 Today we are excited to welcome someone who has devoted her career to empowering young women. Sharon Cohen joins us today to talk about the origin of her non-profit giving back and her plans for the future. This is School of Hustle, the show where we find advice and inspiration from people who are making their own way. I'm Shannon, the VP of Social Hero Go Daddy, and I live and breathe at the Hustle of Business. Today we're filming from the Hustle of it all at the WeWork Times Square in New York City. Everybody, let's give Sharon Cohen a big warm welcome. Woo! Welcome to the show. Thanks, Shannon, I'm excited to be here. You have founded, like, the first and only organization for young women of color that combines education and the grace and the discipline of figure skating. What inspired you to open figure skating in Harlem back in 1997? First, let me tell you, I didn't do it alone. There are so many people over so many years that have contributed to this really exciting endeavor and it was a happy accident. I came to New York City and was working for CBS News and heard about some boys who were learning ice hockey. And I called them up just to congratulate them and they said, well, we have some girls that want to figure skate, would you come teach them? So I had been a competitive figure skater and I said, sure, and that was the beginning of the beginning because what I saw when you put girls in this open space and you allow them to shine, they grow and they thrive and I was moved just by what I saw happening on the ice day by day. And I did that for five or six years until the parents said, we need our own organization and actually education needed to be the centerpiece. And then skating was a hook because it was like the Pied Piper effect. The girls kept coming and coming. How do young girls get involved in figure skating in Harlem? Well, to be honest, it's always been word of mouth because we'd have to have a waiting list. We had girls that kept wanting to stay year after year and ultimately I still think our parents are our best ambassadors. We serve hundreds of girls in Harlem and even serve girls in Detroit now. And what does your program look like? So for a typical girl between the age of six all the way up to the end of high school, 18, they come and they work with us between three and five afternoons a week and sometimes on the weekends. And it's structured like this, two afternoons of fitness and figure skating, which by the way is a really hard sport, so they have to put a lot of energy into it. And the other two days are academics. And for us that looks like tutoring because they have to maintain a certain average to stay in the program. And we teach classes in financial literacy, in STEAM, we really get them excited about science and skating. And also public speaking, which they're far better at it than I am, but reading and writing and communications is very important to us. And is there a competition angle at all in the program? Do they go out and compete? No, in the beginning there wasn't. As a competitive skater, I wanted the girls to find the joy of skating and to really feel good about improving on the ice themselves and building their confidence that way. And eventually we developed a team approach. Skating traditionally has been sort of a one-on-one, but for us it's a community. So our girls now have teams, synchronized skating teams, and they compete across the Eastern Seaboard with many other teams. And I have to tell you what's fascinating is they are still the only teams of color, almost entirely of color in the whole United States, which tells you that what makes our organization groundbreaking is the access it provides to girls who otherwise wouldn't have been exposed to it. I want to go back to what you said about you being a professional skater, a competitive skater. I was a competitive skater. I didn't go professional. You were a competitive skater. I don't want to gloss over that because that's really cool. Tell me more about that. When did you start skating and what did you do? Well that was an accident too, to be honest. We were vacationing in Florida with my parents and it rained that day and there was a little ice rink and I was eight years old. I had never seen it before and for me it was like fish to water. So when I got on the ice and I was gliding I really felt free. It was a beautiful feeling so I loved to skate and ultimately I started doing it a couple of times a week, then several hours a day and then several years and I just fell into it because I was passionate. How have you taken lessons from skating and brought them into your life? I think the number one thing is resilience. So when you skate it's really hard and you fall down and you have to get back up and you have to fall down and get back up many many times before you master something. So it's built into our girls DNA that it's okay to fail and then you finally get it and so you learn how to work hard toward goals. Why is giving back important to you? I don't see this as giving back. I actually get more I suspect than the girls although they get a lot. I mean there's a great feeling and passing on a skill that you love and not just me. I want to say we have a team of people out there doing this every day and I think it's a mutuality. We learn as much from the kids as they learn from us and we see each other change. You've been named a CNN hero. You've spoken at the UN. You've even presented to the Olympic committee. Oh my goodness. How do you think about your platform and using your platform for advocacy in this way? You know when you have a truth and other people it resonates with other people the platform finds you. I didn't need to go seeking any platforms. All I am is a voice for this experience. It's an extraordinary experience that many groups of people come together and get to have by, I can't emphasize enough, access. Skating has been traditionally Caucasian, traditionally very expensive and when we opened the doors we saw a whole new group of people embrace it and learn these lessons and so it's very much a communal experience and wonderful. How did it feel for you to be named a CNN hero? Do you see yourself as a hero? No. Not at all? No. The truth is that the students are really the heroes because they're overcoming obstacles that I never had to face. When you think about the next 20 years what do you see the evolution of figure skating in Harlem to look like? I would be remiss if I didn't share the dream we have. Okay. Which is to have our own facility in Harlem with ice and an academic center serving many more girls and maybe even a few boys and I think that's also on the horizon for us. So Sharon, for those who are watching and want to help where can they go, what can they do? Well they can go to our website which was beautifully designed by GoDaddy at www.figureskatinginharlem.org and you can help support our wonderful girls because that's how we do it. Individuals, foundations, corporations they are the fuel that allows us to do these programs. That's fantastic and I'm glad that we could help you with your website. Love it. Absolutely. I was blown away when it was revealed to me. Now it is one of my favorite games called Hustle Time. So, here's how it works. We set a timer for 60 seconds. Okay. And see how many cards you can get through. Okay. And I know that you're competitive. Just a test. And I know that you're going to want to get through as many cards as possible so I would say the first thing that comes to mind. First record you bought with your own money? Billy Joel Stranger. Favorite Disney movie? I'm not familiar with that one. Disney? You have to lose access forever. Do you pick search engines or social media? Social media. If a genie granted you three wishes, what would you wish for? Money, peace, world peace and love. Peanut butter, cups or M&Ms? Cups. Would you rather have more time or more money? Time. Who is someone that defines successful to you? Michelle Obama. Favorite breakfast food? Yogurt. Large dogs or lap dogs? Oh, I love dogs. Something that is currently stuck in your head? What's in my head when I listened to one of my work out this morning? Oh my gosh. The Eagles. New York City tourists, help with directions or keep on your own way? I'll help with directions. Music or podcasts? Music. Three things in your closet right now? Jeans. Sweaters. Dresses. Timers. That's fantastic. Now I have to say you had the hard ones because there were a few in there that you had to say three things for one answer. And sometimes the one answers were hard. Thirteen. That's awesome. Danica got 13 when she came on. Like we've seen 13. That's great. It's a fantastic. Lucky 13. It's a lucky 13. It is a lucky 13. Favorite part of your day? The morning walking my dog. Best piece of advice you've ever gotten? Go to the warm places. Worst piece of advice? I don't hold on to bad advice. How do you use your career to inspire others? I don't use my career. My students' lives speak for themselves. Ever felt like walking away? Yes. You want to tell me? I kind of been curious. Once a week? I know. I actually, I wanted to kind of unpack that a bit. I think the whole point of skating is you fall down and get back up. I would say that failure is built right into our success. And so do I think of walking away? Sometimes in the depths of failure you think, you know, what am I doing? And then you find a solution and you keep on going. One thing you still need to learn? A lot. You know, I've been a leader in this organization, but management skills are critical to your success every day. And I always want to improve those skills. I also want to be more patient. And I don't want to interrupt people. That's a bad habit I have. I want people to learn from you. Oh, I think that I want them to learn their own lessons and be themselves. And there isn't a formula for success. I think that I was moved by a passion. And I expect everybody has a life vision for themselves. What's next for you? Well, I want to keep growing, whether it's inside the organization and building that wonderful rink academic center or more cities. But I'm also open to where my energy is. That's how I found figure skating in Harlem. I found me. I was excited and I followed where my passion was. Who inspires you? Well, my students, my staff, my donors. I mean, you know, everyday people. I have to say, I know that everybody has obstacles. Nothing comes as easy as it looks. Last one. Who challenges you? My students, the parents. The donors. The donors, they all challenge me every day. And my partner and my friends. I welcome being challenged. In fact, I'm just one of those leaders. I like to hear every viewpoint because it's all important. And then you have to learn how to narrow that down and make it soon. We let everybody in social know that you are coming. And I have a question for you from Erica. Erica asks, what is the most rewarding thing about working with young women? Well, everybody's an individual and so they surprise you. I never fail to be inspired by somebody who's working at something and then gets it. And that moment of getting it, whether it's on the ice or whether it's a math problem, that's what inspires me by young women. And I don't distinguish. Women can do anything. Marissa asks, what is one inspiring story you can share about someone you have coached? Oh, wow. Many, many, many inspiring stories. But the one that's immediately coming to mind is Flojo. We had a student named Florence. Started at six and stayed until she was 18. She had had a lot of challenges in her life. She lost her dad in the ninth grade. Her mom was a hair braider. She loved skating. She was passionate. And after she got out, she went to the city college and became a great photographer. And now she's worked for Cardi B. And she hears the story, though. She went to the New York Times and said, I want to photograph for you. And they said, well, pitch us a story. And she pitched figure skating in Harlem. And she took all the photographs that were laid out on a beautiful story on the Style section just a few months ago. I think you're amazing. And I'm not alone when I say that I appreciate everything that you're doing. And just the attitude that you bring to this interview and to life, the positivity and the warmth, you're really spectacular. I mean that. Thank you. Thank you very much for this. Our last question. Yes. Comes from our favorite pug named Noodle. Noodle. So Noodle. You will get situated. I got a dog. I know what dogs are like. So Noodle is starting to show some very deep interest in figure skating. Let me check the pause. And he wants to perfect the perfect figure eight. But he's getting tired of falling flat in his little pug tush. What advice do you have for someone to stay motivated? Falling just seems to be all too common and frustrating. All right. Listen, Noodle. I can't tell you how many times I've fallen on the ice. The better you get, the more you fall. But you only got two choices when you fall. You sit there or you get up. Now if you sit there, you're going to be there for a while and you're going to get bored. So I think the best motivation is to not be bored is to get back up. Okay? You hear that? Back up. You got it. You're another choice. You got it? Otherwise you'd be sliding around. You'll be fighting to get back up. So I'm going to share three quotes with you. I'm going to have for you to listen to those quotes and tell me which quote resonates most. Okay. Okay. Number one. Fail miserably can achieve greatly. Two. Love yourself first and everything falls into line. Three. It is our choices that show what we truly are far more than our abilities. So Shannon, it's a tough call between one and two because you got to love yourself. But I'm going to go with one. Yeah. Because I have failed miserably. And when you're really down there, you learn to appreciate every step that brings you whether on par or even beyond. And so you're filled with gratitude. And I think having the feeling of gratitude in your life is the most important thing. I say fail and get up. Get back up. Thank you so much for watching. If you liked what you saw today, make sure that you follow and visit figure skating and Harlem.org. And don't forget to follow Go Daddy and Social. We're bringing School of Hustle to you every Wednesday on Facebook Premier, IGTV, Instagram Stories, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, just follow Go Daddy everywhere because we have so many fabulous entrepreneurs like Sharon coming to you every week. Thanks so much. Bye.