We had the good fortune of connecting with Cindy Wahler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cindy, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

I have always enjoyed the freedom and opportunity to innovate and be creative. Very early on in my career I knew that I wanted to have a voice in the type of work that I did and the client base I wanted to target. I began as an independent clinical psychologist and was one of the youngest full time self employed psychologists in my city. After close to a decade and half I pivoted and now work as a self employed leadership consultant supporting organisations with talent initiatives and succession planning.

At the base of everything I do is the need to push boundaries and assert myself. It is my belief that one of the best ways to experience growth is to try new things. So I recently wrote and published a book on what makes great leaders entitled 20 Effective Habits For Mastery At Work. I  have had the opportunity to appear on TV, podcasts and many seminars on the key attributes of successful leaders.

That same year I launched yet another business which is a cookie and baked goods business on Instagram called @bite.me.cookie This too has been an amazing experience and fantastic creative outlet. I began with a few cookie flavors and have now grown to over  20 cookie flavors and many other baked goods that include a variety of cheesecakes, tiramisu, carmelised apple pie and much more. My cookie business has expanded where I cater to private and corporate events.

I guess you can say that there is something within my DNA that drives me to pursue the unknown, even if I am afraid or even if I might fail. The journey for me is always somewhat scary and ironically that’s what creates an addictive level of excitement.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

I have always believed that life is fluid and nothing stays the same. It has allowed me to adapt to change as well as seek out unique and varied experiences. I don’t believe that people have to have only one career over the course of their lifetime. If you allow yourself to explore and experiment then you can acquire a diverse and rich set of skills .

Travel has been an integral part of my life and has been a true gift. By experiencing different cultures, and ways of living this has allowed me to see that there isn’t a singular path towards happiness. In fact, the more experiences you have the greater opportunities there are to try out artistic, creative or entrepreneurial endeavours.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
It would be important for me to understand their passions. This would help me shape the itinerary. In essence we would decide together based upon their unique interests should it would be visiting art galleries, museums, ballet, dance, music or outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling etc.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Along the way I have always surrounded myself with experts and those I respect and know will challenge me. I have a bias towards critical thinkers as I want to make sure I have thought of as many eventualities as possible. This allows me to anticipate obstacles I have not thought of and either plan appropriately or learn to pivot quickly. I thrive on change and welcome feedback from my mentors, colleagues and peers. My family has always been by my side and have and remain my strongest advocates. I would never achieved the success I have without the encouragement from all my personal and professional supporters.

Website: cindywahler.com

Instagram: @bite.me.cookie

Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/cindy-wahler

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