AUSTIN, Texas — On Saturday, Austin's LGTB Chamber is celebrating 25 years of working toward equality and inclusion in Austin business.
The chamber fights for and celebrates locally owned LGTBQ+ businesses and will honor some of those store fronts with an award ceremony.
This year's keynote speaker at the Business of Pride Gala is Cpt. Sandy Yawn, a renowned superyacht captain with more than 30 years of international maritime experience, also best known as the star of the hit reality series, "Below Deck Mediterranean" on Bravo.
Captain Sandy, as she is known, has broken barriers to achieve the highest status in a male-dominated industry where a female captain is a rarity. In her debut book, "Be the Calm or Be the Storm: Leadership Lessons from a Woman at the Helm," Yawn is sharing the leadership skills and critical thinking she displays as a captain, to empower anyone to navigate their way to a successful life.
"I had to learn the art of self leadership," she told KVUE. "I had to check myself first, leave my ego at the door and then go out and lead a team, because I knew my ultimate goal is to provide the level of service but empower my crew, to make them want to do an excellent job. And that is investing in your team, by checking myself first, making sure that I'm a fit, whole person mentally and physically."
Captain Sandy discusses in her book why leading with compassion, empathy and positivity has led to her success in an industry where those traits are not normally displayed.
"Choose to be the calm in the middle of the storm, and I do that so often, especially filming on 'Below Deck Mediterranean.' It's very stressful. It's very, you know, stormy, and when you have stormy situations, just choose to be the calm; it's a choice," said Yawn.
"Be the Calm or Be the Storm: Leadership Lessons from a Woman at the Helm" is currently available for pre-order and will be out in January.