Tami Holzman, first-time author of the best-selling book "From C-Student to the C-Suite" joins Kalika Yap on this episode of Wonder podcast to share her story of being a "C" student to a successful author, angel investor, and women entrepreneurship advocate. Tune in to the latest episode of Wonder podcast!

 

Timestamped Show notes

01:00 Kalika Yap introduces today’s guest, Tami Holzman.

01:25 Tami Holzman recalls being an average student and having Harvard as her dream school.

02:02 She wrote her book “From C-student to C-suite” from a humorous perspective as there is a lack of fresh approaches to business guides and relationship-building.

02:30 She encountered an article from Forbes magazine that said 85% of getting business is because of emotional intelligence, which inspired her to write about her insecurities instead of her successes.

04:34 Tami describes herself as a perfect 7, better than average but far from perfect, and there's room for improvement.

05:10 The journey of writing the book was very hard because she had to evaluate the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of herself. Tami used to be very critical of herself so writing the book was quite therapeutic for her.

07:00 She remembers a time where she thought of herself as a failure because a company she built became a failure. She was so engrossed in the company that it felt it was her identity, an extension of herself and she took the failure very personally.

11:22 Tami talks about her beginnings in the entertainment business as a talent agent, to when she landed a role in the male-dominated space of sports.

17:51 Tami’s last mentor was her 18-year old intern. She believes that mentors come from all walks of life and that you can learn from anyone and everyone.

21:00 Having great relationship skills and understanding people is just as valuable as getting an A in school. Emotional intelligence is a much better standard to predict career success.

22:49 The hallmark of emotional intelligence is self-awareness. Being able to understand who you are is really important and also being able to understand how other people perceive you.

24:20 The stronger your relationships are with people, the more you'll benefit. The weaker your relationships are the harder it is to get your point across.

Key Takeaways

• You don’t need to be perfect to be successful.
• Showing vulnerability is a strength. If you're not being vulnerable, you're not taking chances.
• Women should invest more, especially in other women, to create more opportunities.

 

Resources

Entrepreneurs’ Organization

Tami Holzman’s book website