Welcome to the “Meet the Writer Series” here on StartUp Mindset. In this series, we’re giving our readers the opportunity to learn more about a few of the writers that help bring awesome insight and info to Startupmindset.com daily.
This month we’re highlighting the talents of one of your favorite StartUp Mindset writers, Cassidy Welter.
Joined StartUp Mindset: Sept 2016
StartUp Mindset Superpowers– Enhanced ability to research and uncover data, Super learner, Purpose Driven Writer, Enhanced team working skills.
Must read Cassidy articles:
- Generation Z is About to Enter the Workforce. Here’s What You Need to Understand About Them
- Companies That Utilize Creativity Have Been Outperforming Their Peers. Here Are The Reasons Why
- 12 Books for Ambitious Women Entrepreneurs
- Why You Should Care About Your Employees’ Mental Health
- 50% of New Businesses Fail: Here Are the 7 Reasons Why
Q. Tell us a little about your background.
I’m based in Chicago, where I work at a specialized consulting firm that works with top global and national nonprofits. My background is in academic research and I have my MA from the University of Chicago where I had a fellowship with the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of State to study human trafficking in Brazil. Before that, I was in upstate New York for college and am originally from Pittsburgh.
Q. When did you know you had a talent for writing and communication?
Growing up, some of my favorite memories revolve around going to the bookstore. My parents would let me choose whatever books I wanted, whether they were classic novels, nonfiction, from the young adult section or if the cover had just grabbed my attention. I read everything and my parents were my biggest encouragers and supporters of it—even though they did have to institute a no books at the dinner table rule.
I attribute my love for writing to my love of reading. Exposure to different writing styles, plot and persuasive elements, and authorial voices has been such a gift and I think that it’s helped me to be flexible as I move back and forth between the very different types of writing that I do in my career, my research and at Startup Mindset.
Great educators from elementary school to graduate school have supported my talent for writing and the opportunities I’ve had along my way to write for research publications, websites like Startup Mindset, and now with my nonprofit clients have helped me to hone the skill.
Q. Tell us about your hobbies or how you like to spend your time when you’re not working.
The city of Chicago has an amazing food and drink culture and although I’m trying, I doubt I could make it to every restaurant and bar I want to! Outside of work, I spend a lot of my time reading, spending time on the lakefront and working out. One of my passions is my work with a nonprofit here in the city, Traffick Free.
Traffick Free is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending human trafficking in the city and providing resources and support to women who are survivors of sex trafficking at our drop in center. I currently serve as the President of their Associate Board and it’s mean a hugely meaningful opportunity for me to put my background in human trafficking studies to use in a tangible way to impact the lives of survivors here in my community.
Q. Is there a StartUp Mindset article that you are particularly proud of or enjoyed writing the most and why?
One of the first articles I wrote, “Why You Should Care About Your Employees’ Mental Health,” was a very meaningful piece for me to write. Mental health is a topic that we, as a society, fail to really address in personal and professional settings. I hope that my article was able to spark some measure of conversation about the prevalence of mental health issues in the workplace, and offer a few compelling arguments for entrepreneurs and business owners to take their employees’ mental health into consideration as a business and personal practice. Here at Startup Mindset, I’ve had the opportunity to use my voice to talk about issues that I’m passionate about and connect them to the entrepreneurial community.
To read more of Cassidy’s articles, visit her author page here. You can follow her on Twitter @cassidywelter
