Category: Stories

Long-time NY businessman and marketer gives back by teaching

Myron Gould (Photo/Greyson Cage Stock)

“When I was much younger, I wanted to be a chemical engineer, but as I got a little older, I guess my mind turned more towards business,” says Myron Gould, 68. “My father was a very big influence in that decision. He was a person who was in business…he was a role model in that regard…I would sit in the car and listen to him and listen to what was going on – it was interesting. He sold machine parts, adhesives, all material used by manufacturing firms.”

The born and raised New Yorker has worked four decades in the business and marketing arena. In addition to being the CEO of his own business advising firm, where he helps people build business plans, he is also starting a new consulting firm to teach companies to keep their employees engaged. Gould is also an adjunct professor of marketing and management at New York University.

“It’s my 20th year at NYU,” says Gould. “I was sitting in a friend’s office – a recruiter who dealt with direct marketing people…He got a phone call, and he said to the person on the phone, I have somebody right here. [The person] asked if I’d be interested in teaching a class, and I never stopped.”

And Gould never stops working it seems. In addition to running his business, he says he recently created a new capstone at the University – an option to writing a thesis for students which involves writing up a business plan instead and learning about entrepreneurship.

“I get a considerable amount of e-mails from clients, I grade papers, then I go through many projects that I’m working on,” explains Gould. “My classes are from 6 to 9 pm, and this coming term four times a week – it varies. I have dinner at 9:30 or 10:30, then work another four hours.”

He says he’s making an effort in getting more sleep, however.

“I love what I do,” says Gould. “I feel like I’m helping people.”

When Gould was starting out his career in the mid-1960’s, he says marketing wasn’t even called “marketing,” but “distribution.” One of his favorite jobs was at Columbia Records in his early 30’s.

“It was a great place,” he remembers. “Sometimes I debate whether I should have left or not. I was recruited for a consulting firm.”

Today, he thinks video is the way to go. He uses green screen technology to create videos to complement his teaching.

“I have virtual sets,” says the high-tech professor, excitedly. “I can put myself into a green room…Like where a weather person delivers the weather. I create videos of some of my lessons and make them available for people…I can be doing my work while sipping piña coladas on a ship.”

What advice would he tell his younger self about life?

“I would talk about getting enough information to make good decisions,” he says. “A lot of times we make decisions impatiently, but sometimes it’s better to slow down a little bit. There were times in my life where I could have made a better decision by not acting so quickly.”

He adds his biggest project currently is getting his grandson, who just turned 4, to have a good life.

“What he does with his life is his choice, but I want him to be equipped to make those decisions,” says Gould.

August 27, 2014
Business leader talks about conquering self-doubt to embrace success

(Courtesy Joyce Roché)

Joyce Roché has climbed higher on the corporate ladder than most. For her, it was learning about opportunities she never knew existed, and learning to conquer self-doubt, that made all the difference.

Her illustrious 25 year-career in business includes being CEO of Girls Inc. from 2000 to 2010, the first African American female vice president of Avon, as well as its first African American vice president of marketing, and the company’s first vice president of global marketing.

Although officially retired from her CEO position, Roché, 67, has not slowed down. The New Orleans native, presently residing in Savannah, Georgia, now spends her time as a board member of four Fortune 500 companies and traveling to speak about her recently published business memoir, “The Empress Has No Clothes: Conquering Self-Doubt to Embrace Success.” She also provides a supportive online community for people to share their experiences with self-doubt, and their techniques for conquering them.

“I thought I was actually going to be a school teacher, and I majored in math education in college and actually went all the way to getting a teaching certificate, but during senior year I learned about business school, and I decided to pursue an MBA,” says Roché.

It had been a conversation with her boyfriend, and his friends, which opened her eyes to the world of business for the first time, she remembers.

“I thought I should at least give it a shot,” says Roché. “Although I enjoyed working with kids, I thought, ‘Am I doing it because it’s all I know. I should at least investigate it.’ I’m very happy I made that choice. It opened up a whole new world to me, and opportunities that I never dreamed of.”

She says before studying for her MBA at Columbia University, she didn’t know anything about marketing, or anybody in the business world.

“I never thought I could be the president of a company, or on a corporate board,” says Roché, adding her first “real job” was in Avon’s merchandising department. “I am hugely grateful that the opportunity presented itself, and I took a look at it.”

But that’s not to say all of her hard work and dedication to get to the top didn’t come with struggles – one of her biggest being self-doubt. Self-doubt had played such a prominent role in her life, she says, that she wrote a letter about it which was published in the book, “What I Know Now: Letters to My Younger Self” by Ellyn Spragins.

“My letter talked about how as I was climbing the corporate ladder, there was a constant self-doubt that people were going to find out I wasn’t prepared, or smart enough, which caused me to work longer hours and not enjoy my success,” says Roché.

She says she started getting so many e-mails and letters from people saying that I was telling their story. About five years later, she decided to write her book.

“If I could explore how I learned to enjoy my journey, and communicate that to others, and give them techniques to get to that place faster, that was my impetus,” says Roché about the book for which she interviewed more than a dozen prominent business leaders who also struggled with self-doubt.

After a lot of hard work, and learning to overcome her self-doubt, Roché says keeping her options open helped her succeed in a world dominated by men.

“I didn’t have a five year plan,” she says. “I realized the world was changing way too fast. I think being able to take a risk to do different kinds of things…really led me to the growth I was able to achieve.”

During her time heading Girls, Inc., while visiting chapters in the U.S. and Canada, Roché also saw that the young girls in the program also needed to be able to see the possibilities in the world, and not be narrowed by expectations, just because the color of their skin.

“They never knew that science or chemistry could be used in the beauty industry, or they never saw women leading companies,” says Roché. “To open that lens…and to encourage them to have the courage to pursue those opportunities, I think that’s the big advantage that Girls Inc. provides to our girls.”

And if she had to pick one piece of life advice to tell her younger self, what would it be?

“To relax – you do deserve a place at the table. You are smart. You do have the skill set. Relax and enjoy the journey.”

August 20, 2014
Master yogi, 75, is expert in 1,350 postures

Sri Dharma Mittra near the lake at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, August of 2009. (Photo/Lily Cushman Frindel)

While most New Yorkers are scrambling around, stressed, and in a hurry, Master Yogi Sri Dharma Mittra is often in a faraway, much more peaceful place mentally, and sometimes physically upside down.

Often referred to as the “Teacher’s Teacher” by his hundreds of students at the Dharma Yoga Center in New York City, Mittra has taught many prominent yoga instructors in the city since he began teaching the ancient art in 1967. Today, at 75, he still teaches yoga twice a day, five days a week.

“My favorite pose is the headstand, because the blood comes down to the head, and it increases mental ability,” says the yoga guru.

Sri Dharma in London, Summer of 2010. The pose is a variation of Nirlamba Shirshasana — a hands-free headstand. (Photo/Hugh Herrera)

Mittra is an expert in more than a thousand poses, however. When he was 45, he photographed himself in 1,350 postures as an act of devotion to his guru – Yogi Gupta. The Master Yoga Chart, which hangs in yoga studios worldwide, is made up of 908 of these photos. And, 608 of these photos were published in his book “Asanas.”

“I moved to New York City in September, 1964, and I lived here since then,” says Mittra who was born in the remote village of Pirapora, Brazil and was raised Catholic among a poor family of five children. “I came here for more opportunity…there is also more freedom here, and my guru was here, so I had to be here.”

He says he was around 17 or 18 when he learned about yoga through the books his younger brother was studying.

“As soon as I learned that the purpose of yoga was self-control, I got really enthusiastic about it,” remembers Mittra. “Yoga comes from about 5,000 years ago in India. Now, we have yoga styles that fit all types of people on the planet.”

He says he usually follows the form called Asana – the one based on postures.

“That technique gives you mental, physical and spiritual power,” says Mittra. “We use these three powers to achieve success in whatever we want. More mental control – your mind becomes extremely sharp…It is like going from AM to FM radio – better quality of music.”

Being a follower of Asana, requires Mittra to also be a vegetarian.

“Being a vegetarian, you rarely get sick,” he says. “I haven’t seen a doctor for 50 years. When you do the poses, your body doesn’t hurt much and you get less injuries.”

Mittra is also a champion of meditation – an integral component of yoga, he explains. He has been doing it for so long now, that it has become almost an involuntary habit for him.

“Meditation doesn’t mean you have to be sitting – you can be walking,” explains Mittra. “I also meditate lying down on the floor, but not sleeping. I put my body in a deep relaxation. Deep inside you ask yourself where you are in your heart, your mind, and you go outside of body consciousness. I keep my mind somewhere else, not on worries.”

For today’s youth, he advises them to have compassion for all beings.

“Learn how to see yourself in others,” says Mittra. “From there, you become more respectful… Form a good diet. Be vegetarian, and don’t cook food too much. If you don’t like yoga, you must be active. Be moderate in sex. Get involved in meditation. Without it, you won’t have inner peace.”

July 25, 2014
On 50th anniversary of Civil Rights Act, a veteran remembers discrimination in US

Ernest Eguia in uniform during World War II. (Courtesy LULAC)

After living through the Great Depression of the 1930’s, Ernest Eguia went from fighting in Normandy during World War II to fighting for the civil rights of Latinos when he returned home to Texas in 1945.

Fifty years ago, this week, of President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Eguia remembers what the U.S. was like before this law made it illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

“In 1946, I heard that a World War II veteran that was a recipient of the Medal of Honor had been denied service in a hamburger joint because he was a quote, unquote, Mexican,” recalls Eguia. “[That veteran], Marcario Garcia, sued the owner of the restaurant. When I found out about it, I joined LULAC…We raised a little over $6,000 for Marcario, and he bought a house for his mother. That’s why I joined.”

League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is an organization which was founded in 1929 to advance civil rights and educational attainment of Hispanics in the U.S. When Eguia returned to Houston after his active four year military duty, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant and receiving the Bronze Star for his heroic efforts, he became a successful salesman and store manager, but perhaps most importantly, he played a very active role in combating discrimination of Hispanics in his American hometown.

After the Marcario incident, Eguia says LULAC’s Houston Council #60 grew to more than 200 members. The organization needed large numbers to fight the amount of discrimination that was happening.

At that time in history, Eguia explains discrimination against Latinos was rampant in the U.S.

“I remember going to a church here in Houston. I was in LULAC already, and they asked me to go ask the pastor in the Catholic Church if we could rent a dance hall for a fundraiser,” remembers Eguia. “Would you believe that a Catholic priest told me to go to a Mexican church? That was in 1947 – somewhere around there.”

Eguia, whose father was from Mexico and his mother from Texas, also recalls separate drinking fountains in downtown Houston that had signs for “colored,” “whites” and “Mexicans.”

“I remember one time they would not allow a Jewish man to register in a hotel,” says Eguia.

Something else Eguia, and his fellow veterans, noticed upon returning to Houston was finding out there were no police officers or firemen who were Hispanic in Houston.

“We went after the city government, and pressed them so much, that eventually there were many young men who started joining,” says Eguia. “My brother was one of the first Hispanic firemen in Houston. His name is Leon Eguia.”

Eguia, who throughout his life has held every LULAC Council 60 officer post, including president, says although discrimination still exists, it’s hardly noticeable compared to when he was younger.

Ernest Eguia in November, 2013, at a reception commemorating the 50th anniversary of JFK’s visit with LULAC, at the Rice Hotel in Houston. (Courtesy LULAC)

“I’m 94-years-old now, and I’ve forgotten a lot of these things, but I see things have changed for the good,” he says, in terms of discrimination.

Last month, he handed out a LULAC scholarship in his name to a high school senior at Sam Houston High School. He’s clear that his priority is now the future of Latino youth.

“Our leadership in LULAC is a bit weak right now,” says Eguia who is still a member. “What we need is stronger leadership – one that is focused on community and neighborhood…The leadership we have now is very weak…”

He explains that when he first joined LULAC, he never took a penny and put it in his pocket.

“Now leadership is taking big salaries,” says Eguia. “That money belongs to the community – for scholarships for our youngsters. We need to get our young ready for the future.”

And what advice would he like to tell today’s youth?

“The first thing I would tell them is, ‘Be a good citizen. We live in a country that is free, and we could do whatever we want and live comfortably,’” says Eguia. “The second thing I would say is, ‘Get yourself educated, because once you get education, no one can take that away from you’…The important thing is to be honest to the country, yourself, and the community, and if you have a good education, I think a youngster could get very far. Short cuts are not going to get you anywhere.”

July 4, 2014
Bestselling author on a mission to fight ageism

Ashton Applewhite (Photo/J.K. Scheinberg)

After studying architecture in college and landing a career in publishing because of her love of reading, Ashton Applewhite never thought she’d be a writer. Not only did she become one at age 40, she became the first woman to get four books on The New York Times best-seller list at once.

After writing on varied topics from her divorce to inspiration for people with AIDS, she’s now tackling the concept of ageism through the written word.

For the past seven years Applewhite says she’s been interviewing people over 80, and who are still in the workforce. Those interviews developed into material for her next book.

“‘How’s ‘This Chair Rocks: A Proaging Manifesto’ for a title?,” asks Applewhite about her work in progress. “It is a manifesto.”

The 62-year-old New Yorker says she was inspired by her in-laws who are themselves booksellers in their 90’s.

“I started learning about longevity,” says Applewhite. “Everything I learned was so much more positive than what I thought I knew. I started wondering why we don’t know this stuff.”

The reason is, she says, is because we live in an ageist society that focuses on the negative.

“Women start to freak out when they turn 30,” says Applewhite. “Ageism effects 20- year-olds who are freaked out because they are not fulfilling careers. That message is oppressive. Our society puts pressure on the young in a way that’s negative. It’s sometimes great to be young, but sometimes it’s hard, and sometimes it’s hard to be old, but sometimes it really rocks.”

She goes on to say that people are conditioned to start dreading their birthdays as they get older.

“We look back and think, ‘Wow, that was way better than I thought,” says Applewhite. “Now that we’re all living much longer, it’s really important to overturn these negative stereotypes.”

So that’s what she’s on a mission to do now.

“I would feel honored to follow in the footsteps of Maggie Kuhn who founded the Gray Panthers [at 65],” says Applewhite about her elder rights activist hero of the 1970’s. “She was bold and radical, and put ageism on the map.”

While Applewhite is not writing her book, the grandmother of three blogs, and also works as a writer at the American Museum of Natural History two days a week.

“I work with teachers and scientists for materials for science teachers,” she says. “I have no science background. I dive into subjects I know nothing about.”

She recommends everyone take a chance.

“The stakes are seldom fatal,” says Applewhite. “Should I have married the man I married? I wouldn’t have written the book I wrote, or had the kids I had. On the other hand, it wasn’t easy learning those life lessons, but I’m not sorry I did.”

June 25, 2014