Podcasts Business Piloting your Life Why Darryl Grant started Inspiring Connectivity to bring women together.

Why Darryl Grant started Inspiring Connectivity to bring women together.

Published: July 17, 2018, 1 p.m.

Who\xa0is\xa0Darryl Grant?\xa0\xa0

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Darryl Grant is a\xa0New York native, born in Harlem.\xa0He has\xa020 siblings and\xa0is\xa0uncle to over 50 nieces and nephews.\xa0He has been a\xa0Bay\xa0Area resident for the last 4.5 years\xa0and\xa0enjoys family time with his wife and\xa02.5 year old\xa0son, supporting his clients\u2019 needs, sports (former\xa0Div-I Greco-Roman wrestler), reading, traveling, cooking,\xa0and\xa0supporting diversity and inclusion.\xa0

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Darryl is\xa0Managing Director of Merrill Corporation and Founder of Inspiring Connectivity.\xa0\xa0He\xa0\xa0has\xa0over 19 years of financial communication experience\xa0with\xa0the top three\xa0financial\xa0printers. Darryl began as a Customer Service Project Coordinator in Manhattan\xa0and\xa0later assumed various managerial roles and engineered XBRL operations for two Manhattan offices. Before assuming his role as Managing Director of Sales where he co-leads Merrill\u2019s Bay Area Capital Markets team,\xa0Darryl spent 6 years as a Capital Markets Account Manager leading teams and working directly with C-level execs,\xa0law\xa0firms,\xa0corporate\xa0finance and\xa0legal departments to manage IPOs,\xa0mergers,\xa0spin-offs along with all routine SEC filing requirements. He has also managed three of the largest\xa0mergers in stock market history and over 20 prominent IPO\u2019s in industries ranging from Tech, e-commerce,\xa0transportation,\xa0motion\xa0pictures, Biotech,\xa0retail and\xa0broker\xa0exchange\xa0services.\xa0\xa0

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Show Highlights\xa0

  • Darryl starts off by talking about the event he puts on with his team called Inspiring Connectivity and why he, as a man, is putting on an event for women.\xa0
  • Darryl talks about growing up in New York and about his mom who noticed a trend where children were being left behind.\xa0 This led her to adopting 18 children and raising a total of 21 of which Darryl was one of those adopted by her.\xa0\xa0\xa0
  • Darryl shares how he worked with a coach who taught him that because he was having trouble with who he was, he was having trouble coming across authentically.\xa0\xa0
  • Darryl was inspired to create an event for women because of the 2016 elections, the issues women were facing that were coming to light, and a conversation with a friend who fully supported\xa0him creating the event.\xa0 He was inspired by what his mother created around community.\xa0\xa0\xa0
  • Terri comments on how important it is for Darryl to set the example for other men to create these kinds of events to support the change for women in society.\xa0 This is a human issue; not a women\u2019s issue.\xa0\xa0
  • Darryl observes that solving problems begins with community.\xa0\xa0\xa0
  • Terri talks about her experience at Inspired Connectivity with Barbara Tien and how Barbara introduced her to the other women at the event.\xa0 This made Terri realize that she is having an impact even though she doesn\u2019t always see it.\xa0\xa0\xa0
  • Terri commented that a lot of founders don\u2019t take the time to get to know her and how important it is to\xa0be seen as\xa0a person and not just as a checkbook.\xa0\xa0
  • Terri asked Darryl about tribalism in a global community and he responds with the importance of connecting and community.\xa0\xa0\xa0
  • Darryl talks about the importance of getting out of your own head when designing an event and thinking about what the guests are going to want.\xa0\xa0
  • Terri asks Darryl if people give him a hard time for not focusing on women of color or people of color and he says that for the most part, no.\xa0\xa0
  • Darryl talks about breaking down the platform, the panel, the awards and focus on the people\xa0at events.\xa0\xa0\xa0
  • If Darryl could wave a magic wand, he would use it to genuinely connect people without bias.\xa0\xa0\xa0

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Terri\u2019s Key Takeaway\xa0

Creating and building connections and community will be the key to solving our societal issues.\xa0\xa0\xa0

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References in the Podcast\xa0

  • Vanessa Grant: Instagram:\xa0 @beautysecretary\xa0

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\xa0Contact\xa0

Darryl can be reached through LinkedIn at\xa0https://www.linkedin.com/in/darryl-grant/.\xa0\xa0

You can follow Terri on Twitter at @terrihansonmead or go to her website at www.terrihansonmead.com or on Medium:\u202f https://medium.com/@terrihansonmead.\u202f\xa0

Feel free to email Terri at PilotingYourLife@gmail.com.\xa0

To continue the conversation, go to Twitter at @PilotingLife\xa0and use hashtag #PilotingYourLife.\xa0

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