About Elisa A. Schmitz
Elisa Schmitz is an award-winning entrepreneur and professional journalist. She’s the Latina founder and CEO of 30Seconds.com, an inspiring digital media platform and vibrant community that make the world a happier, healthier, and more delicious place — 30 seconds at a time.
She’s also the founder of iParenting, a “Best of the Web” digital media company that was acquired by the Walt Disney Company. After the sale, Elisa worked for Disney as director and executive editor of the Disney Interactive Media Group. She has been a newspaper columnist, magazine editor, radio and video host, and creator of content and marketing programs for various Fortune 500 companies.
Elisa earned her bachelor’s degree in communication arts from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, which awarded her its Entrepreneurial Achievement Award, and where she serves on the Communication Arts board. She earned her master’s degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, where she’s a member of the Council of One Hundred mentoring organization.
Elisa is no stranger to life’s fire. The daughter of a Puerto Rican mother and Yugoslavian immigrant father, Elisa learned to use her “differentness” to make a difference as she grew up in Puerto Rico, war-torn Lebanon, and suburban Chicago. All along, she created what she needed to survive and thrive.
"Become the Fire tells my story, but I was curious to share the skills that guided other women on their paths," Elisa says. "That’s why I also tell the stories of ten other women who have risen to the highest ranks of their careers, using many of the same mindset shifts and skills I relied on to take control of my own transformation. They, too, battled chaos and came out stronger. They, too, used the fire as fuel to propel their success. That’s how they, too, became the fire."
Going far beyond whatever Elisa could tell you at a guest lecture or over a cup of coffee, her book provides mentorship on a broader, more comprehensive scale. Visit her author website at ElisaSchmitz.com.
Ready to Become the Fire?
Become the Fire is available for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Indie Bound, with a publication date of October 11, 2022. Click here for more info and to order!
What does this mean – become the fire?
It means not allowing yourself to be in the fire, getting burned.
- It means using the fire as fuel to ignite your motivation, drive, passion and grit.
- It means not waiting for a lucky break, but rather, making your own luck.
- It means leveraging what you do have and what you can do, not focusing on what you don’t have or can’t do.
- It means that your mindset matters; your choices matter; what you focus on matters; what you do with your time matters.
- It means that instead of letting the fire burn you, you harness the flames within and use their energy to put your personal power to work.
It means your fire is your fuel!
Becoming the fire means viewing life's flames as opportunities to grow stronger, wiser, braver and more resilient. It’s about seeing the fire as fuel to propel your success.