Ellen Leikind, Poker Prima Diva author, coach and speaker talks to us about lessons from the table

Ms. Leikind took a hiatus from the Fortune 500 and rediscovered poker, a game she had learned as a teenager. The more she played, the more she saw how poker and business mirrored one another. Poker encourages initiative and assertiveness and rewards calculated risk-taking. It is also an exceptionally good way to learn to read non-verbal cues. The psychological aspect of poker is as important as the technicalities of the game. In many ways, you play the people as much as you play the cards. Ms. Leikind saw how women were being excluded from this new networking activity and wanted to give them a forum to get into the game. Poker had become the new golf and for women to be in the game, they had to be at the poker tables as a player, not just an observer. The more she played poker, the more she saw the similarities between the card game and the larger ‘game’ of business and personal fulfillment. That inspired her to write her first book POKERWOMAN- How to Win at Love, Life and Business using the Principles of Poker which was just released from Liebert Publishing and is available on www.amazon.com. Ms. Leikind has worked in escalating marketing positions at large consumer packaged goods companies including Pfizer and L’Oreal. She works as an Executive Consultant for a leading company in the Direct Response TV industry. She has an MBA in marketing from Fordham University in New York and is a native New Yorker. Host and Chief Imaginator Tamara Kleinberg will help you unleash your right brain superpowers and unlock your creative potential by bringing you imaginative, inspiring people from all walks of life. Here’s to a life full of ideas, dreams, joy and laughter. “Dream Big. Imagine Often!” - Tamara