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00:00:01
Christie Garton
6 Playsin 10 hours
Thanks for listening to our episode with Christie Garton.
To keep up with or connect with Christie:
✨1,000 Dreams Fund Website: https://1000dreamsfund.org/
✨1,000 Dreams Fund MentorHER initiative: https://1000dreamsfund.org/programs/mentorher-initiative/
✨1,000 Dreams Fund Junior Board: https://1000dreamsfund.org/junior-board/
✨Christie’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiegarton
To stay in touch with Meredith and Medbury:
Follow Meredith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredith-farley/
Follow Medbury on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/medbury_agency/
Subscribe to the Medbury newsletter: https://meredithfarley.substack.com/
Email Meredith: Meredith@MedburyAgency.com
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Transcript
Christy's Inspiration and Career Path
00:00:01
Speaker
k Christy, hello. Thank you for doing this. My pleasure. I'm so happy to have you here. I think the work you do is really interesting. For folks who don't know you, can you describe who you are and what you do?
00:00:12
Speaker
My lifelong passion is simply to make a difference. And I think I got started on that path pretty young. My grandmother was a big inspiration, very involved in my community growing up in the Midwest. I'm from the Kansas City region.
00:00:26
Speaker
And just saw how much... connection and impact she was able to make with her ties to the deaf community. My aunt is deaf and so my grandmother learned sign language and became a deaf educator. Kind of an inspiring story in many ways. So going back to then, i just really saw the power of being involved in my community and how bringing people together can make big differences. So I really look for those opportunities throughout my career, ultimately pursuing a law degree, practice law, which really gave me a lot of great skills in terms of running a business. The business I run today, which is nonprofit I started 10 years ago, we turned 10 in 2026. It's called the 1000 Dreams It's a national and now global organization in some of our programs serving women and students in need who are very clear on their dreams. And they are making great strides, but ultimately lack access to some important resources, whether that's funding for an extracurricular opportunity, a mentor, or ultimately connections to employment, internships, apprenticeships, those types of things. So that is what we work to provide.
00:01:34
Speaker
And we've been doing that for the past 10 years.
Impact of Legal Education on Christy's Career
00:01:36
Speaker
I really admire the work you do. It's funny. I feel like some of my favorite people are people who went to law school but are not lawyers. Do you consider yourself a lawyer? I don't think you're practicing law now, but do you still consider it part of your identity or you just consider it part of your education?
00:01:50
Speaker
Definitely part of my education. But I think ultimately, whatever degree you pursue, you get a way of thinking. And for sure, law school definitely gives you a way of thinking about challenges in the real world and the business world. In many cases, you're working to mitigate challenges. So I think that has served me extremely well in the business world. And it's a valuable education for those who are interested interested in pursuing it, regardless if you end up practicing for your entire
Growth and Evolution of the Fund
00:02:17
Speaker
career. i really appreciated that training that I gained, and it has made a huge impact in my work today.
00:02:23
Speaker
10 years is a really long time. From the outside, i have to say looks wildly successful. i spotted you on the 500 female founders list. Congratulations. Thank you. Where you are at now compared to when you started 10 years ago, does it look like exactly how you drew it up? You're like, this is exactly the vision I had. it We hit all of these goals. Or did it evolve into something different than you expected when you started? In many ways, what I do is inspired by my journey and how important all of the resources, whether it was a scholarship to do something that I couldn't afford to do or a mentor I came across. So I knew there was a need. And the difference between then and now was then we didn't have a name, no brand, no... impact. It was just an idea. It was truly a dream of mine to create something to help others in this way. So today, to have 10 years of building what that looks like, and it's been such an organic process. We started out with that funding focus. That's why our name has Fund in it.
00:03:23
Speaker
we We're very much committed to continuing to fund dreams. But obviously, there are so many other resources that are critical to students during their educational journey. So it's been fulfilling to be able to expand and serve students in new ways. Our mentoring program, the way we run it, it's a virtual program.
00:03:39
Speaker
People can be based anywhere. Mentorship, sometimes it's hard to say yes to, even for our students. Everyone's so busy. So we really just ask for a very simple thing, 60 minutes of your time, and we're going to connect you with For so our students, a high-impact mentor, somebody who is in an industry you're interested in, and for a professional student who aspires to do what you do. So when you get together, you have that session that's high impact. So to be able to create something like that, that wasn't even part of the original vision.
00:04:06
Speaker
It's a platform that has allowed us to grow in some interesting ways. And for me personally, I'm a very creative person. i think I've really enjoyed that flexibility and to have my own kind of vision driving things and be able to explore things
Balancing Professional and Personal Life
00:04:20
Speaker
in new ways. Ultimately, nothing succeeds without others. And we've been able to bring in some incredible talent on our board. We have a leadership council and really our partners that we work with multi-year. They've become such an important part of us being able to get to year 10. I didn't envision that we'd be 10 years doing exactly what we're doing, but I had a sense that there was a need. And what we were aiming to do at that time was going to find those people that needed the support.
00:04:48
Speaker
The average day in your life is a hard question to answer, but what's a typical day in your life like? Well, i am a mother to two, that is an important part of who I am and starting the day out, really just kind of getting them off and hopefully settle for a great day at school and daycare. That is how I start. And then I really do plan each day a little bit, sit down, take time to really determine what are my goals for the day as a business owner. Owner, you have already like a very busy day of meeting. So typically that is how I spend a lot of my day is just working with my team, being in touch with partners. And then I do spend and try to carve out a little time for that creative side of myself. within the work that we're doing, working on new proposals, grant opportunities as a nonprofit. And then I have a time for myself moment too. i really do value my hobbies. So I grew up as a musician and I've managed to reconnect with that part of myself within the last, I would say, 10 years probably. I've joined a couple choirs. I'm here in the Washington, D.C. area. I'm in a community orchestra. I play the viola and I'm in involved in some community boards. So I really
00:06:01
Speaker
do try to and be involved directly in my community too when I can. You're an inspiration. And also i played the viola in school too. I feel like
Founding of 1000 Dreams Fund and Past Ventures
00:06:09
Speaker
nobody played the viola. It's like a low key secret club. It is. And my daughter plays it too. And I kind of told her because she's a busy person herself.
00:06:18
Speaker
I said, viola, you're always going to be needed. but There's not many violas. And so it's a little easier to continue to do viola if you're busy otherwise. That is how it's kind of worked for myself. But yes, I love being able to find a home for that background growing up. I haven't been really involved until recently. I've gotten into that playing again. It feels really good.
00:06:39
Speaker
Between graduating and starting the Thousand Dreams Fund, what was your career journey like? So 1,000 Dreams Fund didn't just come out of nowhere. i had been along the journey of the typical law student career path. I practiced at a large firm in the D.C. area.
00:07:01
Speaker
But alongside that, going back to law school, I had started with a few of my friends, an idea for a business where we would be serving similar life stage, college women, graduate women with advice. And that at that time really didn't exist out there on the web, a resource for that life stage. So that took shape in a website. It was called University Chic.
00:07:27
Speaker
And that was something i worked as a side hustle for a few years. It was Really intended to be a resource online, but also book series. I had a literary agent that discovered our website.
00:07:41
Speaker
We worked on a book proposal and sold a book that became a bestselling guidebook to college for young women called You Chic, The College Girl's Guide to Everything. And you can still get It it was a...
00:07:53
Speaker
Five edition, bestselling iBook to College for Young Women for many years going back to 2009. So by the fifth edition, this is around 2015, I had transitioned out of law and I was really pursuing that creative side of my passion. And and I had been working as a corporate social responsibility expert for a few marketing agencies. advising brands like USA Today on their philanthropy coverage. And so the books kept going and they kept selling. And I was like, gosh, I got to a point in my life like, I want to do more with this book.
00:08:29
Speaker
And what students need most, what I needed most during college was funds, like dollars to be able to pursue my interest. So that's really where 1000 Dreams Fund came. It didn't come out of the blue. it really grew out of many years of being very much in touch with the challenges that students face. Some ways that life stage doesn't change, but so many things have changed today.
Identifying Needs and Challenges in Resources
00:08:53
Speaker
If I was to do a sixth edition of that book, I'm sure there'd be a chapter dedicated to AI and what impact that has on students today in the classroom. But there are other issues on campus and such that are pretty similar and require, just as we do with 1000 Jury, particular resources to help navigate it. So That's how 1000 Dreams happened. It was just a journey, so to speak.
00:09:16
Speaker
It seems that identifying places where there's a lack of resource, whether it's advice and guidance or tangible resource like funds is a thread throughout your work experience.
00:09:29
Speaker
Do you think of yourself as a very intuitive person who's able to spot those gaps and understand what people or groups of people need to move forward? If you you're familiar with any of those personality tests, I think we probably all take some at one point in our career, but the Meyer Briggs, I know I did that a long time ago and I cannot remember exactly what I am, at least according to the rubric at that time. But yes, so I remember one of the points was like, I'm a big picture thinker and I can see through the trees and I'm like, yeah, that is kind of me. And that absolutely, i think, describes what we've been able to accomplish with the 1000 Dreams, even going back to that book.
00:10:08
Speaker
That book really did hit on a need at that time. And then even before that, my first nonprofit effort was in college. I launched a music volunteer program when I was in college that...
00:10:22
Speaker
paired students with kids in the community for free music lessons. And that was very successful too. So I feel like anybody who has an interest in making an impact through their career absolutely can accomplish it Whether you're tapping into something right in your own backyard that you can see so specifically and it makes it easy because you can see the need directly. or Everybody has that potential to make an impact. So I don't want to imply like you have to have a specific magical ability to see these things. But I think for myself, I would agree that I have been able to get a sense for the need that we've been able to build this organization to support.
00:11:00
Speaker
Right now, since you all are so in the thick of kind of the needs that young people have and what they're facing in so far as I'm thinking of AI, I'm thinking of a very complex, hard to enter workforce. What are some of the pain points that the students that you all support are feeling thematically right now?
00:11:19
Speaker
I think it's a sense of overwhelm, number one There are so many resources. We are so much more empowered than we used to be with information, access to information. it can be overwhelming. So I think being able to have that focus and then build a plan around that focus it can be challenging. Also distractions.
00:11:41
Speaker
Everyone's phones are dingy. We have multiple
Importance and Dynamics of Mentorship
00:11:43
Speaker
sources that we're getting updates from daily. And it's just, I think, really hard to find that space to focus. I think that's one of the biggest pain points.
00:11:52
Speaker
I think I read it's important for the human brain to have time of boredom during the day. Yeah. and that that just was helpful for the health of your brain overall. And I would say, i cannot imagine any of the students we're working with or any student really these days ever really finds themselves bored.
00:12:12
Speaker
You're constantly connected. And I think one of the biggest challenges is to give yourself that time to take a break, take a step back. It is for your mental health and overall wellness to be able to do that.
00:12:25
Speaker
And I think prioritizing those things during that life stage It's a habit and it's important to start habits young so they become a part of who you are over your lifetime. And the sooner you can build that habit of taking a break, being okay with being bored, creating space for that focus in your life, I think.
00:12:44
Speaker
those things could be so extremely helpful if maybe they were talked more about. Obviously, if if we want to get specific, it can be really hard coming out early career or college students. I think the percent of unemployed recent college grads is going up. I think that early career transition is even more difficult these days with everything you've mentioned, AI factor. Cutting through the competition. u students are competing with global students. It is a global economy. And so that is where our organization, our belief in the power of mentorship and actual real connection with people, somebody who can be that advocate for you. essentially not only just a mentor, but a sponsor for you and helping you through that transition from school into the workforce. I think some of those things are critical these days more than ever. And i think for those who are in need, those who are underserved, that is even greater because they don't start out with the advantage of having access to a family's professional connections.
00:13:50
Speaker
What do you think a good mentor brings to the table in these sessions that they run? What makes someone especially good at supporting and guiding the young folks that they're mentoring? I think just being present, again, going back to that point about distraction and focus, I think it's hard for busy people to take that break. So I think coming to the session with clear minds, maybe a little bit of time, we do prepare our mentors in advance who the student is, provide the questions in advance, give them an opportunity if there's a LinkedIn profile, so they at least know who they're connecting with. Do that preparation, even as a mentor. You're going to have a more meaningful experience if you really come at it.
00:14:30
Speaker
with that intent. And the recognition that mentorship can go both ways too. it can be very ah transformative for some of our mentors to meet young people today. i cannot tell you how many times I've heard from our mentors, how impressed they are with the students that they've connected with. They're so much more knowledgeable than they were at that age. So I think there's so much you can even gain out of just doing 60 minutes with one of our students. It can really be a transformative experience for both sides.
00:15:01
Speaker
Is it just 60 minutes one time? Like that's the full commitment or is it 60 minutes ongoing on like a monthly or quarterly basis? It is with one student one time. That is the commitment. And if there is a connection, we encourage people to stay in touch. We want it to be an authentic connection. And that has led to ongoing multi-year connections.
00:15:22
Speaker
connections and really friendships that have developed because we've encouraged that but not required that. Mentors are invited to sign up for multiple sessions. We will match them with as many students as they want to mentor, but we only require that one time with one student session.
00:15:39
Speaker
We just had a mentor raiser recently, kind of like a fundraiser, but we were recruiting new mentors to our network. But anybody is welcome to sign up to mentor at any time on our website. Or if you're a student, you can sign up to be a mentee at any time. The program is ongoing and we're always matching on a rolling basis.
00:15:58
Speaker
It's amazing. So if you're listening now and you want to do it, you can scroll down to sign up. I'm almost nervous to ask this question because I can feel the love that you have for both sides. But I will say as someone like I'm 39 and I've mentored some young people and managed some young people.
00:16:16
Speaker
And there is a generational divide around how we all approach and think of work. It can sometimes be challenging on both sides. Some friends and i who've mentored or managed work folks who I guess would be Gen Z, who are perhaps a little older. i guess it'd be Gen Alpha that you're mostly working. Yeah, that's my daughter's age right now. And it's like we're in such different environments. I graduated in 2009. It was like the economy had collapsed. it was really hard to get a job. And when if you did get a job, which I did eventually,
00:16:47
Speaker
the hours were brutal. It was like 10 to 12 hour days for a couple of years for something like 28,500 year. Like it was wild, but at the time it was normal.
00:17:00
Speaker
There weren't been a lot of options. And I think if I'm not careful, I can lack empathy with the young generation. Sometimes so I've had someone once say they couldn't answer an email at 515 because the bleed between their personal and professional life was causing them a lot of distress.
00:17:14
Speaker
And I was kind of like, I don't know how to respond to that. And again, I realized you seem to have so much love on both sides. I'm really not trying to talk trash about younger generations or say that millennials are all curmudgeonly
Engagement Opportunities with 1000 Dreams Fund
00:17:26
Speaker
and bitter. Do you have any words of wisdom on either side for like creating more empathy and understanding and good conversations around these things? It's like an interesting question. now And I've had things that I've seen happen with our mentoring program where a student will miss their session and the excuse is that they overslept. And they literally will say that to the mentor.
00:17:48
Speaker
I think some of that's okay because what's going to happen if they're not making a mistake like that, or doing something where they get pushback. I think the issue is they probably haven't had enough pushback in their lives. i Just being a parent, so a Gen Alpha today, we're very accommodating. And in some ways, we're like very good friends with our children, in which that's different than it used to be. in My parents' generation, their parents were more authoritarian, more scary, probably kept them in check more. So just their level of...
00:18:24
Speaker
manners and graciousness. I think some of that has been forgotten. And I think what can we do to help? I think put them into a mentoring experience scenario. Like they have to get out there and make these mistakes, get the pushback, learn. And I think over time, they're going to integrate into the workforce and kind of come to that general way of working with others successfully that we all eventually end up at.
00:18:54
Speaker
just through that normal human interaction, because it really is sometimes a question of manners that can be lasting because they never learn them potentially.
00:19:04
Speaker
I love that. I think that's a generous and like, okay, as millennials, what do we owe them? We owe them like gracious pushback and be like, hey, this is how we need to respond to this. And hopefully we need to also trust that they will grow and evolve and sometimes teach us things. And i appreciate that answer. Thank you. so for folks who are interested in your organization, we will definitely put the links in to sign up to be a mentor or a mentee. Are there other places we can send them if they want to learn more and if they're really like curious about the work you're doing and want to support it?
00:19:40
Speaker
One of the things I'm very excited about, we have a speaker series. It's virtual called Visionary Voices, and we're inviting professionals who are in the working world doing interesting things. If you're on frontier type industries and can bring that know-how and just general what I'm doing and how did I get to where I am type information. it is intended to be a workshop training opportunity for our students. So we are actively outreaching to professionals who might be interested in being a part of that Visionary Voices Speaker Series. We schedule these monthly and our team would be thrilled to hear from anybody who feels that they would be interested and could make a meaningful impact with our students through that method. As a nonprofit, other ways to be involved. I've mentioned the mentoring opportunity. We do have leadership opportunities too. So really one of the things love to see happen now 10 years in
00:20:37
Speaker
I've seen some of our early grantees, scholarship winners come to us from 2016 and want to make a difference. How can I get involved? Two of them actually created our junior board. So we now have a young professionals, junior board opportunity to get board level leadership and training too. So anybody from early career to college,
00:20:58
Speaker
executive level, there's a way to be involved. If our work sounds of interest and we'd welcome you to check it out and and to reach out, we'd love to meet you. Amazing. Well, we'll put the links to all of that in the show notes. And Christy, I'm so grateful that you took time to do this. I know you're really busy and I really admire the impact that you're so intentionally making and the work that you're doing. And I'm glad there are folks like you out there doing what you're doing right now in the world. So like, thanks for doing this and thanks for being such a model of this work.
00:21:27
Speaker
Thank you I appreciate that. And it has been a pleasure to be with you.