About
Services
Articles by Arezou
Activity
7K followers
-
Arezou Zarafshan shared thisYears ago, when I was a middle manager at HP, I asked a VP a question I still think about: "What pisses you off?" He didn't hesitate. Paraphrasing: telling him what I thought he wanted to hear was the fastest way to lose his respect. If I just echoed his own opinions back to get a gold star, I was worthless to him. What he actually valued was people who showed up with their own thinking; especially when it clashed with his. I've never forgotten it. It's why I don't want agreement from my team. I want their honest read, even when it contradicts mine. Especially when it contradicts mine. One of the best pieces of leadership advice I ever got. Thank you, Phil Schultz; still grateful.
-
Arezou Zarafshan shared thisShe'd flown in from DFW for a three-day conference with two kids under three. The Call Emmy sitter we'd matched her with for the trip had bonded with her and the kids beautifully, the kind of connection every parent hopes for. Then an emergency came up. The sitter had to cancel. We had a new sitter in place within minutes, every detail about the kids, their routines, their preferences, relayed from the first sitter to the second before she ever walked in the door. The mom was still in her conference session the whole time. She stepped out to find it had already been handled. **Her words: "Everything was amazing!! Y'all made my travel childcare a breeze. And the level of care provided when we needed a new sitter was amazing."** I felt proud, elated and validated... I started Call Emmy because childcare should never be the reason a woman turns down a business trip, a conference, or a career opportunity. It is a solvable problem. Moments like this are proof the mission is working. A 2020 U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation survey of working parents found that 58% had left a job at some point because they couldn't find childcare that worked for their family. Source: https://lnkd.in/gj_DpP6D Every family we support is one less person forced to choose between career and caregiving. That's what economic empowerment looks like, one booking at a time. #ChildcareAccess #WomenInBusiness #EconomicEmpowerment #CallEmmy
-
Arezou Zarafshan reposted thisArezou Zarafshan reposted thisEvery August, we watch the same thing happen to smart, capable parents: the school year starts on one day, and somehow all the prep gets crammed into the weekend before it. Back-to-school stress isn't a workload problem. It's a timing problem. New routine, new schedule, new supplies, all landing on one single day instead of getting spread out. Kids feel it too. According to Children's Health, sleep and wake times should shift 15 to 30 minutes at a time, starting one to two weeks out, not overnight. So this year, we broke it into 14 days instead of one chaotic weekend: confirm the calendar first (early dismissals and teacher workdays will wreck you if they're not tracked), shift bedtime in small increments starting two weeks out, do a practice-run morning before it counts, and lock down before/after-school care early, not the week of. The piece that still catches working parents off guard, no matter how organized the checklist: the in-between days. Early dismissals. Teacher workdays. The meeting that lands exactly when pickup does. That's not a planning failure, it's a childcare gap, and it's one of the reasons we built Call Emmy: vetted, on-demand care for exactly the moments a school calendar doesn't work around your job. If that's you this fall, you can book care directly at callemmy.com. What's the one back-to-school moment that always catches you off guard, no matter how prepared you think you are? Link to the blog in comments. #BackToSchool #WorkingParents #ParentingTips #WomenInBusiness #Childcare #StartupFounder #CallEmmy
-
Arezou Zarafshan shared thisI'm excited to be speaking at the upcoming Colorado Business Women Networking Luncheon on August 12. Over the past few years, I've learned that in a world racing toward AI and automation, trust is becoming one of the most valuable competitive advantages a business can have. It is the foundation of every great customer experience, every lasting relationship, and every meaningful brand. I'll be sharing lessons from building Call Emmy, where trust is not a marketing slogan. It is the product. We'll talk about: • Why trust is a business strategy, not a soft skill • How technology and human connection can strengthen each other • What leaders can do to build organizations people genuinely believe in If you're a founder, executive, or business leader who cares about building something that lasts, I'd love to see you there. Thank you to Colorado Business Women (CBW) for the invitation. I'm looking forward to a great conversation and meeting so many inspiring women who are building and leading across Colorado. #Leadership #Trust #WomenInBusiness #Entrepreneurship #CustomerExperience #Innovation #ColoradoBusinessWomen #CallEmmy https://lnkd.in/gxW5xPbtWomen in Business Events Denver | CBW Monthly LuncheonsWomen in Business Events Denver | CBW Monthly Luncheons
-
Arezou Zarafshan shared thisI came to this country from Iran when I was 18. I didn't grow up here. I didn't speak the way people here speak, or know the things people take for granted. My blood will always be Iranian. That never changes, and I wouldn't want it to. But somewhere along the way, this country stopped being the place I lived and became the place I belong. America gave me things I didn't have words for when I arrived: the chance to build something of my own, the safety to raise a family without fear, and the freedom to think, to choose, to be, to fail, try again, and eventually get it right. It embraced me long before I'd done anything to earn it. That's not something I take lightly. So today, I'm thinking about the 18-year-old who landed here not knowing what came next, and the family I now get to have on this soil. Proud of where I came from. Proud to be American. Grateful this country had room for both. Happy 4th of July.
-
Arezou Zarafshan shared thisYou all! Turn up your sound! I admit, the video was made by AI since we didn't have permission to film this adorable toddler. But...the sounds and her voice are 100% real. We recorded her while we were caring for a number of kids at the #T21RS (Trisomy 21 Research Society) conference a couple of weeks ago. And this maybe the sweetest thing you will hear all week! You are welcome!Arezou Zarafshan shared this🔉Sound on 🔉 Great childcare doesn't just support parents. It creates joyful experiences for children, too.👶🏻 This little voice says more than any marketing copy ever could.💖 #CallEmmy #ConferenceChildcare #EventChildcare #WorkingParents #BusinessEvents #MeetingsAndEvents #EventProfs #WomenWhoLead #FamilyFriendlyWorkplaces #FutureOfWork #CareEconomy #EventPlanning
-
Arezou Zarafshan shared thisOne of the best leadership lesson I've learned: surround yourself with people more capable than you; smarter, wiser, more experienced, you name it. Yes, that includes who you hire. It's uncomfortable. It's also the most accelerated growth you'll ever experience, no course required.
-
Arezou Zarafshan shared thisWhat does it actually look like when researchers bring their kids to a conference? Last week, Call Emmy provided childcare at the #T21 Research Society Conference in Denver and this is what it looked like. Not a waiting room. Not screens. Not someone watching kids in a corner. A dinosaur museum. A macaw on the 16th Street Mall. Sticker art. Magnetic tile towers. A teddy bear named Ducky. We keep our ratios intentionally small so every child gets real attention — and real experiences. My favorite parting line at pickup from EVERY child: "I don't want to go home, yet!" When parents know their kids are thriving, they can be fully present in the room that matters. That's the whole point. Call Emmy exists because parents shouldn't have to choose between showing up for their career and showing up for their kids. We're building the infrastructure that makes both possible. If your organization hosts conferences, summits, or convenings — let's talk. 📩 b2b@callemmy.com #Childcare #WorkingParents #ConferenceChildcare #CallEmmy #T21Research #WomenInLeadership #ChildcareAccess #Denver
-
Arezou Zarafshan liked thisArezou Zarafshan liked this#شاهزاده_رضاپهلوی : ملیگرایی واقعی، ایستادن در کنار ملت ایران و مبارزه دلیرانهشان برای آزادی، رفاه و بازپسگیری میهن است؛ نه دفاع از رژیمی که ۴۷ سال است جان و توان سرزمین ما را مصرف میکند. #ایران_را_به_عظمتش_بازگردانیم #MigawithRezapahlavi
-
Arezou Zarafshan liked thisArezou Zarafshan liked thisI can't even begin to tell you how much I struggled in getting my website completed thinking that I could do it myself! In participating in Mary's 12 Week Sprint, working with her and others who challenged but supported me, I was held accountable and felt safe. Am now happy to say that I am taking my last steps and should have this done before the end of the month! Mary always pushed me just enough to keep me on track! Am very grateful and know that I could not have done it alone! I highly recommend working with her!
-
Arezou Zarafshan reacted on thisWhen people show you who they are, believe them. Thanks Stan Hickory, for the ways you demonstrate support for the various entrepreneurial orgs in the ecosystem. Our Access Mode team appreciates you!Arezou Zarafshan reacted on thisHats off to Zaneta Kelsey and Kevin Allen and the rest of the Access Mode team for a fantastic demo day last night. Their 4th cohort to go through the accelerator did not disappoint. Keep doing great work and building the next great companies in Colorado!
-
Arezou Zarafshan liked thisLove seeing the FamTech.org community grow with founders who are tackling such different, but equally important, parts of the care journey. 🎓 Nathalie Brochstein – Karibu.AI 🏡 Charles (Trey) Williams – The Peds MD 👨👩👧👦 Julio Gonzalez – Parensure Holdings Inc. 💛 Emily Greenberg – Joy Parenting Club 🤱 Jacqueline Green – Humm Parenting Inc. 🧩 Javier Maisonet – Sensory Toolbox From supporting nurses and pediatric care to helping caregivers coordinate and giving neurodivergent families better tools, this cohort is a great reminder that care innovation can make a meaningful impact at every stage of life. Excited to build alongside you all! ✨Arezou Zarafshan liked thisEvery month, we’re inspired by the range of problems being solved across the Care Economy, and this month is no exception. Our newest members are building solutions that support nurses, parents, caregivers, and neurodivergent families with more personalized care, better coordination, and stronger access to support. Welcome to the FamTech community: 🎓 Nathalie Brochstein – Karibu.AI An AI-powered training platform helping long-term care nurses become floor-ready through personalized micro-learning tailored to each facility's protocols and procedures. 🏡 Charles (Trey) Williams – The Peds MD A membership-based pediatric practice providing unlimited house calls, 24/7 physician access, and personalized care for children from birth through young adulthood. 👨👩👧👦 Julio Gonzalez – Parensure Holdings Inc. A mobile caregiving coordination platform that helps families organize, communicate, and collaborate to better support aging loved ones. 💛 Emily Greenberg] – Joy Parenting Club A parenting resource platform connecting families with expert guidance, practical tools, and trusted support through every stage of parenthood. 🤱 Jacqueline Green – Humm Parenting Inc. A parent-centered care platform offering expert coaching, 24/7 guidance, and community support from family planning through early childhood. 🧩 Javier Maisonet – Sensory Toolbox A mobile app helping neurodivergent children and their families build self-regulation skills with real-time, evidence-based tools for ADHD, autism, and sensory processing challenges. We're excited to learn from one another and strengthen the Care Economy together. 💬 Join us in welcoming these founders to the FamTech community! And if you see an opportunity to collaborate, feel free to make an introduction in the comments below. 👇
-
Arezou Zarafshan reacted on thisThe group of founders and mentors from our 4th Access Mode Cohort was something really special!Arezou Zarafshan reacted on thisI’ve been to every Access Mode Demo Day since the beginning, and somehow each one is better than the last. This past Wednesday, the founders showcased meaningful solutions with thoughtful products, clear customer insight, and impressive execution. Just as importantly, they represented the diverse perspectives and lived experiences that make our startup ecosystem stronger. I'm a firm believer that the startup ecosystem gets better when talented founders have access to the networks, mentorship, and opportunities they deserve, and that's exactly the kind of community Access Mode continues to build. I’m grateful to have played a small part in this community over the past few years, and it was inspiring to see another outstanding cohort take the stage. Congratulations to all of the founders! 🎉 I look forward to continuing to follow your journeys and cheering you on. This is just the beginning. Avery Drake * Esther Davy * Jasmine Motupalli * Jenni Ojala * Jo Van Oosterwyck * Jordan Kengue * Okechukwu Nwamba * Latisha Scarborough
Experience & Education
-
Call Emmy
View Arezou’s full experience
See their title, tenure and more.
or
Licenses & Certifications
Volunteer Experience
-
-
Judge
Mile High Pitch
- Present 6 years 11 months
#MileHighPitch is the next big startup event in the Mile High City. We'll be accepting up to 50 pitch until November 1st at 11:59pm. 5 finalists will be announced on November 15th.
We've carefully curated a panel of trailblazers and innovators that have helped pioneer the
flourishing Denver startup community, to advise, judge, and ultimately select one lucky local
startup whose fortunes will be forever changed. It is the mission of Mile High Pitch to not only
help local…#MileHighPitch is the next big startup event in the Mile High City. We'll be accepting up to 50 pitch until November 1st at 11:59pm. 5 finalists will be announced on November 15th.
We've carefully curated a panel of trailblazers and innovators that have helped pioneer the
flourishing Denver startup community, to advise, judge, and ultimately select one lucky local
startup whose fortunes will be forever changed. It is the mission of Mile High Pitch to not only
help local startups succeed but to play an instrumental role in sustaining the growth of the area's booming tech and startup communities.
The winning pitch will receive $10,000 in startup capital from The Bank of Denver, PLUS a one year membership with The Bank of Denver Startup Lab, PLUS one year of free office space at WorkAbility Coworking. Submit your pitch and RSVP at milehighpitch.com! -
Member Board Of Directors
Persian Cultural Circle of Colorado
- Present 8 years 5 months
Arts and Culture
-
President - Denver Chapter
Ellevate Network
- 2 years 1 month
Economic Empowerment
We're proud to invest in the professional and economic success and engagement of women through the power of our network. Ellevate is a global network of 34,000 trailblazing women who are inspired, empowered, and connected worldwide. #InvestinWomen
Fortune 500 companies with the highest percentages of women on their boards of directors outperformed those with the least by 53% on return on equity, 42% on return on sales and a whopping 66% on return on invested capital. Yet women account…We're proud to invest in the professional and economic success and engagement of women through the power of our network. Ellevate is a global network of 34,000 trailblazing women who are inspired, empowered, and connected worldwide. #InvestinWomen
Fortune 500 companies with the highest percentages of women on their boards of directors outperformed those with the least by 53% on return on equity, 42% on return on sales and a whopping 66% on return on invested capital. Yet women account for only 16% of the boards of Fortune Global 200 companies.
Ellevate helps women succeed in two ways:
Connect – We’ve built a strong community of accomplished women committed to investing in themselves and other women, and we’re dedicated to bringing more women together to network and achieve their goals.
Learn – We’re committed to providing unique content, resources and tools to help women succeed in both work and life.
Patents
-
Method and apparatus for pen temperature control in a thermal printer
US US6325481 B1
Other inventors -
Projects
-
Connection of Retail Satisfaction to Retail Financial Performance and Forward Projection
-
Other creators -
-
Consumer Sell-through Dynamics and Projection Given Industry Maturity
-
Other creators -
-
Innovation Transformation and BHAG
-
Other creators -
-
Otterbox and Lifeproof Series Consumer Personification and Brand Positioning
-
Other creators -
-
Strategic Competitive Management
-
Other creators -
Honors & Awards
-
Colorado Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business
Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce
-
Certified Corporate Board Member
ACE Board Training for Women
Languages
-
English
Native or bilingual proficiency
-
Persian
Native or bilingual proficiency
Organizations
-
SheEO
Activator
-SheEO is a global initiative focused on building an innovative new model to finance, support and celebrate female entrepreneurs. The signature initiative, Radical Generosity, calls upon 1000 women per city to commit $1,100 to provide low interest loans to 10 women-led ventures that are selected by the 1000 women, theActivators. The ventures get loans and access to the women's networks, buying power and expertise to growth their businesses. This model will be in 1000 cities by 2020 loaning $1B…
SheEO is a global initiative focused on building an innovative new model to finance, support and celebrate female entrepreneurs. The signature initiative, Radical Generosity, calls upon 1000 women per city to commit $1,100 to provide low interest loans to 10 women-led ventures that are selected by the 1000 women, theActivators. The ventures get loans and access to the women's networks, buying power and expertise to growth their businesses. This model will be in 1000 cities by 2020 loaning $1B annually to 10,000 women-led businesses.
-
Ellevate Network
Board Member - Denver and Boulder Chapters
-
South Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce
Speaker at the Women in Business Conference
-
Speakers' Corner VOD
Speaker
Speakers’ Corner is a Professional Lifeline for the Frontline: a virtual town square for marketing and communications professionals to learn practical tools and share insights in our ever-changing profession. Hear Fortune 500 leaders, agency gurus and authors share tips you can use today. In an industry where change is the name of the game, how can today’s marketing and communications professionals stay current? It’s just around the corner. Speakers’ Corner is a Video-On-Demand series…
Speakers’ Corner is a Professional Lifeline for the Frontline: a virtual town square for marketing and communications professionals to learn practical tools and share insights in our ever-changing profession. Hear Fortune 500 leaders, agency gurus and authors share tips you can use today. In an industry where change is the name of the game, how can today’s marketing and communications professionals stay current? It’s just around the corner. Speakers’ Corner is a Video-On-Demand series designed for today’s busy marketing communications professional. Our subscription-based series offers insights by esteemed industry veterans who share perspectives and tricks of the trade to help you stay at the forefront of our ever-changing industry. Think everything from ramping up your public speaking skills to embedding analytics into your campaigns, Speakers’ Corner offers a fresh breadth of topics that appeal to the C-Suite, account managers, creative directors and everyone in between. Inspired by Hyde Park’s legendary Speakers’ Corner, the most famous gathering place for free speech in the world, our series sparks everything from critical business decisions to needle movement on key issues. Fair warning: it may energize a creative revolution! Let’s face it, we’re all over-conferenced, and webinars are hit or miss proposition. Speakers’ Corner is a game changer. Consider it the How of marketing communications: the corner where questions intersect with answers in real time. Designed to be a virtual town square to elevate our profession, this is a community to learn and share about the latest trends from CMOs, authors and industry forerunners who have been on the front lines. Season One focuses on four key areas that our profession has identified as our greatest need: Results, Engagement, Authenticity and Leadership, or R.E.A.L.! http://www.speakerscornervod.com
Recommendations received
31 people have recommended Arezou
Join now to viewOther similar profiles
Explore more posts
-
John Martino II
I was honored to be asked to speak at Salon Culture Conversation���s panel, “The Power of 50+: The Audience Segment Brands Can’t Afford to Miss,” with such a dynamic group of women. Here are 3 of my takeaways for marketers: 1. Stop relying on outdated imagery when depicting 50+ women 2. Strike anti-aging from your copy and focus on healthy aging 3. Talk about menopause in a way that helps women thrive At my company, synseer, we take these lessons to heart and are putting women’s health issues front and center as we develop our Agentic AI health coach. #women #AWNY #AWNY2025 #BrandLeadership #synseer Serena Saitas Carey Kyler Laura Hoffman Sharon Harris
1 Comment -
Tom Stacy
ATD Homes has formed a non-profit and is finding traction with lumber yards across the USA. How does lumber mix with beauty? On the surface, lumber and beauty look unrelated—but at a platform/capital / supply-chain level, they mix more than people realize. Here are the real intersections, not the marketing fluff: packaging is the Bridge (Wood → Beauty). Beauty companies are quietly large consumers of wood-derived products: paperboard cartons (FSC-certified boxes) Pulp-molded trays (replacing plastic inserts) Cellulose-based films Wood-derived chemicals (cellulose, lignin, ethanol derivatives used in creams, shampoos, and emulsifiers) 👉 Many “clean beauty” brands are under pressure to replace petrochemical plastics with fiber-based packaging, which pushes demand upstream to lumber, pulp, and mills. ESG & Carbon Accounting (Where Lumber Becomes Strategic) Private equity (like Yellow Wood Partners) increasingly views lumber as: embedded carbon storage, a Scope 3 emissions reducer A compliance asset, not a raw material Example logic: A beauty platform commits to net-zero packaging Switches from plastic to fiber Uses certified lumber or recycled pulp Claims carbon benefit without buying offsets 👉 Lumber becomes part of the balance sheet story, not the product story. This aligns closely with what you have been circling: turning commodity waste or slow-moving assets into tax-efficient, ESG-valuable inputs.
Explore top content on LinkedIn
Find curated posts and insights for relevant topics all in one place.
View top content