The Run The World Story and Why Events Convert in a Way No Digital Strategy Ever Will

Today on CEO Sales Sessions, I sit down with Zaina Moussa, founder of the Run The World Summit. Over the last several years, I've had a front-row seat to watching Zaina build one of Canada's most impactful and diverse communities for female entrepreneurs. In this conversation, we go behind the scenes of what it really takes to build a global movement, the lessons learned through setbacks, and why community remains one of the most powerful sales and business growth tools available today.

Here’s what we cover:

• How a 17-year-old with no experience and a little bit of delusion turned a single event into a thriving community and award-winning business
• Why energy, representation, and authenticity create experiences people never forget, and why that matters for business growth
• The hidden reason in-person events build trust faster than content, ads, or social media ever can
• Why building something meaningful sometimes requires investing before the results appear
• How intentional decisions based on community-building create trust and strengthen a brand
• The leadership lessons that come from building a team, understanding your strengths, and celebrating others

Zaina's story is fuel for any female founder who's been hesitant to step into the light and be fully seen. It would mean so much to us if you shared this conversation with a woman in your life who's building something big. Let's keep lifting each other up! 

Connect with Zaina:
Website
Zaina’s Instagram
Run the World’s Instagram
LinkedIn

Gazzy’s Links:
Website: https://www.authenticgazzy.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authenticgazzy
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/authenticgazzy
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AuthenticGazzy
Podcast Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GazzyAmin
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authenticgazzy

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Welcome to CEO Sales Sessions. I'm Gazzi, your host, former political staffer, turned entrepreneur, and founder of Sales Beyond Scripts, where I build CEOs whose sales feel effortless and profit becomes inevitable. I've spent years in the highest pressure rooms, both in politics and business, and I'm bringing you everything I learned straight to this mic. No fluff, no filler, just actionable steps, tough love, and big thinking alongside some of the sharpest CEOs in the game. Let's get to work. So what you're gonna get in this conversation is probably combos you haven't heard before. And so, as always, I encourage you to grab your pen, grab your paper, and let's get into it. Welcome to the podcast, Zaina Moussaf, co-founder of Run the World. Thank you for being here.

SPEAKER_01 1:24

Thanks for having me, Gazzy.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

You were one of the first guests that I thought I wanted to bring on this episode. I'm honored. Yeah. Thank you. I have such an incredible group of women around me. And so I just had to look within my network, and you were one of the first people that I admire how you've built, staying true to yourself, building on values, and also building something that is incredible and way bigger than just you as a person. So my goal for this conversation is really to go to a place that's not going to be in your bio. Maybe people aren't hearing this if they're coming to run the world events. Really a true behind the scenes at what you've built and of course how it relates to sales, because that's what this podcast is all about. You cool with that? I'm cool. Let's do it. Okay. I felt the first place to start this in case nobody in case somebody hasn't come to an event or doesn't really know as much about Run the World, take us back to where it started. What was Run the World and what are you today?

SPEAKER_01 2:22

Yeah. So fresh off of university or fresh out of university, I um I've always been very entrepreneurial. So I've I always knew that, you know, corporate is not for me. Um, and I've always wanted to build something with purpose. So I just didn't know what. And like a lot of entrepreneurs at the beginning, we like dabble into a little bit of everything. So I did like jewelry, I sold lemonade, I was a vendor at all these other events, and um, nothing was sticking. But um, I was really inspired by another female entrepreneur that I saw in the States where she put on a community experience and she brought together 300 women, she had vendors, she had a fashion show, food experiences. And I was like, wow, like this is really inspiring, and and how she brought everybody together. And I said to myself, you know, this is what I want to do. So when I came back home to Toronto, I I hosted my first event, and it I was 17 at the time. So I had no experience. I just had a little bit of delusion.

SPEAKER_00 3:27

Which uh is honestly like a secret sauce in entrepreneurship.

SPEAKER_01 3:31

I think it is because you have to be a little bit delusional and really, really believe in yourself that you can do it, even if you don't have the tools, the resources, the answers just yet. But you'll figure it out as you go. And that's that was my experience. So I came home, I hosted my first event. It was $10 a ticket, nothing crazy, but I had like almost 400 women show up. And at that time, I also had a vendor marketplace. We brought in small businesses. And at that time, one of the vendors said to me, you know, this event was so great and so successful for me that I was able to pay my mortgage this month. And I was 17 at the time. I didn't even know what a mortgage was, but I knew that it was impact. Like I knew that that experience was impactful and that it was a feeling I constantly craved. Um, and that's this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. So, you know, year after year it kind of grew. I collaborated with a few different organizations across the city, but um, nothing really felt right for me. And in 2019, that's when I met um, you know, my business partners, Rafa, and I met Amani shortly after that. And that's when it really became a business. It really became a thing. And, you know, fast forward now we're six years later, seven years later, um, you know, we're still doing our thing. We're still hosting incredible, you know, award-winning experiences. And now you're on board as Valgazi. But I think, you know, over the last year and a half, we realized, you know, we've built this community trust. Like we've hosted these experiences, we've brought women together through retreats, networking experiences, conferences, but now we've really tapped into the corporate space. So over the last year, we've started focusing more on, you know, creating these impactful experiences, but for others, for clients and for corporate um organizations.

SPEAKER_00 5:27

It's been such a fun journey to watch from the sidelines. I started as someone who was an attendee that I was inspired and I decided to volunteer. I'll never forget it was the first summit inside the mall. Yep. That I just showed up as a volunteer. I actually didn't really know you. Um, I don't even think we met that day, but I just volunteered and loved what I saw. And I know the answer to this because I was just talking about it. Nika and I were literally talking about it in the car of like what makes run the world different. And I was at an event this morning, uh, hosted by Be Interrupted and TD, which is also a partner of ours. And one of the speakers that I spoke to kept going off about knowing what makes you unique. What is it that even if others do the same thing, there's something about the way that we do it that nobody else does it like run the world. I want to share my answer with you, but I want you to share your answer first. What do you think it is that our it's our unique sauce that is only in the run the world rooms that you just can't get at another women's experience?

SPEAKER_01 6:32

Honestly, there's there's a lot of things. Um, but the number one thing I always say is energy. You can't fake energy. And I think that because, you know, Rafa, Manny, and I are, you know, minority women, Gazi as well joined on, and and we all have this like unique perspective, but we're so authentic. And like when we're there, when we're at our events, we pour into every single person that's there, and and that shows. That shows on our stages, it shows in the work that we do, and then it becomes reciprocated. Our attendees that you know experience us as run the world, then start pouring back into us. So, you know, I'll go to so many events. I know, Gazzy, you go to events weekly, um, and there's so much happening in the city, but it's the quality of people that we have. It's the caliber of speakers that we bring in, it's the diversity in the room that we have. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 7:36

And I think that's like worth like even pausing and like really stretching that. That's one of the things I hear most from women is that they feel seen in our rooms.

SPEAKER_01 7:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:45

That they don't feel, I'm air quoting, like a minority, that they feel that sisterhood, that diversity is what you see in the rooms. It's what you feel in the conversations. And it's really refreshing coming from a place which was male-dominated and also lacked a lot of women of color. When I come to a run the world experience or when I'm hosting and I look out at our audience and I see different people that look and feel represented by our speakers, that look and feel represented by the diversity in the room, that impact for me, like that feels really, really like intentional on part, but also really meaningful for me being a part of the team, but also hearing from what people tell us that that's one of their favorite parts of being in the room with us because they've never seen a woman wearing hijab be at this level, you know? Like it it really means something for them.

SPEAKER_01 8:43

And what an honor it is to be a facilitator of that. I think that's something we don't take for granted. But also, you're coming to a money move summit or an event that's all about business or an event that's all about networking, but we're talking about hardshit. Like we're talking about Iran, we're talking about Palestine, we're recognizing what's going on in the world because if we don't recognize that, how can we build trust with our community within our own community if we don't acknowledge what the hell is going on in the world, even if it's not related, like quote unquote related, we're talking about money, we're talking about making money moves, we're talking about, you know, scaling, sales. Yeah. But this is this is our DNA. This is who we are as human beings.

SPEAKER_00 9:30

That's right. And that community, that sense of community that's built from that. I want to go there because I think, well, actually, wait, wait, no, no, before I go there, I think there's also one other thing that I would say is really unique about our experiences. Again, I'm going through this exercise when where this um expert is asking, like, what's the unique sauce? What's different that nobody else does? And I would say, like, the look and feel of our experiences is unmatched, right? The production level, like it's it's giving a full show, right?

SPEAKER_01 9:59

It's it's giving fabulous. It is. Um, and here's the thing you know, at the beginning for the early stages, that's something that we've outsourced. Like, you know, we would co-design our production and we would outsource it. But now, given the direction we're going in, everything is being produced in-house. So now everything from design to execution is going to be done through Run the World. Um, and I think that's another big differentiating factor for us is like we host our own events, but we also host events for others and we do everything in-house. Yes. Whereas other organizations are still outsourcing and, you know, um, that obviously is a big sort of differentiating factor for us.

SPEAKER_00 10:38

Yeah, I mean, you know a run the world event just by looking at the pictures. Yeah. Because you know a look and feel that you can expect being in that energy. And I I want to give you your flowers because I know that you and Rafa are the visionaries behind the look and feel of the experience because we take a room and we flip it. We've seen rooms 48 hours before the event, and we're like, why is it looking like this? Like, this isn't what we envision. And then by the time all of the touches are done, it's like now that's a run the world production.

SPEAKER_01 11:06

Yeah, and here's the thing you know, sometimes it's a struggle for me because I have to say in my head, do I want to spend $4,000 on chairs? Yes. Or do I want to save that $4,000 or allocate it elsewhere? And, you know, sometimes it's for for others, it's an easy answer. But for us, it's really like, no, what is going to make it look like a run the world event versus anybody else's event? Yeah. You know, because again, there's so many events. That's it. What makes it stand out? What makes it stand out?

SPEAKER_00 11:38

Yeah. Okay, so I want to go to talk a bit about the power of events because you're seeing what's happening when we host events, both from a partnership perspective, a production, an experience. I want to know what happens at an event that could never happen with just the algorithm or content. Like, why is it that brands choose to participate in our experiences? Because they know we can create something that cannot be compared to a digital ad. What is that?

SPEAKER_01 12:15

Take me there. Well, I'm gonna go back to saying energy again because you can't feel energy online, right? I don't know how to experience Gazi, to experience Gazzy digitally is not the same as experiencing Gazi on stage. You're right, 100%. Like you're on fire. I'm sweating when I'm on stage. Sweating, doing your thing, but it's completely different. Yes. So from a partnership or a sponsor perspective, you know, events is is is being visible and being seen at events is so important because you get to actually connect with your audience, you get to collect data of of of hot leads, people that are actually coming to your booth and speaking with you, and it's targeted. I'm paying for for a targeted demographic, whereas when you're spending online, you know, on ads or or whatever, um, yes, you're targeting people, but it's not the same as you're going to event, you're going to a conference from this age to this age. This is the demographic, this is how much they spend per year, um, and really getting to know them on a personal level. Um, but from a aside from a partnership perspective, like we've had, you know, women that have connected and opened stores together. Yes. Just by joining our events together. They've opened a store um in downtown Toronto. We've had people that have collaborated together for years and years and come out with lines together. It's it's incredible what what these spaces do, like the impact. And sometimes we don't really see that as organizers. Yes. But from an outside, outside lens, you know, I had someone that came to our last conference, she emailed us right after and she was like, Thank you so much for this ticket. We gifted her a ticket. And she said, Because I attended this experience, someone had purchased a 60-book wholesale order from me. And uh, and now we're working on another line together. And I wouldn't have had this opportunity if I didn't attend. So these behind the scenes conversations that happen, you don't know, you're not aware of as a as you know, as the organizers, but you have to have the trust to know that's that you're doing these you're hosting these experiences and events because you know magic is gonna happen. That's right.

SPEAKER_00 14:29

That's right. And I think the word you say trust is perfect because when I'm talking about sales journeys and looking at what's the bridge between marketing and sales and how does someone go from being a prospect to a client and what does that journey look like? I mean, there's research showing that people need to consume anywhere between like seven to 12 hours of content to be nurtured in a sales process. But I think what's magical about our in-person experiences is it has the power to collapse time. So, our retreats, we go from not knowing each other at the beginning of the retreat to after two days. Like deals have been made, convos have been hatched, cries have been shared, contracts signed, tears shared, slumber parties happen, like all of those things in a way that, as a sales strategist, it has me curious of what is that magic, right? What is that magic that you could come to a two-hour masterclass? Sure, and you know that person knows their shit. But when you come into our rooms and you get to see the speakers and you get to say hello to the person beside you or in line in front of you, the trust and relationship building that happens, that's how people say, like, oh, this happened. I got 60 bulk orders in a matter of a few minutes while waiting for chicken in line. Like, that's right. What? What? But that's you said it's a curated group. And when there's intention and it's been curated in that way, we get to collapse time in the trust journey. And I think that's such a beautiful thing, especially now in a place where everyone's really caring about investing time and energy on the online space, AI adds, like scaling all that stuff. These smaller, intimate experiences where we're pausing to be in community together, really create big strides in the sales space, is what I'm thinking as well.

SPEAKER_01 16:19

Well, another thing you just made me think of was how intentional we are as event organizers. And the reason I say that is because I've heard horror stories of other event organizers that were willing to accept partnerships and sponsorships from just anybody. They're not intentional, they don't curate the room. A lot of our events are also application-based. So, really getting to know who our demographic is and aligning them, I feel like we're connectors. We connect the right people with the right brands. And, you know, even from a partnership and sponsorship perspective, just because a brand is willing to give you money and sponsor your experience doesn't mean that brand is aligned with your moral compass or with your brand in general, with your mission, your vision, your goals. So, you know, I think it's also being intentional about who you're working with, who you're allowing into your seats, into your rooms, and picking the right people. Totally.

SPEAKER_00 17:24

I mean, I told you for Money Move Summit, I had asked some of our speakers to send me past masterclasses that they've done because I don't take it lightly that we're gonna be introducing them to our community. And I want to make sure we're introducing exactly with intention the right people who have value to offer. So I'm spending time watching people's masterclasses to see are they really the real deal? Well, that's are we aligned mission, vision? Are you in it for the opportunity or really to create impact? Are you aligned with our mission as an organization? And that's extra work, but I feel like it's felt when people tell us like everyone loved Nikia. Like, I don't stop hearing about that. That was intentional. We had saved that keynote spot for the right person. And so, even just knowing of like when you come to our events, every person who's speaking is there because we believe that they truly have something to offer to the community and not because it would be good for our brand or dollars or whatever. I think that's all secondary.

SPEAKER_01 18:28

I think it goes back to the chair, you know, comparison. Am I gonna spend $4,000 on chairs or am I gonna allocate that that money elsewhere? When you're organizing an experience, it's constant back and forth. Is this the right speaker? Is this the right partner? Do I want to invest in this person? Are they gonna bring value to my community? Because at the end of the day, it all equals out to trust. Because, and I remember this conversation you and I had, Gazzy, as well, while we were prepping for the conference was I had suggested somebody to you and you said, I don't know what, you know, their their their style is like, I don't know their teaching methods. I also don't want to bring somebody on our stage that I haven't vetted. And let's say somebody works with them in the future and they have a poor experience, they're gonna remember, oh, well, I met this person at a run the world event. That's right. And that's gonna leave a sour, sour, sour taste in their mouth. And we will eventually lose their trust. That's it. So all of the decision making has to lead back to well, is this gonna allow my community to trust me or to no longer believe in the work that I do?

SPEAKER_00 19:37

Yeah. I love that. I love that that's where you're making decisions from. I want to go to this part that I think a lot of people care about. And we've talked about it on our stages at Money Moves uh when we did the Run the World panel last year together as well. I know we lost money on one of the first events. Remind me the number. I think it was uh, oh, it was 30,000. Okay, so 30,000. So right away it's like WTF, but also I love it. And I want to know more because the part that I think is iconic that I always remember is you called it a marketing expense.

SPEAKER_01 20:12

Well, here's the thing, and I that's why I said let me remember, because it wasn't just this one time that we lost 30k. Like there were a few occasions where we lost big lump sums of money. And at one point I was like, okay, we're just gonna, this is gonna be a marketing expense. But the first time was during COVID, and I know that was a really hard time for a lot of entrepreneurs. Um, you know, we we invested in uh setting up a holiday experience at uh at a shopping mall. And because we got shut down, you know, a few days before we were to open, um, we've invested 30K in signage that says run the world holiday market. How am I gonna use that signage again? It was very specific to that store. So that was not a marketing expense for sure. I think that was just a really big hit for us because it was our first full year in business. And it was during COVID, and we had no way of recouping that money with other events because the city was just, you know, everyone was lockdown mode. So, you know, with time and with faith, we were able to kind of like regroup and get ourselves together. And the following year, we um we hosted our first ever conference, and it was really cool. We we won an award for this conference because it was the first conference in a shopping mall. Yes, and it was really it was incredible. And we had Michelle Williams from Destiny's Child, she was our keynote speaker. We had um, you know, at that time Love is Blind, I think it was season two. We had one of their cast members, Arlene Dickinson, too, right? Arlene Dickinson was the following year, yes, but um incredible speakers, incredible production, decor was was beautiful, um, but it was First conference. So for that, we were, I think, 15K in the whole. And at that point, I was like, okay, girls, we're it's this is fine because this is really what's gonna put us on the map. Like, this is our first event. We can't expect to be profitable from our first experience if we were great. But I think realistically, you know, we wanted to make that splash and and we did after that event.

SPEAKER_00 22:26

Iconic, like in the middle of Square One Mall in front of Holt Run Fruit, the biggest activation I've ever seen, like that was wow.

SPEAKER_01 22:34

That's right. And to bring someone like Michelle is not cheap. That's right. You know, so um we really had to dig deep into those pockets. And at the end of the experience, I said, look, you know, we lost, or not lost, but you know, we invested, yes, not lost. We invested 15K into this, and this is the ripple effect. This is what has come back from that 15K.

SPEAKER_00 22:57

That's it. I feel like sometimes with entrepreneurship, we want to see it right away. It's like we put money, we want to see the ROI. And I love that we were able to zoom out and see it in the bigger scheme of things. I heard a quote this morning, and I think it's like encompassing exactly what you said. Um, the gentleman was saying, I don't win every time, but I win most times, and that's enough to be epic. And so, you know, we have some losses, some wins, but overall, we are an epic organization. And I love that you didn't think, oh, it's not working with one and that's it. It's like, well, let's try it again. That's the investment for what is to come. And the day you plant the seed is not always the day you see the flowers. And so to be patient and nurture and give love and soil and energy and sun to the thing that you're growing, like five events after now, it's like, wow, now you're seeing, oh, that investment is paying itself off now.

SPEAKER_01 23:50

And and good things come different, like come hard. Like I I I would say sacrifice is a privilege. Yes. Pressure is a privilege. Yes. And that's what you're going through as entrepreneurs all the time. Sacrifice and pressure. Yeah. Right? And and and to me, I think about it in a way where it's like there are people that are not sacrificing, that are not under this pressure to be better, to, to, to, to scale, to do better, to make an impact in the world. So I look at it as a privilege.

SPEAKER_00 24:24

Absolutely. Absolutely. I love that you said that. And it makes me think of the the expression that like pressure creates diamonds. And you're sitting in front of me in this sparkly shirt, like diamonding them. Like, that's it. That's it. Like you can't expect to have diamonds if you're not willing to be pressured. And like, if anyone's seen us 48 hours before an event, you know what pressure looks like. Yeah. I think we even did a video and we're like, what are you like before the event? And was your word psychotic? Yeah, I am psychotic. Yeah, yeah. Like, which is right, because it's like you're just like locked in in that mode, but that's the pressure that creates it. And it's like, I love it because I always know we're always down for the pressure and it always creates the best experiences. And I love that we're up for that. We don't shy away from hard work or getting shit done. We're kind of just like, that's a part of this experience. Let's give it our all. Absolutely. Absolutely. So, where do we go from here? I want to know a little bit about um briefly about team. And then I also want to talk a little bit about personal stuff. But I want to go to team first because I know that nothing great gets built by one person. Um, I've been a member of part of the team for, I think this was my third money move conference now. Yeah, third money moves summit. Crazy to think of this. I'd volunteered uh before, but there's also other members of our team. And so I want you to kind of tell me about how did you know you needed other people and what was that journey? Like, you know, I heard somebody ask this morning at the event as I like, how do you know when to hire? Like, what's that edge of like, we know we need money to hire this person, but we're not there yet. Like, you've now built the team to multiple people, partners, co-founder, different team members. Tell me some of that, maybe a lesson or two of what that experience from going from the solopreneur, the doer mindset to stepping into leadership. What are you learning about this journey?

SPEAKER_01 26:11

I'm still learning. Like it's not something I've learned. I'm in the process of learning because it's really difficult. And one thing I've learned about myself, I'm not a manager. It's really difficult for me to manage people. I'm I and I feel like a lot of entrepreneurs have that same struggle because they're two different things. So for me, it was always like that doer mindset. I'll just do it. I'll, it's just easier if I, you know, do it myself. I'll do it myself. Yeah. Right. But then obviously when um Amani and Rafa came on board and we kind of joined together in 2019. There were strengths that Amani has. There's strengths that she has. I just I just can't. Amani can talk. Amani is a people's person. I I'm definitely a people's person. And I love to build re build rapport and to have that human connection, but Amani's on another level. That's right. And that's her unique sauce. Nobody's about that's her unique sauce, and she's patient and she'll talk and she'll listen. She loves a follow-up, she's in it for the long run. Yeah. She's in it for the long run. And I I just get to a point where I'm like, I just I gotta move. I got bigger fish to fry here. Yes. Yes. And it and similar, similarly with Rafa. And Rafa's, you know, she's very logical and she's very practical. And she, you know, she has great ideas and and and she's a lot more versed in like the digital creative side. So it's, you know, obviously figuring out what what is each person good at um and what are we not good at. So whatever we're not good at, I'm not gonna waste my time and and and you know, we always talk about valuing your hour. Yes. Knowing the value of your hour and what can I outsource that's gonna save me that that time and that money. Time is money. We all know that. That's it. So, you know, there's certain things in the business where I'm like, I don't need to be doing this anymore. You know, this can be taken on and led by someone else. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 28:06

Um, someone who could probably do it better than you at that point.

SPEAKER_01 28:09

Someone who could do it better than me or even AI. You know, like we're entering, not entering, we've entered this crazy time where like I'm mind blown by the things that can can be done and the time that's saved. You know what I mean? But it's it's it's about knowing what resources are available. Yes. Because sometimes we don't know. That's right. We don't take advantage of what we what we don't know. That's right. So um I think it's always learning. Like we want to constantly be self-developing, you know, personally but also professionally, learning new things, going to events, um, you know, connecting with different people that can share different tools that can can better better our team processes. Um so I'm still in that, in that learning, learning phase. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:56

I feel like we're lifelong 100% students. But I love because when I look at our team, I can see that there are really complementary skills to each other. Like no, no two of us are good at the same thing. No. Right? Like, I know what I need to pick your brain about versus Rafa's brain about versus Laura's brain about. That's right. Because we all have our own little bit that we bring to the table. And I know a manny's gonna get a different question out of me that you might not even ask. And I really appreciate that we've built diversity in thinking because sometimes people want to pick people in the group who all think the same, who all are good at the same thing. And it's like, no, I can actually tell you and Rafa are very different, which I think is why you make good partners because your strengths are not hers and hers are not yours. And I think it complements each other in a nice way.

SPEAKER_01 29:42

Absolutely. And I love that you said we're diverse, we're we're diverse thinkers. Yeah. We don't think the same, but we are, I don't like, I don't think we've ever, I think maybe in our five years, we've probably had like one or two arguments or fallouts in that time. Yes. Like, like what a blessing that is. I don't take that for granted, and we've become like family together. Um, and I I truly think it's something special.

SPEAKER_00 30:08

Totally. I mean, I'm just thinking about the memory the night before money moves. Literally, the team spent two hours intentional thinking about what's the entrance gonna look like? Is it here or here? And everyone had a different opinion, and no one was agreeing with each other. And I loved that. I love that each of us was bringing a different perspective, challenging each other and saying, sure, but did you think about this? But what about this? And I love that about a team because I actually don't want to surround myself with people who are always agreeing with me. Gazzy, that's the best idea. No, I want to surround myself with people who are pushing me and getting me to think a different way. And I think we have a really diverse team in that way where it's like the perspective a manny is bringing, you and I hadn't even thought about. So it's just something so fresh to have at the table.

SPEAKER_01 30:48

And here's the thing too one thing I've learned about being in partnership with women is you have to be very patient. You have to be very patient and you have to put your ego aside. Yes. Because it's not about it's not about titles, it's not about who makes the final decision. It's at the end of the day, you know, we're working. Yes, it's our business, but we are there to serve a client or to serve our community or to serve X person. So whatever decisions we make must be made in the best interest of that person or that organization. So, you know, you really need to, you know, sometimes just put the ego aside and sometimes just listen more than you speak.

SPEAKER_00 31:35

This is why I love working with you. Like it's always you I can feel that from your energy, that grounded patient sense. And I think that's what makes it enjoyable to work together. And it's never been a sense feeling of like Zayna and Rafa are the co-founders or this and that. Like, even you know, one of our partners, um, one of our title sponsors today, like called us sisters. She was like, Oh, you and the sisters. And I was like, I love that. I love that, right? I do have that feeling. It's like obviously we're not actually family, but it has that felt sense to it. And I know sometimes people are like, no, your work, fam work is different, family's different. But I I feel that we've built, and it's through the leadership, obviously, but we've built somewhere where um we all feel really safe with each other and it has this trusted essence. And I think um who you build with matters because anybody could build, but who you build with matters. And yeah, I like I love, I love building experiences and doing these things with you. And yeah, I know I don't say this often, but like love working with you, obviously.

SPEAKER_01 32:31

I love working with you too, Gazzy.

SPEAKER_00 32:33

Yeah. Okay. So um I want to talk a little bit about what are you working on? So this is how I want to wrap up the episode is like, what are you working on? One, I want you to start with what are you working on personally for yourself? What's something that you're working on from a development side for yourself during this season? And then the second part of it is what is Run the World working on and what's next for the company.

SPEAKER_01 32:55

Personally, I feel like I have a lot to work on, but I actually never, I've never given myself the time to sit down and think about what is it that I actually want to work on personally. You know, one time I made this list and it was like that girl list. Yes. Like to be that girl. Okay. And it was like a wish list of like all the things I wish or I wanted to do to be that girl. Okay. And I wrote it all down. I don't know what I put in there, like Pilates, go for a walk every day, eat healthy food, like take care of my body, mind, and soul, pray more, you know. And I put the paper away. And then a month ago, my husband was like rummaging through his desk and he's like, What the hell is this? And I'm like, no, don't read that. Girl was yeah. I'm like, don't read that. And obviously he reads it out loud and I'm so embarrassed. But I I think I just, I I think I just really want personally, I really want to give myself more, more silence. Like I just want to sit in silence a little bit more. I mean, I have a toddler and so it's a little bit hard to to sit in silence during my day. But I, you know, even if I can just find pockets of time, even if it's 10, 15 minutes to sit out in the sun and just think about what I want for my life, what I want to do to make myself a better human being. Um I think that's the first step.

SPEAKER_00 34:24

Beautiful. Yeah, I see that for you too, because I know you're a giver, you pour into everyone, and you always have time for everyone else. But that's a beautiful thing to commit time to to yourself. And you know, Gazzy, when you tell me something, I'm gonna hold you accountable. So we better see that slotted in the calendar so I need to receive some time.

SPEAKER_01 34:40

That's right. I mean, I I love that I've been cooking more. Yes. I think that that's that's really kind of like boosted my confidence at home. Yes. But but but I want I want to focus more on like me.

SPEAKER_00 34:54

Yes, you know? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:56

I want to focus more on me. And then to focus more on me, I need to give myself just a second to figure out what direction do I want to go into. Yeah, it requires slowing down to speed up, right?

SPEAKER_00 35:06

It requires slowing down to speed up. That's right. And to be intentional. To be like, because you could just go, go, go, go, go, but then you end up somewhere and it's like, oh wait, did I even want to end up here? Right. So the slowing down is like, are we on the right path? Are we going to the right place? So yeah, I think um, and you know, the next guest is gonna be Sarah Salehi. I'm gonna be filming with her, and one of the things we'll be talking about is it's not about giving yourself big pockets of time, it's about giving yourself small pockets of time. And consistently, consistently, and knowing that that creates those small uh times creates the ripple into the big things. That's right. And so even it's not a full morning routine, but maybe just looking in the mirror while brushing the teeth and being really, really grounded while we're brushing the teeth sounds so small. But that's one of the topics we're gonna be talking about. So I'm glad that you brought that up and maybe just finding a few moments. Even I need that too. It's just like sometimes just having my tea on the balcony without my phone. That's right. Just two, three minutes just does wonders for me.

SPEAKER_01 36:02

And just waking up and not going for your phone the first thing in the morning. Like I think that really just throws us off. Yeah. Like my eyes are my eye crust is literally falling out of my head. Most people are touching the phone before they pee. That's right. Right? On their way to go pee. On their way to go pee. And then they sit on the toilet with their phone for 30 minutes. That's right. Yeah. So I think that really does mess up, you know, our our entire day unconsciously, even.

SPEAKER_00 36:27

That's it. That's it. Okay, so that's personal side for Zaina, the human. And what about um as the co-founder for Run the World? What are you really excited about curating for the next little bit?

SPEAKER_01 36:39

I'm excited that we're now pouring into others, you know, like we've, like I said, we've built this community trust and have created our own events for so long. But I'm excited that now people are trusting us, our partners are trusting us to create experiences for them because they come to our events and they like what they see and they want to duplicate that. They want to mimic that experience. So I'm excited to be pouring into others. Um, that's that's for sure. And, you know, for the last two years, we've one of our goals has been like a global expansion. You know, so we've we've really set set our set our toes into the sand in Dubai. So just kind of continuing sort of our relationships there and getting some projects moving in that in that region uh while you know, while growing the business here.

SPEAKER_00 37:28

Beautiful. And I want to touch on this because people always ask me, I literally got a DM right before I came here. What are upcoming events that others can join? So on our roster, we've got the St. Anne's retreat coming up, July 13th to 15, two-day experience. As you said, application based only, 20 female founders. So if you're someone who wants to spend a weekend with the girls and mastermind and scale businesses, um, that's coming up. And then two fun things in September. I'll let you share those ones. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:58

We're going back to, we're gonna be going back to Montreal, which really excited about, and Vancouver. So we're hosting uh Founders and Forks, uh, again, application based only, a hundred women uh for a beautiful, intimate dinner experience where you'll be able to connect with like-minded women. There's gonna be panels, discussions, um, but it's just a beautiful night out. You know, last year we did it in Montreal with Holt Renfrew, and there was like live music, there was caviar, there was shopping. It was just so much fun. It was, it was lovely.

SPEAKER_00 38:32

Like the most elevated networking I've ever been to. Like in Holt Renfrew, shopping, these beautiful outfits, but also deep conversations, talking about scaling businesses. Literally one of my favorite experiences, and I can't wait to do it again.

SPEAKER_01 38:45

Yeah, me neither. And it's like a it's like a mix of feminine energy with that like boss babe energy.

SPEAKER_00 38:51

You know?

SPEAKER_01 38:51

That's it.

SPEAKER_00 38:52

So um, my call out for that, because I have people asking me, so I'm gonna give them the directions here. If you want to be a partner, a speaker, or an attendee, the best way to learn more is to follow Run the World Summits Instagram. If you want to know more about partnering with the experiences, the best ways to connect with me, obviously authentic Gazi, you can send me a voice note over Instagram. I'll share all we love voice notes. Yeah, key for sales, by the way. Um so we're now taking applications for the retreat. Are we do we already have open applications for the dinners? Yes, we do. They're already open. Yeah. Okay, wonderful. So that's I guess we're the next opportunity where people can get to see us and hang out with us. Um, anything else you want to leave off here for the women before we sign off?

SPEAKER_01 39:35

I think, you know, I I think the only thing I'd I'd I'd say is a lot of the times we look at other business owners and we look at other entrepreneurs and you know, are are floored by the work that they do and you know, which which is incredible, but we're all just figuring it out. You know, sometimes people look at our Instagram or they see our events and they're like, how did you get this brand or how did you work with this? And and it's like, girl, I'm still figuring out how that happened. And takes me back to takes me back to being a little bit delusional, but trusting yourself, you know, trusting yourself. Like when I was 17, I thought I could plan somebody's wedding. And I literally had a meeting with, you know, the bride. And my my now husband was like, what the hell are you doing? And I was like, I can do it. That's the, you know, I can do it, and I'll figure it out on on as as as we go. But I mean, they didn't end up booking me, which thankfully we didn't get into the bridal space.

SPEAKER_00 40:36

We're here helping female founders and other corporate brands. But hey, maybe in another life. Maybe in another life we'll we'll be helping the the bridezillas and the bride. That's it, but you're right, because from the outside everything can look glamorous, but really in the thick of it, we're all just as we call bitches in the back, just figuring it out. We're still figuring it out. Yeah, the morning of the events, still figuring it out, mid-event, still figuring it out. You're right. You're right. Yeah, yeah, and figuring out what's what's next. Well, I'm so excited. I'm sure there will be more parts to this conversation. Thank you for being here, for sharing so openly and um really grounding in the intention that this is gonna help somebody else. So if you got something from this podcast episode, we'd love to hear from you. Send us a voice note over on Instagram. You can find Zaina, I'll leave all of her details down below for you. And of course, as always, you can find me on Instagram. Stories is where I hang out every day, and DMs are where the conversations happen. Thank you for being here, and I'll see you next week. Well, that brings us to the end of today's episode. Thank you for sharing your time with me. I know as a CEO that time is your most valuable asset. So let's make it worth it. What's one thing that you're gonna implement or embody today? Because listening without action is just entertainment. So DM me your takeaway on Instagram at authenticgazzy. I want to hear it, and I promise you I will hold you accountable. And if this episode resonated, share it with a woman in your circle who needs to hear this. And if you haven't already, follow and subscribe so you never miss a Tuesday. I'll see you next week.