YP Hustle: Comfort Zones: Why stretching yourself is critical to your growth

If you ask any successful person how they made it to where they are, most will tell you two things: first, they didn’t make it there alone; and second, they did it from pushing their personal and professional limits. The latter occurs when you learn to identify and step beyond your comfort zone. Growth comes from a willingness to feel awkward and that usually results from trying new things. Caroline Cummings will share how to identify and step beyond your comfort zone so you can make your mark on the world.

Caroline Cummings is the Executive Director of Oregon RAIN. She provides strategic leadership for the organization’s personnel, development, stakeholder relations, and community partnerships.  In her dual role as the Venture Catalyst Manager, Cummings oversees the execution of RAIN’s Rural Venture Catalyst programs. She provide outreach and support to small and rural communities; she coaches and mentors regional entrepreneurs, builds strategic local partnerships, and leads educational workshops.

An Entrepreneur

Caroline has been the CEO and Co-founder of two tech startups. She knows what it’s like to experience startup failures and successes. She is passionate about helping other entrepreneurs realize their full potential and learn how to step outside of their comfort zones to catalyze their growth.

A Disruptor

Caroline has been disrupting since she was a kid and she doesn’t stand for the status quo. She’s always asking, “why,” and “if we didn’t do it that way, how else could we do it” – where the goal is to help move people out of stagnation, into creative thinking and onward to meaningful success.

An Advocate

One of Caroline’s entrepreneurs described her as being “good in a knife fight!” She’s super protective of her entrepreneurs and anyone she believes to be “the underdog.” She will stand up for those who feel marginalized and won’t stand down until appropriate change happens.

The 2019 Eugene Young Professionals Programming is brought to you by Kaiser Permanente