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 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.
Read MoreBy Carla Shade
As a healthcare leader, my central goals include increasing inclusion and fighting for women. My leadership style is to bring color and diversity into the workplace to build amazing teams of people who each bring their own experiences, insights and perspectives to the table and represent the communities we serve.
Read MoreBy Marjorie Radlo-Zandi
After doubling down on my values I led a successful startup, joined boards of promising startups and became an angel investor.
Years ago, founders Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark approached me about a top position in a little-known startup called Mosaic — the company that later became Netscape Navigator. I was thrilled at the opportunity. And I turned it down.
Read MoreBy AJ Jefferson
The Homeless Children’s Education Fund advances the education of youth experiencing homelessness in Southwestern Pennsylvania, guiding them to
be productive, empowered citizens.
The reality is the track to homelessness is cyclical and usually starts before someone is born.
The good news is there are hundreds of ways people can interrupt these cycles to create better opportunities for those trapped. Ensuring parents and students access high-quality education is one of the most critical interventions, as it opens the door to self-sufficient employment and other social opportunities.
By Carmen Correa
In a region where odds are overwhelmingly stacked against women, Pro Mujer helps them overcome any doubts they may have about their ability to transform their lives. In 2022, we provided healthcare services and skilling opportunities to more than 200,000 women.
Yet as importantly, we are bringing them into the financial system, helping them gain access to the funding they need to prosper. That is possibly the most powerful tool to fight poverty.
And that’s exactly what we are doing.
Read MoreBy Kiran Jade
I am the Founder and CEO of Wolven. We create sustainable activewear and swimwear and are committed to challenging the status quo of boring, generic clothing and the harmful impacts of the fast fashion industry. Our mission is to empower Gen Z and Millennials to make healthier choices for themselves and the world around them.
Growing up with Hindu and Muslim parents, inclusivity and South Asian culture have always been a deep part of my life. I spent my summers traveling to Pakistan, and fell in love with Eastern patterns, textiles, and sewing my own clothing. I founded Wolven as a space to bring together what I love most: self-expression, celebrating differences, and protecting the environment.
Read MoreBy Solunis Nicole Bay
Stories are valuable. They’re vehicles for our values, hopes and dreams. The power to change a story takes reflection, grit, boundaries and a strategy.
Stories are at the core of our beliefs and visions. We also use stories to build teams and enroll others in larger, collective goals.
My story has changed at least twice; I’ve lived three lives. Each time I was on the verge of change, one thing became clear: forced actions were unnecessary. Amid changing my narrative and that of my clients, surrendering to change and strategy were the best allies.
Read MoreBy Sara Curtis
I'm a professional skydiver. You may not have known that was a thing. I have a passion for inspiring women and girls to live bold lives of their own design whether it's skydiving or another big dream. Right now, I'm tackling one of my biggest challenges yet.
Project 19 was originally a concept created with the Women’s Skydiving Network (WSN) to build a 100-way Women’s “Vertical” (head-to-Earth) World Record Skydive in 2020 to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of a women’s right to vote in the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic put this mission on hold, but as one of the organizers, I am ready to get this thing off the ground – literally.
Read MoreBy Maria D’Avanzo
As a former chief ethics and compliance officer, I know firsthand the importance of creating a speak-up culture. Companies that value and encourage employees to express their fears, provide feedback, ask questions, report issues and concerns, and make suggestions without fear of retaliation are better able to identify troubling hotspots, reducing the financial and reputational risks to the organization. Such companies also benefit because their employees are usually more engaged, have trust in leadership and tend to stay around.
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