Take The Lead is sharing your Power To Change Stories here, in our weekly newsletter, and in an upcoming ebook collection. Each week we highlight true, personal stories from around the world of how you are using your power to activate change. Together we can support each other in the mission to reach gender and racial parity in leadership across all sectors. Submit your stories here.
By Tania Luna
That first year of the pandemic was the worst and best experience for me as a leader.
At the time, I led a company with about 100 employees and 1,000 clients. The business was growing
every day. Then COVID hit, and our clients’ budgets dried up. We had no line of credit and our cash reserves were dwindling..
By Cindy Dunston Quirk
There are nearly 77 million dogs in the United States and I want them all to live their best lives.
It’s why I started my sustainable pet food and treat company, Scout and Zoe’s. It’s my answer to the big mega-corps who put profit before health, and money before sustainability. Did you know that the three biggest pet food companies routinely buy up smaller companies? This makes it harder to know where food is being made, who is making them, and what is in them.
Read MoreBy Kelly Fair
Black girls face threats of violence in all aspects of life — in their homes, communities, schools and beyond.
Domestic violence reached the forefront of the media with the story of Chris Brown and Rihanna’s violent 2008 relationship.
At the time, girls all over the country were sharing their thoughts about the situation. As I was conversing with middle school girls about this event, it was alarming that so many of them unanimously felt that the attack had to be Rhianna’s fault and she must have caused the conflict. The reaction became the driving force in starting the Polished Pebbles Girls Mentoring Program.
Read MoreBy Mackenzie Jorns
In a world where skincare often feels exclusive and one-size-fits-all, Protea is on a mission to empower individuals with #skinconfidence through holistic products and a revolutionary licensed skin care professional match service. Protea's mission goes beyond beauty; it aims to make skincare approachable and accessible for all, while making a positive impact on the lives of women in need.
Read MoreBy Veronica Maoli
I recently had the privilege of completing a landmark acquisition as part of the first woman-to-woman transaction of a Ford dealership.
When I joined my family business four years ago, Celebrity Motor Car Company, I couldn’t have imagined that I would be part of such a historic milestone as a co-owner just a few years later.
Read MoreBy Cheryl Dalton-Norman
In the early days of COVID-19, patients were dying because it took hours, days or even weeks to transfer them to a facility that could provide a higher level of care.
It was a problem that existed before the pandemic--and one I worked to solve for Mercy Health, now part of Bon Secours Mercy Health, when I co-founded Conduit Health Partners, a nurse-first triage and transfer service, in 2017.
By Angela D. Coleman
Back in the day, I was a classic Type-A personality. I was driven and organized and thought I was in full control of my life. However, this was an illusion.
It took a health scare to make me learn the importance of relaxation and letting go. Although I was the
picture of health, neurologists found a blood clot in my brain. I was in the hospital for two weeks and couldn’t move.
After I was released, I began experiencing chronic fatigue symptoms. Some days, I couldn’t get out of bed to exercise, work, or get my daughter to school.
Read MoreBy Alexia Leclercq
Growing up, I lived many places from France to Singapore to Austin, Texas, where I currently reside. While living in these places, I was exposed to the social and environmental disparities that exist in our world firsthand and through storytelling. My grandpa's stories about life under colonization, experiencing typhoons, and watching the negative effects of the petrochemical industry in communities of color in Texas are some of the reasons I became interested in the social-environmental world. .
By Jen Sidary
I was first led to visit Ukraine in November 2020, during Covid when some friends invited me to come stay with them in Kyiv. The "leap of faith" trip I took that day from Los Angeles during a global pandemic would change my life forever. I had been working in the fashion industry for three decades and didn't know there was such magnificent talent in Ukraine. I quickly discovered a fashion sector of talented young designers and I immediately fell in love.
Read MoreBy Aliyah Collins
In the environmental space, inequities can happen very explicitly or implicitly. They can also become so normalized, especially within communities of color, that they go unnoticed. My eyes were opened to environmental injustices after a personal experience of navigating a climate disaster in college.
During my senior year at Fisk University, a historically Black university in Nashville, Tennessee, I experienced a violent tornado that devastated the area. This experience of navigating the loss of power for days, struggling to commute to work, and finding a way to continue my studies was challenging without much support.
Read MoreBy Sanjana Paul
I focus on shifting attitudes in the technology space by harnessing hackathons as a form of climate action through the organization I co-founded and lead, Earth Hacks. At Earth Hacks, we believe that hackathons provide a unique platform for creative problem-solving and collaboration, which are essential tools for combating environmental and climate issues. Hackathons are historically programming contests, with roots in the open-source software movement. They have since grown into a mainstay on college campuses worldwide as a powerful movement for experiential education and community building.
Read MoreBy Aparna Pande
Time with family is a precious commodity for working mothers. We often plan family time and outings that are documented on the phone’s digital camera, saving these memories for sometime down the road. But those photos pile up! When we’re snapping away, hoping we’ll get a decent shot where everyone is looking, it can often be an impossible task. And then sorting through those photos later is often long forgotten.
By Sally Ann Nisberg
Have you ever been in a place feeling like everything was in sync, you understood and were grateful for having enough? Then, suddenly the rug is ripped out from under you, turning your life upside down and inside out. Spirits crushed, hopes dashed and faith shaken. I’ve been there and promise you will thrive. Breast cancer was my “shot," an alarming reality.
By Sarah Howell and Lauren Houpt
Being in a male-dominated field, we both have recognized how vital it is to surround yourself with confident, courageous women. Technology, specifically financial technology (fintech), is a career where many women occasionally find themselves being the only woman in the room. This can feel frustrating and intimidating, so we’re thankful and relish in a renewed passion for the industry every time we have the opportunity to connect with courageous women in fintech.
By Sandy Ko
I am the Founder and Principal of Customer Contact Women (CCWomen), and an award-winning intrapreneur recognized by Leading Women Entrepreneurs and named Insight Success’ Top 10 Most Ambitious Women in Business to Follow.
While pursuing a fulfilling career at Customer Management Practice (CMP) as an analyst and a producer of the world’s largest customer contact event series, Customer Contact Week (CCW), I noticed the need for a space for women and allies to celebrate women and to support them in their careers. This led me to create CCWomen in 2018, a community for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the customer contact space.
By Christena Garduno
Many female leaders who have quit their jobs in the past year say it’s because they were overwhelmed with work and are looking to minimize stress. Others feel undervalued and overlooked for management roles. Here are a few steps ambitious women can take to advocate for themselves and prevent burnout.
Read MoreBy Dr. Lakeya Cherry, DSW, MSSW, ACC
When I decided to obtain my Doctorate degree, I felt I was just checking a box. It was something I felt I had to do to earn respect and access more opportunities as a woman of color.
During my studies, DEI became my mission; I sought to tackle the racial leadership gap in the nonprofit sector.
My first leadership role was isolating. As a nonprofit executive, I saw racial disparities and was unsure how to navigate them. Additionally, I didn't know many people in leadership roles who looked like me and who I could talk to or learn from.
Read MoreBy Amanda Howland
When Covid-19 hit, my business partner Christian Kjaer and I knew that countless pets would need our help. With the knowledge that the unhoused population would have even fewer resources than usual, we created a nonprofit organization called The ElleVet Project - inspired by the name of our science-based CBD+CBDA company ElleVet Sciences - which provides emergency care, including vaccinations, surgeries, general check-ups, food, and supplies for vulnerable pets.
Read MoreBy Dani Speegle
As a pro CrossFit athlete, I spend hours in the gym pushing my body to its limits. I do it because it’s what I love. It’s what makes me feel strong inside and out, and that strength is integral to my identity.
But even as a top contender in my sport, I still have had to challenge antiquated female standards, including beauty. Take one look at the comments section of my Instagram page, and it’s clear that we still have some work to do.
Read MoreBy Nancy Zafrani
Frequently, when I tell people I work in the moving industry, their response is, “Wow, how exciting! Hollywood!” They think I said movie industry. Once I clarify, the look is always the same – a combination of disappointment with a splash of pity. Moving is not glamorous; it’s not a career that children, particularly young girls, dream about. It’s certainly not what I dreamed of for myself growing up in the 80s.
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