OTS 219: Purpose-Driven Community – Gerry Poirier

Today’s guest is a champion of female empowerment and gender equality.

With her 20 years of experience in the finance industry, she has been a FINTECH industry leader at companies such as Credit Suisse First Boston, Lazard Freres, and Equity Growth Partners.

She has been a catalyst for positive change serving as a senior-level executive and leading numerous corporate turnarounds of VC-backed portfolio companies. She has served as Vice Chairman of the Serious Game Institute at George Mason University which has a focus on women and girls in technology and coding.

She founded Angelink, the first social crowdfunding platform inspired and powered by women. Angelink is a purpose-driven community to empower people around the world, transform lives, and restore faith in humanity.

Please join me in welcoming Gerry Poirier.

Would you leave an honest rating and review on Apple Podcast? Or Stitcher? They are extremely helpful and I read each and every one of them. Thanks for the inspiration!

In this episode we discuss:

her thoughts on leadership: “Leaders are courageous and sympathetic. They have to make decisions based on imperfect information. Good leaders are not scared to make mistakes.”
her trip around the world for over four months with her little brother and friend, taking charge and building her self-confidence.
her background in finance and how she landed a job in finance at the interview based on how risky her resume was.
her passion to be an entrepreneur and do something that would help women, especially who were under-represented in the world of finance.
her reason to start AngeLink and how her background in gaming and coding helped her build community.
the challenges of building AngeLink outside of the main tech hubs in the United States and how her network helped her get some (back) doors open.
her bucket list wish to meet Sara Blakely, inventor of Spanx.
her strategy to nurture her network and the risk-taking required to make the first move.

Links

Gerry Poirier on LinkedIn,  Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
www.angelink.com

Books mentioned in this episode:

“The Third Door: The Wild Quest to Uncover How the World's Most Successful People Launched Their Careers” by Alex Banayan

Other Resources

Listen to NPR’s How I Built This with Guy Raz - Spanx: Sara Blakely

About Robbie:
Robbie Samuels is a keynote speaker, TEDx speaker, and relationship-based business strategy coach who has been recognized as a “networking expert” by Harvard Business Review Ascend, Forbes, Lifehacker, and Inc and as an "industry expert in the field of digital event design" by JDC Events.

He created The 5% Advantage Program, a four-week experiential program that helps presenters grow in their confidence with Zoom, online facilitation, and virtual event design so they can reduce their tech angst and host more engaging online experiences that meet the purpose of the convening and participants' need for content and connection.

He is the host of #NoMoreBadZoom Virtual Happy Hour, a popular weekly virtual event that explores new ways to design engaging virtual experiences. He assists organizations with bringing their in-person events strategically online as a Virtual Event Design Consultant, Virtual Emcee, and Zoom Producer.

He is the author of the best-selling business book Croissants vs. Bagels: Strategic, Effective, and Inclusive Networking at Conferences and has been profiled in the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Fast Company. He writes for Harvard Business Review Ascend. His clients include associations, women's leadership summits, and corporations including Marriott, AmeriCorps, Hostelling International, and General Assembly.

He has been featured in several books including Stand Out: How to Find Your Breakthrough Idea and Build a Following Around It by Dorie Clark and The Connector’s Advantage: 7 Mindsets to Grow Your Influence and Impact by Mic...