Inside the Office with Christy Rutherford

Inside the Office with

Christy Rutherford WWW.CSUITECHICKS.COM

INTERVIEW WITH CHRISTY RUTHERFORD 2

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Tell me about your day job.

Well, first and foremost, I am a leader. One of the things Iyanla Vanzant said is: “You have to be clear on who you are and on what you do.�

My gift helps me to get people to discover a greater version of themselves, to see who they can be beyond who they ARE. I do that through coaching, training and writing books.

I share my gifts with the world in different formats to make the world a better place.

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Who have been your sheroes, heroes or mentors?

My parents are my heroes and everybody in my family really, because they were around during the Civil Rights era. I don’t think I would have made it. My grandfather owned a farm and my maternal family picked cotton. My father had to drop out of school to take care of the family, so they grew up in a different time. I always love to pay homage to my family because without them, and without their struggles and sacrifices, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to become who I am.

Beyond my family, I had 13 mentors while I served in the military. More recently, I love studying Napoleon Hill, Oprah, TD Jakes, Joel Osteen, Jim Rohn and a host of other leaders past and present.

I am addicted and obsessed with the success principles. That is what I’ve learned, and that’s what I teach.

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Tell me about your best childhood memory.

When I was in South Carolina, my grandfather had a farm, and he had some cows. One day, when I was 10, my aunt shucked some corn. Oh yeah. I’m about to get real country (laughs). Me and eight of my cousins had to go out and feed it to 30 or so cows on my grandfather’s farm.

At least it seemed like a lot at the time. We threw out a pile, and all the cows ran towards it, and ran away screaming. Then, we’d throw out a little more, and the cows will run towards it again, and we’d run away screaming. This happened about four times before I started to see a pattern.

I thought to myself, “If one of these cows chases us, I can’t run that fast.” My cousins were a lot faster than me. They could also jump higher than me, as we always ran from a log and jumped into trees. I was a tomboy growing up and even though I was wearing sneakers and they all had on jellies, they were still faster than me. So I stopped throwing the shucks and decided to move about 20 feet in front of them.

Then it happened. I saw a cow come from the back and I yelled, “RUN!” and we took off. We ran 400 yards and they passed me of course, and by the time we climbed a few trees to safety, we were huffing and puffing and a few of them were missing their shoes. (laughs) Looking back on that during my coaching at Georgetown, I realized I’ve always had foresight and think four steps ahead of most people. I also know that you don’t have to be the fastest runner; you just have to be faster than the slowest person. Because I was the slowest person, I put measures in C - SUITE CHICKS MAGAZINE - INSIDE THE OFIFCE

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place to make sure I wouldn’t be eaten by a cow

time. I played softball in college, and it was

that day. That’s why it’s my favorite childhood

an all-volunteer team so by mid-season, we

story because it shows wisdom. I’m always

had nine people, and it takes nine people to

thinking ahead and trying to outmaneuver

play a game. So, girlfriend, I was a magnet for

people. Four steps ahead is what made me

balls. I would get hit in the head. I would get

successful as a leader. It made me successful in

hit in the knee. I got hit in the head one time,

my career and in life. I don’t look at things for

and the seam from the softball was etched in

what they are, I look at them for what they can

my head, and I couldn’t go to sleep because

become. And then I take steps to make sure it

they said if you go to sleep you aren’t going to

works out in my favor.

wake up.

Do you have any other funny stories or

One time as I played first base, I had a girl

any other traits that you can think of or

stomp on my shoe and she put a hole in

that people talked about you having as

my shoe and punctured my toenail. I was

a child that you know now contributed

bleeding you know, but we only had nine

to your leadership skills?

people, if I can’t play that means we have to forfeit the game. So I would be in pain, and

I do! Creativity is one. Not necessarily creating

my team would say “Christy, we need you.”

something from scratch; that’s not me. When

I’m crying. I’m in pain. I got hit in the head.

I see something, I can make it better. So as a

I got hit in the leg with a softball going 30

mud pie maker, if I see a mud pie, I can make it

mph; you know what I’m saying? So I would

better. I went to culinary school, and I may not

stay in the game not for me, but because my

be able to create something artistically from

team needed me. That taught me the value of

my head, but if I can see it, I can make it better.

teamwork. Not necessarily doing what I feel

So that’s my skill. If you give me the standard,

like doing, but doing what’s needed for the

I’m going to figure out a way to achieve more. If

greater good.

you show me what the status quo is, I’m going to blast past it. If you show me what the best

That’s where the strength and the courage

person has done, I’m going to make it better. So

come from because you’ve got to stand up.

that’s one of the things that I’ve learned.

I’m on the field with a hole in my freaking shoe, and I’m crying, but I’m still there. I

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And the second thing is when I think about

wasn’t allowed to sit down and start crying.

people saying “Christy, you have so much

My team needed me so I had to say to myself,

courage, and you’re so strong.” Strength and

“No, you’ve got to play this game.” So that was

courage don’t come naturally. I don’t think

the strength and the courage I had to have

they’re natural traits. They are developed over

early in life.

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others. I never talked down to people and would protect them. I treated people with respect because I expected people to treat me with respect. I expected it, but it didn’t always happen.

As I grew and developed in my career, I started going to minority conferences.

Year after year, they complained about the same thing. We weren’t being treated fairly.

Recruitment and retention were low and promotion to the senior levels were for the most part, non-existent. By the fourth year, it made me mad. I finally took action and created a leadership development program for African American officers. I learned promotion to the senior levels started within

When did you decide you were going

the first few years of our career, but they focused on the middle. I created a mentorship

to be a leader or work to coach and

program and assigned most of the African

transform other leaders? When did you

American officers three mentors. I held

decide this was going to be your dream?

monthly training for the junior leaders and mentored 90 junior and mid-level leaders. It

I served in the military for 16 1/2 years as a

was crazy, but very effective. The promotion

U.S. Coast Guard officer. I was on a ship for

rate for senior officers (Executive Director

the first two years chasing drug runners in the

equivalent) increased from 30 percent to

Caribbean. It was awesome. I had 12 people

89 percent in six years. With that, coaching

who worked for me, and they were all older

is a natural part of who I am. I want to

than me. I didn’t know anything and they knew

instill in people the desire to be greater. To

it. How could I influence people to get them

stop talking about what SHOULD happen,

to do what I needed them to do? I struggled

but create something where we can save

with that because I was new and even though

ourselves. Now I do the exact same thing. It’s

I had the “positional power” I didn’t have

just with leaders on a global platform.

the personal power. It had to learn how to influence people. To ensure that everyone was treated fairly and no one was disrespected by 8

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Talk a little more about positional versus personal power.

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Positional power is when you’re given a position or a job title. Something that allows you to say that you’re leading people. It gives you the authority to lead from the organizational level. I lead these 10 people, or I lead these 20 people, but it doesn’t necessarily equate into personal power. Even though you can have the position and you can tell people what to do, it doesn’t mean that they’re going to give you their best.

Eighty-seven percent of people worldwide hate their jobs. The world is being run by 13 percent of the people, and if people are working for you, then they may be giving you 10 to 20 percent.

They’re not necessarily giving you their best.

When you’re leading with personal power, people give you 120 percent. My goal as I grew and developed was learning how to get the best out of my people. How can I get the most productivity out of them? How can I get the greatest results possible? How can I squeeze everything they have within them to give and then use it to push the team forward?

I became a master at taking people who were giving 10 to 20 percent and getting them to give 120 percent without complaint. I increased their workload. I increased their work hours, but because I made them feel valuable, because they felt like they were part of the team, because they felt like what they said was going to be listened to and that they really mattered, people started to give me their best, and that is the difference between personal power and positional power.

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If you weren’t doing this work now,

change and hope in m application. Also, because

what would your life look like?

it was so much a natural part of who I was, in my essence, they accepted me into the program and

Oh my goodness! You know, it’s interesting, when I think about coaching, and people say “Is this what you do?” No, it’s WHO I AM. I’ve been reading self-help magazines since I was 12. I was always the super-nerdy kid, reading self-help magazines, so I didn’t read what people were reading at 12. I read Woman’s World, Better Homes and Gardens trying to

then I became a certified coach in 2008.

I think I would be doing the same thing, Lydia. It may be labeled differently, but I would definitely be doing what I’m doing now because I love, I love leadership. I love all things leadership, and I also know that a lot of leaders suffer the same things because we’re workaholics. My goal is to assist people with solving those challenges.

figure out how to fix stuff or to give people advice or whatever random fun-fact they had.

If you had it all to do over again, would

I was always that friend that could be called

you do anything differently?

on to solve your problem because I’d read about it somewhere. Like, “Oh! I’d read about

Most people think I would say, “Since I left

that!” “Oh, you have that condition? Oh, I

my career after 16 and a half years, I stayed

read about that!” So, as I continued to grow

too long.” But, I don’t regret the people that

and develop, I was that rational friend that

I managed. I don’t regret those experiences

people would call for advice. I always have

because it made me who I am. I would love to

a book recommendation for your problem.

say I grew up rich, but if my parents would have

(laughs)

given me everything that I asked for, it wouldn’t

I went to a conference in 2006, and heard this lady talk about coaching, and I said, “Oh my God! That’s what I do!” They have a name for it? She said, “I went to Georgetown” and she talked about it so much that I said, “You know what, I’m going to move to D.C and I’m going to go to Georgetown to get my coaching certification.” And I did. They chose 36 people out of 3,600 people, or so that applied.

I was just the random anomaly because most people in coaching are organizational development people, but I was a military

have given me the hustle that I have today to always go out and work to buy it myself. I don’t have any regrets because without the experiences, without the bad times, the losses, and the terrible relationships, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to grow into who I am today. I don’t regret the decisions. I mean, I think there are decisions that have been made, that could have been better, but I can see the gems even in the dust. There was something good that came out of it, even if I don’t like it. I can’t change the past, no matter how hard I try.

officer. But, I told a compelling story of 10

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Something that’s always stuck with me is “You don’t have to make the mistake to learn from it.” What’s the toughest lesson that you’ve learned that you hope another woman can learn from you?

The toughest lesson that I’ve learned was seven years ago when I burned out. I burned out so bad Lydia; I exploded into a thousand pieces. I mean, BOOM! It was traumatic, it was catastrophic, and it was ridiculous.

But absolutely preventable. I ran away like Tina Turner ran from Ike in that white suit in What’s Love Got To Do With It. (laughs) It took a few years for me to get it together and I questioned, “How did I get here? How could I have this money, these degrees, and this position, but still be so broken on the inside and couldn’t tell anybody?”

Being a highly respected leader with a position that many peoples aspire to, I couldn’t tell anybody. Nobody checks on the heroes. Nobody asked if I was okay.

Even if they did, how could I admit it and not be judged for it? People might ask, “How dare you have everything, but then admit you have some stuff going on?” I was shiny on the outside and dark on the inside. I was trapped in a silent hell and my soul was howling. I always tell my clients and exhausted women I meet to give themselves time to take care of themselves.

To create real change, we have to admit

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there’s some stuff going on because we’re so accustomed to wearing a mask and being everybody else’s superhero, that the cape can get wrapped around our necks, and choke us out.

We need to save ourselves. I love to tell people to give themselves permission to take care of themselves because nobody else is going to do that.

People either change through inspiration or desperation. My goal is to inspire people to change before they get desperate. We all shouldn’t have to burn out, but many people do and that’s disappointing.

Tell me about your first major challenge in a leadership role, and then what resources did you have or resources did you need and not have to overcome it?

I think the first meltdown that I had as a leader was while I was on a ship managing 12 people. I didn’t know what was going on. I was trying to learn a lot of new stuff because I was in a new organization, and I had to learn a new language.

I needed to get certifications and qualifications.

I didn’t know my job, and the older people knew it, so they played tricks on me. I left my hat somewhere and they ran it up the flag pole in the front of the ship for everyone to see and laugh at me. My personnel made me do their work and I couldn’t do anything about it because I didn’t know my job. I was overwhelmed, and one night I remember we were pulling into whatever island, and I was writing a report for my boss, and he

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kept changing it. I mean, it is 2 o’clock in the morning, and he’s still changing this one-page letter. He had changed it like six times. It was only one page! I was super salty and got some air in my chest and said, “You know what, if you know what you want, why don’t you just write it yourself?”

He was a great leader, so I felt bad. I said, “You know what, I thought that disrespecting you would make me feel better and it didn’t so I’m going to do it.” A meltdown happened one day when I just couldn’t take it anymore. The guy that was supposed to sweep the floor wouldn’t do it. This lady that was supposed to give me five numbers gave me a stack of 20 papers

tool. As I developed as a leader, I always gave

and told me to figure it out myself, and I hadn’t

my personnel a book or something to read. I

figured out yet how to lead with positional

didn’t just send them away without a tool to

power. I remember going into his office, and

solve their most dramatic problem. Learning

I dramatically threw classified papers on the

personal power is tough, but once I learned

floor and all up in the air, and I fell down to my

it, I became better at it. I became better at

knees and burst out crying. I was being worked

building relationships with people rather than

to death. I didn’t have any sleep, and I didn’t

just trying to get them to do what I say. Being

understand why people won’t do what I asked

authentic and having a sense of emotional

them to. He just looked at me. Lydia, I was

intelligence are key. It’s one thing to know your

sobbing. I had no sleep. I was fat.

job very well, but knowing people makes you a great leader.

And so, he said “Christy, you need to figure out how to get people to do what you say. You

There’s a lot of research that

need to learn how to lead with personal power.

demonstrates the value of diversity

So get up, wipe the tears off, and get out of my

in leadership. Tell me about your

office and get back to work.” Looking back, I

experiences as a female leader in your

wish he would have given me the book, “How

industry and what diversity looks like in

to Win Friends and Influence People.” Because

your world.

even though he told me what my problem was and what I needed, he didn’t give me the proper

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were 50 African American women officers out of 47,000 people, so we were severely lacking in diversity. You can have somebody go through their whole career and they’ll never have seen another African American female officer. The problem is, when I walked into the room, I was an absolute anomaly. I’m either going to be greeted with a smile, confusion or with tension.

This really created a lot of challenges for me because I didn’t know how I was going to be received when I went to places other than my office. Eventually, I became super arrogant because I had to be strong in who I was and how I showed up at all times. The response of others was unpredictable, so I built a wall of arrogance to protect myself.

Diversity when I think about it now, on the flip side, going to Harvard and being in a classroom with 186 people from 45 countries, what is being a woman of color? What is diversity to Harvard? You don’t have to say diversity when everyone in the room is diverse. You can’t say, “Who is the minority in this room?”

Everybody is a minority. Everybody. We’re just who we are, but how can we work together to get the goal done? It was the most diverse environment that I’ve ever been in, but it was also the most creative, where at the end of the day I saw that we all have a lot of things in common. We share a lot of the same traits. We spoke the same language because there were a lot of successful executives in the room, and we had mutual respect for each other. We’re not looking at each other like, I’m better than this person, or I’m not as great as this person.

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Simply put, we’re just who we are and we’re in

The greatest lesson that I’ve learned in life is

this together. We needed to get our work done

that I don’t know anything. (laughs) I know a

at an exceptional level and we did.

lot, but when you think you know everything,

Diversity is “all the rave” these days.

Organizations need to stop talking and just start being about it. Recruiting, retaining and promoting minorities and women are imperative for profitability.

Top businesses have a board of directors to help govern their business effectively.

Who is on your personal board of directors?

you’re not open to new information. I also have my brother and a few others that are in my mastermind group. We come together and share ideas to inspire greatness in each other.

Do you have regular meetings with them? How do you access them?

He and I talk, we’re scheduled, let me rephrase that. We are scheduled to meet once a week for an hour. However, he says I’m hard-headed, but we talk every other day. He gives me

My personal board of directors is my business

guidance and direction in the moment of how

coach. He keeps me in alignment with my goals

to run and guide my business. He over-delivers

and really protects me from what I don’t know.

in a way that I don’t expect but in a way that’s

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awesome. Sometimes I just want to have a little break. He won’t let me get it. He wants to make sure because he understands where I can be. When I found him, I knew what I wanted from a coach. I wanted someone who could get me out of my own way, who could see the greatness that I couldn’t see in myself — someone who can be frustrated with me since they can see the gap between where I should be and where I am and then assist me in doing the work or giving me the guidance and direction to get there. That’s who he is. That’s who I am to my clients too, so it’s reciprocal.

Having someone to see the gap is key.

I don’t necessarily like my coach all the time because growth is painful. My clients find joy in the pain that he creates for me because sometimes I create growth pains for them. If you like your coach and you love the person that you’re talking to every day, you’re not growing at a rate that you can.

Tell me about what keeps you up at night.

What keeps me up at night? Is nothing a good answer?

That’s a great answer.

I mean, I give my all every day. If I choose to do nothing, then I choose to give my all to doing nothing. I know why I’m here. I know where I’m going, and I know what I’m meant

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to accomplish in this lifetime, and every day I’m working towards that greater vision of who I am meant to be. What I’m meant to accomplish and what I’m meant to contribute to this world. At the end of the day, I’m giving my best.

One of the things that Art Williams said is, “All you can do is all you can do, and all you can do is enough, but make sure you’ve done all you can do.”

At the end of the day, I make sure that I’ve done all that I can do, and then I go to sleep knowing that when I wake up in the morning, I’ve got another opportunity. If I didn’t get it right, I’m not going to beat myself up about it, but what did I learn from that failure? If I didn’t get it right that day, what can I do tomorrow to make it better?

Understanding this, I think was the hardest thing when I first started this journey of entrepreneurship. Being a leader who has built teams, and being highly successful in a particular organization, I made stuff happen fast. I had a huge budget. But as an entrepreneur, I don’t have an unlimited budget. Being on the journey of destiny and purpose, one of the hardest lessons I’ve learned is that it is a marathon and not a sprint. So what small things can you celebrate along the way because it’s not always going to be big wins? How can you keep the fire burning and keep the motivation when nothing seems to work?

When it’s moving like molasses, and your

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soul is howling, what are you going to do to stay

Tell me what’s your favorite book? Any

motivated and to keep on pace? I understood

genre and what are you reading right

MY plan, but what’s God’s plan? I know my

now?

timing, but how about His timing because they don’t always seem to match. That’s how I wake up each day ready to get it in.

What do you do for you that brings you absolute joy or peace?

What do I do? I meditate. I drink coffee. I eat ice cream. I mean these have become my routine. I eat a lot more ice cream when I’m writing books. I never really ate ice cream before, and whenever I started writing books, it did something for my soul. So I eat a lot of ice cream when I’m writing books. I like to give myself permission to do nothing, and this is one of the things when you’re working on your purpose, and you’re working on your destiny, the work never ends. Because I love what I do, I can work all day. I can be 10, 11 o’clock at night and I’m pumping somebody up. But am I being balanced and what does that mean anyway? I’m giving myself permission to say, “We’re going to Hawaii for 10 days on Wednesday, and I’m not going to do anything for five days. I’m turning my phone off.” I think if the world ends when I

My favorite book of all time, second to the Bible, is Outwitting the Devil by Napoleon Hill. I’ve recommended this book, I promise you -- and I’ve been talking about it for six years -- I’ve recommended it to over 600 people. Outwitting the Devil is one of the greatest books of all time and what I love about it is that it was written in 1938 by Napoleon Hill and the information is still relevant today. That shows that a lot doesn’t necessarily change in the world. There were people who were rich in the ‘30s, and there were a lot of poor people in the ‘30s. There were a lot of bitter people in the ‘30s and a lot of happy people in the ‘30s. There were a lot of unsuccessful people and successful people, so what’s the difference between the people who break out of where they are and become the two percent or become greater or become happier?

He gives the roadmap and lets you know that a lot of stuff doesn’t necessarily change. Politics was corrupt in the ‘30s. Things weren’t going well in the ‘30s, and I think that’s leading back to your other question of “what keeps you up at night?”

do that, then so be it, but I think that the world

I now know that there aren’t any new problems.

is going to be okay.

The only thing that can be new and renewed and different is me. If I can make sure that I, you know, choose not to follow the masses and I choose to be comfortable with who I am and not fall into conformity then I’m going to be okay, and everybody around me that I touch or can be

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a part of and influence, they’re going to be okay too.

Another book that I love is called The Power of Your Unlimited Imagination. I was listening to it about two hours ago while I was on the train, The Power of Your Unlimited Imagination by Neville Goddard. It’s so good.

The book that I’m reading now is Make It Rain

by Areva Martin. I did a video testimony for her last night. Make it Rain, How to Use the Media to Revolutionize Your Business and Brand. I’m close to launching another book, and I also want to get more media attention and become an expert commentator on tv shows and on news networks. How do I get more business, how do I get more media to view my business? Areva brings the thunder in Make It Rain. She gave it all.

Girl, if you don’t have this book, you’ve got to get it.

Areva gives so much great insight, I’ve highlighted all the ink right out of my highlighter.

And it’s a great book where I’m like “Holy cow!

I’ve got so much work to do!” But that’s one of the things that I’m going to be working on when I go on vacation. “Vacation” for me is starting to repurpose and get into alignment with a lot of the things that she offered in the book. To get crystal clear on the brand but then also building it. Building the awareness of what I do and who I am on a greater level, and getting to the next level. So, that’s what I’m reading. So good.

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And what’s a skill that you want to learn

not wear a mask and not be anything other than

and why?

who they are. However, they could also admit, “I can be doing some things that are better for me.

What I want to do is to get more exposure and try

Not necessarily for my bottom line or my quota,

to figure out how to. That’s why I’m reading this

or my family, but I need to be able to celebrate

book to figure out how to get on a large platform.

who I am.” These women are rock stars. I mean,

I’m exceptional. I’ve built a worldwide network. I’ve

they are bringing it! Some of them weren’t able

built influence, but I want to get my message out to

to see how great they were because they were

a wider audience. I want to create more impact in

always chasing the next quota. My goal with them

the world so I can do the work that I was called to

was to get them to own and see their greatness.

do. I’m supposed to be talking to more people than

Doing this will give you fuel to fight the next day

I’m talking to right now. It’s not necessarily about

because now you can actually see that you’re

“Oh, I want a million followers” just because. That

great. You can own it and say it and then have

doesn’t do it for me. I work for God and I want to

other women celebrate you. The challenge with

create a greater impact with the gifts that I’ve been

being a highly successful woman is a lot of people

given in this world. How can I make the world a

don’t celebrate you. When we win, we feel guilty

better place? How can I influence people to not be

about it and say “Well I don’t want to brag” and

miserable, to not be depressed, and not die at their

“I don’t want recognition.” But then, what’s the

desk? To avoid these things and not have corrupt

point? There’s no joy or fun in success or high

souls as you’re leading people. How can I bring the

achievement then.

greater part of myself and impact more people in the world? That’s what I want to learn.

When do you feel the most confident?

So what is the point?

What’s the point! Girlfriend, I tell people I’m awesome all day, and I say it with a straight face.

They’re waiting for me to blink or something

I feel the most confident actually when I’m talking

and you know that I don’t. (laughs) If you believe

to my clients and when I’m speaking in front of a

it, it’s because it’s true. I love talking to people

room of people doing keynote speeches.

because I love it. It’s really about peeling a mask

I don’t talk about what I’ve read, you know, I’ve talked about what I’ve lived through. I did a keynote for a female workforce of a Fortune 500 company last year. It was a small room with about 13 women and it was awesome because it gave them the opportunity to be themselves. To

back and being transparent about the high cost of success. Nobody tells us that’s what’s going to happen. Nobody says, “You can have everything and be miserable.” One Gallup survey said that 85 percent of people who make over $100,000 annually drink alcohol compared to 45 percent of people who make less than $30,000 a year. So the

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the alcohol to quell the soul that’s screaming on the inside of you. If one is not making as much money, though, they don’t have as many problems. But again, they’re not assimilating into a foreign environment or changing the essence of who they are to fit into an organization or a culture in order to make that money or to get that promotion or to get that great performance review. They can just be who they are. I like to talk about the unspoken sacrifices and how we give up the best part of who we are for success because it’s so important.

If you had to describe yourself in must five words, what would they be?

If I had to describe myself in five words I’d say: Champion, Weird, Unapologetic, Spirit-filled and Humanitarian. more money you make, the more alcohol you

What would you like your epitaph to be?

drink.

They don’t think that’s just because the

Christy lived. The dash in between the dates.

wealthy can afford it?

She came, she gave, she lived, and she died empty. Like, I gave everything I got, and that’s

No, that’s what the article said too in correlating the data. I said “That’s a lie!”

Because my family makes less than $30,000, they’re people who make the hourly wage in South Carolina, and when I go home they’re like, “Let’s have some Moscato for the baby shower.” But I remember making six figures in my job, and was at a happy hour every night, hating my life and eating fried food. You need

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one of the reasons why I’m not afraid of death because I give everything that I have every day.

I don’t fear death If I’m taken out of here; I fear an unlived life. I make the tough decisions to live the dream, to have the goals and to dream big and then go after it every single day. You know, when it’s time to check out of here, I did what I was supposed to do. That makes me happy.

CONNECT . REFLECT . INSPIRE .

If your life were a movie, what would be

schedule an appointment to be considered

your theme song?

a client at meetwithChristy.com. Anyone looking for a keynote speaker or leadership

Let’s see. If my life were a movie, my theme song

trainer can also reach out there. My free

would be. You know, right now, my theme song

gift, an e-book, Get Unstuck and Make 2019

is “This Girl Is on Fire” by Alicia Keys because I’m

Your Year of Breakthrough, can be instantly

getting it in. I’m sure I could find a Beyoncé song

downloaded at ChristyRutherford.com/

somewhere in there because I love Beyoncé. Oh

unstuck. I love to assist people with becoming

yeah, “Shining.” All of this winning as I get it in

greater versions of themselves which makes

every single day.

them better people and even better leaders.

And is there anything else that you wish I had asked you.

At the end of the day, my goal for people is that they have the courage to live the life that they were meant to live and not conform or shrink or adjust who they are to fit in with people who aren’t going to accept them anyway. So have the courage to be who you are. Have the courage to live the life that you dream of. Have the courage to step out because there’s never going to be enough time. There’s never going to be enough money. You’re never going to have the support that you want, but have the courage to do it anyway.

So whatever question that was...”How can people be greater?” I think that would be what I want to leave your audience with.

Thank you. And how can we connect with you? Where can we find you?

People can find me via ChristyRutherford.com.

All my social media links are there. You can C - SUITE CHICKS MAGAZINE - INSIDE THE OFIFCE

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Images by C-Suite Pics® Interview by Lydia Kearney Carlis, PhD Graphic design by Daniella Marooney

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