All Eyes are on Fabulously40 Featured Member Rita Schiano

Rita, also known as RitaSchiano  on Fabulously40, is a freelance writer,  author and speaker in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.

We asked her a few personal questions to learn more about this powerful Fabulously40 woman!

Here’s what she had to say:

1. How did you start your career? Did you attend college immediately following high school? If so, did your parents expect you to go to college or did you attend on your own?

Much to my mother's disappointment, I did not want to go to college because I hated high school. (She graduated from Syracuse University in the 1940s, a time when most women were not encouraged to get a college education.) But when my best friend was packing to leave for an out-of-state school, I decided to go, more because I did not want to be left behind. My mother was thrilled and my father agreed to pay for it, under the condition that I studied and got good grades.  

I went for a last minute interview at Cazenovia College (then a 2-year program only). I joke that they accepted me more because I walked in with a blank check to pay full tuition, and not because of my grades, which were horrid.  

At Cazenovia I met and studied under Dr. Dolly Weiss?she changed my life. Despite my mother's remarkable strength and independence, she thought the women's movement of the 1960s-early 1970s was just plain wrong. Little did my mother know, she herself was quite the feminist in how she lived her life.
(Note: I define feminist here as a women living her life outside the defined cultural/traditional role of the times.)  

Dr. Weiss helped me discover my intellectual capabilities and to see a woman's place in the world was limitlessness. I stayed at Cazenovia only one year, then transferred to a 4-year program at Wells College, and continued on to graduate school.

2. Are you currently working in the same profession you intended to when starting your career path, or has it taken you in another direction? What is your current profession?  

When I was young I wanted to be a musical comedy performer on Broadway. That was probably the last time I had a specific career path in mind. I've participated in many professions: singer, teacher, corporate executive, restaurateur, and now writer.( Oh yeah, sold Tupperware for a while, too!)

3. What are some challenges you have had to face during your career?

My greatest challenge was trying for a music career (1980s). There is a side to that business that is downright sleazy, and has little to do with talent. Boy, could I tell a few war stories. Sometimes I wish I was in my 20s, with opportunities like American Idol, America's Got Talent, even YouTube. We are getting a chance to see remarkably gifted people who otherwise might never have their talents see the light of day.

The careers paths I've followed since that time seem to have afforded me more direct control.

4. Where did you find the strength or desire to keep pushing forward?

Although in many respects my mother and my maternal grandmother were hampered by the times they grew up in, they were remarkably strong women. Both instilled in me a feeling that I could accomplish anything, if I put my mind to it.

5. What are your accomplishments you are most proud of and why?

I don't really think of my life in terms of accomplishments. I am proud of the Casual Caf?, the restaurant I had with my good friend Karen Miyamoto. We ran the business, just the two of us, for eleven years. Not only did we serve good food consistently, we created an environment where customers talked with one another and lasting friendships were formed.  

I'm proud, too, of the honesty of Painting The Invisible Man because it was such a challenge to confront the myriad personal layers of that story.  

6. Did you have a support system surrounding you throughout your career climbing?

I lost both of my parents at a fairly young age and so my circle of friends is my support system. I am so very blessed to have many wonderful and remarkable people in my life. They always support whatever venture I get into.

7. What do you attribute your success to?

I call it the four Ds—- Desire, Drive, Discipline, and Dedication. You have to be passionate about what you do; you must commit the energy to get the work done; be persistent and work at it each day, and be devoted to attaining your goals.

8. Has goal setting been a key component to your success and why?

I've been a goal-setter as long as I can remember, whether it was earning money to buy a bicycle as a kid or planning to open a restaurant. Maybe that's why I always carry a road atlas in my car. When I have a destination in mind, I like to examine and plot the various routes that will get me where I want to go.

9. In helping yourself achieve career goals, do you perform any type of mediation, relaxation or affirmations?

I believe in positive affirmations. As Napoleon Hill said: What the mind can conceive, man can achieve.

10. Have you had any mentors that have guided you or provided insight throughout your career climbing? Have you been a mentor to others?

My mom and grandmother were my first mentors, followed by Dr Dolly Weiss and Dr. Jenny Hammett, professors I had in college.  

I like going to talk with school kids?7th and 8th graders about writing. Oftentimes, I will hear back from a teacher that some kids have taken to carrying an "observation notebook," something that I do and that I share with them.  

I don't do any direct mentoring, at least not that I know of, yet I've indirectly been a mentor to people, or so they've told me.

11. What is your experience with networking and do you feel it is important?

I think social media networking is remarkable. Had it not been for Facebook, and Fab 40 I would not have met Laurie Zieber and many other inspiring women. And I've reconnected with childhood school chums, which has been simply terrific.

12. What do you feel are the essentials to career climbing and why?

I think Teddy Roosevelt's "Man In The Arena" sums it up for me. To paraphrase: "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles...The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena?who strives valiantly; who errs?because there is no effort without error?Who knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and?if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly."  

13. Where do you see yourself in your career in 5 or 10 years from now?

I'd like to keep writing novels, and have a screenplay or two made into a movie. I'd also like to revive my singing career.

14. Are you involved in any non-profit organizations as a volunteer or board member?

I am active in my church, the Brookfield Unitarian Universalist Church, having served as chairperson of the membership committee, and chairing various fundraisers. For several years I co-captained a Relay For Life team, raising money for cancer awareness and research.

What did we learn from this Fabulously40 woman? Nothing is impossible- if there is something you want to accomplish, go after it 100%!