Lift Your Legacy: Stepping out of the system to create your own with Pascale Founder and CEO Georgette Pascale and Rabbi Jacob Rupp
Everyone makes choices and, good or bad, you just have to relish it. Having more success doesn’t necessarily mean you have less time — it just means you have to be conscious of how you spend your time. You learn to prioritize and, in a weird way, you also learn to embrace and appreciate the chaos of it all.
Georgette Pascale is Founder and CEO of Pascale, an award-winning, modern, international healthcare communications company. Prior to launching her own company, Georgette was Director of the healthcare practice at RLM PR. She also worked at Hill & Knowlton, where she managed large corporate accounts such as Delphi Automotive and GAP. She also helped launch corporate stars at ExcitePR. While at Shore Fire Media in Brooklyn, Georgette worked with music legends such as Bruce Springsteen and Shania Twain. All the while, Georgette believed there was a better way to do business than the traditional brick-and-mortar agency model, so she launched Pascale 14 years ago as a virtual company dedicated to innovative healthcare PR. In addition to her company’s achievements, Georgette has won many individual awards for both entrepreneurial and philanthropic accomplishments, most recently serving as faculty at the Vanguard Forum for Healthcare Leaders in NYC.
What is your “backstory”?
The short of it is, I went to New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology for fashion and ended up being a PR girl. Healthcare sort of fell into my lap and I loved it. I knew I could create something different and bring a certain vitality to it. Being nimble, recognizing synergistic opportunities and bringing people together to succeed in a common goal were talents that I developed early on in my career. I always had a knack for networking, so I combined that with a love for PR and a profound interest in the healthcare industry.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
I wouldn’t say this is necessarily the most interesting thing, but the most wonderful/rewarding thing that has happened and continues to happen to me is the organic process of recruiting amazing talent and growing our team. Our team is so diverse. Every year, we add intelligent, talented and ambitious professionals from all different kinds of backgrounds. Our company has come to look a bit like the land of misfit toys, but one where each person’s knack or unique talent brings an edge to the company and constantly produces new ideas and perspectives. We embrace eclectic personalities. We embrace the “outside” talents people bring to our world, too, whether it’s boxing, instructing yoga, being an artist or a writer — all the things that make us interesting and special.
What was your biggest challenge to date either personally or professionally and how did you overcome it?
Recently, we rebranded the company to better represent our role in the digital world and allow our logo to be more recognizable across digital platforms. Taking these steps towards growth can be painful and tedious. Our rebranding process required a balance between working with our team to maintain the soul of the company while also representing the company’s modern and dynamic qualities. Despite the challenges, the result was extremely rewarding. We introduced the new branding with fun social media reveals and giveaways with our new logo that spread our fresh image far and wide, as well as created a way to have outsiders involved in our new brand. Growth is a lot of trial and error. It can lead to sleepless nights, financial strains, executive disagreements, etc., but ultimately it’s about staying authentic to yourself and your brand while embracing new forums for streamlining the growth process.
What does leadership mean to you and how do you best inspire others to lead?
For me, leadership is about being true to yourself and being confident. That’s why the way that I best inspire others to lead is to affirm and help them feel secure about what it is that they are good at. I’ve come to see how my own skills have helped me become a leader, and by recognizing others’ talents I truly believe that I can encourage them to become leaders too.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
I’m extremely thankful for longtime friend and client, Chris Calcaterra, from Glaukos. This man gave me my first chance with big pharma, and 14 years later, he is still with our company. Loyalty goes a long way and I will always be appreciative of his support.
Additionally, my three kids really set a good example for what hard work looks like. They are so ambitious and hungry to learn and that’s really inspiring. Also my Dad. His spirit and his legacy are what really motivate me. He supported me from day one and I continually work to make him proud.
Was it difficult to fit your life into your business/career and how did you do that?
Because I started a virtual company, my situation was quite the opposite. I found a way to fit my business/career into my personal life. I spent years working in the hustle and bustle of corporate agency life. You get burnt out. I realized that there was this untapped niche in healthcare PR and capitalized on an opportunity to create a virtual company employing really talented people that allowed me to grow and to be a mom, with more flexibility and freedom in my day-to-day schedule.
Did you find that as your success grew it became more difficult to focus on the other areas of your life?
Everyone makes choices and, good or bad, you just have to relish it. Having more success doesn’t necessarily mean you have less time — it just means you have to be conscious of how you spend your time. You learn to prioritize and, in a weird way, you also learn to embrace and appreciate the chaos of it all. Smile, be kind and stay humble, and you’ll find that all areas of your life become not only more manageable, but also more enjoyable.
Can you share five pieces of advice to other leaders about how to achieve the best balance between work and personal life?
- Do What You Want, When You Want. It’s important to have a plan, be patient, and lead with intention, but there’s something about impulsivity that’s extremely raw and beautiful. Don’t overthink things too much.
- Be Present. Wherever you are, be ALL there. I always stress the importance of being present in the moment and giving your full attention to the people and situations that are in front of you.
- Never Stop Learning. As an entrepreneur and a business leader, you never stop learning. I’ve had the privilege to hire and work with some of the most diverse and talented individuals in the industry who continue to inspire and teach me daily. I consider myself successful because of the people I surround myself with and the things we’ve been able to accomplish as a team.
- Adopt a Thick Skin. Learn to stop defending yourself and your choices. Not everyone is going to like you, understand you, or agree with you. That’s not your problem.
- Find a Passion (besides your job). Discover a new hobby. Volunteer. Take a new class. Work with a non-profit. All of these things allow you the opportunity to engage and network with a completely new community of people. Networking is critical to personal and professional growth.
What gives you the greatest sense of accomplishment and pride?
Watching my kids and my colleagues thrive and work towards becoming the best versions of themselves. Seeing people I love inspired, working hard and challenging themselves every day is extremely rewarding.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
It’s hard to identify a specific movement, but I think overall, I just want to inspire people to be kind and strive to bring more compassion and humanity into their work. Learning to lead with love and acceptance is paramount when initiating any type of major societal change. People will only believe in you and follow suit if you believe in your yourself and your mission. Be honest, be authentic and work hard and you can achieve anything!
11. What is the best way for people to connect with you on social media?
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgettepascale/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gmpascale
Instagram: thereelgp
About the author: Jacob Rupp is a coach, author, speaker, podcaster, and rabbi. He is the founder of Lift Your Legacy, a community that helps people live a more authentic life. He has a regular, syndicated column that appears in ThriveGlobal and Medium magazine. To learn more about him or to listen to the Lift Your Legacy podcast, search iTunes or visit his site: liftyourlegacy.live
