Ep. 73 - Briana Weisinger - Are you or your kids in your 20’s or 30’s and want to be an entrepreneur? In this episode, Briana narrates her role at UC San Diego and how she helps younger people develop an entrepreneurial mindset. Today’s college students are entering an economy that demands an entrepreneurial mindset. Briana Weisinger, the startup advocate for the University of California, San Diego, wants students to be prepared for a future where independent work is the norm. Her drive to succeed and help others stems from childhood challenges — she built a strong bond with her father and stepmother, who adopted her, after her parents’ divorce. Briana built resilience and a passion for large causes, with projects varied as helping renovate a women’s shelter and working at refugee camps in Greece. Listen in to understand the entrepreneurial ecosystem in supporting the development of new ideas and technologies. You will also learn how you can transform your challenges and develop a resilient mindset.
Key Takeaways:
- How to use your past difficulties to become resilient in life and career
- The importance of expanding education beyond the traditional degree and instead of arming students with an entrepreneurial mindset
- How to have confidence and trust in yourself to overcome impostor syndrome
- Teaching children and young people the importance of equality in relationships
"My biggest challenge is setting boundaries. Some of the hardest things that I have ever done are related to setting boundaries and it’s because I am a giver.” -Briana Weisinger
In this episode you’ll discover:
How Briana’s unusual and difficult childhood shaped her to be resilient and feisty [1:54]
Briana’s different perspective on the meaning of family and the business environment [5:03]
She talks about her role working in technology with students and faculty at UCSD [6:10]
How UCSD supports the development of ideas and technology by students and faculty members [8:55]
Understanding entrepreneurial ecosystem and all its components [10:50]
How she helps students learn and adopt the entrepreneurial mindset [13:23]
How she got launched into entrepreneurship by the National Association of Women MBAs [17:33]
She talks about some of her philanthropic work helping refugees in Greece [20:14]
How she integrates the things she loves like family and work [22:56]
She speaks on her challenges with setting boundaries [25:55]
The three things that Briana would tell her younger self [27:08]
The importance of being supportive in a relationship and teaching your children the same [30:03]
Briana advises young people to always ask for what they need [32:44]
Briana Weisinger is a startup advocate at UC San Diego focused on growing the entrepreneurial ecosystem. University research indicates more than half of students now in college will be independently employed in the next 15 years. Along with preparing students for this future, she helps foster the over 60 companies UCSD generates each year. She’s also focused on developing relationships and creating bridges between the UC San Diego entrepreneurial ecosystem and the Cali-Baja region. She is the co-founder and former vice president of the San Diego Chapter of the National Association of Women MBAs. She is involved in assisting with entrepreneurial activities through outreach efforts including national and international speaking engagements, media interviews, and other awareness opportunities. Her focus on developing and maintaining internal and external strategic relationships to support the growth of and success of entrepreneurs continued through her tenure as interim executive director of Stella Labs, fostering female innovation.