She’s delivered keynotes in Budapest and Beijing, is a dedicated board member for local nonprofits, and is deeply committed to helping woman negotiate the challenges of corporate culture. What does the inspiring Candi Castleberry Singleton have on tap this week? Keep up with the California native and downtown Pittsburgh resident, who launched the UPMC Center for Engagement and Inclusion in 2008 and the Dignity & Respect Campaign in 2015.
Monday, February 29
My day starts at 7 a.m. with a Trader Joe’s cold press beet juice, my new morning energizer. It’s move day! We are moving across the hall to a slightly larger office at 239 Fourth Ave., Suite 1201. My new orange Keurig with tea assortment has arrived and the orange walls have been painted and are ready to receive us. At 10 a.m. I’ll head over to Hill House Association to attend a strategic planning committee meeting and pick up my copy of the new commemorative book, Voices from The Hill.
Back to moving, followed by a targeted email and social media outreach effort to support my favorite women’s organization, Women and Girls Foundation and our upcoming Crossroads Conference.
I’ll wrap the day up meeting with a Pittsburgh change agent, Kim O’Dell, at Alloy Studio for the Inclusive Entrepreneurship Dinner to workshop a communication plan that helps future entrepreneurship events be as inclusive as possible (whether someone is pitching, presenting, participating, or just about anything else).
Tuesday, March 1
6 a.m. will be an early start to what will be a long day. Starting with meeting Charles Cook at One-on-One Personal Fitness and Training. Not only is it early, it’s not an easy workout with throwing weighted balls, sprinting, moving weighted sleds and giant tires. I’ll need the workout to justify the bacon I’ll eat at the Omni William Penn, where I have an 8 a.m. breakfast with one of my Pittsburgh favs, Audrey Russo, the first woman to lead (shout out!) the Pittsburgh Technology Council. I’m always energized after meeting with Audrey; she’s so creative, innovative and beyond courageous.
Heart Disease is the #1 killer of women. My 11 a.m. meeting with the American Heart Association will cover my specific efforts as a volunteer focused on Empowered To Serve and the Go Red Girlfriends event which creates awareness about heart disease, especially in the most vulnerable communities. Next up at 3 p.m. is a consulting call with a California Silicon Valley tech client about Moving from Bolted on to Built-in Inclusion Practices.
The day ends with a pajama party (not really in our pajamas) with Getting-To-The-Point Book Club, created by my dear friend, Dr. Ellen Roth. The fun gathering brings together women she has helped relocate to our region. Yes, the group reads books (most times I don’t).
Wednesday, March 2
A 12 p.m. lunch with Melanie Harrington of Vibrant Pittsburgh and Harish Saluja of Silkscreen will lead to community collaborations with the Dignity & Respect Campaign. At 4 p.m., I put on shoes for a walking mentee meeting as I’m in a Fitbit workweek hustle challenge. I have more mentees than one person should have, but I’m so grateful for the support I have received from others. I must give back!
Wednesday nights are dedicated to Carnegie Mellon University where my Adjunct Professor duties call. It’s been four years and I still love working with students. It helps me learn from others while sharing my experience as Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer with leading Fortune 500 Companies and most recently UPMC.
Thursday, March 3
I start my day with another brutal workout then head over t0 the Rivers Casino at 9 a.m. to begin my duties as Mistress of Ceremonies and do some networking at the 15th Annual Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Conference.
As a downtown dweller, I serve on the Envision Downtown Advisory Council, which is meeting from 4 to 6 p.m. in the new green downtown PNC building. Can you say views?
Friday, March 4
I’m all about making new friends and look forward to an 8 a.m. coffee with Lauren Rauscher, whom I met at the most recent 100 Women Who Care event. If she cares about community at least half as much as I do, we’ll definitely make a friend connection.
At 12 p.m., we’ll start our monthly meeting of the Dignity & Respect Network, the team that makes the D&R Campaign work. I’m so excited about this team and our work together including our redesigned Campaign Toolkit for organizations and schools, new D&R initiatives, a D&R app, and expanded social media.
My last official duty of the week is a 3 p.m. check-in with Judith Kelly & Associates regarding tomorrow’s annual Ceramic Tile Quilt event to help other women and raise awareness about domestic violence. We invite the community to join us for an hour and enjoy a creative experience with other dynamic Pittsburghers!
I end my week with a cup of tea or a lemon drop martini, and a few friends to pause and reflect on the week or think about a drive I should be making to Cleveland.
Saturday, March 5
Arrive at 9 a.m. at the Ceramic Tile Quilt event where people of all ages will join us to design a tile that will become part of a ceramic quilt to be displayed at the Center for Victims. Artist Laura Jean will be on hand to guide attendees through the process of painting, drawing or writing a brief message on a ceramic tile.
Sunday, March 6
Up bright and early to attend 7:30 a.m. church service at Mt. Ararat Baptist followed by wishful thinking that Marty’s Market still exists or will soon find a new home. Instead I’ll stop for weekly groceries at Traders Joe’s and head home to make a cup of tea, peppered turkey bacon and two fried eggs.
A full day will be dedicated to writing and editing the script for the new version of the 7 Pillars online web modules to be released in July 2016.
By 9 p.m. on Sundays, I always settle down (unless the Steelers are playing). It is a time for gratefulness and reflection. I’m focused on getting better at celebrating my small wins for the week—going to the gym, making time for family and friends, doing good in the world, and of course, securing new clients.