We love to bring you stories of the amazing women we’ve come to know through the Hatch Tribe Members Circle. Today we're excited to introduce you to Elissa Nauful of Ballywho Social, one of the first social media agencies in the country. A former sales team leader for NBC and CBS, Elissa was also a TEDx presenter at the prestigious Poynter Institute for Media Studios, voracious reader, alt music lover, and self- described Pinterest junkie.

Are you an Early Bird or a Night Owl?
More often early than night, however we have to keep our options open for what might come our way

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
Groan

What are you reading now?
I read several books at one time usually right now it is, Three Women and The Beatrice Letters.

What's your favorite podcast or YouTube channel?
I love Super Soul Conversations and Oprah’s Master Class, Goop’s Podcast, Science of Success, Ted Talks and the WSJ Tech Update.

Favorite place to getaway from it all?
If I can’t travel, my bathtub. If I can travel I love California and Paris.

If you could get an extra hour today, how would you use it?
Both my kids are home this summer, I would most likely cook or take a walk or a nap.

Do you consider yourself more of an Introvert or extrovert?
Extrovert.

What's your favorite food?
Spaghetti with meat sauce however, I LOVE food so often the answer is, yes.

I'm on a mission to...
Be my best self so that I can do one or many things to make our world better

How did your awesome business come to be?
I was traveling about 11 years ago and in the Tampa airport a college student was on Facebook, I saw it and asked her, Hey…what are you doing there? She was so kind and showed me the platform it was when you had to have a .edu to be on the site.  I thought, that is going to be something and started Ballywho Social.

Who inspired you to pursue entrepreneurship?
I don’t like being told what to do (insert laugh) I just felt like in a world where so many companies have layer after layer, I didn’t have the experience of many of them doing the right thing.  My ego at the time was so huge, I knew that I could do anything.  So, I took a chance.

Have you ever had a mentor? And how did they help you?
Yes, I have had MANY and currently have two.  They give me advice, connect me with people I need to know, strongly encourage me to take a path and get uncomfortable, advise me on my plans, help me through rough patches, kick me in the ass when needed.  It is a network of incredible people.

How do you define success for yourself?
Professionally, it used to be other people recognizing me and magazine covers, awards, money and all that jazz.  As a parent, it was having mentally and physically healthy, happy, balanced kids (who are now both 18+).  Now I look at success as who I am.  Am I living my most authentic life, have I dealt with some of the things that I need to work on in this life? How I’m showing up for my family, friends and the people I love?  I’m working on a few benchmarks for myself to check in each day to make sure I’m on that path.  Almost my version of the four agreements.  Now, I want to create a space where women (and men) can grow, learn, serve and have fun. 

What is a recent success that you're super proud of accomplishing?
It isn’t my accomplishment, however the most recent ones that make my heart full and whole are my son finishing his first year of college and my daughter graduating from high school. 

What is your superpower?
I can read a room and people incredibly well.

What is the least sexy part of your job?
Legal and accounting which I now outsource to remarkable people.

What do you hope to learn from the women in the Hatch Tribe Members Circle?
How have you failed and recovered?  How to grow, what did you learn that worked, what didn’t work? What was the biggest hiccup? I want to know the failures and the lessons and the journey through it.  I think that is a place we can all learn.

To connect with Elissa Nauful directly join us INSIDE THE TRIBE! Become a member today at www.hatchtribe.com/memberscircle.

She can also be found on her Website, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

 For more inspiring stories, check out these Five Empowering TED Talks for Entrepreneurs!