Vicki Saunders founded SheEO, a movement I am very proud to be a part of. 

In case you are not aware, SheEO is a radically redesigned ecosystem that supports, finances, and celebrates female innovators. 

I am going to share today’s interview in a different format – a Q&A style without my additional commentary. 

Fiona: Tell me about a time when you stepped out of your comfort zone? 

Vicki: I am almost always on my learning edge, stretching myself. I have a lot of ambition and energy for changing systems and creating a better world and each time I reach a milestone I push myself to what’s next. This SheEO journey is one of the most challenging things I have ever done.  

As a leader I am holding the space for a 14year old Activator in our community to have the same power as a CFO of a global bank. I’m asking people to go on a journey that looks very different in almost every way to how the world is currently organized. We trust Ventures to build their businesses on their own terms. We use a totally democratic process for selecting Ventures – we trust the intuition of hundreds of Activators to select Ventures vs using an expert panel. We believe that people will find each other so we don’t assign’ advisors to the Ventures. They ask for help through a regular process and those who think they can help reach out. Everything is based on relationships, not transactions. When we launch a new country it’s because women in that region have reached out over and over asking to replicate the model and they self-organize to make it happen. It’s based on trust instead of control, on radical generosity over fear. I have to constantly be shifting my mindset because we can’t get to a new world by building it with the same principles as the one we’ve got. So, Every. Single. Day. I’m pretty much outside my comfort zone. 

F: Why did you do it? 

V: I do it because I know we can do better. The systems and structures we have in place were designed for a different time and they no longer serve us. I want to live in a world that works for everyone, not just the “winners”. We are wildly out of balance right now on the planet. We have an economic model that is bad for the economy and society. It’s extractive, persistently unfair (by design) and has led to a world where 5 people have the same wealth as half the planet. 51% of the global population receive less than 4% of the financial capital to grow their businesses and leadership. And we are burning through our resources like the party will never end. We need a giant reset, rethink and redesign of almost every part of our society. And most importantly I think that choosing what we value is the biggest hurdle we have at the moment. At SheEO we are valuing being radically generous with each other because we believe it will help us reach our potential and create a happier, healthier, wealthier society. 

F: What was the outcome? 

V: We aren’t at the destination yet but to date we are witnessing exceptional results. Ventures are growing at triple digit revenues, exporting and getting what they need from the community. They are emboldened and supported to run their businesses and lead on their own terms. And most importantly we are realizing that you can create a strong ecosystem when you trust people to do things on their own terms. 

F. How did you feel before, during and after? 

V: Before I embark on anything that’s outside my comfort zone I feel the pressure rise. Whenever I’m afraid of something I know I’m going to have to do it. It’s a muscle I’ve been building for a long time. A friend once said to me, “how much do you really want it?”. If you really want something, you’ll walk through the fire to get there. I knew that I wanted to have a big impact in my life and when I was younger I was afraid of speaking. All through school I wouldn’t raise my hand because I was afraid to speak in public. So, my way of forcing myself to do things is asking everyone I know to help me. I told everyone I know that I wanted speaking engagements and the first one that came in was for 1000 people. I was a mess. I stood behind the podium and shook the whole time and I wasn’t very good. But, with a LOT of practice I got better. I’m still nowhere near where I’d like to be but I get up there every time and speak about things I’m passionate about so that I can create the impact I want. 

F: Would you step out of your comfort zone again? And why? 

V: Yes. There is no other option for me than to keep growing. I’m curious about what we don’t know. I’m open to learning. I’m appalled with the state of the world. If you are comfortable all the time you aren’t learning. I’ve gotten very used to being comfortable not knowing and trusting that it will all work out.  

F: What advice would you give people about what happens when you leave the comfort zone? 

V: Breathe. It’s the answer to literally everything. Take three deep breaths in a row and you disrupt your stress response.  

F: Any last words? 

V: Get yourself connected to a community of people who lift you up, who get you and who have your back. This human thing is seriously challenging and it’s impossible to do alone. 

BIOGRAPHY 

Vicki Saunders is an entrepreneur, award-winning mentor, advisor to the next generation of change makers and leading advocate for entrepreneurship as a way of creating positive transformation in the world. 

Vicki is Founder of SheEO and #radical generosity a global initiative to radically transform how we support finance and celebrate female entrepreneurs. 

Vicki has co-founded and run ventures in Europe, Toronto and Silicon Valley and taken a company public on the Toronto Stock Exchange. 

Vicki was recently named as 1 of 30  “World-Changing Women in Conscious Business” by Conscious Company Magazine and one of the 100 most influential leaders of 2015 from “EBW – Empowering A Billion Women”, In 2001, Vicki was selected as a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum.