Laura Azzalina Rigali – Illuminating your path forward

Laura Azzalina Rigali is a bundle of energy, and it must be fun to be one of her students. She is an adjunct professor at California Lutheran University, in the School of Management and in a professional capacity she runs a vibrant consultancy called Illuminate CFO, leading workshops and CEO Roundtables. During our conversation she let it slip that she loves going Case Studies - think of it as forensic accounting. Digging in and understanding what the numbers mean. She loves the stories that the numbers tell her. She's particularly interested in the financial empowerment of CEO's. She has a lot of experience working with millennials as well and says that what's unique about them is that they're very mission-oriented. She talked about the 'power of the purse - putting your money where it matters,' as something they care about. We asked about the three surprises she consistently sees when working with CEO's. She says they are: a lack of financial knowledge (or fear of numbers), a lack of confidence (afraid to grow) or a lack of self-awareness. Now we know why she's also a life coach as well as a CEO coach.