Reframing What It Means to Be a Social Entrepreneur

As a follow-up to Innov8Social’s recent interview with Kate Michi Ettinger, I wanted to share a reflection on part of the conversation we had after the recording.

• Interview with Kate Michi Ettinger, Social Entrepreneur in Health and Bioethics and Specialist in Integrity by Design [AUDIO]

Reframing What It Means to Be a Social Entrepreneur

I have known Kate for over a year now, through our participation in Impact Law Forum and other social entrepreneurship events and conferences. It was a sincere pleasure to have the opportunity to learn more about her the breadth and depth of her work.

We chatted after her interview and she shared a sentiment that reframed my perspective on social entrepreneurship. As you may know, the recent months have brought on exciting projects such as the social innovation book project co-author Shivani Khanna and I are working on, and my role in curriculum and business development at entrepreneurship education startup (Thinktomi). These responsibilities, in addition to feeding the blog (admittedly, less frequently), can sometimes feel overwhelming.

In talking to Kate—who juggles multiple roles, each incredibly demanding and each with its own layers of complexity, she said one line that particularly resonated with me— “this is what it means to be a social entrepreneur.”

As self-identified social innovators we have to balance the sometimes-chaotic, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, 24/7 ish demand by taking care of our health, seeking balance, and finding solace in what can feel like a perfect storm. In our efforts to do this, we set the stage to finding new ways to engage in the tasks, and work required to make social enterprise ideas into reality.

It was the perfect sentiment at the right moment–and helped reframe my own view from seeing these as challenges to ‘handle’ as invitations to redefine balance and innovate.

In reflecting on her observation this past week I feel that in the brevity of life, it is a sincere and humble honor to be able to dedicate my time and efforts to projects I believe in—even if the balancing act requires a little additional creativity and focus :)