Want to be inspired?
Eight amazing women of power took to their keyboards, marshaling their women-supporting-women spirit and insights.
To share. To educate. To lift up. To inspire. To challenge thinking.
To begin the ripple.
If you missed their thoughts the first time around, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy reading the wisdom they imparted. (more…)
Today’s guest writer is Angie Mizzell. Angie is a writer, and the Director and Producer of Listen To Your Mother: Charleston. On her site, Angie shares “personal stories, interviews, tips and resources to inspire you to live a life that feels like home.” #8 in an 8-part series about women supporting women and change.
I am a mom of three children—two boys and a girl. My daughter, the youngest, is two years old.
Three mornings a week, I drop her off at the preschool. After the first day, the teacher said my toddler kept taking off her shoes on the playground and going head first down the slide.
I laughed, because I wasn’t surprised. I live with this happy, vibrant child (and it’s exhausting). I witness her free-spirited and fearless behavior daily.
But at school, she’s breaking the rules. (more…)
Mary Schaefer, today’s guest author, is a coach, trainer and consultant who works with leaders, managers and business owners—particularly those who need a manager-employee communication breakthrough or to create a positive, functional work environment. Mary’s mission is to create work cultures where organizations and human beings can both thrive. Mary holds a Master’s degree in HR and is one the the co-authors of The Character-Based Leader. #7 in an 8-part series.
“What’s it going to take?” This is the question posed to me and other compatriots by my colleague, Jane Perdue. What is it going to take to remedy the situations related to these questions?
“Do you ever wonder what women, men and society need to do so that…
Today’s guest author is Chery Gegelman, President of Giana Consulting LLC. Chery describes herself as a very ordinary person, an entrepreneur, a speaker, an author, a consultant and a first-time expat that has been blessed with repeated opportunities to lead system-wide change from the middle and the edge of organizations. #6 in an 8-part series.
About a month ago I got a note from Jane Perdue with an invitation to write a guest post for her blog with these questions as thought starters…
Do you ever wonder what women, men and society need to do so that…
…Women and persons of color are designated as a doctor, not “a woman doctor;” as a scientist, not “a Latino scientist,” etc.?
…Special designations aren’t needed in announcements, e.g.: the first woman to lead the federal reserve, the first female best director Academy Award winner, the first African American female flight crew, etc.?
When I read through Jane’s questions I struggled to see these questions from the same perspective.
After a month of turning this topic around in my mind trying to find a different perspective, my heart, my gut and my recent experiences convince me even more deeply designations and firsts are a good thing!
Here’s why:
Stories of FIRSTS fuel vision and drive hope (more…)
Today’s guest writer is Jo Anne Simson (J.A.V. Simson), a retired biomedical scientist whose unique passions are writing and travel. She is the author of two books, with her latest being Korea: Are You at Peace? Jo Anne blogs at joannevalentinesimson and Solo Women at Home and Abroad. #5 in an 8-part series.
How would you label yourself? Oops, I should have asked, “How would you brand yourself?”
I have to confess, I have become a tad annoyed with the whole “branding” theme, which has taken over virtually every approach to making ourselves visible in an ever more crowded internet world.
O.K., I get it that we can’t appeal to everyone. Giving ourselves taglines may entice those who share our interests to follow us and, if we’re writers, maybe even persuade some to read our work.
But shouldn’t we—who share the human condition—also try to broaden our interests, enlarge our horizons, and explore other parts of reality that are unfamiliar?
And what if our writing (or our personality) doesn’t fit into a box with a label on it? (more…)
About six years ago, as I emerged from the fog of having three children in four years, I found myself in an uncomfortable predicament. I had a master’s degree in Sociology and had always focused my academic interests in women’s issues, and before having my children I worked in the women’s health arena. Yet there I was, thirty-one years old with three children ages five, three and one, a stay-at-home mom with a total of four years of practical work experience behind me.
Upon the birth of my first child when I was twenty-six, and a year out of grad school, I’d decided to devote myself to fulltime motherhood. While my justifications were valid at the time (I didn’t earn much in my non-profit jobs, my husband traveled every week, and of course I wanted to be with my kids), something bugged me about the hypocrisy of not practicing what I preached. (more…)
