Aligning the Leader within You
In this blog we are digging deep into a woman’s entrepreneurial journey after uprooting her life by leaving her home Country and learning to thrive within her new community.
Cecille Castillon is the founder of Pepper Executive Concierge, wife, dog-mom, and activist. During our conversation, she shared that she grew up in the Philippines, then moved to Thailand where she met her now-husband, Ian. They fell in love in Bangkok, and soon after they got engaged, she came to America to be with him. She’s lived in New Paltz, NY for 8 years now. The culture shock was well… a shock. America seemed so much busier to her, there was no time for family or hobbies, let alone your neighbors.
Realizing this disconnect, she saw a market for a lifestyle management business. She created Castillon Lifestyle, LLC to help working moms, busy families, and people who just needed a hand or an ear. “We help people optimize their lives, whether it be in their business or home,” she explained. This was also the perfect way to integrate into her new community, meet people, and start growing roots.
Cecille Castillon-Weinstein
Founder, Pepper Executive Concierge
After a recent rebrand, Cecille launched Pepper Executive Concierge to specifically target entrepreneurs. She explained she wanted to focus on business owners that align with her values, which included an emphasis on philanthropy and giving back.
Cecille has always felt compelled to help others, so it follows that she is taking that drive into her business. To stay true to herself, she felt her business needed a humanitarian component, so she decided to start her newest passion project called The DreamWeaver Project. The mission of this project was to support local Tboli artisans from her birthplace, Lake Sebu.
In 2019, she won the title of Mrs. Philippines America, and donated 100% of the cash prize to the women her non-profit was dedicated to aiding. The women received raw materials and improved hand-weaving looms to create an internally sustainable income.
So often we see activists try to “save” the places they inhabit for a short time. Cecille is acutely aware of the slippery slope of that dynamic and has a keen eye for how to be of highest service. “You must actively listen to the people that are in the grassroots, and be sensitive to their needs and plights,” she adds, “...and check your motivation, ask yourself, ‘Am I still in line with my intentions in the first place?’”.
This is one of those foundational questions that my clients and I talk about often. The joy, and the frustration of it is that the answers change as we evolve. And so it is critical that, as leaders who are contributing to the collective highest good, we continue to evaluate ourselves against our own criteria.
Cecille’s dedication to giving back is such an inspiration. It was so fun talking with her and seeing her get fired up! She’s a truly beautiful soul with some fierce passion and stealthy skills. What I love most about her and her story is how fully she embodies her deep sense of purpose.
That is, after all, what leadership is all about.
