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Sheila Burkett is the Co-Founder and CEO of Spry Digital. Her company helps small to mid-size businesses design and build things for the web. She also loves to networking, teaching, mentoring, and public speaking.
She talks to Cynthia about getting started in technology back in 1985, and how that led to her becoming a General Partner at Edward Jones at the age of 33. Ultimately, she decided to leave the corporate world and jump into another fast paced industry, auto racing. She helped her husband with Tuxedo Park Racing before ultimately deciding to start Spry Digital with some like minded colleagues. She shares her wisdom on running a good business, her views on networking effectively, and the importance of prioritizing your own health and wellbeing.
1 – Intro 00:24
2 – What Sheila does 01:02
3 – Ownership Group 03:32
4 – Sheila’s career history 04:14
5 – Introduction to Technology 04:52
6 – Was an IT Career accidental? 06:14
7 – Challenges as a female in male dominated tech industry 08:37
8 – Was their feedback to you valuable 11:20
9 – Examples of times you would have changed what you did 12:55
10 – Feeling the need to be “on” 24/7 15:36
11 – How do we talk about the changing roles of men and women 17:14
12 – Psychology around hiring people to do your home tasks 21:08
13 – Letting go of guilt 23:14
14 – Understanding why we do what we do 24:24
15 – Kids or teammates not having same priorities as parents or leaders 26:47
16 – Overlap between personal and professional improvements 29:51
16 – Roles between Edward Jones and Spry Digital 30:55
17 – Sheila’s Consulting Practice 31:56
18 – Starting Spry Digital 32:15
19 – Turning 40 stories 33:16
20 – Details on starting Spry Digital 34:06
21 – How was transition from IT to Sales 36:18
22 – Surround yourself with the best people 38:51
23 – Networking advice 40:47
24 – Importance of genuine curiosity 45:05
25 – System of networking 45:38
26 – Networking events great places to catch up 48:14
27 – Story of male dominated networking group 49:41
28 – Best questions in networking spaces 52:50
29 – Other tips to make the most of networking 53:57
30 – Letting go of self-consciousness at events 56:48
31 – Hormonal changes 57:35
32 – Awards Spry Digital has won 59:13
33 – What is a small to mid size business 1:00:35
34 – More discussion on Spry clients 1:02:27
35 – What are key leadership philosophies of the company 1:03:33
36 – Checking core values regularly 1:05:02
37 – Contact Info 1:07:15
Content Notice
This podcast and all She Lift Project content represents the opinions of Cynthia Kirkpatrick and her guests. The content here is for informational purposes only, and should not be taken as professional advice – financial, legal, medical, or otherwise.
Views and opinions expressed in the podcast and across all She Lift Project media channels are our own and do not represent that of our places of work. While we make every effort to ensure that the information we are sharing is accurate, we welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors.
“I got to a point in Frank’s office where I realized there was kind of a ceiling. People that I had come in after me, I was training, were now moving up. And my ego got to the best of me. This is the dream job. Like, what happens after Frank Gehry? What could possibly be next after that?”
We’re catalysts for better conversation. And we know at Filament that the teams that we work with are not looking for the right answer, because there’s no such thing as the right answer. There is the next best answer to the questions that we’re asking.
“Research actually shows when there’s this lack of trust in a relationship, this lack of connection, the same part of our brain that processes physical pain gets activated when there’s an emotional pain. Right? And so if I’m feeling rejected or I’m feeling like I’m not part of the team or I’m not valued in any way, that part of our brain activates and says, like, pain. And so if you think about it in that way, think about the number of people who are walking around your office every day in pain.”
“Women in their 40s start to disappear from photographs because they think that they’re not young enough, thin enough, pretty enough. But the truth is that when you are in your 40s, you are leading a company, you’ve had children, you have a family, you’re doing things in your community. This is when you should be photographed.”
“You have to be cautious and mindful of the board of directors you invite into your head. And we as women especially listen terribly to that board of directors. And if you have one bad seat on there, one bad teacher, one bad classmate, one whatever from your history that you are listening to, it can really sabotage you.”
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We publish on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month.
