Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Galib.
Hi Christine, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I’m Christine Galib, and the odds are very good that as you’re reading this, I’m reading, writing, running, or taking the road less traveled. My story is definitely a non-linear path, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world! It’s the story that is uniquely and authentically me. It’s one filled with the things I love the most, because we make time for the things that matter to us. Read that again. We make time for the things that matter to us. And once we have found something we would die for, we live for it. And nothing can stop us as we become an incredible force to live for that thing, idea, vision, purpose, for which we would die.
My faith is very important to me, and over the past two years in particular, I’ve had a chance to deepen it more–through asking more questions and having more conversations with experts and leaders in my circles. Expressing my creativity is also very important to me, too, because I’m a very creative person. Through the years, and the miles, I’ve learned how to channel that inner creativity in more and different ways–especially through taking the road less traveled. I’ve learned what activities, experiences, and environments stimulate that creativity. I love exploring trails and sidewalks, so much so that last year, in the summer-fall of 2020, I must have walked over 2500 miles in Montrose (a neighborhood in Houston).
I’ve pursued careers in investment management, educational leadership, entrepreneurship, and innovation ecosystem building. One thread that has been common in my different career paths been my love of writing. After completing my dissertation, I swapped peer-reviewed papers for parables and plot twists, opting to cite less research and author more fiction. I recently published my first collection of parables (Parables from the Pandemic: Holding onto Hope in a Hurting World on Amazon), and am currently working on an archeological mystery series with strong female characters and a quest that is as old as history itself!
When I’m not sketching stories or sneaking bad puns into my presentations, I’m exploring the great big outdoors and quaint small towns, eating peanuts, discussing apologetics, and spending time with my mom, dad, songwriter sister, and composer brother. I love getting lost in a good book and can be found at christinegalib.com.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It is been a road less traveled, with its fair share of twists and turns, blocks and barriers, and detours and disruptions, for sure. And it’s the best road I’ve ever taken: I wouldn’t change any of it for the world! It’s a journey that is uniquely mine.
I will say, on this road less traveled, I am so grateful for the teachers, professors, mentors, and individuals who have influenced my steps on the road less traveled. Thank you for your feedback, guidance, and encouragement. I am grateful for each of you and for our conversations over the years—and over the miles.
These teachers, professors, mentors, and individuals have helped me learn when to pivot, or change course. Life is a journey–and a destination (sorry Ralph Waldo Emerson, I’m going to rift on on you a little bit, all in good fun). If you’re at a particular place in your life, and that’s not where you’re meant to be, you’ll find yourself feeling like you’re going through Hell. You’ll need to learn how to take the steps to get you to your next place. That’s as much an art, as it is a science. And with the right Virgil to your Dante, you’ll get yourself out of Hell–and onto your next destination, the one that will better stimulate your growth and development.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
One of my purposes on the road on this side of Heaven is to help others discover their creative strengths, develop their entrepreneurial and investor mindsets, and build purposeful and inclusive innovation ecosystems. (Here is a recent example of a piece I wrote on creativity and urban innovation economies: https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/inno/stories/partner-content/2021/07/22/creativity-foundation-urban-innovation-economies.html?) I am a very strategic and purposeful thinker, and support entrepreneurs and enterprising individuals and organizations to articulate their vision, mission, and values; prepare to scale their organizations; and facilitate culture and capacity (e.g. leadership, management, creative, or innovative talent) development.
I’m also the Senior Director of Programs at The Ion, which anchors Houston’s 16-acre innovation district. I oversee a fabulous team that is responsible for The Ion’s Accelerator Hub, Academic Network, Workforce Development Programs, and Mentor Program–and, through data and data analysis, creating, telling, measuring, and evaluating the impact of the story of The Ion. I also am thrilled to be an adjunct at Houston Baptist University, where I am blessed to teach entrepreneurship, creativity and opportunity recognition, and new venture development classes. I absolutely love working with my grad students–and learning from them in our time together! They inspire me to keep creating a world that is not just different, but better.
I’m also an author and can be found at christinegalib.com. I publish through my imprint, road less traveled enterprises–and if you’ve every thought about publishing your work, I’d love to chat with you.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
1. Knowing why I was created–and by whom. This has enabled me to be–and show–my most authentic self. Find your passion and live your purpose. You are never “too old” and it is never too late.
2. Knowing when to speak up–and how and why. If you’re at the table, speak up and get in on the conversation. Use your voice to articulate your perspectives, in respectful and additive ways, so that they are heard.
3. Listening more than I talk. God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason. I’ve found that a vast majority of the time, it’s more valuable to listen to what is said– and more importantly, to what is not said.
Contact Info:
- Email: roadlesstraveledenterprises@gmail.com
- Website: christinegalib.com
- Instagram: @roadlesstraveledenterprises
