I aim to make a social impact with my book by helping people to navigate the new year with hope and a new perspective as well. I would like to give people motivation to push through this year. As things have changed; people are navigating a time where habits have changed. Creating habits that are helpful can give a powerful start to the new year.
As part of my series about “authors who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Christina Kumar, a 4X Co-Author, featured journalist, and award-winning entrepreneur. Her recent book talks about how to thrive in a post-COVID world and is an international best-seller. She is also the founder of Christina Kumar PR, a public relations firm geared towards connecting brands to the media to expand their business.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
Yes, I was a curious child and very athletic. Playing outside was important and I was always on a new adventure. I had access to a lot of candy and definitely had too much for a whole lifetime so now I don’t eat any, but I also loved vegetables, so it possibly balanced out.
When you were younger, was there a book that you read that inspired you to take action or changed your life? Can you share a story about that?
When I was younger, I read a lot. The book that inspired me the most was: Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile, Egypt, 57 B.C. It has an amazing cover and at the time, I was fascinated with archaeology and ancient cultures. It is a book that takes its readers on a journey through parts of Cleopatra’s life through her eyes. It is fiction but informative for a young person to read and it helps readers learn more about the history of another culture.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?
The most interesting mistake that occurred to me during the course of my career is not meeting several high-profile names when I had the chance.
Can you describe how you aim to make a significant social impact with your book?
I aim to make a social impact with my book by helping people to navigate the new year with hope and a new perspective as well. I would like to give people motivation to push through this year. As things have changed; people are navigating a time where habits have changed. Creating habits that are helpful can give a powerful start to the new year.
Can you share with us the most interesting story that you shared in your book?
The most interesting story I shared in my book is how following my own dreams led to me winning an award in entrepreneurship. In that journey I had also learned new skills such as mediation since mediation is an important skill which can help lead teams to reach a desired goal.
What was the “aha moment” or series of events that made you decide to bring your message to the greater world? Can you share a story about that?
The “aha moment” that made me decide to bring my message to the greater world is that I had realized it may inspire someone to also take a leap at doing something that they have wanted to do. Sometimes it is easier to take the first steps when you’ve seen others do it too.
Without sharing specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
I had advised someone who had started his own marketing firm after working at one of the big tech companies to expand by finding businesses to reach out to with a mini plan on how. I had then learned he had taken my advice and grew his business and found great partnerships for his work.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
- Do proper research before believing in something.
- Listen to your intuition.
- Act with empathy.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
I define leadership as making people better than they were before. Everyone has a gift to give to the world and great leaders know how to develop people to their fullest.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
- It takes a few times to perfect something. Creating a business process can take several iterations to get right and even then, there is always something you can expand on or change, such as a website.
- Have patience. You do better work if you really look at the details and pace yourself.
- Network more. The right connections can help you learn and grow.
- You can pivot if something doesn’t work out. It is important to know if something isn’t working so that you can change it.
- Power hour. Carve out time in your schedule to write down goals for the month or year and then list the steps you need to take to get there.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
― Steve Jobs
This was relevant to me because it is important to remember that you can achieve what you really want if you listen to your heart.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Elon Musk. He is a phenomenon. I like the groundbreaking work he is doing, and I think the idea as well as the implementation of going to Mars is a valiant endeavor.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
I can be followed at www.christinakumar.com and www.linkedin.com/in/christinakumar1
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Thank you!
About The Interviewer: Growing up in Canada, Edward Sylvan was an unlikely candidate to make a mark on the high-powered film industry based in Hollywood. But as CEO of Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc, (SEGI) Sylvan is among a select group of less than ten Black executives who have founded, own and control a publicly traded company. Now, deeply involved in the movie business, he is providing opportunities for people of color.
In 2020, he was appointed president of the Monaco International Film Festival, and was encouraged to take the festival in a new digital direction.
Raised in Toronto, he attended York University where he studied Economics and Political Science, then went to work in finance on Bay Street, (the city’s equivalent of Wall Street). After years of handling equities trading, film tax credits, options trading and mergers and acquisitions for the film, mining and technology industries, in 2008 he decided to reorient his career fully towards the entertainment business.
With the aim of helping Los Angeles filmmakers of color who were struggling to understand how to raise capital, Sylvan wanted to provide them with ways to finance their creative endeavors.
At Sycamore Entertainment he specializes in print and advertising financing, marketing, acquisition and worldwide distribution of quality feature-length motion pictures, and is concerned with acquiring, producing and promoting films about equality, diversity and other thought provoking subject matter which will also include nonviolent storytelling.
Also in 2020, Sylvan launched SEGI TV, a free OTT streaming network built on the pillars of equality, sustainability and community which is scheduled to reach 100 million U.S household televisions and 200 million mobile devices across Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV and others.
As Executive Producer he currently has several projects in production including The Trials of Eroy Brown, a story about the prison system and how it operated in Texas, based on the best-selling book, as well as a documentary called The Making of Roll Bounce, about the 2005 coming of age film which starred rapper Bow Wow and portrays roller skating culture in 1970’s Chicago.
He sits on the Board of Directors of Uplay Canada, (United Public Leadership Academy for Youth), which prepares youth to be citizen leaders and provides opportunities for Canadian high school basketball players to advance to Division 1 schools as well as the NBA.
A former competitive go kart racer with Checkered Flag Racing Ltd, he also enjoys traveling to exotic locales. Sylvan resides in Vancouver and has two adult daughters.
Sylvan has been featured in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and has been seen on Fox Business News, CBS and NBC. Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc is headquartered in Seattle, with offices in Los Angeles and Vancouver.
Social Impact Authors: How & Why Author Christina Kumar Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.