We were lucky to catch up with Christina and Edward Sledge recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Christina and Edward, great to have you with us today and excited to have you share your wisdom with our readers. Over the years, after speaking with countless do-ers, makers, builders, entrepreneurs, artists and more we’ve noticed that the ability to take risks is central to almost all stories of triumph and so we’re really interested in hearing about your journey with risk and how you developed your risk-taking ability.
We developed our risk-taking skills pretty early on. My husband, Eddie took a trip on the New York City subway by himself at nine years old to see his favorite baseball team play. I went alone to obtain a summer job when I was 14 years old and waited in line for over 12 hours. We both have the drive to succeed and determination which makes risks less scary. During Christmas break in 1999, Eddie proposed on a whim, and we were married two months later with only fifty cents in our pockets. We took a leap of faith which was very risky. We had faith in our union that it would all work out for the best to guide us and here we are 23 years later, happily married and running a media company which was also started by taking a risk.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Sledge House Media is an award-winning multi-platform media company focused on creating diverse, multi-genre, and compelling stories that highlight relationships, unique perspectives, and experiences. Our products and projects range from publications – books and essays, audiobooks, films, and streaming projects. Additionally, all of our books are 200 pages or less to reach readers that are limited on time. We also offer publishing consulting services to independent authors. Spanning professional copyediting, book cover design, typesetting, ebook, paperback, and hardcover publishing, and wide distribution. We make sure your book is published to industry standards. The author retains all copyrights, ownership, and sales/ royalties of their book. We recently premiered an award-winning short film. Joined by Fate in Annapolis, MD at Landmark Theaters. We have an upcoming children’s book and our Joined by Fate will be on streaming platforms in the Fall of 2023.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The biggest skills that were most impactful were 1) Strategic Planning 2) Resilience 3) Patience. Strategic planning is a vital skill to have as you develop in your journey as it helps you to identify your goals and develop long-term plans for your future success. Reading up on Strategic Planning in the Harvard Business Review or taking a course on Strategic Planning would be helpful. Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from challenges. Think of it as snapping back as if you are pulling a rubber band. You witness how the rubberband snaps back into shape. Resilience can be developed and learned each time you are faced with an obstacle Focus on the solution and not the problem. What can you do at the moment to rebound/snap back? That’s also where patience is vital, which is the final skill/quality. Learning patience means you focus on the present moment (what is) not what will be. You also have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable while you wait and work on solutions.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
We talk about this often in our book, The Story of Christina and I and our essay, Our Marriage. “We started our marriage with only two quarters. In the beginning, we were a military family, which required us to navigate and learn how to balance military obligations while raising a family. When obstacles come our way now, we dust ourselves off and keep moving. When more than one obstacle comes in our path, we just tackle each one at a time.”
That’s the key, to prevent your self from being overwhelmed, focus on one thing at a time. That also goes back to practicing patience. Patience will help you focus on one thing at a time while developing solutions.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sledgehousemedia.com/
- Instagram: @sledgehousemedia
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sledgehousemedia
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sledge-house-media
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/house_sledge
- Other: IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21110078/ https://www.joinedbyfate.com/home
Image Credits
Times Square Photo: Cory Bullock Theater / Private Screening Photos: PND Digital Photography Photos of Us Holding Books: Sledge House Media
