Last Week Today: Let's Travel Together 🛫
August 2, 2024 🗺️
"Diplomacy is the art of telling people to go to hell in such a way that they ask for directions" - Winston Churchill, allegedly
Welcome to my Substack where I share the best of my week. Think of this as a catch-up between friends with life hacks & advice sprinkled in. Grab your beverage of choice and let's get started ☕️
Highlight of the Week🔥
Things are heating up for the Tiger Sisters! It’s a dream come true to work with my older sister, Jean. For the last month we’ve been grinding on our new media venture. We’ve launched our Tiger Sisters podcast, available on YouTube and Spotify where we talk about all things career, technology, entrepreneurship, school, and life. New Tiger Sisters podcast out every Thursday! Let us know what you think.
Here’s our podcast description: we're the internet's big sisters and career mentors. Between the two of us, we’ve survived stints at top investment banks, built products in big tech, founded startups, and hold four Ivy League degrees – if we’re counting Stanford. It sounds great now, but behind each achievement were tears, confusion, and major struggle. We're sharing our learnings and personal stories in hopes that we can inspire and elevate others – both in their careers and in pursuit of fun, wealthy, and joyful lives. We’re here to spill the tea of all our past experiences and share with you all the ups and downs of our lives today!
Here’s our instagram account to find all of our updates: https://www.instagram.com/tigersisterspodcast
Let’s travel together (seriously) 🗺️
One of the best parts of business school were the group trips; I got to know my classmates on a deeper level when I traveled with them! It’s an amazing experience when you put driven, smart, thoughtful people together who have shared interests and want to create shared experiences.
I am ALREADY missing those conversations, those friendships, and those experiences. I want to organize a trip with you all. If you are interested in traveling together, please fill out this 2 minute survey so I can understand your travel preferences: LINK HERE: https://trovatrip.com/host/profiles/cherie-51ed7
This survey is not binding, just an interest form. I need 100 responses of folks willing to spend $2000+ in order to get an organizer involved to plan logistics of this trip. I have 37 responses so far and need 63 more. Every response helps — the more responses I have, the more likely this will happen! I will keep you updated if we get 100 responses!
Role play classes at Stanford 👀
“I want you to succeed here, but some of the performance issues are large.”
“If the situation doesn’t improve, you’ll have to look for opportunities elsewhere.”
“I have confidence that you can improve these areas and you have my full support. Is there anything that I should know from your end?”
I wish I would never have to say these words as a manager. It will be one of the toughest conversations I’ll ever have—and it’s even tougher for the person receiving the news.
At Stanford, we learned the script, vocabulary, and emotions of tough situations like this. But I bet you didn’t know that we role play it out and with each class, we become a bit more comfortable with addressing and resolving conflict.
If you have a tough conversation coming up with your coworker, your boss, your friend, your partner, your mom, ROLE PLAY IT OUT with someone you trust. The more repetitions you get it, the more comfortable you will be when the real thing comes. It sounds silly, but it seriously helps.
What do you want out of a business school?
When Grant joined me on my podcast, he shared more about the type of community he was able to find at Stanford. We both have truly felt lucky to have found a place like Stanford GSB, where so many wonderful people from diverse backgrounds can build community and feel at home with one another. I wholeheartedly believe I got exactly what I wanted from this experience: a community that will last a lifetime.
Grant was a 2+2 deferred admit to business school and he gives some thoughtful advice for those applying, especially on the younger side.
In Case You Missed It: What I posted on IG 💅🏻
🥺 The People Your Meet Along the Way
What I’m Reading 📚👀
🧠The No. 1 trait that sets highly successful people apart, says Harvard expert: ‘It’s rare to find’
TLDR: It’s adaptability. Adaptability is the ability to respond quickly to changing circumstances and to take advantage of new opportunities. It is a key quality of the most successful people because it helps them stay focused on the task ahead and motivated to keep pushing forward in the face of adversity. It is also essential for creativity and, of course, innovation. Just like the article says, being open to unexpected opportunities and embracing change instead of fearing it are crucial to success. Making the best out of every situation will never steer you wrong.
Remember: Do it, learn, and then move on. Don’t dwell on past problems. Keep going!
💻Marketing Is Supposed To Be “Authentic” — What Does That Look Like?
What does authenticity look like? Is it being unapologetically you? Is it sharing everything – good, bad, and terrifying? Or is it simply being true to yourself and your audience and being open to their feedback and criticism? We’re all still figuring out what “authentic” us really looks like. If there is anything I’ve learned over the course of sharing my life with you throughout my time in business school, it’s that authenticity–no matter how scary it feels to share one’s true self with the world–is so rewarding.
It’s so important for my mental, emotional, and spiritual health to feel aligned: aligned in what we think, say, and do.
Meme Reminder
I hope you have the best week my friends❤️
XO, Cherie