We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jackie Sanders. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jackie below.

Jackie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Often the greatest growth and the biggest wins come right after a defeat. Other times the failure serves as a lesson that’s helpful later in your journey. We’d appreciate if you could open up about a time you’ve failed.

We have entered an era that invites authenticity and vulnerability. Leaders far and wide preach the value of failure and hardship as the pathways to learning and success. But we generally talk about failure when we are on the other side. The CEO of Nvidia, Jensen Huang, talks about the essentiality of failure and his hopes that graduating elite students feel lots of pain and suffering…so they may be successful. I see his point. If everything comes easily, you may struggle to overcome life’s inevitable failures. However, I can’t help but notice that he speaks freely at this very time because his company is currently the epitome of success. Would his words be so profound if shared by someone who just lost it all? I want to say “yes.” But history isn’t so kind to those in the midst of failure. You only need to look at the most decorated athlete of our time, Simone Biles, and the road she has traveled over the past 4 years, along with her much-anticipated appearance in Paris, to see why this perverse opinion can feel so real. We tend to evaluate failure after success (or true crushing defeat), not in its midst. But, in the thick of failure, we uncover its most critical ingredient—resilience. It’s not the failure but the resilience born from it that is the secret to achievement and success.

Almost two years ago, my consulting practice was thriving. I had so much work that I had to turn down new projects. My clients were terrific. I was working on interesting projects. And I was also holding up the other parts of my life reasonably well. But, at this time of great success, I also knew that I needed to pivot. It was time to transform my consulting practice into a more standalone business or go back into a more traditional FTE role. I craved to be back leading and collaborating as part of an entire team and have pursued this new path. It’s been a tough road.

People are at first intrigued by my unique background. I left the pharma business in 2014 to start Purple Carrot because I felt an incredible itch to learn and explore more. I wanted to understand healthcare from its many vantage points and generate a more significant impact. Over the next 10 years, I did just that. I founded a health tech platform supporting nurse innovation to optimize hospital outcomes, consulted for a major healthcare system in their innovation group where I led the most successful project of that year, was the founding executive director of a non-profit foundation that is leading one of the most impactful maternal health programs of its kind in the world, supported the set-up of the marketing department for a start-up business within a F10 health and wellness company, and much more.

Projects end because they do. Relationships change, and new ones have been increasingly more difficult to bring to fruition—even when a new client says “yes” or the prospective employer says, “We think you would be an asset to our team, Jackie!” Too often, it is immediately followed by “But…”

So, how do I stay resilient today? Sometimes it evades me.

Generally, I try to minimize the failures, reset, and leap again. When good things happen, I try my hardest to hold on to those feelings and let that lift carry me past the next few bumps. I look to see how I can be supportive of others in their journeys. I work to create a community with others who feel they are in a similar place as I am (we are quite abundant). I take on new challenges without regret or fear. I fall (Literally. Just this past week. Who knew pickleball is dangerous!?!), slap on yet another Bandaid and get back up. And I remind myself daily that everyone is dealing with their own lives, and no one else truly knows what that entails. Be kind. Be patient. And don’t forget that luck and timing are part of the equation. They just are.

Resilience comes from exposure. It is very difficult to invent or reinvent from within four walls. If we have learned anything from the past four years, it is that we require community and connection. We must increase our exposure to other people, ideas, and activities to expand the surface area of the world we inhabit. We must connect to create.

I invite you to join me in our journey to bounce, bounce, and bounce.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

After that last response, you may be wondering how my recent experience has strengthened my work. At minimum, it has provided me with greater empathy and perspective to support my clients during the most challenging times and recast seemingly intractable problems with renewed opportunity. I am the owner and principal of Purple Carrot, a boutique strategic marketing firm focused on serving the health and wellness industry.

Purple Carrot works with a range of clients, including Fortune 50 companies, healthcare systems, high-potential tech start-ups, and private foundations, focused on defining marketing presence and operations in early-stage organizations and new ventures within well-established corporations. We excel best at driving innovation projects and supporting the launch of intrapreneurial ventures and pivots. Projects include strategic planning, brand planning and creation, stakeholder understanding, user experience design and research, pilot design and leadership, and marketing department set-up and deployment.

Clients universally come to Purple Carrot when they feel stuck. We unstick them.

Our work is grounded in polished marketing, business leadership, and a stakeholder-first approach that drives cohesion, collaboration, and momentum. Our work is thoughtful, strategic, and polished. Through a flexible approach, we accommodate our methodologies to align with client priorities and structures, making our clients feel well considered and valued. We generally become seamlessly embedded within our client teams as integrated members of the crew.

My clients entrust me to support their businesses, and it is my unwavering commitment to not just complete the scope of work but also to have their back and ensure that the work we do is worth the investment, providing a sense of security and assurance to our clients.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

This summer, I had the fantastic opportunity to speak at the inaugural conference of Conscious Capitalism of Northeast Ohio. My topic focused on how you lead a team productively and with high morale. The two are intrinsically linked—at least if you plan to maintain a strong team over time. My approach aligns with that of the Conscious Capitalism movement and involves four core elements.

Define your destination – Ensure your entire team and other stakeholders know, understand, and believe in the ability to achieve your goal.

Fill all the seats around your table – Engagement goes beyond your core day-to-day team. It includes your suppliers, executives, customers, and other groups impacted by your work. Listen well. Truly hear and design a work plan recognizing the opportunities and pitfalls affecting your goal. You will achieve with greater empowerment, confidence, and passion.

Lead consciously—Your team is your team because each individual matters. Now that you are all aligned on where you are going and why, lead through trust and transparency. Manage with the intention to enable them to soar. That means letting go as much as it means having their back.

Create a vibrant culture—Your team culture is the embodiment of how you showcase the prior three elements and your achievements over time and across your organization. While success provides a level of recognition, most of us crave further validation and celebration, which motivates us to do it all over again and with the enthusiasm and belief that makes it worthwhile.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

My network of clients and teammates who have worked with me in the past has been my best source of new clients. I am known for being highly strategic and an effective team leader who delivers on my promise. I have a strong work ethic, believe in doing things well, and accomplish tasks while positively engaging my team and clients.

I am a reliable partner for companies, especially those in the healthcare industry, that need a strong go-to-marketing launch executive. Drawing on my diverse experiences, I am adept at thinking critically and creatively about problems and then translating these insights into actionable plans executed well by my team.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://purplecarrotideafarm.com
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/jackie-b-sanders

Image Credits

shot 2. (outdoor event) — Authenica @ 1440 Multiversity
shot 3. Conscious Capitalism NEO