"Threats can be opportunities if we can commit to seeing them that way."
Sera Bonds Tweet
Welcome to another riveting edition of ValiantCEO Magazine! Today, we have the pleasure of introducing you to Sera Bonds, a passionate doer and entrepreneur, who has co-founded two remarkable companies: Waking Giants and Better Union.
Based in Austin, Texas, Sera is a mom, surfer, writer, reader, and a devoted fan of all things sci-fi. She’s also a lover of swimming holes, which speaks to her adventurous spirit.
Waking Giants is a social impact company that offers opportunities for community engagement through a Jewish lens. On the other hand, Better Union provides corporate consulting at the intersection of culture, impact, and legacy.
Sera’s commitment to promoting happiness and psychological safety in the workplace is just one of the many aspects that sets her apart from others in the industry.
Join us as we dive into Sera’s story, exploring her insights on overcoming obstacles, the importance of culture at work, and her vision for success in 2023.
Check out more interviews with entrepreneurs here.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Sera Bonds: I’m a Jewish + Southern Doer. I love to build, make, and help. I live in Austin TX. I run two companies, having co-founded then both.
- Waking Giants is a social impact company that curates opportunities for community engagement through a Jewish lens.
- Better Union provides corporate consulting at the intersection of culture, impact, and legacy.
I’m a mom, surfer, writer, reader, devotee of all thinks sci-fi, and lover of swimming holes.
If you were in an elevator with Warren Buffet, how would you describe your company, your services or products? What makes your company different from others? What is your company’s biggest strength?
Sera Bonds: If I was alone in an elevator with Warren Buffet I would start by thanking him. His family foundation is the largest supporter of comprehensive reproductive health care for women in the US.
They are quiet about this investment, and they’ve changed the capacity of rural organizers in the South to be able to bring diverse coalitions together.
Then I’d tell him about how being involved in the work he’s supported shifted my own understanding about the importance of culture in and at work, and I’d share a story with him about who I love doing the work that I do.
Quiet quitting, The Great Resignation, are an ongoing trend causing many businesses to struggle keeping talent engaged and motivated. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued and misunderstood in the workplace. In your experience, what keeps employees happy? And how are adapting to the current shift we see?
Sera Bonds: Happiness is subjective and requires safety. So many of us don’t feel psychologically safe at work; therefore accessing joy there feels hard.
The things that promote joy at work are to be defined by employees themselves. There is a broad range of services, actions, and areas of support that can be adopted, but the first step is to give the employees the power to tell us what they want and need.
Here is a two fold question: What is the book that influenced you the most and how? Please share some life lessons you learned. Now what book have you gifted the most and why?
Sera Bonds: “Emergent Strategies”, by Adrienne Maree Brown.
This book enables the reader to envision a framework of systems where we are valued, protected, and celebrated.
If we can envision it, then we can create it. Imagining the workspaces that we want is the first step.
Christopher Hitchens, an American journalist, is quoted as saying that “everyone has a book in them” Have you written a book? If so, please share with us details about it. If you haven’t, what book would you like to write and how would you like it to benefit the readers?
Sera Bonds: I am constantly writing in this book in my mind.
It’s a graphic novel memoir where I am able to share my imaginative experiences alongside the life I’ve actually lubed. It would have maps of the places I’ve lived, a playlist, and would be bursting with color.
In your experience, what tends to be the most underestimated part of running a company? Can you share an example?
Sera Bonds: Your ability to see everything that presents itself as a tool, an opportunity.
The pandemic presented us with an opportunity to center our communities in our days and work. That was a gift, but we had to choose to see it that way.
Threats can be opportunities if we can commit to seeing them that way.
What does “success” in the year to come mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Sera Bonds: Success in 2023 means, to me,
- Growing my savings
- Paying my bills easily
- Moving my body every day
- Rooting my days in joy
- Centering my collaborations on justice
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Sera Bonds for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Sera Bonds or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
Disclaimer: The ValiantCEO Community welcomes voices from many spheres on our open platform. We publish pieces as written by outside contributors with a wide range of opinions, which don’t necessarily reflect our own. Community stories are not commissioned by our editorial team and must meet our guidelines prior to being published.