Meet Candace Caskey | Co-Owner and Director of Communications at Vail Athletics & Career Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Candace Caskey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Candace, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
I am a lover of words so I always have a handful of favorite quotes at a time. One quote that I have been repeating a lot lately is “consistency = success”. It’s easy to get discouraged or sidetracked when creating content and building up a brand, so I am constantly reminding myself that daily effort, one step at a time is far better than doing nothing at all. I feel confident that if I continuously work at something, a little bit each day, I will be able to look back a year from now in awe. It’s not about what you do in one month of really hard work, it’s what you do day in and day out that truly defines your success, your discipline, and your character. The ability to be consistent says more about you and your potential for success than anything else you do. Two other quotes I love are “feel the fear and do it anyway” and “comparison isn’t only the thief of joy, it’s also the thief of dreams”.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I consider myself a multi-passionaire or a modern day renaissance woman of sorts. I am both an employee, a business owner, and a creator – and I don’t intend to stop any of these things any time soon. As a co-owner of Vail Athletics, I am responsible for our communications, branding, and operations/logistics. Vail is a sports performance brand providing the highest quality performance wear and reshaping the way athletes train. I am ecstatic to launch this summer and begin impacting our local community and the realm of athletics – we want to empower athletes on and off the field. I do not have a background in business nor communications, so I am learning each day as this business gets closer to launch and know that there are only more challenges around the corner. Through this learning process I’ve seen that I am more capable than I realize and perfection is not attainable but excellence is. I also work full time in Human Resources as a Talent Acquisition Coordinator and offer career consulting services to recent graduates through my business, Golden Career Consulting. I truly learn something new each day – sometimes the constant learning makes me want to go back to bed, but I know that I will be all the stronger, more business savvy, and intelligent because of it and will be able to help those that come after me by providing a unique perspective. I got to where I am today through a lot of twists and turns that don’t always make a lot of sense and can easily be looked at as wasted time, but looking back I can see that all the things worked together to get me to prepare me for what I am doing today and what is to come. I encountered a lot of challenges along the way, especially in the process of trying to figure out *where* I was going and what I was supposed to do. I’ve learned a lot of lessons but the biggest is that denying yourself the opportunity to simply try is the greatest harm you can inflict upon yourself. You have to keep going and keep putting yourself out there and become okay with failing forward instead of waiting for your ideas, your work, your business etc to be perfect.If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First, coffee at The Nook on University of Houston’s campus and a walking tour of the campus with a stop at the football stadium, the fountains (if you know, you know) and the school of architecture (for old times sake, of course). Drive through the Museum district with the windows down and take a walk through Hermann park then drive over to Rice Village and look at the latest shops and people watch on Rice campus. Sporting event: UH Basketball Coffee: for a nice, slow morning on the porch – EQ Heights, for the best lattes – Antidote or Grinder’s, for gluten free crepes and coffee – Melange Creperie, the best coffee in town – Fix Coffee bar, if we’re visiting an old college favorite for a late night then Black Hole and Common Bond for pastries, Retrospect coffee bar is also a fun outdoor vibe. Brunch (because that’s a must): The Dunlavy, Snooze Dessert: Tiny’s Milk & Cookies. Say no more. (order their almond milk latte along with a chocolate chip cookie – thank me later) Lunch/Dinner: Punk’s Simple Southern Food, Flower Child, True Food, Burger Joint, Les Givrals (dont question it, just eat and be amazed), Qin Dynasty in Upper Kirby, Truth BBQ, Ethiopian Food at the Blue Nile and warm doughnuts from Shipley’s on Main at midnight if we’re feeling wild Drinks: Postino Grocery stores: Montrose Market HEB (iykyk), Whole Foods on Kirby (mainly just for people watching and a bottle of wine and dairy free ice cream)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First, University of Houston football/sports medicine team – thank you for everything. You were some of the brightest years of my life and taught me what it means to work until a job is done and done well and work for the sake of passion and love, not money. I’ve never sweat more or laughed harder in my life. My best friend/business parter/real life partner, R, you are the reason I believe in my own dreams and follow my own voice. You keep me grounded and laughing, and empower and challenge me in the best ways possible. I’ve been trying to get you out of my DMs since 2016 and it looks like you’re not quitting anytime soon. To my parents: thank you for providing me with a foundation of hard-work, sacrifice, grit, good stewardship, and devotion to doing the right things for the right reasons. I wouldn’t be me without you. To the Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson, reading you was the first step to dreaming dreams and having the willingness to step out in faith. And to the Ultimate Dream Giver – I know your mercies are new every morning and you are my confidence and my peace, even when I resist it. You made me uniquely in your image and I know your presence is in my every step – because of You I can rise even when I fall.

Website: www.vailathletics.com ; www.goldencareerconsulting.com

Instagram: @vailathletics ; @itscandacelynn

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candace-caskey/

Other: You can also find me on Patreon! Search for “around the table” – I am providing community and content for recent graduates and young professionals wanting to build relationships, strengthen their professional skills, and land their first jobs and first promotions.

Image Credits
Kaio Media.