Certified High Performance Coach, CEO Consigliere. Story Teller. Serial Entrepreneur. Runner. Artist. Full-Time RVer.  Health Nut.

I probably should talk about my business experience, marketing “AHA” moments, or drone on about how great Team Red Barn is – but that’s what everyone writes on their website bio pages. I’d rather chat about those phrases at the top of this page that really define me – they make up my “WHY” as Simon Sinek would say. Besides, I’ve always been of the belief that what really matters isn’t what you do in your career but the effect you’ve had on those around you. Did you really make a difference? Did you have fun along the way? Things to ponder, right?

So sit back, grab a cup of joe, glass of good bourbon or a bottle of your favorite wine and learn a little bit about what makes me tick….

I’m a YOLO girl

Sure that acronym has probably been overused, but I was saying ‘You Only Live Once” back in my college days at UConn. Thank God there was no such thing as social media in the early 80s. I’ll simply say those years were some of the wildest years of my life – and I’ll leave the rest up to your imagination. YOLO was the excuse I used for every risk I took and frankly, still do. Good, bad or indifferent I don’t have any regrets and I can honestly say I never missed an opportunity. The truth is – I’ve taken a ton of chances. Failed at a bunch – but succeeded at a few great ones. Red Barn is one of them. Hiring the team I have is another. Let’s not forget my two rock star kids and the love of my life.

What else….I have an intense lust for learning new things – hence the Wanderlust. LOVE traveling, meeting new people, seeing new cultures – and the culinary adventures that go along with it. I define trips by the food I’ve eaten – ergo why Italy and France are top on my love list. Oh – and I love to cook. I call it Kitchen Chemistry. Cooking soothes my soul. I think somewhere back in my Scottish, Irish, German heritage there has to be some Italian. I always have to have “enough a’ food” to feed an army, I get intense joy out of cooking for my family and I truly do worry if the men in my life are getting enough to eat. I tell you, it’s some recessive Italian grandmother gene I have. Time to dig a bit deeper into what my relatives were really doing in the highlands….more to come.

My son Max, me and my daughter Chelsea at Duntrune Castle in Scotland.  Home of my Grandmother Edna J. McCallum.  #Bucketlist #Family
I love building things

Especially companies, teams, ideas, strategies. I have a knack for seeing the big picture very quickly and clearly. I’ll meet with the leadership of a company, observe their business and team, listen to their story and I can envision what they could be and how to get them there. I head back to the Red Barn – put on my music flavor of the day, grab my markers and start doodling on my whiteboard. A strategy is born. I’m simplifying it a bit – but you get the gist. I LOVE this part of my job. It’s kind of like the “feeding my family” sort of happiness – it just makes me smile. I’m a dreamer and a thinker and I get paid to do it. YOLO.

I love helping people figure out their WHY – what their purpose is

I get lost in this too – working with people who hate Mondays, who are living without purpose, who are stuck, who are miserable, who want to get out of a job that makes them miserable, who want to do what I do.  I love watching them transform before my eyes.  From sad to Awesomesauce. Mentoring other leaders, other entrepreneurs is one of my super powers – my gift that gives back.  I help others create their #LifeByDesign

I’m not traditional

I don’t own a suit, probably never will. I’m a country girl at heart, but appreciate cities for their art, their food, and their culture – as you can imagine I am far happier gardening than shopping. I grew up in a small town in CT on a road named after my family. We were farmers – although as with most small farmers it just wasn’t economical to stay that way. The dairy cows were gone when I was little -but the majority of what we ate we raised – I was organic before it was hip and cool. When I launched this company I named it Red Barn Consulting. The name is just me, where I came from and yes, I did have a red barn at my house. Funny thing, today I pay a fortune for my organic food and need to know where it came from. Before Dave and I sold our house and 95% in it to live full time in Tillie our 25ft Tiffin Wayfer RV, I  gardened, I canned, I cooked and yes – I might have been a bit of a prepper.  When COVID-19 hit, my house would have been the one to go to for TP, and meals galore.

My Grandmother is looking down shaking her head at the madness I call my life. She lived in a day where gardening and canning weren’t hobbies – they were the way you survived and fed your family. I’ll tell you about my crazy Scottish Grandmother one day – talk about a person who defines me on every level. That’s a novel in itself and surely too much to talk about here. We did go visit the family castle (pic above), i felt connected there – I felt like Grandma McCallum was there with us.  We toasted her with some really good Scotch out of one of her tea cups we brought with us.  We left it in the castle garden and said good bye until another day.

I’m a story teller, writer and speaker

I get lost in my writing – like cooking it soothes my soul.  As for the speaking – I’m one of the odd ducks who has zero anxiety about grabbing a microphone, hitting the stage and running with whatever comes my way.  My mentor told me once I’m a “Quantum Communicator” – I communicate in 4-D.  I not only present and educate (2D), interact with the crowd (3D) but I get people thinking about the future, ferociously writing volumes of notes and then giving them sleepless nights due to the possibilities they’ve uncovered.(4D) .  I’m Quantum – and I love it.

So, that’s who I am – nothing too fancy but just the right mix to make it all work. Don’t expect a suit – but do expect some big ideas and in the end, some cool results and a really fun journey.

Don’t forget to sign up for my weekly emails – Every Monday and Thursday I strive to educate, entertain, and inspire.  Links at the bottom of the page.

Cheers!

Cindy

PS… If you end up working with Red Barn you’ll get on our Holiday Cookie list. BTW- those cookies are epic, made right here at the Red Barn by our team during our holiday baking marathon. Oh, the stories my old kitchen could tell.  Now I head to Jenn’s kitchen to do that baking – my little RV oven couldn’t handle 5000 cookies!