulnerabilità come possono essere la povertà o la migrazione.

Sono molte le organizzazioni che si adoperano per aiutare le donne vittime di violenza, ma noi siamo convinti che Insieme possiamo fare di più!

L’evento del 25 novembre è un invito a sedersi intorno a un tavolo, a informarci reciprocamente su cosa stiamo facendo ognuno nei rispettivi campi, a discutere insieme su come possiamo scuotere le coscienze e rendere l’opinione pubblica più attenta a queste gravi problematiche che sono la violenza, lo sfruttamento a scopo sessuale e la tratta umana, e infine vedere in che modo le nostre voci, unite, possano avere un peso maggiore nei luoghi della politica dove sono prese le decisioni che possono davvero fare la differenza.

Se questi temi vi appassionano, unitevi a noi il prossimo 25 novembre ore 18h00 (Ingresso 17h30) NELLA SALA CONFERENZA DELL’HOTEL ALEPH, via San Basilio 15, Roma Con la partecipazione dell'Ambasciatore Australiano presso la Santa Sede (Global Freedom Network), rappresentanti della IOM, FDEI, PWA, ECPAT, Vite Trasformate, il servizio Roxane del Comune di Roma e altri distinti ospiti e con la sponsorizzazione molto gradita dell’Hotel Aleph di Via San Basilio.

Vi invitiamo ad andare sul nostro sito www.tavolarotonda.esercitodellasalvezza.org per tutte le informazioni e di seguirci e commentare su https://www.facebook.com/tavolarotondaeds?_rdr=p Su Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoundTableEdS (per pubblicare tweets usare @RoundTableEdS).

Vi aspettiamo numerosi per questo evento importante!

Ringraziando per la cortese attenzione inviamo distinti saluti, Anne-Florence Tursi

Estelle Blake

Anne-Florence Tursi Ten.Colonnella Esercito della Salvezza in Italia Quartiere Generale Nazionale Ministeri Femminili e Formazione

Estelle Blake Maggiore Esercito della Salvezza in Italia Quartiere Generale Nazionale Coordinatrice Anti-Traffico Umano

Tel: 06 44740630 | Fax: 06 44740640 | CCB Unicredit Spa IT 67 S 02008 03284 - CCP IT46 U 07601 03200 000085651826 C.F. – P.I. 07933851003 | E-mail: sedenazionale@esercitodellasalvezza.org Pec: sedenazionale@pec.esercitodellasalvezza.org Sito web: www.esercitodellasalvezza.org

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Leadership Summit Rome, December 3-4, 2015

The Leadership Summit is the Rome Business School’s program, in partnership with Professional Women Association, aimed at establishing and developing Leadership standards of excellence.

Few things are more important to human activity than leadership. It makes a business organization successful. It enables a not-for-profit organization to fulfill its mission. The effective leadership of parents enables children to grow strong and healthy and become productive adults.

The absence of leadership is equally dramatic in its effects. Without leadership, organizations move too slowly, stagnate, and lose their way. Much of the literature about organizations stresses decision-making and implies that if decision-making is timely, complete, and correct, then things will go well. Yet a decision by itself changes nothing. After a decision is made, an organization faces the problem of implementation ― how to get things done in a timely and effective way. Problems of implementation are really issues about how leaders influence behavior, change the course of events, and overcome resistance. Leadership is crucial in implementing decisions successfully.

The program is aimed at discussing the most important issues and trends in the field of leadership, with an international approach and perspective.

At the end of the Summit, participants will have considerable knowledge on: • Developing a vision, a mission, and a strategy • Communicating the vision/mission/strategy and getting buy-in • Motivating action • Empowering teams • Collective leadership • International best practices in leadership

Rome Business School Via Salaria 44, Roma - Italia info@romebusinessschool.it + 39 (0)6 4783633 - Fax: +39 (0)6 96708812 www.RomeBusinessSchool.it www.facebook.com\RomeBusinessSchool

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NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS: JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY AGREEMENT OF GREAT OPPORTUNITIES PWA and JCU have renewed their mutual agreement of sharing resources and promoting each other’s activities reciprocally. The agreement includes the right for one PWA member to audit a course each semester at JCU and five JCU members to participate in all of PWA’s events. PWAers are also entitled to a 10% discount on executive education short courses and masters in Italian. PWA experts have the possibility of teaching courses at JCU and JCU students of interning with PWA members’ companies.

We encourage all PWA and JCU members to take advantage of this incredible agreement!

Corsi di Master in italiano per il 2016 offerti dal Centro di Alta Formazione e Avviamento alla Carriera della John Cabot University SCOPRI di PIU sull’offerta dei Master 2016!

1 - Management delle Piccole Imprese in Ambito Internazionale: Brochure!

2 - Marketing delle Organizzazioni Pubbliche e Private e Strategia Digitale: Brochure!

3 - Management Strategico delle Risorse Umane ed Organizzazione Aziendale: Brochure!

4 - Business Finance: Brochure!

Approfitta del 10 % di sconto sul costo dei Master per i membri di Professional Women Association e i loro familiari!

PWA

PWA Rome, manager che pensano al femminile Interview by Teleborsa to Valerie Baxter, President

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Upcoming events December ConneXion: The Trimani Taste

Trimani Il Wine Bar, Via Cernaia 37-b, Rome

Wed, December 2, 18:30-21:00 Price: 15 â‚Ź members and guests

January ConneXion:

James Tissot Exhibition

Chiostro del Bramante, Rome visita guidata in italiano

Sun, January 17, 16:00

Price: 20 â‚Ź members and guests

PWA in 2015-16 ConneXions 2 December 13 January 3 February 2 March 6 April 4 May 8 June

PWA conferences Hotel Aleph Roma Via San Basilio 15 (Via Barberini)

PWA ConneXions are held at different Roman venues Stay tuned via direct email, social media and our website

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Conferences 20 January Special Events 17 February 16 December Party 8 March IWD 15 June Summer Party

Check out www.pwarome.org

16 March 20 April 18 May

Membership news PWA offers its members advertising for their specific companies or activities through the monthly online magazine, The People We Are. Each member can post up to 3 half-page ads per year. Send us your HI RES JPG or PDFfile for publishing to: newsletter@pwarome.org We do not permit promotional posts or advertisements on our Facebook Group or Page.

2015-2016 PWA Board and Team members President Valerie Baxter president@pwarome.org Secretary Edna Francis secretary@pwarome.org Treasurer Michelle Bassanesi treasurer@pwarome.org Programming Christine Sterpetti programming@pwarome.org Membership Olga Plyaskina membership@pwarome.org Corporate Member coordinator Maria Banks membership@pwarome.org Associate Member coordinator Nicole Giacomarra membership@pwarome.org Social Isabella Cattan social@pwarome.org Social Co-Director Adriana Tempesta social@pwarome.org PR & Sponsorship Christina Barbiero pr.sponsorship@pwarome.org PR & Sponsorship co-chair Marta Schneider pr.sponsorship@pwarome.org Newsletter Hanna Suni newsletter@pwarome.org Newsletter editorial consultant Lisa R Tucci newsletter@pwarome.org Webmistress Rossana Scazzocchio webmistress@pwarome.org Community Director Paola Devescovi community@pwarome.org Mentoring Program Manager Maria Letizia Nesta mentoring@pwarome.org Luisa La Via Mentor Think Tank Michela Lazzè specialprojects@pwarome.org Think Tank Alessandra Tacconelli specialprojects@pwarome.org Social media communications assistant Giuseppina Rizzolo Media communications assistant Katia Ingegneri Legal Advisor Caterina Flick

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cordially invite you to Menù Terrina di verdure Piccoli brochettes di manzo Torte rustiche Soufflé di patate con cuore di mozzarella Involtini di indivia e provola Cheese cake di zucca Verdura di stagione fritta in pastella Pappardelle con patate olive e rosmarino Rigatone cacio e pepe con carciofi croccanti e riduzione di Aglianico Galletto datteri e finocchietto Tagliata d’ananas al maraschino Mousse ai cioccolati e pistacchio Piccoli dolci di natale Acqua· vino· caffè

' December 16, 2015 at 20.30 Grand Hotel Palace Via Vittorio Veneto, 70 - Roma

RSVP by December 8th social@pwarome.org members €40, guests €45

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