#myPANAGO SUPERSTAR SERIES: ANNA ZISSOU
Meet our awesome go-getter gal pal Anna Zissou. Her unique interests and creative personality make her the perfect custom salad connoisseur. Want to get a deeper look into her world? Check out the Q&A below to discover her passion for entrepreneurship, communities, art, music, tasty salads and more!
What do you do/ where do you live/ what makes you tick?
I’m a wearer of many proverbial hats and always on the lookout for new projects. I’m a brand and digital strategist as well as the Founder of Cynefin Co (cynefin.co).
I’m passionate about helping individuals, entrepreneurs, small businesses and startups. Most especially in regards to telling their stories and developing their digital platforms. My main focus is to empower other people to pursue their passions as well as contribute to positive change in the spirit of community and social good.
Currently I’m working with the City of Toronto through the economic and cultural division to develop digital strategy in relation to entrepreneurial program initiatives. There’s all kinds of funding and other greatly beneficial support out their for individuals looking to start their own businesses. We’re working on making this easily accessible and creating a more organized online community. It’s an exciting project to be involved in, because there’s so much potential for change in more traditional processes and further encouragement in civic engagement, which is often a tricky area.
I’m in love with neo psych rock, 60’s french pop, french new wave films, floral prints, the smell of grapefruit, coffee, beach camping, breakfast foods, Parks & Rec gifs, hand lettering, black and white photography, Alison Mosshart, Jim Jarmusch, Bill Murray, Andy Warhol, Nick Thorburn, Aubrey Plaza, Noel Fielding, Chet Baker, Oliver Sacks, Nutella, green living, biomimicry, tumblr, astrology and the occasional dad joke.
Describe yourself in three words.
Creative lakeside flaneur
(I draw inspiration from nature and observing those around me)
What makes you proud to be Canadian?
I am a proud Torontonian and Canadian. I think of our culture as being pretty warm, open minded and friendly. Of course there are exceptions to this but in general I think we are a likeable people based on this alone. I’ve been told that Canadians are warmly welcomed in most countries internationally and that people love to visit Canada. Canadians are also interesting and adventurous.
Canada has such a vast expanse of natural beauty — forests, lakes, mountains, rivers, etc. We were ranked the 3rd best place to live in the world as well as the 3rd cleanest country on the planet. Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world’s lakes combined!
We have delicious maple syrup, ketchup chips, the best skiing resorts, and Niagara Falls. We’re ranked the second most educated country. We’re ranked the eighth most peaceful country. We have eight percent more political female leaders than America. Same-sex marriage is legal here. We’re ranked more free than America. We also have a low divorce and suicide rate. A ton of movies and tv shows have been filmed here. We provide paid maternity leave for all women. We embrace diversity here. I could go on…
Sounds like you’re super proud to be Canadian, just like us! What’s your favourite mantra, quote or saying?
I have two favourites that I live by:
Bloom where you are planted.
So much of life is out of our control or left to chance, but we can control the way we react. We can’t plan everything, but we can embrace any situation with grace and rise to any challenges.
Make friends not contacts.
Because I want to meet mentors, friends, thought leaders, dreamers, doers and challengers — Interesting people with cool stories and contagious energy. I want real connections, stories, thoughts, perspectives and I want to share them! Anything else just feels uninspired and lacking.
This second quote is the premise for a recent personal project — 50 coffees TO
What’s your food personality?
Definitely sweet and spicy… the hotter the better!
What’s your #myPANAGO?
My Panago salad includes: Grilled steak, romaine lettuce, red onions, jalapeno peppers, cheddar, roasted corn medley and, of course, cayenne hot sauce. YUM!
Find more of Anna here:
Twitter: @annazissou
Instagram: @_annazissou
If you’re ready to make salad perfection, share your creation on Twitter or Instagram using #myPANAGO and you could be featured on our social channels next!
Your Panago. Your way. #awesome