We had the good fortune of connecting with Carol Cambridge and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carol, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
As early as age 7, I found myself standing up for those who couldn’t speak for themselves, those who were afraid and those who had been abused. I stood up to bullies on the playground, on the police department and in later years bullies who threaten and intimidate others in corporations across North America. My Dad taught me that NO ONE ever had the right to bully me, abuse me or physically attack me. He taught me that girls were as strong or stronger than boys and he gave me the confidence to understand and believe that I could do anything that I set my mind to.    

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a workplace violence expert, I am definitely in a male dominated world. Many who teach what I do, instill fear in attendees. I choose to teach people how to navigate fear and use their critical thinking skills to guide them through an emergency or a crisis situation. 50% of my work is keynotes at national and international conferences and conventions and 50% of my work is training in corporations. It hasn’t always been easy and there were years where I wasn’t sure that I could sustain the business. Audiences can be extremely critical and at first this was a huge challenge for me. I wanted to please everyone, and, in the beginning, I was the talking head at the front of the room. The shift to success started when I began to offer more interaction in my programs. I studied everything I could about adult learning and this proved to be pivotal for my business. Now, I believe that the most effective trainings and keynotes are all about the experience, the engagement, sharing ideas and insights, collaboration and fun. This is the stuff that gets me excited. I love facilitating the conversations, the case studies, the learnings and the interactions in the experiential programs that I create. Adults don’t want to sit and listen for an hour or two – they want to participate. Whether it’s an active shooter program, a workplace violence program or de-escalation program, we create an experiential event that draws from real-time audience involvement and participation. My goal in every custom designed program is to create meaningful connection, thought provoking interaction and maximum retention. When I’m not speaking and training, I’m at home in Glendale Arizona with the love of my life and our three beautiful dogs.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love the diversity and choices offered in Arizona. When friends & family come to visit, we always check to find out what their interests are. No matter what Arizona has something to offer. Our favorites are spring training, hiking and golfing. We love the theatre’s, the sporting events, rock concerts and small venue’s like Chars Has the Blues. Our favorite places to take visitors are Jerome and Prescott so they can experience a piece of history. When it comes to local restaurants, The Persian Room, Aunt Chilada’s and In & Out Burger are always on our list.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Besides my Dad being my number one mentor as a young girl, my best friend Johanna, who is a trial lawyer, has always encouraged me to be the best and has always been there to offer support, love, friendship and encouragement and to kick me in the butt when I needed it. I have been blessed by having many strong women in my life who have been role models, and they have always been willing to answer a question, offer guidance and support whenever I asked for it. I’m grateful for my partner Steve who is my number one cheerleader in business and life. Without his love and support I couldn’t travel the world, share my passion and experience the success that I currently have.

Website: www.TheStaySafeProject.com
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/carolcambridge
Twitter:  @Carol_Cambridge
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/staysafeproject/
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-stay-safe-project-glendale-2
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheStaySafeProject

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