We were lucky to catch up with Tiffany Castagno recently and have shared our conversation below.
Tiffany, we’ve been so fortunate to work with so many incredible folks and one common thread we have seen is that those who have built amazing lives for themselves are also often the folks who are most generous. Where do you think your generosity comes from?
My Generosity comes from a genuine desire to see Humankind succeed, reach their top potential, and constantly be seeking the better version of ourselves. It started with my Parents because Mom and Dad always taught me to do the right thing and to be kind to others. We learned what was not nice and what was nice. My Dad has been the biggest influence on me this way. He was always a Volunteer at heart and he did this until he passed. I’m glad this is a strong piece of him that was passed along to me. Even when we cleaned out his apartment after he passed, he had lots of items at the ready that he’d planned to donate. Gah! That just got me in The Feels. He was a special person who is dearly missed!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m an HR Consultant by Trade, but an Entrepreneur, Black woman-owned business Leader, Empath, and Curator of Culture by Identity. I get to spend time with humans every day designing better workplaces. I am blessed with the most amazing clients who put their people first and constantly lean in and dig deep to work on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) initiatives, to build their teams, to scale and sustain their businesses, and to make the world a better place from a Social Justice perspective. Their Values are an extension of my own and I love making big impact every day by supporting them in growing as organizations, Leaders, and building their infrastructures. It’s an exciting time to be expanding the team and deeper services around Leadership and Culture, shaping Values and Vision, understanding Behaviors in the Workplace, Team-Building, and so much more!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Mentorship and Sponsorship from Leaders and those who fiercely believed in me. I couldn’t have done this HR and Career Journey, including starting and sustaining a business without some pretty amazing Mentors throughout the years!
2. Grace to self and others in the face of adversity in my Lived Experience as well as the struggles of Entrepreneurship, navigating through so much uncertainty, starting a business in a Pandemic, and learning to sit with my emotions, unpack them, and be ok but come out more resilient when I landed. Which brings me to…….
3. Resilience- Traversing Entrepreneurship isn’t easy and having difficult conversations to make sure that my needs are met, I’m honoring my Values, clients, Community, and other Stakeholders, weathering the storms of those who no longer fit my Values or failed to take accountability and learning to let them go when alignment was no longer there.
The advice I’d give to those early in their Journey is the advice I gave myself after Round 1 (of 3) of Burnout and I adhere to today even: “Trust Yourself. Trust the Process. Trust Others.” In that order. And the last one requires vetting of folks carefully because we can’t just go around trusting anyone with our heart or Brand.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
They taught me to advocate FIERCELY for myself. My Mom is so tough that she fought a BAD bout with COVID on a Ventilator for 30 very scary days and is stronger today because of it. Who does that? My Mom does. My Dad taught me that I can be anyone and anything I want, and I carry and hear those strong, encouraging, inspiring words with me every day. That Advocacy has turned from self outward to others and I’m now one of the (Self-proclaimed and otherwise) best cheerleaders one could ask for and I celebrate that every day! I go hard for my Loved Ones and Community!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cephrconsulting.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cephrllc
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanycastagno/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/castagno_tmc
- Youtube: https://bit.ly/CEPHRLLC
