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Sonya Hausafus
Leadership and Mindset Coach, Executive, Board Member, Advisor
Sonya Hausafus is the founder of Root to Rise Consulting, a conscious coaching business specializing in leadership development. She empowers individuals to achieve success, passion, and fulfillment through practices that enhance self-awareness and resilience. Sonya's approach focuses on leading authentically, prioritizing self-awareness and self-care, staying grounded during challenges, and fostering a company culture that nurtures team growth. With 25 years of experience in marketing, including roles in innovative tech startups and as VP of Marketing at Techstars, Sonya is dedicated to maximizing business and human potential. She is currently pursuing her International Coaching Federation (ICF) certification and utilizes various methodologies in her coaching practice. As a co-organizer of the Conscious Entrepreneur Summit and former Board President of the Grief Support Network, she actively contributes to events promoting well-being and community support.
Highlights
New Root to Rise Consulting website is live! https://lnkd.in/gdXSHtgf
One thing that feels vulnerable to share is how hard it is to build a brand when it’s YOUR brand. I’ve spent 25+ years building brands for other founders/companies, but when it comes to building something that truly represents YOU, it carries a much heavier weight.
Every component of the website — the logo (the shape of the tree represents both roots and rising), the color palette, the messaging and positioning — were carefully crafted to reflect the deep work I’ve done to bring my authentic self to life. What I share with you today is something that truly reflects who I am as I embark on this new path. The project was fun and exciting… and scary in a way that no branding project ever has before.
“Being seen” as who we truly are is a basic human need, but it can be hard to show up in a vulnerable and authentic way and much easier to hide behind others or play small for fear that we won’t be liked or accepted. I see this with clients all the time and help them work through the blockages. And as I roll out the new site, I reflect upon all the hard work it has taken to show up fully — for myself, my clients, my family, my friends and my community.
As I build out my new business, I’ll be focusing on three main areas:
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Leadership and mindset coaching: a somatic coaching practice rooted (no pun intended) in formal accreditation from Presence-Based Coaching and the International Coaching Federation.
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Program modules: these integrate coaching with my deep marketing expertise to provide clients with a platform to build their brand, grow company culture, or create stronger team bonds (can be tailored to individuals, teams, or organizations).
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Workshops and events: custom half- or full-day workshops to bring more connection and clarity to your team or organization. Check out the other events and retreats I’m working on as well!
A special thanks to Amber Rich, friend and former colleague, who worked with me tirelessly as I battled my perfectionist saboteur. I love where we landed, and I hope you do too. Please poke around, share your thoughts/feedback, and of course, reach out if I can be of service. With gratitude and appreciation! 🙏 💗
What an amazing experience to run this year’s Conscious Entrepreneur Summit, which took place in Boulder, CO earlier this month! I’ve finally had a moment to come up for air and wanted to share some of the lessons learned about what it feels like to truly lean into something that lights you up.
With almost 30 years running events, I’m in the business of creating unforgettable experiences. I’ve brought thousands of startup entrepreneurs together, had the luxury (no pun intended) of hosting lavish gatherings for high net worth individuals, and even had my hand in galas and other donor events for nonprofits. Each event has a purpose (sales conversions, strengthening community, fundraising, etc.) but my mission has always been to build an experience that leaves people buzzing long after the event concludes.
Hands down, The Conscious Entrepreneur Summit is the most fun, fulfilling and energizing conference I’ve had the pleasure of putting on. In partnership with Alex Raymond, who started the event three years ago, and our amazing team of volunteers, we’ve managed to create an experience that brings together the right group of people with the right topics and speakers to allow for a uniquely inclusive, heartfelt and compassionate environment. We show up as our authentic selves without our masks on. We lean in, we get vulnerable and real, and we open up about things we don’t often speak outside the conference walls. Our partners are truly partners and sponsors are there because their core values align with our mission to remain 100% dedicated to the mental health and well-being of entrepreneurs.
As I lean into my new coaching career and focus on bringing clarity to others on their own journey of self discovery and personal growth, I’m reminded that life really IS about doing what lights you up!
What this means to me as we close out this year’s Conscious Entrepreneur Summit is a renewed commitment to:
• Get really clear on what gives me energy and spend more time doing it • Surround myself with people who have the same values, passions and beliefs (and to stay open to those who don’t) • Serve in a way that makes me feel authentic, passionate and fulfilled • Spend time each day doing something creative and/or out of my comfort zone • Remember that I’m just under 50 and I’ve got a long career ahead to make what I want of it • To know myself enough to BE MYSELF!
Sharing some photos from the conference that bring me joy – attendees with no phone or computer (you just don’t see this anywhere), fun as emcee on stage, Nicole Glaros and Isaac Saldana bringing me back to my Techstars days (#techstarsforlife), meeting keynote Ryan Holiday, getting some well-deserved downtime (thanks Denver Zen Den!), and celebrating our team’s success.
Conscious Entrepreneur, Alex Raymond, Dave Mayer, @lauraguerra, Beck Sydow 🤠, David Blutenthal, Maximilian Clifford, CEPA, Chris Schwalbach
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Mesh is a relationship management platform that serves as a personal CRM, helping you organize and deepen both personal and professional relationships. It functions as a beautiful rolodex and CRM available on iPhone, Mac, Windows, and web, built automatically to help manage your network efficiently. Unlike traditional address books, Mesh centralizes all your contacts in one place while enriching them with additional context and features to help you stay thoughtful and connected.
Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
- Network Strength: Visualizes the strength of your relationships relative to others in your network
- Timeline: Shows your relationship history with each contact
- Smart Search: Allows you to search using natural language like "People I know at the NYT" or "Designers I've met in London"
- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
- Home Feed: Displays updates about your network including job changes, news mentions, and birthdays
- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Mesh is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Mesh as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Mesh offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Mesh takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Mesh encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Mesh work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Mesh is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Mesh is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Mesh is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Mesh offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
Nexus is Mesh's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Mesh makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Mesh's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Mesh isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Mesh instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Mesh is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Mesh can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Mesh's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Mesh has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Mesh a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.