Q&A with Eliza VanCort, Author and Motivational Speaker at TEDx

Eliza VanCort, Author and Motivational Speaker at TEDx, is an in-demand consultant, speaker, and writer on communications, career and workplace issues, and women’s empowerment. The founder of The Actor's Workshop of Ithaca, she is also a Cook House Fellow at Cornell University, an advisory board member of the Performing Arts for Social Change, a Diversity Crew partner, and a member of Govern for America's League of Innovators. Her first book, A Woman's Guide to Claiming Space: Stand Tall. Raise Your Voice. Be Heard., publishes in May 2021.

It’s not only about raising ourselves, but also raising other women, because when we rise together, we rise so much higher! 

 
MEDIA 7: Please tell us about the background that you come from and take us through your journey.
ELIZA VANCORT:
My passion to empower women to live the life of their choosing bravely and unapologetically is the direct result of three things in my personal history.

As a child, I was repeatedly kidnapped by my mother and brought across state lines. This traumatic experience taught me that in order to be safe, I had to be small and quiet - lessons I had to unlearn later in life. I studied political science and went on to NYU Law. I’ve always believed that when you’re going through hell, don’t keep going! Turn around or you’ll end up in hell! Despite doing well my first year at NYU Law school, I realized pretty quickly this wasn’t the right path for me. I took a leave of absence, and never looked back, returning to my first passion—acting. Opening the leading acting studio in Ithaca NY, taught me about running a business and helped me discover how much I enjoyed teaching and mentoring others.

Things were going well -- I was a young mother with a thriving business. Then in 2014... BAM! I was riding my bike and a texting driver hit me, causing a serious head injury which impaired my memory and my communication. This was a turning point for me as I had to rebuild my communication from the ground up, brick by brick. During this process, I cracked what I think of like the HTML of communication.

Now, I’m passionate about teaching communication skills that empower people and lift us all up. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t clearly see how the world makes girls feel small, or learn the independence and skill required to run a business and the code that helps us all communicate better. The road I took here was rocky, but it laid the groundwork for my teaching, talks, workshops, forthcoming book, and my approach to life. The most painful things I went through forced me to grow the most.

M7: Being a leader, have you ever been subjected to gender bias at your workplace? If yes, how did you strive to claim the place you deserved?
EV:
I’m self-employed so thankfully I’m my own boss and most of my clients are really wonderful. That said, like many women, I’ve encountered everything from mansplaining to interruptions to sexual harassment.

My approach to these situations is twofold. If I know and trust the person, I sit down and talk to them directly. I approach the conversation with a question. “I’m not sure you noticed this, and I’m guessing you were unaware of it, but throughout the meeting you were [insert gender-specific microaggression here!].” I recently said that to a friend via zoom and he was so horrified I could see him blushing with embarrassment through the screen! It’s amazing how even if we’re really good-hearted, we’re not always aware of how our communication impacts others.

If, however, the person is not open to honest conversation, that’s a bit trickier. I handle it differently depending on the level of the aggression. Often, I still ask a question. For example, I’ll say, “Tom just restated exactly what I said. I’m wondering why it’s now being adopted and credited to him?” I think of microaggressions as bullets from emotional snipers. When you shine a light on them, they are easier to attack.


The first step to realizing your full potential is to believe you have the right to claim space, really believe it. After that, it’s just about committing to earning the skills and implementing them!



M7: What are the challenges of being a motivational speaker and how do you ensure your speeches are captivating enough to maintain a connection with the audience?
EV:
I work hard to share my story from the heart and authentically. It keeps folks interested, but more importantly, it shows that it’s possible to claim space even if you’re facing an uphill battle. I’m also offering folks actionable tools people can use every day for the rest of their lives. It’s hard not to be interested when you’re learning lifelong skills!

The big challenge for me has been COVID-19. Transitioning to remote was a bit of a shock at first, but now my studio is set up and ready to go. I actually find it really fun to work from home, although I do miss the person-to-person talks in the hallways (and sometimes the women’s bathroom!) after my official talk is over. Those were wonderful!

M7: Video call etiquette has become the need of the hour post the COVID-19 outbreak. Would you like to share a few tips and tricks on nailing virtual meetings for our readers?
EV:
I think there are three things that can be very helpful. Firstly, be well lit. If you’re in the dark, it’s easier to ignore you. Secondly, make sure your sound is good. These both seem fairly obvious, but it’s amazing to me how few folks are easily seen and heard when you can get relatively inexpensive ring lights and mics for under twenty dollars on Amazon.

Beyond that, I recommend people who feel their voices are getting lost to come to every meeting with at least one question. It’s important that your voice is heard!

M7: Your upcoming book ‘A Woman's Guide to Claiming Space: Stand Tall. Raise Your Voice. Be Heard.’ is all set to be launched in May. Please give us a sneak peek of what it is about!
EV:
The book teaches women how to claim space. Women who claim space powerfully live the life of their choosing, and they do so unapologetically and bravely. Sounds simple, but it’s tough to achieve, especially without guidance.

One thing I’m really proud of is that the book is written for real women, women with busy lives. It can be read in order, but it’s also completely fine to read it out of order. You can just flip to the short chapter you need help with and read that chapter. The book is divided into five parts, with each part exploring one of the five pillars of claiming space: developing superior communication skills, fostering meaningful connection, neutralizing self-destructive patterns, shutting down harmful aggressions, and supporting each other across differences.

These chapters cover everything from improving posture to neutralizing anti-mentors to resetting your emotional compass to identifying toxic relationships to handling sexual harassment. It’s not only about raising ourselves, but also raising other women because when we rise together, we rise so much higher. As I say in the book, you can’t claim space with a one-woman army!


I recommend people who feel their voices are getting lost to come to every meeting with at least one question. It’s important that your voice is heard!



M7: Being a super mom isn’t easy! What tricks do you carry up your sleeves to strike a perfect balance between your personal and professional commitments?
EV:
People often talk about separating work and home, but when you’re working in your kitchen that can be hard! Thankfully, my kids are 17 to 25 now so they aren’t little people I’m chasing around the house anymore! Although now, during the pandemic, three out of four of them are home again. My kids are truly amazing, and I’m not at all biased! The other day I was on a deadline and my daughter and nephew decided to cook dinner for all of us! One way that I try to spend time with them when I’m busy is to include them in my work in ways that highlight their talents. My youngest, Lucian, is actually the photographer for the photo that’s used for my bio in the book! The book is a community effort - I’m so thankful to many women who read an early copy and are working hard to help get it out there - but it is also a family affair. I love that!

M7: Your advice to the women out there, fighting to claim their places for realizing their full potential?
EV:
Women have been given the message that it is not our right to claim space. It is. The first step to realizing your full potential is to believe you have the right to claim space, really believe it. After that, it’s just about committing to earning the skills and implementing them!

ABOUT ELIZA VANCORT

Eliza VanCort is an in-demand consultant, speaker, and writer on communications, career and workplace issues, and women’s empowerment. The founder of The Actor's Workshop of Ithaca, she is also a Cook House Fellow at Cornell University, an advisory board member of the Performing Arts for Social Change, a Diversity Crew partner, and a member of Govern for America's League of Innovators. Her first book, A Woman's Guide to Claiming Space: Stand Tall. Raise Your Voice. Be Heard., publishes in May 2021.

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The partnership is aimed at breaking down barriers to virtual care by providing employees with access to expert physicians across a wide range of health care needs on the Alight Worklife platform. “The Alight Worklife platform serves as employees’ comprehensive connection point to their health, wealth, payroll and leaves benefits, which helps employers cut complexities, costs and engage individuals in the moments that matter most,” said Bipin Mistry, chief medical officer at Alight. “The partnership with CirrusMD helps take employee engagement one step further by making physician-led virtual care easily accessible to employees and bridges the gap between virtual clinical care delivery and employer-sponsored benefits navigation.” Helping employees arrive at the most appropriate care Employees on the Alight Worklife platform can engage directly with CirrusMD or be prompted to engage after completing Alight’s AI-powered Symptom Checker online experience to better understand their healthcare needs and guide them to care options, including virtual care provided by CirrusMD. With Single Sign-On (SSO) for fast connections to care within 60 seconds, Alight Worklife enhances the participant experience. CirrusMD’s Physician-first Care & Guidance approach to virtual primary care provides members with always-on, instant access to a doctor via chat-first modality. CirrusMD’s multidisciplinary clinical team conducts encounters on a proprietary clinical intelligence engine that provides real-time insights to physicians based on data from millions of patient-physician interactions. Once employees connect with physicians, CirrusMD offers a seamless, efficient and patient-centric virtual care experience by Connecting patients to physicians in less than a minute, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, Delivering advanced primary care that includes behavioral health, women’s health, acute care, chronic condition management and more, Physician-led seven-day experiences, interactions that allow time for in-depth diagnosis and treatment, reducing the high costs associated with multiple follow-ups, Text-based chat with options for video, voice and images when needed, Immediate referrals to employer benefits and in-network resources, And real-time Spanish language translation to help overcome potential language barriers. Optimizing the integration of healthcare benefits and clinical workflows The strategic partnership enables employers to select CirrusMD as part of their Alight Healthcare Navigation offering within the Alight Worklife platform. As well, CirrusMD providers benefit from access to Alight’s Symptom Checker results and can reference benefit programs available to the participant which can serve to facilitate patient follow-ups with both CirrusMD care teams and Alight Health Pros for a comprehensive healthcare journey support. This combined solution provides ongoing navigation to appropriate referrals and resources. For example, Alight's support for individuals with Behavioral Health conditions aligns seamlessly with CirrusMD, offering quick access to virtual Behavioral Health support when needed. Employees can be directed to other types of care options such as virtual physical therapy, through referrals made directly from CirrusMD or Alight. “At CirrusMD we are reimagining the point of care to provide the time and information needed to support a productive dialog between patient and physician, giving both the time and information they need for exceptional care experiences,” said Jamie Hall, president and CEO of CirrusMD. “This strategic agreement represents an important milestone in advancing virtual primary care, combining the strengths of Alight Solutions and CirrusMD to transform the healthcare experience for individuals and employers alike.” CirrusMD boasts an 83% issue resolution rate and an 93% overall patient satisfaction rate, and serves notable customers including health plans, large employers and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. About Alight Solutions Alight is a leading cloud-based human capital technology and services provider that powers confident health, wealth and wellbeing decisions for 36 million people and dependents. Our Alight Worklife® platform combines data and analytics with a simple, seamless user experience. Supported by our global delivery capabilities, Alight Worklife is transforming the employee experience for people around the world. With personalized, data-driven health, wealth, pay and wellbeing insights, Alight brings people the security of better outcomes and peace of mind throughout life’s big moments and most important decisions. About CirrusMD CirrusMD delivers Physician-first Care & Guidance, a smart care model founded in the tenets of Advanced Primary Care. It brings together activated members with trusted physicians, relevant resources, and smart technology to change healthcare as we know it. CirrusMD improves speed to care, removes barriers to physicians, brings patient data into the care encounter, and promotes transparency at the point of referral. We believe that when you provide immediate, affordable care at scale you can drive the change needed to improve health and lower cost across an entire population.

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Payroll

ADP® Assist with Generative AI Features Makes HCM Decisions Easy, Smart and Human

ADP | February 02, 2024

ADP®, a leading global technology company providing human capital management (HCM) solutions, announces the availability of ADP Assist, a cross-platform solution powered by generative AI (GenAI). ADP Assist enhances HR productivity, aids decision-making with data-driven insights, and streamlines day-to-day tasks for practitioners, managers, employees and executives with simple, human-like conversations. It harnesses the power of ADP's unparalleled data and expertise along with GenAI to simplify the world of work. ADP Assist builds on ADP's current AI capabilities and is currently in early release with some ADP clients today with a planned rollout for all clients. "For 75 years, ADP has been at the forefront of payroll and HR innovation. With ADP Assist, we're providing an intelligent platform that simplifies HR tasks, leaving time for people leaders to be more strategic," says Maria Black, president and chief executive officer of ADP. "It's not just another technical solution; it's a comprehensive experience that combines ADP's unmatched HCM dataset and expertise to empower HR professionals, leaders and employees." Data Drives Innovation Data is at the core of all ADP products and solutions, informing and driving ADP's approach to innovation and AI technology. ADP has the industry's largest and deepest HCM dataset with over one million clients spanning 140 countries and 41 million wage earners globally. ADP's extensive and unique dataset is used to train ADP's AI to anticipate what users want and need. ADP Assist turns unmatched data into highly credible and actionable insights so that clients can make smarter decisions. Easy, Smart and Human "In a constantly changing workplace, innovation must keep up and meet people's real-world needs," says Sreeni Kutam, president of global product and innovation at ADP. "ADP Assist is the next step in our vision to create an HR ecosystem that is not only efficient but empowers employees and HR professionals alike. We've created a platform that understands the complexities and dynamics of modern HR management and offers smart, user-centric solutions. And, as always, we are committed to the secure and ethical use of data to support these technologies." ADP Assist seamlessly integrates with ADP products across multiple ADP platforms. It anticipates what users want and proactively delivers actionable insights in plain language. Using an intuitive, conversational interface, ADP Assist provides valuable and contextual insights which touch every aspect of HR – payroll, time, talent, benefits, recruitment, analytics, reporting and compliance. ADP's portfolio of currently available GenAI- and AI-powered tools deliver the following capabilities Easy payroll. ADP Assist validates payroll information. It checks for payroll anomalies and uses GenAI to identify and help resolve missing tax registrations and answer questions by drawing on ADP's large, up-to-date dataset of compliance information. This saves HR effort and helps clients to ensure employees are paid accurately and on time. Smart analytics. ADP Assist uses GenAI to dramatically simplify report creation by understanding context and generating insightful reports in an easy-to-understand format. HR practitioners and leaders can easily access internal, national and global workforce data from ADP's deep HCM dataset to analyze compensation, turnover, candidate profile relevancy and talent market insights. Human insights. Intelligent and AI-based HR support for employees and clients can anticipate and solve common employee problems across HR, payroll, time and benefits. This reduces frustration for employees and eliminates certain low-value tasks for managers and HR practitioners. ADP Assist can send personalized, proactive notifications to employees on their mobile device or desktop to help resolve HR issues quickly, keeping them productive. AI-powered conversational interface makes it easy for employees to get the information they need without involving HR. Search by Intent. The RUN Powered by ADP payroll and HR solution features an omni search bar that understands intent behind the search terms and uses GenAI to mine ADP's deep knowledge base to deliver easy-to-use and effective content. "In the age of AI, the better the data, the better the artificial intelligence," says Holger Mueller, vice president and principal analyst for Constellation Research, Inc. "ADP is uniquely well-positioned in the field of HCM vendors given the breadth and depth of its data. ADP is using that data to make AI more human, focusing on customer success in a worldwide space. This really makes a difference not only for HR practitioners but for leaders and employees." About ADP Designing better ways to work through cutting-edge products, premium services and exceptional experiences that enable people to reach their full potential. HR, Talent, Time Management, Benefits and Payroll. Informed by data and designed for people.

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Eliza VanCort

Eliza VanCort is an in-demand consultant, speaker, and writer on communications, career and workplace issues, and women’s empowerment. The founder of The Actor's Workshop of Ithaca, she is also a Cook House Fellow at Cornell University, an advisory board member of the Performing Arts for Social Chan...

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