Mandy Cavanaugh - Entrepreneur, Consultant & Author, F*ck The Glass Ceiling

Mandy Cavanaugh

Mandy’s passion for leadership, entrepreneurship, and helping people thrive has fueled her roles as CEO, consultant, and facilitator. Mandy’s businesses have spanned global lodging logistics, land development, manufacturing, and training/consulting. She helps teams succeed in dynamic and uncertain environments by connecting them to the best version of their future selves. 

She holds various coaching certifications and has conducted seminars on authentic success, conscious language, imagination activation, conflict resolution, corporate soul retrieval, CEO-ship for startups, sales, high-performance teamwork, and wealth wisdom for women.

Her new book F*ck the Glass Ceiling: Start at the Top (and Stay There) as a Feminine Entrepreneur is for every feminine entrepreneur who wants to scale up her organization without sacrificing her authentic self or compromising her respect for the contributions of ‘the masculine’ in this fascinating analysis of small to mid-market business ownership.

I’m so excited for you to connect with Mandy, check out her work and new book, and follow along as she continues to help women embrace their feminine traits like perfectionism and being of service, so that their business can serve them.

I'd love it if you'd introduce yourself, what you do, and what you're working on.

I'm a CEO who loves starting business-to-business companies that are small enough to allow for a fast pace of change and large enough to keep their momentum when I'm off creating more projects.

How did you get started?

I knew from a young age I wanted to be a businessperson and create wealth, probably from waiting tables at a Private Yacht Club and hearing the pleasant tone people had with each other and how there was a sense of abundance, grace, and respect in how they treated me and each other.

What inspired the work that you're doing?

I wanted to work in the area of developing people, but I was fascinated with how organizations work. So, it was a no-brainer to start a company once I had a coach who encouraged me to do it. I get to follow both of these passions, plus play the game of entrepreneurship. It has enough intensity and purpose to nourish my most positive behaviors and keep my attitudes about life in check. It's a humbling experience to have people show up to help you serve clients and to experience the victories and failures that inevitably come with business ownership.

What is your biggest passion? Do you feel like you're living your passion and purpose?

My biggest passions are freedom and connection, which are more about context than content. The freedom to go off-script with a well-connected team and let our future emerge from a totally unexpected possibility is bliss for me. In that sense, it doesn't matter what we're doing. On the days when I start feeling obligated to keep a routine or have the same conversations repetitively, that's when I'm not living my purpose. And sometimes that does happen!

What is your joy blueprint? What lights you up, brings you joy, and makes you feel the most alive?

I feel joy when my family is together, celebrating, and loving each other. The same goes for my team or partners, which are like my extended family, in my companies.

How do you live intentionally? Are there tools/resources/practices that you rely on to help you stay mindful and grounded?

I do this thing every few months where I take out three sheets of paper. On the first page, I write what I feel like I need to get finished. On the second page, I write what I think I need to finish after everything on the first page is done. Then, on the third page, I write what I would do if everything on the first two pages were completed all of a sudden. It's that last page that contains the gold of where my focus should be right now.

What would your younger self think about what you're doing now?

I think she would be proud and happy but want me to play and daydream a lot more. She'd probably want me to do more to help animals and the Earth.

Do you have a go-to mantra or affirmation? 

I can and I WILL (fill in the blank). 

I feel my LOVE. 

I love my vibrant health. 

I am the one for this job!

What is your biggest dream?

I'd love to share, but I've noticed I do better when I keep certain things to myself until they are fully actualized. I have a tendency to get the juice out of sharing instead of completing something, especially when it scares me.

To learn more and connect with Mandy visit her website www.mandycavanaugh.com

Joy Corner is an interview-style blog series brought to you by Seek The Joy Podcast. Our mission continues to be a desire to share your stories, truths, joys and inspiration in your words. We invite you to join our corner, and share your joys, passions, and moments of inspiration as we continue to seek the joy, together. Join this series here