Finally, JaniceBastani.com belongs to me! 🙂
To help you decide if I’m worth reading, I’ve submitted some bio information from a recent interview:
" Who is Janice Bastani?
Daugther, Sister, Wife, Mother of Two. Professionally, I help others discover that "I Can THRIVE anywhere at anything". My passion is believing in you, your business and that you can grow and thrive.
How did you come to be so knowledgeable about business, travel, organization, ettiquette and coaching?
At the tender age of 8, I along with my military family, boarded a huge 4 engive prop and flew from Washington, DC to Tokyo, Japan. My father was in the Air Force and an officer. The USAF makes sure even an 8 year old knows the cultural dos and don’ts in the forgein countries their service men and women are assigned, as well as the dependants. So I guess you could say I’ve been learning this for 46 years. I grew up overseas. In college I gravitated toward those students who were from other countries, because I really understood what it is like to be in a strange place where nothing is like "home". Is it any wonder that I fell in love with a person just like this? It was a natural for me. My husband and I are a team and we have climbed the corporate ladder together. Both very much behind the other in the pursuits we chose. Support and "buy in" at every step or rung of that ladder is cruitial. Corporate Universities make sure that their young executives know the do and taboos of doing business in another country. Indeed their very bottom line depends on their employees knowing these. I learned and read and accompanied my spouse on many of these jaunts overseas. As a mom, I found my skills badly needed in the volunteer side of local communities, schools, churches and in my own social circles. It is here that I added to my base of knowledge through credentials in personality training with the Christian Leaders Authors and Speakers Services, I was also trained and worked for the United States Girl Scouts for many years as a Master Trainer. I was active in the local community, church and schools in every possible facet. Whenever, the job had an offsite where I could attend, I did. There are many companies who have the spouses go through the same training as the spouse for good reasons. The support of the spouse and the knowledge of what the next business year entails and the support of the working spouse is a huge part of the others success. We as a couple from graduate school on, have always had someone living with us who "was in process, in transition or justs getting on their feet here in the US". What we did was to "Model" what a successful life and relationship looked like in a new place. I also hold a degree in Journalism with minors in Interior Design and Vocie. Along with many other credentials I hold a Professional Coaching Credential with the International Coach Federation and am a Credentialed Emotional Intelligence Coach and Credentialed Energy Leadership Coach. In our private lives, I run a 16,000 sf "smart home" with a staff. We entertain extensively, feed, house and love CEO’s, Prime Ministers, Performers who you’ve seen and heard at Lincoln Center in NYC and even International Olympians.
You are very organized and I know you said you entertain in your home. Where did you learn how to do that?
That’s a great question! Anyone who has ever been a "dependant" of a military solider or actually been in the military service, knows that you have to have it together. Every 3 years or whenever your rotation is up you must basically put your life into storage every so many years. You either become organized or you are gone and woefully miserable. Putting ones life into a wooden storeage container is a daunting job! The prospects of starting out a new life in a whole new country and environment forces one to adapt. Modeling and livling what you believe in and teach comes naturally to me. Also, leaving enough space to dream and evaluate where we are and where one ones to be is huge. Reflection is a planned thing. Usually after the end of something great, not so great, the end of a year, a quarter, a school graduation, a change in a career or other event in your life. We are now living in our 12th home. Let’s think about that for a moment. Each move was precipitated by a momentus event, a change, and half of those moves were from an established routine, packing up, moving and going into a rental, then another packing and a move into a new home. Each one of those moves required enormous amounts of organization. Throw a child or two into the mix, pets, a spouse and you have a full work load. Life as the "family" knows it needs to continue in a sense and pace that makes each of these transitions as smooth as is possible. This is also a place to model to your family what smooth transition looks like, feels like etc.
I have heard you talk about: "…being the sum total of our life’s walk…and that we are all leaders everyday…", could you shed some like on these two thoughts?
It would be my pleasure to explain. When an individual "comes of age" which for me means:…having the ability to know right from wrong and deciding for ones self what you will do…" , we become "accountable" for each and every one of our actions. A person can choose not to take responsibility for their choices, actions and decisions, or a person can take 100% responsibility for their actions, choices and decisions. Either choice: To take responsibility or Not to take responsibility is: LEADING. We model and lead every moment of every day of our lives, to ourselves, our families, spouse, co-workers, stock holders, neighbors and customers. Most people LEAD by "default". "Default" means we get up and run through our daily routine and fall into bed each night with no thought of what we did or whom we impacted. We may play a vacation, research the internet for a report, plan a meeting agenda, but for the most part we just exist. Life is dull, unexciting almost burdensome. On the other hand, an individual who sees great exciment at the mere dawning of their day and the opportunity to make a difference in every aspect of their lives and the lives of others. This is a person who is LEADING with purpose , conviction, and a totally diffent outlook. Yes, we’ve all had our disappointments and bumps in the road. How we handle those disappointments and bumps is the key. Guess what? YOU have that key already in YOU! What I do is give you the tools to turn the key. Again, you are 100% responsible for turning the key.
What’s next for you?
A vast majority of my clients hae been exsiting professionallyl and personally. While that has been their personal "status quo", they are reaching out to rise above and THRIVE! That’s where I come into their lives. One of my gifts is the abiity to "be at ease" in a new situation or environment. An example for a recent client was: A young executive who is now experiencing great "dis – ease" in the area of global travel with his company, cultural taboos in other coutries and as is the norm, he is experiencing akwardness in navigating the place setting in a 6 star resturant while dining. He is rising fast and an MBA from a top 5 school will not teach you these skills. I do. I teach and coach these finer social skills in a non-judgemental place. Once the knowledge is in place, the client can shine and show their real talent.
Another facet of my business is raising the personal awareness of the "C-Suite", top tier managers and VPs to recognize and model leadership without the drama and dmotional hijack and negative energy as it pertains to their leadership in the group dynamic. Of course when a client begins to move to a positive, productive state every facet of their lives begin to be affected in a wonderful way. When my client’s whole being transforms into a state of "..this is possible, this does happen and I CAN DO IT!" This is the moment I live for.
JaniceBastani.com is now a blog. Why did you do that?
JaniceBastani.com is first and foremost a business. I can remember when we were one of the first homes with an ISDN line in the San Fransico Bay area and to have one of the first huge mobile phones. As technology evolves and the target market for any business evolves, we all will want to be where our clients are residing. As a business we each will only iontersect our target deographoic and niche where they are shopping, hanging out and such.
What are they shopping for?
Good question! Solutions, tools, ideas, electronic relationships, mobile hands free information which is available immediately. Blogging is a new form of communicating . A business can take the termperature and pulse of their consumer.
What is your philospy when it comes to business?
My philosphy for business is that when a person is either working for himself/herself/ or another, that they come to that job or career with a positive win-win approach. That’s how I come to each coaching session. I look for a win for my client and a win for me. My ability to help them see and know they already have everything they need; from the mere thought: I want to find someone to…..to the …actual operation of the skill in the business is brought out from within themselves through coaching. i am a big thinker. I am outside the box. I see the big picture. i have hundreds of ideas and solutions. I could not turn off that process and part of myself even if I wanted to. Excitment abounds at your possibiilty to THRIVE!
Who is your audience?
My audience is the business person who wants to THRIVE! What happens is that through working with me not only does the client, but their business, their spouse, children, friends, extended famly and others see, feel and experience this THRIVING person they know. They want to THRIVE too! Clients come into my world with a backpack full of rocks weighing them down. When they leave the rocks are no longer in the backpack.
WOW, I am excited just doing this interview! Thank you and I look forward to following your blog, Janice.
You are very welcome.
