Cherie Werner: 0:00

Foreign

Erin Geiger: 0:10

welcome everybody to the another episode of the clover podcast this week. I'm so excited to have Cherie Werner on the show, Cherie, I feel like you are the number one, or, if not, one of the top super connectors in Austin for entrepreneurs. And I've been, I've been wanting ever since I had this glimmer of an idea to have a women in leadership podcast. You were definitely toward the top of my list of people who I wanted to have on. So thank you so much for taking the time out to chat with me today.

Cherie Werner: 0:42

Well, thanks for having me being such an honor, honestly. So

Erin Geiger: 0:46

it's gonna be a lot of fun. There's specific things I do want to talk to you about, but before we get to that, I would love to hear kind of like, what, what's your journey, right? So, like, how did you get to where you are today? Kind of like, walk us through the path of sherry. You know, I would love to see, because you're, you're involved right now, and a lot of really amazing things. But I would love to hear also, like, what built

Cherie Werner: 1:13

up to that. Ah, great, great question. Well, so my journey began. I'm actually going to be celebrating my 40th anniversary with my husband on June 1. So I've been married for 40 years, and I have three daughters, and their ages are 2434 and 36 so yes, there's a 10 year gap between it, and I never dreamed of of wanting to be a stay at home mom. I mean, that just like you know, wasn't part of my story. But when I had my first child, there was something called hormones I wasn't aware of, and they kicked in, and this motherly instinct that I did not realize I had just kicked in. And it's like I can never leave her, you know, she's so precious. And you know, prior to that, I was working a corporate job for a large company, TRW and And so that led me on the journey of being a mom. And I mean, a mom is such an important role. It's not for everybody, but for me, it ended up becoming, you know, what I did, who I was, and I loved being a mom. And my husband traveled a lot. He has been an innovator, entrepreneur all of his life, and has worked for small companies and then did his own company back in like 95 I guess, something around that timeframe, and, you know, so we went on the seven year journey of of being a wife of a startup founder and, oh my gosh, the highs and the lows and the low lows and everything in between, you know, just gave me this insight into being a startup founder and and that company actually, you know, funny story was that It was a product that helped track your out, your time, distance and pace, that think way before the iPhone and stuff like that. He was the first one developing, and when they were developing, it was on like, all these different phones, you know, each one had to have it. And we were helping him. We'd go out testing the phone with him and stuff like that. And as he was trying to raise funds, he could never raise any VC money, because they all said nobody will ever run with the phone. So it was one of those stories. And anyway, fast forward, you know, I get to kind of take a side seat to what it was like being a founder. Because if you're married to a founder, you're you're part of the journey. Yeah, and and so then when, like I said, I told you about my three daughters, when the youngest went off to the college, it was like, now what? And I had made my husband promise He'd never do a startup after the bones of motion, which was bought by Adidas, and he worked for 10 years. It was like the most peace. It was like such a great feeling. And then, and you know, when they got rid of the entire innovation team, it was either we had to move to Portland or Germany, and our youngest was just going into high school, and it, we couldn't do it. I mean, you know, her sisters had moved back to Austin because they wanted to watch her grow up and and so we decided that he would not stay with Adidas. And he's like, I have another startup in me. And very much. Like childbirth, you forget about the labor pains, you know. And so we started the startup and and that was in 2018 and it was my husband, myself and our two older daughters. And it was an app that was about delivering messages of kindness. It was called Koya, so think Hallmark meets Venmo and Pokemon Go, and it's you're giving your own message, and then you're going to have it delivered at a place that you know this person is going to go to, because you have this ongoing relationship with them. And then you can attach money to it. So if it was a coffee shop, say, I'm trying to think of a coffee shop downtown, let's say Trader Joe's downtown, I could use that as the delivery mechanism. But when I hit send, you would get a message like, Hey, Aaron shares created a Koya for you to find an Austin Good luck finding it in that moment. You know, you're being thought of, but we go to the Trader Joe's at sea home, that's when you actually get the message that I've created for you. And it could be like, Hey, Aaron, it was great talking to you, you know, enjoy, you know, something on me. And it would be money that we would transfer over. And we were kind of focused on trying to solve the loneliness crisis, because we're all moving so often. You leave home, go to college, you have friends there, then you first job, and then first job, you get married and you move. And it was kind of thought of because my husband traveled a lot with adidas when he was working with Adidas, I should say it right. And then my two older daughters at the time. The eldest was a humanitarian photographer traveling all over the world take, you know, doing photos. And then her sister started traveling with her and doing storytelling. So never like, Oh, I'm going to start a community group. Was never part of it. However, I did do a community group when the girls were younger, like going through high school and junior high, because I homeschooled, and it was for homeschool families, and we had over 50 families that were part of that so, but there wasn't a terminology of, Oh, I'm gonna be a community builder. I just brought people together because I needed the support selfishly. And you know, if you organize it, they will come. And it's kind of like Same, same with the same with Fiesta, and then obviously covid happened. So when covid happened, what we ended up what ended up happening was location based app. Nobody's going out. Nobody's really using it, except for those that found themselves separated from, you know, loved ones, so couples in different continents would be using it to to kind of do messaging. And at that time, I realized I was on lunch club and kept meeting people, you know, for the purpose of sharing about Koya, but I kept meeting people moving to Austin, and it was the same story. They could be anywhere, but they were choosing Austin. They didn't know anybody. And so oftentimes we would say, hey, well, why don't you come over and have dinner with us? And so I get to meet these new lovely people. And I'm like, Oh my gosh, you need to meet this couple I just met. And then as soon as covid restrictions lifted, I decided I'll just reach out to everybody that I met that moved here to Austin and see who shows up. And we had like, 70 ish people show up for our first event, and someone said we should do this again. And then that's kind of how it started. So didn't No intention behind it. It's just like, hey, covid not happened. I mean, like, again, that's where you have to trust that. You know, all things happen for a reason, and sometimes in the midst of it, you can't see it, right? Because, like, yeah, it would have been great for Koya to continue on and still be around but, I mean, we ended up having to sunset Koya because we didn't have any funds left to put into

Erin Geiger: 9:25

development. Got it okay, but it almost seems like that was the timing that was supposed to happen. You know, it's just like to move right in. And so was it always Fiesta or, like, kind of tell me the origination of that and how it's grown?

Cherie Werner: 9:42

Yeah, no, when, when it first started. Gosh, I, and I actually do have a name somewhere, and I had wanted to prepare and get that, but what happened was there was a meetup group that was disbanding. I meet up has a it was the only group that I'd gone to, actually, and and it was for founders. And you would go and two people would pitch, and it was like five minute pitch, and then five minutes of Q and A, and then the next person. And so when that came up that they wanted someone to take over it, I thought, well, I'll go ahead and start here, because I, you know, I didn't know any different. And so I took that group over and we renamed it for like, a month. And, you know, because I homeschooled, I have this thing with words. And so I was sitting one night and I came up with the word fiesta. And you know, it had to have it. You know, it stands for founders, investors, entrepreneurs, startups, techies, Austin newcomers. And as we go global now, it'll be adventurers, because that's what I'm finding, is that founders are more adventures. They come to Austin from New York or California or internationally, and they're building ecosystems. Because really, as a founder, your network is your net worth. You know it's that's the most valuable thing that you can have as a founder, and you're not going to find it every everything here in Austin. So I think we started meeting at Capital Factory in July of 2021, in August, September timeframe is when I came up and put the acronym Fiesta, and that really resonated with so many people. I mean, because it is super inclusive. And, you know, the one thing I really have strived hard to do is to make sure that everybody that comes through the doors feels welcome. And because we had, typically, you know, back then, probably 60, 70% were new to Austin within a year. And I still do ask, like, if you've been here for one year or less, raise your hand. And I there's still so many hands go up. And then I always have a handful of people who just arrived within the last week, you know. So people are still moving to Austin. I actually now get calls. I talked to a lovely lady this week who is moving here in June from Australia, and she's like, I was doing a search on startup founders and found Fiesta and, and, you know, would you mind taking my call? And so I remember back like, Of course I'd be happy to and, and more importantly, it's not about me, but it's like helping to make those connections. So I was able to introduce her to two other people who moved here three years ago from Australia, from Sydney, you know. And so they're going to have such a better perspective to offer to her, you know. But I got to be the conduit of, you know, making those connections and helping. So,

Erin Geiger: 13:06

yeah, no, that's incredible. And really like, it's really grown to be pretty like a vibrant community in Austin and pretty well known. So kudos to you for building such an incredible community for our listeners who may not be in Austin and may not be or not, heard of Fiesta, can you give just kind of like a quick summary of, like, what Fiesta is, you know, and what the mission is behind it would

Cherie Werner: 13:35

be great, yeah. Well, so the purpose of Fiesta, as I saw it was one, you know, I wanted people to feel welcome that that were coming through the door, because many of them were new to Austin and or startup founders, as I when I started, I said I would do one event. Amount. That was all I signed up for. And we people started talking about it. So word of mouth became the best form of advertisement. So if you do something and you do it, well, people are going to talk about it, and being consistent would be another component of doing it. It was we always meet on the third Tuesday of the month, from 530 to 830, Capital Factory has been very gracious to give us the space. So they are an in kind sponsor on our behalf, and it's nice because we draw a lot of people into Capital Factory that might not have ever come and the format is also very consistent. We start from 530 to 630 it's networking. We always started off from the very beginning buying pizza and having like, beer and lemonade. And you know, then starting around 640 we begin. What I call the programming, which is me welcoming people to Austin, finding out how many are visiting, how many have been here for less than a year, giving you know, like announcements, and then introducing sponsors and funders. So we've integrated this past year to funders, because startup founders want to know, you know who they are and and I'm trying to humanize it, because there's like this, oh, you know, you know who are these people? I can't, you know, I can't touch them. But I mean, like the founders are the ones who need to be elevated. The funders can help. But you need to know which ones are going to be the better ones to go to. And then I allow 10 to 12 founders an opportunity to pitch their startup in one minute or less, and it's time, and you can do that twice a year. And the value behind that is, is that if you're more of an introvert. Once you hear people talk about what they're working on, there is an opportunity to go and connect with them, because, you know, that's what the whole purpose of the event is. Is for founders to be seen, and then, you know, for us to offer our help. And I think, because of the format it, when you walk into Fiesta, you feel that Vibrance. You feel that like giving nature of people wanting to help each other. So you can walk up to any group and say, Hey, I'm Aaron. You know, I'm visiting, and people are gonna be like, Hey, Aaron, welcome. I'm so glad you're here. And you know, what do you work on and, you know, so I know numbers, like, the sheer number of people there seems overwhelming, but you, like, I said, you can walk up to any group in you're going to feel more than welcomed.

Erin Geiger: 16:53

Yeah, that's really, it's no, it's really incredible. And I remember the one Fiesta I was able to attend. You did ask, like, who's been here for under a year? You know, different things. And there was someone who had arrived that day and was there, and we were all like, what? So that was pretty incredible. But yeah, I remember we were chatting about this before we started recording, was that I had reached out to you because I had gone to Fiesta, and I was like, Oh my gosh, because I think there's like, 200 people, like, it was a lot. And so I walked in late, because I don't live super close to downtown. I have, like, kids to pick up from school, whatever. And so I came in kind of, like, right before the programming, and it seemed like everybody had already kind of like, grouped up, you know, so, like, I walked in and I'm like, Oh my gosh, everybody's chatting with each other. And I, you know, I did around, you know, I walked the circle, you know, around the room, and saw the pizza and the beer and everything, and I listened to the programming. I thought it was incredible. But I remember I messaged you after on LinkedIn, and I was like, it was incredible, but how, how do you break in? Like, how do you start talking? I felt like, everybody knew each other, and you were so gracious, and you replied, and one of the things that you told me, which shocked me, was she was like, you were like, 50% of the people who attend every month have never attended a fiesta event. And that just shocked me. So it just did, to your point, it just did seem like everybody knew each other and like, How can I talk to anybody?

Cherie Werner: 18:26

It's funny how we have these assumptions of things. But yeah, so 50% were in the same bucket as you. And I can't say that is, I mean, I'm an extrovert, obviously. And I know that being an introvert, it can there are people who have social anxiety. So the other way to break into it is, meet me, tell me, I struggle in crowds. I will be your biggest introduct, you know, introducing you to people. So I have like this, one startup founder who is so quiet, and I see him just kind of seeing me around, but he's brilliant and and I know that he does climate tech and sustainability type stuff. And so anytime I meet somebody that that tells me, because I listen, you know, and I'm like, Oh, hold on a second. Let me go get this person, and I bring them over and say, Oh, you talked to him. And, you know, I don't know where those will go, but finding that person who can make those introductions is also helpful. And you know, I was talking to someone today at a networking event, and I think this is super valuable. They were saying, you know, they go and, you know, like, I can't let and get talked about what I do in a minute. And I'm like, well, that shouldn't be your purpose. Your purpose of being there is to meet interesting people, find those that you're interested in, that you'd want to continue the conversation. Conversation with and invite them out afterwards for coffee to go deeper and and delve into what they're working on and what you're working on. And then maybe there might be a match, but maybe there might not be. So anyway, I thought that was, you know, I think that that's super beneficial. Like, when you're out networking, always lead with what can you offer listen to to kind of figure out, like, what connections can you make that might be beneficial, whether they're from the same place, or they're doing something similar, because they have then a commonality that that they can build upon.

Erin Geiger: 20:42

Yeah, I know. And like, you some of the you were like, also, like, first of all, before you attend an event, have it in your mind of like, what do you what do you want to get out of the event? You know, you're kind of, like, intentional while you're there, instead of just like, asking the typical, like, what do you do? You know, you were like, you can ask them, like, what inspired them to come to the event? Like, what are they hoping to get out of it? What's the most interesting thing they learned recently? You know, kind of get the conversation going, because I think people do like to talk about themselves. So it's like, you know. So those are kind of good icebreakers. And then you also mentioned to me that when you or your husband leave events you were like, you talk about who was the most interesting person that each of you met, and then you will follow up with that person and let them know that you know, and that continues that conversation, which I thought was a really good idea as well.

Cherie Werner: 21:33

Yeah, and the other thing too. I mean, so I don't know if you remember the check in system when, when you went with the name tag and having to fill that out. So, so we, we're still working on that. And part of the reason for for developing it is that I found because so many people were showing up at the event that never RSVP. I mean, like, so you think 50% new attenders, imagine 60% showing up that don't RSVP and then you have the 70% that are RSVPing that don't show up, you know, so it's just like, real weird thing that happens. And I mean, like, I can't be of any benefit to you if I don't know why you're at our event, in that you are at the event. But if I know that information, it helps. So with the name tag system, event magic, when I scan your name tag and we're talking and I only scan the names of people I want to follow up with and I you were sent an SMS message that I scanned your name tag. So you it'll say, Cherie Warner scanned your name tag at this event, and then we follow up with a digest of all the people who scanned you, or worse, that you scanned. So you have that list after the event with the person saying, because I don't know about you, but how many times have you connected with somebody on LinkedIn, and it's like, I know I connected with this person, you know, I scan their thing, but you can't find it. Well, it was upon them to follow up and connect, and some people don't do that and and so that's really frustrating. And the other thing is that I remember details about people when I can put myself in that place where I met that person, which is kind of neat. And then, you know, we were at a CPG networking event this morning, and this gal was looking for something that was only related to CPG, and she might not find it, but she can go back and look through the list of everybody that attended, because that's what we offer. And if you're looking at people's linkedins, I could look and see who does distribution, and I can reach out to them and say, Hey, I was at the CBG event this morning, and I didn't meet you, and I'm looking for somebody to help me with distribution. I see so like, there's this natural introduction that can take place because you're at the same event, but you didn't meet. And so to help with that component of networking and being able to follow up with those that you meet.

Erin Geiger: 24:15

Yeah, I know that's super helpful, because that does happen to me quite often. You know, where I'll meet someone and like, we'll even, you know, get that step of like, oh, let's connect on LinkedIn. And they're just like, and then, you know, later on, you're like, who was that person connected on LinkedIn?

Cherie Werner: 24:32

It is so frustrating. I know, I know, yeah. And

Erin Geiger: 24:37

you have a couple of offshoots from Fiesta, like the founder, you know, aspect of it, can you talk a little bit about that? And kind of like, what sparked, you know, like, oh, let's focus on female founders and kind of elevate them a

Cherie Werner: 24:53

little bit. Yeah. Well, so the one thing about these that I love, compared to a lot of. Their networking events that you go to is, we're pretty much at 60, 40% ratio, male female, which that's really good, whereas a lot of other events you go to, it's like 8020, and but women were coming up, and it's like, Gosh, I wish we had our own space, you know, to talk about different things and without being kind of, you know, mansplain too. And so I thought, well, you know, let me open my home and see who shows up and and so we started off with like 20 women coming. And from the very beginning, we broke into small groups. And because I felt like sometimes, you know, when you're with a bunch of people, you can't go deep, but when you're in a smaller group, and if you're being asked questions, it opens people up, and then once they're opened up, then it asking the question, which is, you know, what's your greatest need right now? I mean, who doesn't want to be asked that like, you know, how can I help you? Aaron, I mean, and now knowing something about you that way helps me to figure out how to follow up. And so then we took those and then we made a list and sent it out, because when you do an event once a month. I mean, life happens. I mean, you're a mom, kids get sick, or there's events that happen, and so you might be able to make one or two of those events a year, but by us following up with this newsletter that we put out and listing those asks to scan through that you might find one or two people that you can actually help in a tangible way. And we have their LinkedIn and email, making it easy for you to reach out and say, Hey, I saw that. You were looking for an introduction to somebody at XYZ. I can make that introduction. I mean, how easy is that? So? So we started that, and then with with Fiesta, we now do, like, special dinners that are are sponsored, and we try and get into investors and eight founders at a table that are in like, you know, they're at a certain stage with MRR and I find and, you know, I would do so many more of these if I had the energy and like, the right venue, but sitting around a table and sharing a meal, oh my gosh, it's the best. I mean, walls come down, people open up, and it's just, it's it's beautiful, you know, to see. And if founders are lonely, like providing things that offer, you know, more meaningful connection, that's, that's really what I'm, I'm wanting to do is like, Hey, I see you. It's hard. I mean, like, I know I've been part of that journey before. It is hard, you know, so and then we started doing our newsletters. So I have the Herald newsletter for women, and it's H, E, R, all caps, a, l, T, and that goes out on the first Friday after our event. And then I do the Fiesta focus, which goes out on the second and fourth Tuesday, the week before Fiesta and the week after. And it's really all about elevating those in the ecosystem. We highlight two to three founders. And, you know, I kind of scour LinkedIn and stuff for the founders that have come through and pitched, you know, have they had any wins that that we can other, elevate and sharing those. And so our newsletter went out on Tuesday of this week, and we had nine founders, like one female, you know, two women raised 1.7 million, which you might be interested in. Their companies called recess, and it's helping families find after school care, you know, activities and stuff. So that was exciting. And then, you know, one of our founders who pitched, he actually won the overall South by Southwest pitch competition, and in his category for AI, and I mean, and it could be like you, 30, under 30, we had somebody with that. So it's like feather amplifying and blowing wind into somebody's cells to help further propel them, and saying, I see you. You know, let us, let us come alongside and cheer you on. And the most exciting thing that happened though, on Tuesday was, we had our first proposal on state so one of the founders, who he met his wife to be at If YES to two years and five months ago on the 18th of whatever that month was, and he reached out said, hey. Going to be March 18, and I was wondering, would you be okay if I proposed, because we met at Fiesta, and it's really, you know, Fiesta has been part of our journey. And so I said, Sure, and it was fun, because I got, you know, being the startup mama. I got to, kind of like, be a mama and be part of that celebration and making it special, so that he was the last one to pitch his company, and then he went from pitching his company in a minute to making a lifetime pitch of, will you marry me on one knee? And everybody was stunned. And if you go out to Fiesta dot community in our newsletter. You the video, there's a link to it that you can see, and it would that was probably very, I mean, obviously a memorable moment for us. So you never know what's going to happen. I mean, the serendipitous connection. I mean, like, we wouldn't be talking if you hadn't walked into a fiesta,

Erin Geiger: 31:00

right? Yeah, no, it's true. It's like, and I remind myself of that every day, like things will happen. I'm like, that wasn't planned, you know. So just like, you just don't know what's going to happen. And I'm so in awe of you, because it's like, not only have you been a founder yourself, but I need now you're cultivating this, this, you know, huge impactful community in your obviously, you're a woman like this. This podcast is about women in leadership, so, but a lot of what you're doing is highly male dominated or oriented. A lot of founders, I'm sure that you've come into contact with are are male. So I guess it's like, you know, what? How have you kind of managed that, you know, being a woman and like entrepreneur and like a startup founder world, like, Are there situations that you've been in where you're just like, Yeah, I had to, you know, assert myself, or do XYZ, or, you know, kind of what? What situations or advice do you have for female founders or those that are trying to make a connection and network in the entrepreneurial world when a lot of it is male focused,

Cherie Werner: 32:11

I guess? Wow, yeah, that's a great question. What have I done, huh? I you know? I mean, I think for female founders, it is hard. I mean, like the numbers are all there, there. I mean, you know, but the one thing I would say for women founders is you have to show up, meaning you have to put yourself out there. I give, I mean, I work really hard to make it equal between five and five pitch percenters. I would love for it to always be five male, five female. But women, I'm like, begging them, you know, like, Hey, I know you have a startup. Will you pitch? I'm not ready, and we make a lot of excuses, like we have to be have everything organized and in the right place, and that's never going to happen. So you know, just realize that that won't you won't have everything figured out, but take advantage of any opportunity that's presented to you. Versus doubting yourself. I was trying to think of a quote I heard this morning that, you know, I'd rather fail than regret not showing up or trying. You know, it's better to fail than than than not take the opportunity honestly, and then find people that you can surround yourself with who you know inspire you and and make you want to be a better leader. So, you know, I the women's group was kind of birthed out of like the fact that I listened and women wanted a place where they could just, you know, show up and be real and honest with one another, and so that was part, part of that. But because of what I'm doing now, I'm moving into a different thing, and it's funny because that the company that we're working with, there are all guys, and it's my husband, and my husband is, like, the most supportive of women that and these guys are also. They're very, very complimentary of everything that that I have done, but it they they communicate really different and be like, it's like your passing and stuff like that, and I have to there's processes and understanding that. So, you know, I have a sweet friend that I talked to weekly, and she reminds me it's okay to say, I don't get this, you know, it's okay for me to go slow and. And try and figure out so that I keep the authenticity of what has been created with Fiesta as we merge, eventually down the road, these two entities to offer something bigger and better for founders. Yeah, and yeah, we all struggle. I mean, I even when we started, you know, when I started working with my family, I I felt like I didn't have all the answers and the knowledge. I mean, I had a degree in marketing, but that was obsolete, the exchange and but finding the things that you are good at, I think, is important. And, you know, I love getting up every morning and doing what I do. I mean, you know, it's nice that I have that opportunity to be able to do that like I'm sure you enjoy elevating and giving women a voice, you know, to be leaders in in stuff like that. So I think that that's so helpful. And always people learn. I mean, I, I, you know, if you would have asked me five years ago what I'd be doing in five years. This would have never been part of my plan. And, you know, I I almost didn't do this because I disqualify I was disqualifying myself because I wasn't a successful founder. I mean, our startup, we had to sunset it because of covid, like so many other people, but that didn't mean I was a failure. I mean, I learned a lot in that, right? And of my age, I mean, I'm, like most people my age are, like, stepping back and retiring, and I'm working harder than I've ever worked, yeah, but you know the value, and I think you have to look at what is that legacy you want to leave behind. And as moms, as women, if you have kids, you remember, our ceiling is their floor. You know, if as much as you're willing to grow and do, they're going to stand on top of that and hopefully go further, you know, because you've given them an example, yeah, and we need to be that for each other as women,

Erin Geiger: 37:26

yeah, and you've, you've touched on so many great points there. Because I feel like, as women, we typically do, we're like, Okay, we gotta check all the boxes before we present anything or start anything. And even in the corporate world, you know, we are looking at job descriptions, you know, we'll be like, well, we have almost everything. We don't have this. We don't have that. I guess I can't apply. Whereas our male counterparts are like, I can handle it. And it's like, I'll apply for this, or I'll start this startup, or all, you know, and they don't have all their ducks in a row. And you're right, I feel like that's we're kind of like, well, we're not completely set up yet, so we shouldn't take this plunge, you know. And then you mentioned age, and so it's like, how, how do you manage that? Because there's some people who are like, Well, I'm too young to do this, or I'm too old to do this and speak to that a little bit, you know, because I feel like you're gonna have, like, a lot of great insights around

Cherie Werner: 38:20

that too. Well, I'll speak to it for, you know, from from a motherly perspective, because the one thing I would always, you know, tell my my daughters, is that you're always mentoring somebody. You're old enough to mentor somebody. So if you're 10, you know, mentoring five year olds, you know, because you're playing with them and stuff like that. So I think for women, you know, if you're single and you're wanting to get married, you know, find a married woman that you admire and and talk to her about, you know, things that she struggled with and things that she wished she would have known. And, you know, have this repertoire of questions, you know, if you're wanting to be a mom, finding a mom that you see how they're interacting with their kiddos, and just like, how do you not lose it, you know, or whatever it might be. So I just always look for those people. And I mean even myself, I'm always looking for women that I can learn from and admire, and some women will say why I can't find anybody. But for the longest time, some books were my best mentors. You know you can listen to podcasts and people who have expertise in areas that you're wanting to be better at, to become better at that particular thing. For the longest, I was, like, terrified of being a mom, and like, I felt like I wasn't going to be a good mom, and I just had this one author that I followed and read all of her books, and just felt so much better equipped of being a mom, because I wanted to be that great. Just mom, that life giving mom, you know, not that one, and sometimes we don't have that. But that's the beautiful thing about life is, is that we can always be learning and growing. There's no excuse to be stuck in something.

Erin Geiger: 40:16

Yeah, I know that's so true and like, as you kind of reflect, I mean, I know you are already have so much you're just scratched the surface, or so much more that you're going to accomplish. But when you think about your legacy, like what, what is a legacy you hope to leave as a as a leader in general, and as like a woman in leadership

Cherie Werner: 40:39

that I I've already thought about that so many times, the legacy. I mean, really, what I would love to leave behind. I mean, I think here, tangibly, in Austin, I would love to leave behind, you know, like a fiesta, something that continues on as I step away, that continues to invest with a heart that we're about elevating because, I mean, like, gosh, spreading kindness and pouring into others. You know, when, when you do that, there's this dopamine hit that you get every time that you're able to to give and to serve others. I mean, you know, someone comes to me and they tell me they're depressed, and one of the questions I usually ask like, So tell me, what do you do to serve others? And, and oftentimes they haven't even thought about that. It's like, go out and give of yourself, you know, so, so my legacy would be, you know, obviously, with my daughters, it was investing in them as I was, as I was bringing them up and, and, you know, one day, maybe I'll have grandchildren, and I look forward to that legacy. But from a tangible standpoint, my husband and I both want to leave behind something that just makes the world a better place, that that, you know, people feel seen. People know that they can come in and someone is going to be there to kind of know their name, and so that's why I always lead with Fiesta is all about helping founders to be seen and known, because I think at our core, that's what we all want. I mean, it doesn't matter if you're a founder, it's just as a human being. You want people to see you and approach you so Otherwise, we wouldn't be dealing with this loneliness epidemic that, you know, and being a founder, it's even more amplified. But yeah, as a country, it's like one of the, you know, top it was what it's been, the Top initiative of solving for like, when Obama was president, he that's what the general, Secretary, General, oh, I can't give his name. Big Mirtha, I think, wrote a book on it called the loneliness crisis. So, yeah, together,

Erin Geiger: 42:56

yeah, it is true, and it's especially as founders. Okay, it can feel very siloed. And so I guess on that, like, is there anything that you kind of do to set the tone for your day, to kind of, kind of get your mind right so you could face the day? Some people meditate, some people, you know, I mean, there's different things. Or maybe you're like, I don't, I really get up and I just face the day.

Cherie Werner: 43:20

I, you know, I've tried different things. I mean, you know, I think there's seasons in all of our lives that certain things work for us. I mean, you know, there now I just, I get out of bed and I go, I mean, like, just so much to accomplish and get done, and, you know, I'm looking to try and integrate more of those. I get up in the morning and I exercise and, you know, I meditate in and I'm working towards adding that in, but I get it. I mean, in so many regards, I'm like a founder, and it's just like there's not enough hours in a day to get things done. And I feel this huge responsibility of showing up and being there to see these people who come through our community and making it better. Probably not you were thinking you were going to get but

Erin Geiger: 44:20

it's actually refreshing. They're like, I just get up, I go, I start moving.

Cherie Werner: 44:25

Like, that's that's incredible. Yeah, I would think my husband, I both, like, our ritual is, is, is that we have an espresso machine and he fixes a cortado. And so we start our day off that way. And, yeah, so that's good, making the bad feeling like something accomplished.

Erin Geiger: 44:47

Well, that is, there's, oh, there's a book that I read, and I can't think of it now, but they actually recommend, like, making your bed. Like, make your bed every day. That's like something like you're starting off the day, like you said, with an accomplishment, you know, to kind of propel you forward. So, um. And so earlier, you had mentioned, like, you know, hey, sometimes books were my mentors. Like, what books or podcasts or resources that have made an impact on you that you would recommend for others to check out?

Cherie Werner: 45:13

Gosh, again, depending on what season of life you're in, over the years, it's been so many different things I I'll say where I'm at right now. I I listen to all in podcasts with my husband, because that's one of his favorites. I love Jay Shetty. He has just the different people that he has on different perspectives. And I really like listening to different perspectives. I have no time to read. I mean, I used to before doing all of this. I literally am being like, if you saw my house, I have so many books, and I read a lot, but I just don't have time to do that. But some of my favorite books that I've recently read that have been inspiring, I'm in the process of reading. Let them by Mel Robbins, yeah, which it's been, yeah, which has been really great, because, you know, you're going to always be misunderstood by somebody, and you know, just let them, you know. So that's been, that's been good. And then I like Jamie Lima Kern, k e r n has written two phenomenal books. She's the one who did the It Cosmetics, and her first one is called, believe it. And you know, as a female founder, oh my gosh, the things that she had to endure to become the the the most successful female entrepreneur and selling a cosmetic company. It's such a great read. And then she followed that up with, oh, I can't remember what the her second book was, but, but that was more general, and it was equally as as good. So those are books that, like, kind of stand up, you know, like stand out right now, but, yeah, and the podcast when I when we're going to sleep. So it depends on if my husband puts on the podcast first, or if I put mine on first.

Erin Geiger: 47:12

Yeah, I love everyone that you just mentioned, and I did read, believe it, I haven't read her second one, but, but I need to check that out. But believe it really did resonate with me for sure. Where can people find you online?

Cherie Werner: 47:28

So Fiesta dot community, and it's like, not the grocery store, so it.community.com's and then grow dot Fiesta dot community is our platform that we just launched that is going to be more of a global So, Fiesta, communities, everything here in Austin, and then the one will be beyond Austin, because of all the people who are remote workers and are hopping around, and then just, you know, I'm on LinkedIn. I that that's probably the social that I'm most engaged with. I don't have time to do all the others. You know. Gotta have grace on yourself. You can't do it all. I I'd love to do a podcast. I just can't do it.

Erin Geiger: 48:20

You gotta draw the line somewhere.

Cherie Werner: 48:22

I love talking, so you're

Erin Geiger: 48:24

gonna have a great podcast. So I ask every guest this question, because it's just super fun, and I create a playlist for our listeners from it. But if you can only listen to one music artist for the rest of your life, who would it

Cherie Werner: 48:41

be? Oh my gosh, I'm gonna do I go young or old? I would say Taylor Swift, only because I've gone to all of her concerts with my my youngest and and I know most of her music because it's the most relative. And, you know, I just, you know, I like all genres of music, so it's not like, Oh, this is my absolute favorite or whatever, but yeah, I love it. That's so cool. Who would you listen to? Beastie Boys?

Erin Geiger: 49:14

Oh, wow. Okay, now, right? I know it's so funny, because a while back, I was talking to my mom, and she was like, still, Beastie Boys? Like, yeah. You an adult now? It's like,

Cherie Werner: 49:26

my favorite, yeah, if I was to do one with my husband, like, think of, you know, because he, like, he would have one, because when we were dating, every week he'd get a new album. But it would be America, probably only because it brings me back to that time when we were first dating, and I can, I know all the songs and stuff like that, but yeah, it depends on where I want to go back to.

Erin Geiger: 49:53

It's very true, because there's certain Yeah, times of your life or like, Okay, do I picking a current person? Or am I picking, you know. Like a classic or whatever. So yeah, I totally get it. So Sheree, oh my gosh, we're I always tell guests, I'm not gonna take up too much of your time, but I feel like I could talk to you forever. So thank you so much.

Cherie Werner: 50:12

So much fun. Thank you really. I would love to have coffee with you and then continue conversation. So yeah, let's

Erin Geiger: 50:21

do it. Let's do it, or you're both here in Austin, so that would be amazing. So yeah, thank you so so much. Oh.