Cindy Panetti Cyr

I attribute my success to continuous learning, creativity, and self-awareness. I think it's really important to spend time every day reading and writing, even if it's just a few minutes. If somebody wants to be a writer or a speaker, you have to do that regularly. I read different kinds of writing, not just one genre. I think knowing how to tell a story means you've got to read stories, so I read fiction as well as nonfiction. I also believe in creative play. I have a table set up for my painting, and I try to do something every day there. Sometimes it's more structured, and sometimes I'm just throwing some color down. I think finding things that can help you escape a little bit from the news and whatever else is going on is important. I walk through my garden every day, even if it's just 10 minutes, and I try to notice what new thing is blooming. It just takes your head away. If I'm really stuck, I go near water. Water tends to help me, whether it's ocean waves, a waterfall, or even just getting in and taking a shower. There's something about running water that just opens creativity. I also believe strongly in following a more meaningful path rather than staying confined to traditional expectations. I'm passionate about the idea that in each passing year, we should always try to improve and try new things, and we should be better the next year than we were the year before because we have that lived experience and a whole year of being able to acquire more knowledge.

The advice I would give, which I wish I had known earlier, is to not be so afraid to try to get somebody to mentor you. Be bolder about asking someone to mentor you and find mentors. It doesn't even have to be that structured. I would say to find mentors and take a different approach. Take a different person out to lunch each week that you admire, for whatever reason. It doesn't have to be work-related either. It can be anything that you admire about them. Then ask them strategic questions so you can kind of unlock their wisdom. That's what I would tell my younger self to do. I've had several mentors who really helped shape my path. Dan Kennedy, for sure, really helped me a lot. I can look back and see how that relationship has altered the course of my life, probably more than any other relationship. There are people at AWAI where I learned how to do copywriting, like Katie Yackel, who is somebody that really had an influence on me. I would also say my mom, and it's interesting, I probably didn't really figure that out until a lot later in my life, what a big influence she was in how I think about women and how important women's issues are. That led me down a path of really looking at my relatives and my ancestry. One of my ancestors is Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and I think about where we are now, being able to vote and own businesses. There are so many people, not necessarily that I ever even knew, but that I think in some ways are mentors through reading what they have done.

I would say don't be so afraid to try to get somebody to mentor you. Be bolder about asking someone to mentor you and find mentors. It doesn't even have to be that structured. I would tell a younger woman today to find mentors and take a different approach. Take a different person out to lunch each week that you admire, for whatever reason. It doesn't have to be work-related either. It can be anything that you admire about them. Then ask them strategic questions so you can kind of unlock their wisdom. That's what I would tell my younger self. I also think it's important to spend time every day reading and writing, even if it's just a few minutes. If somebody, especially if somebody wants to be a writer or a speaker, you have to do that regularly. I think knowing how to tell a story means you've got to read stories, so I read fiction as well as nonfiction. I think you need to read both. And then just play, creative play. Find things that can help you escape a little bit and stay creative.

I think one of the biggest opportunities right now is helping people in the second half of life realize their value and potential. In the first half of life, we see these ladders that kind of tell us what we're supposed to do, like get a good education, get a good job, work your way up the ladder, start a business, have a family. But in the second half of life, what we tend to hear is that it's all downhill from here, or there's not much of that plan, and people are trying to figure that out. I feel very passionate that in each passing year, we should always try to improve and try new things, and we should be better the next year than we were the year before. We have that opportunity because we have that lived experience and a whole year of being able to acquire more knowledge to be able to improve and to try new things and learn new things. I'm really passionate about getting out there and helping people see that, because they have so much value they can bring to the world, and they're not always passing that value along because they don't know they can. I also think that storytelling is really important and it's going away, so I'm focusing on showcasing storytelling. I'm switching my focus a little more to talk about things that I feel like have a bigger impact and are more lifelong. I was a featured speaker at the Idea Talks, where the idea was to take a bold idea and think about it in a different way, make people think about it in a different way.

The values most important to me are continuous growth, creativity, and helping people realize their value and potential. I feel very passionate that in each passing year, we should always try to improve and try new things, and we should be better the next year than we were the year before. We have that opportunity because we have that lived experience and a whole year of being able to acquire more knowledge. I'm passionate about getting out there and helping people see that they have so much value they can bring to the world, and they're not always passing that value along because they don't know they can. I also value authenticity and meaningful impact. I'm switching my focus to talk about things that I feel like have a bigger impact and are more lifelong, rather than just how to be a better marketer or copywriter. I think storytelling is really important. In terms of my personal life, I value creativity and spending time in nature. I watercolor paint and try to do something creative every day. I do native gardening, and about five years ago, I took every stitch of grass out of my front and back yard and completely replaced it with native plants. I walk through my garden every day, even if it's just 10 minutes, to notice what new thing is blooming. I like to travel, and I've traveled to around 36 different countries. I like the outdoors, so I spend a lot of time hiking and biking and kayaking. If I'm really stuck, I go near water because there's something about running water that just opens creativity.