Thryve's November Spotlight: Fereshteh Zeineddin
November 2018
Thryve Mama Spotlight
Every month at Thryve, we will be spotlighting women and mothers within our community who are making a difference and who bring inspiration to others through their motherhood journey, career + motherhood, self-care regime, fitness routine, life-work balance and spiritual influences.
We are so excited to feature Fereshteh Zeineddin for our November Thryve Spotlight. Fereshteh is a successful business woman who has worked with some of the world’s leading Brands – L’Oreal, Louis Vuitton, Nordstrom, and most recently Tesla. She is a wife and mother of two beautiful girls. Fereshteh tells us how she finds and creates balance in her life with the many responsibilities she now has. She and her husband prioritize what’s most important, and what her biggest source of inspiration has been throughout her career. We hope you enjoy reading about Fereshteh and become inspired just as much as we did!
@fzeineddin on Instagram
Let’s Get Started
Tell us a little about yourself
I am a citizen of the world. I was born in Iran, spent my childhood in Stockholm Sweden and my teenage years in Vancouver, BC. I studied business in Boston, MA and built my professional career in Toronto, ON. I have also had the fortune to expand my understanding of the world by traveling through Europe, North and South America, the Middle East and North Africa (Asia – you’re next!)
Home is Vancouver. I live in an eclectic modern farmhouse with my two beautiful girls – Zoya (4 years old) and Hannah (1 year old) – and my loving and supporting husband, Ahmad. We split our time between our urban playground, the mountains and the beach.
On the career-front, I have had the privilege of working for some of the world’s leading Brands – L’Oreal, Louis Vuitton, Nordstrom, and most recently Tesla. What I enjoy most about work is building great teams and supporting their development.
Wellness & Reflections
Being a busy mom, how do you integrate your own ‘me time’ or time to decompress? How do you offset the stresses at work, scheduling, day-to-day family needs etc.
This is honestly not easy. To me, finding balance is a practice – some days I am awesome at it, other days not so much! My biggest learning is not to be too hard on myself, to take each day as it comes, and to ask for help when I need it.
If you could look back and give your younger self a piece of advice, what would it be?
I would tell myself to plan to be surprised: to continue to plan for the future (I was big on setting goals) but to be open to opportunities that fall outside of my plans. These unforeseen twists and turns are what make life so interesting.
Let’s Talk Being a Mom in Business
What is one of the best pieces of business advice you have been given?
Ask for feedback. I learnt this from one of my past bosses who was so great at creating a feedback culture. He would constantly ask me for feedback and eventually I found the courage to do the same. The result was spectacular. We were always giving each other pointers on ways we could have done things better and as a results we improved day in and day out. Since then, I try to instill a culture of feedback in every team I lead.
If you could offer one piece of advice for working mothers wanting to build a career, what would it be?
Get super clear on what actually matters to you. Focus your energy on those things. And outsource everything else!
What or who is your biggest source of inspiration when it comes to women in leadership/business?
I’ve been fortunate to have a number of strong female mentors throughout my life. I have leveraged this group as my personal “board of directors” to assess new opportunities, tackle work challenges, and expand my skillset as a business leader. Beyond all else, they have given me the confidence to “take the leap” into the unknown.
If you had the power to change one thing in the career/business market for working mothers, what would it be?
We need to allow for more flexibility so mothers are empowered to own their own schedules. Guaranteed their output and work satisfaction would double!
Have your career goals or aspirations altered since having children? If yes how?
Becoming a parent has made me value my time differently – be it time with my kids, time for myself or time I put into my work. The need to make every moment count pushes me to be more intentional about my work - am I passionate about it? Am I using my time efficiently and effectively? Is what I’m doing making life better for my family, my community and the world?
What were or are the challenges you faced when going back in the workplace after children?
The biggest challenge is feeling like I don’t have the time or energy to give 110% to any part of my life. I regularly feel that I’m falling short of my own expectations as a mother, wife, friend, career woman, etc.
What I have found helpful in dealing with this challenge is defining, in partnership with my husband, our 2-3 life priorities. We dedicate a disproportionate amount of time and energy to these priorities, and outsource / get help in other areas to lighten the load.