Empowered Women Series

You are a woman pursuing an impressive career in male dominated industry – don't let fear or frustration deter you from your dreams. In this episode Gillian Muessig, the CEO of Outlines Venture Group and co-founder of Moz, shares how she constructed an impressive career in the Venture Capital industry, and how you can do the same. “Be unabashed, unapologetic, and unafraid.” Gillian gives advice to all female entrepreneurs, not just those working in the VC industry. She recounts her personal experiences, and invites you to learn from her mistakes. Gillian touches on important topics like working alongside those who understand and share your goals and investing in women led, gender diverse companies and teams, and how these decisions impact the workplace for the better. While the gender imbalance in the workplace might be a fact, it certainly is not what dictates the outcome of your career! The keys to being a successful female entrepreneur reside in self-confidence and crafting meaningful connections in the workplace, and Gillian teaches us the power in striving for both. 

Being human means that we feel a wide range of emotions, and the most sought after emotion is happiness. We all yearn for happiness, but we don’t often think about how we can actively put in effort to increase happiness in our day to day lives.Michelle Wax founded the American Happiness Project, a country-wide movement to capture and share how everyday people from all walks of life are creating their own happiness, regardless of external factors. In 2019, Michelle took to the road, traveling across the United States interviewing ordinary people and learning about how they created happiness. Her findings, in conjunction with scientific research, inform her interactive seminars, virtual team workshops, and a video series called American Goodness.During her travels and interviews, Michelle found a common theme - there was a point that these individuals reached in their lives where they decided to make a shift or change. Maybe they suffered a tragedy, or they were stuck in the monotony of day to day life, but each one of them actively decided to be happy. Michelle pulls from this theme to create resources, tools, and workshops helping people to actively create their own happiness.This shift is already occurring in those who have heard about the American Happiness Project already, and Michelle is working to make a movement of happiness. For more information on the American Happiness Project, check out https://american-happiness.com/.

Most people open up their Instagram app to see what their friends and family are up to. Reshmi Menon goes on Instagram to learn about brands’ marketing strategies.Reshmi Menon, the Head Of Marketing at Suta, is a self-proclaimed “girl next door” who wants to make an impact and change consumers’ perspectives. She’s always loved marketing and has her master’s in the subject, and her habit of messaging brands on social media platforms regarding their marketing strategies ended up paying off when she moved from agency-side to client-side, now heading up marketing at Suta. Reshmi’s energetic and positive attitude has taken her far in her career, and she is not afraid to voice her opinion when it comes to marketing. When it comes to her career, she trusts her intuition and truly cares about being passionate about her work.We can all take note of Reshmi’s work ethic, spunky storytelling, and upward career path.

“There are tee shirts that say, ‘Underestimate me. This’ll be fun,’ and that was exactly how I approached life.”This snippet is just one of many learnings we gained from our conversation with Julie Roehm, the Chief Marketing and Experience Officer at Party City. Julie is no stranger to adversity and has been a fierce competitor and determined power female ever since a young age. Calculated yet adventurous risk taking throughout her career has shown her that things don’t change if you aren’t willing to do something different.Julie shares her perspectives on workplace culture, dealing with adversity, jumping into new industries with confidence and poise, asking questions and listening, and building a successful team. Her experience in industries as varied as automotive, big box retail, services, and consulting have laddered up as she helps companies stand out in a beneficial way and push themselves through their marketing.Exuding an air of confidence while also maintaining humility is a difficult task to achieve, and Julie does just that. We encourage you to learn from her insightful commentary on her previous experience and advice to women!

Whoever came up with the saying that “Fashion is Pain” should learn from Suta. Fashion can be comfortable, practical, easy to move in, and absolutely beautiful designs! Sujata and Taniya Biswas are entrepreneurs, change-makers, visionaries, and… sisters! These two fashion powerhouses are the Co-Founders of Suta, a fashion brand that combines India’s weaving traditions with contemporary style. Sujata and Taniya discuss their views on sustainability, changing the perception of wearing saris, and using their platforms of fashion and social media presence to bring impactful change to the world. They aim to increase the confidence of women worldwide while also supporting their vendors and workers as much as possible and instilling a mindset of sustainability. If you haven’t been following Suta before this, now’s your chance to learn about the empowering fashion brand. Take a look at their gorgeous designs and now you’ll get an insight into the incredibly thoughtful, passionate brains that back up the business!

It’s so easy to get bogged down in your day job and repeat mindless tasks just to get the job done. But what will take you to the next level in your career, and also in your personal life, is maintaining a growth mindset in everything that you do. Anne-Fleur Vaartjes, a Risk Analyst at Morgan Stanley, is living an adventurous, travel-filled, curious life and she seeks out opportunities to enrich her growth mindset wherever possible. She shares with us that having a growth mindset is important for your career but also to live your life to the fullest and make the biggest possible impact on other people. A simple way to maintain a growth mindset in the workplace is to listen and observe others around you - not only what they’re saying, but how they’re saying it, communicating, displaying body language, and emphasizing tone, explained Anne-Fleur. This will help you to build relationships, learn new skills, deepen your knowledge of your industry, and progress in your career - without even taking any extra time out of your day!We hope that you enjoy learning from Anne-Fleur’s career advice as much as we did, and remember - always maintain a growth mindset!

What do Forbes 30 Under 30: Science, MIT Tech Review 35 Innovators Under 35, and L’Oreal USA for Women in Science all have in common? They’ve all spotlighted Ritu Raman for her incredible accomplishments in STEM. And now Empowered Women Series has joined the club! Ritu Raman is a biohybrid engineer and a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Langer Lab at MIT, and she brings a fresh new perspective to the typically male-dominated STEM field of biology. Ritu’s innovation and critical thinking have set her apart in her field, and we here at EWS are particularly impressed by Ritu’s self-branding and powerful presence. This intelligent and well-spoken scientist discusses her background in STEM, how she grew up immersed in science and research, and how she would love to see more females in STEM. She also gets candid with us, sharing barriers and why she feels there are fewer females in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.Having strong female proponents within STEM is one of the first steps towards achieving equality in the field, and we extend a huge thank you and congratulations to Ritu for all that she has accomplished. She’s definitely someone to keep your eye on and learn from… she’s working hard to continue her successful career path!

Ever had trouble putting on your bra? You just couldn't clip it correctly, or it dug into your rib the whole day? Now, think if you had a disability and there was absolutely design consideration given to designing your bra... how would you manage? Inclusivity isn't a box to check on a corporation's must-have list. It is a mentality, it is the way you think about and perceive those around you. Let's improve our perception and help others improve theirs. If we want to succeed as a humanity we need to promote inclusivity in all parts of life. Emma Butler, the CEO of Intimately.co, is doing it better than the rest of us. She created a company that designs lingerie for female-identifying people with disabilities, focusing on functionality as well as fashion. In last week’s episode of Empowered Women Live, Emma shared with us what inclusivity looks and feels like for real and what we can do to be 100% inclusive ourselves.She explained the inspiration behind founding Intimately.co and how she is motivated by customers’ stories of feeling comfortable and confident in their new lingerie. Emma’s powerful dedication to inclusivity as well as her empathy for all make her a strong woman to learn from, and we highly recommend that you check out her company’s website, Intimately.co, where “Getting dressed has never been easier.”

There’s only so much time in the day to accomplish what you want to accomplish, whether that be advancing your career, growing a family, pursuing a passion, or whatever else. But sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own lives that we forget to make time to change the world.Anu Chitrapu is one of those rare women who has achieved immense success in her career as well as changing the world. This Bank of America SVP finds time after her 9-to-5 to volunteer with a number of global nonprofits, and she points out that learnings can be taken from both spaces to improve both corporate America and the nonprofit sector. Anu’s passion for volunteerism stems from her childhood, when her mother used to bring her to volunteer at a local orphanage. She didn’t even view it as volunteering; she was just making friends and building human connections! Anu shares three impactful volunteer experiences that she will treasure forever, showing the widespread reach of her efforts. She also discusses her perspective on empowering women and what being an empowered woman means to her. Nonprofits that Anu is deeply involved in are TiE Boston, Nyrvaana, American India Foundation, and Direct Action for Women Now. We highly recommend that you check them out and support at least one of them. Anu’s thoughtful and intelligent perspective on balancing her passion for growing nonprofits with corporate America demonstrates that it is possible to change the world, no matter how much else you have going on day-to-day. She exudes a personal culture of volunteerism that serves as an inspiration for all!

Here at Empowered Women Series, we believe that all women are strong women. Our inner strength and grit allow us to move mountains (metaphorically, at least). But for Empowered Women Series’ first ever live event, we brought you a Master Class from a woman who is literally stronger than almost everybody.We had the opportunity to partake in a Master Class in Coaching from Brittany Diamond. Brittany is the 3x 3rd Strongest Woman in the World as well as the founder of BDimez Training LLC and a sponsored athlete who has been coaching others around the globe for several years. She has been able to turn her incredible work ethic and passion into a coaching business to help others achieve their own fitness and personal goals. Brittany answered questions for all of you, Empowered Women Series members and followers, about her experience developing her own virtual coaching business. She also discussed her own personal learning journey as she discovered that motivation has to come from within and that she’s not able to encourage her clients through babysitting, but instead through personalized communication. Brittany talked about the pros and cons of running a virtual business in 2020, exploring the necessity for boundaries and time limits.Brittany’s high level of fitness and warm, personable manner have led her to be a successful coach, and her attitude of caring deeply about her community shines through in the teaching of her Master Class. We hope that you are just as inspired by her can-do attitude as we were!

It’s far too easy these days to get stuck in a rut of negativity. Even turning on the news could plummet your day into despair. But what takes real strength in times like these is spreading optimism to those around you!Lisa Tanzer is a believer in the power of optimism. This mother, philanthropist, and President of Life is Good, lives every single day in the pursuit of positivity and aspires to help those around her in simple ways such as spreading the generosity of time and having small, meaningful interactions. If Lisa is able to help somebody out, she will do so, and her company shares her strong values. In this episode of Empowered Women Series, we talk to Lisa about her career journey and how her and her company have managed to spread so much optimism each and every day. She tells us customer stories about changing “have to’s” to “get to’s,” and she truly believes in the Life is Good company “superpowers” (or values) such as courage, creativity, humor, and fun. Lisa’s advice is to focus on your passion because “if you love what you’re doing, it won’t feel like work, you’ll work harder, and you’ll be more successful.” Her incredible generosity, caring spirit, and always underlying positivity are crucial characteristics to learn from in order to spread joy to those around us at times when we need it the most.

Every once in a while, we all get caught up in our day-to-day lives, overbook ourselves, or lose track of our schedules. Society equates business to productivity, but sometimes that equation fails to work out. And this is where we turn to our trusted friends like Catherine Cheng for advice!Catherine Cheng is a double major at a prestigious university, a Business Analyst intern at refine+focus, a violist, a reader, a yogi, a runner, a baker, and in what free time she has left, she is a core member of the Empowered Women Series team. Her incredible level of productivity is astounding to the average person, so we decided to take some time out of our days to learn from our team member Catherine’s time management skills.In this episode of Empowered Women Series, we talk to Catherine about how she manages to balance her many passions while remaining a top performer and somehow finding time for self-kindness. She shares tips on maintaining a practical schedule, how to say “no,” and how to remain present and in-the-moment. Catherine’s warm and caring personality shines through as she pursues her passions each and every day, and her positive attitude is contagious. We can all learn from Catherine to form habits of practical productivity to implement into our everyday lives!

Becoming a lawyer or a doctor are two of the career paths that require the highest level of education, persistence, drive, and motivation. Imagine becoming both a lawyer AND a doctor… Aretha Delight Davis has done both with poise and grace in order to give back to her community.It’s easy to get caught up in everyday life and become stuck in a career rut, focusing on your everyday job instead of thinking big picture about your goals and aspirations. For Aretha, the decision to transition from her law firm to medical school was not clear cut, but she knew it was her calling and she decided to pursue her passion.In this episode of Empowered Women Series, we talk to Aretha about her nonlinear career journey and how it led to her co-founding a Boston-based nonprofit called ACP Decisions in order to help inform medical patients through videos. Her ties to the company are deeply personal, and she shares her inspiring and emotional story of creating the company with us. Aretha’s dedication to pursuing her dreams showcases not only her incredible intelligence and skillset, but also the importance of knowing herself. We can all learn from Aretha in order to become the best versions of ourselves!

Having worked at Bloomberg for 28 years, Fran Sharp is legendary at the organization. It is said that if you don’t know how to solve something, you go to Fran! Often we might feel like our softer skills, like caring about people, being nurturing or a “giver” might not be compatible with our career goals, or perhaps that they are skills more suited for our “personal lives” more than the “business world”. However, embracing these skills, along with our true selves (whatever that may be), can be powerful allies in building a career that we are truly satisfied with! In this episode of Empowered Women Series, we talk to Fran about the importance of knowing yourself and her simple yet extremely powerful framework to help you get there, as well as how embracing her own unique way of doing things, from always wanting to try new things to her innate gift for truly caring about others, has helped her build a life and career she loves. But the real question is: will she share the recipe for her famous brownies, with 8 different kinds of chocolate???

How many times have you said yes, when you really wanted to say “no”? From spreading yourself too thin to straining important relationships, almost everyone knows the consequences of not knowing how to say “no”.In this episode, our very own Purnima Thakre takes the interviewee seat in this invaluable lesson on learning how to prioritize ourselves, teaching us that by establishing our limits, we are not limiting ourselves, but rather freeing ourselves. From heading Empowered Women Series, co-leading refine+focus, being a fitness instructor, food blogger, and a thousand things in between, Purnima has mastered the art of fitting all the things you love into your schedule. The key? Learning to identify what matters to you, and saying no to the things that try to impede them. Unlock the greater social and professional freedom by being honest with yourself about what you can and cannot do, through Purnima’s framework on how to say “no”. By spending your time honestly, your time is better spent on you along with those around you.

“What do you want to do with your life?”Choosing the right career path is one of the crucial life decisions. Like all other life questions, this one too doesn't have an easy answer but fortunately has the right process. That process is an ultimate life-hack, it’s called Rotational Programs. Katie Martensen, an Associate at Citizen’s Bank Consumer Banking Leadership Development Program shares why she joined this program and how it has already expedited her career clarity. In this episode of the Empowered Women Series, we discuss everything you ever wanted to know about Rotational Programs or Leadership Programs. And most importantly how they fill gaps between college education and real-life work. Katie is a key member of Empowered Women Series leadership and we are immensely proud of what she has accomplished and what she will. She is graciously available to anyone who wants to have a conversation about Rotational Programs and know more. If you like it give it a thumbs up and share it with all the aspiring leaders, not just women!

In times like these, innovation and creativity are more important than ever. There are so many goods and services out there in the world to purchase, but entrepreneurs are constantly finding white space in the market to create new unique offerings. When there isn’t a product that already exists to solve your need, why not create one yourself?Tracy Snider found one of these white spaces, and she hit the ground running to create her own company. This extremely bright and creative entrepreneur is the founder of Sans Bottle, a reusable travel bottle designed to preserve the life of smoothies and juices. Her experience of purchasing a juice cleanse a month in advance only to run out of room in her freezer got the gears in her mind turning, and she embarked on an entrepreneurial journey to solve the market gap.In this episode of Empowered Women Series, Tracy shares some of the lessons that she’s learned from her entrepreneurial journey as well as the story of how she created her company.Her insightful commentary on how to deal with constructive feedback from customers, how to persist in times of struggle, and how to leverage an innovative idea to create a new offering will make you want to be an entrepreneur as well!

Life is full of unexpected, we know it better now. However much we plan, our plan doesn't always go the way we want it to. We all make mistakes and are forced to make hard decisions. And we are not alone. YOU are not alone. Many successful people had to go though this as much as we do, or even more. Like Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen. Even this award-winning CEO, one of the Top 30 Most Influential Women in the MENA region, and a Global Cinema Leader, even these three titles fall short of summarizing the successes of career. She’s nothing less than a powerhouse; she’s a role-model business woman with a strong leadership and determination. She too made mistakes and of course hard decisions. In this episode of Empowered Women Series, Debbie shares her experiences and stories of how she deals with making mistakes and hard decisions. She’s the first to admit that her career path has had some twists and turns, and her advice on how to succeed makes for an episode that you definitely don’t want to miss!

If you are currently socially distancing yourself and working from home. Thank you!Here are a few tips on how to make the most of this "opportunity" working remotely. Carolina Fowler is a Marketer / Creative Strategist and has made a successful career while working from home. In this episode Carolina talks about what to do create balance and discipline with all this freedom and responsibility. Her tips would be help you come out as a better version of yourself when this is over. You know when we are out of this world isn't going to be the same, we are all going to have some economic and work challenges. But thanks to Carolina YOU will be ready for it. Wish you happy working from home, happy listening. Stay safe and stay healthy! #workingremotely #workingfromhome #convid19 #career #careeradvice #success #womenleaders #womenprofessionals #women #empoweredwomenseries #empoweredwomen

Karen Ansara is the co-founder of New England International Donors and the Ansara Family Fund, and she’s deeply involved in global philanthropy efforts.She’s passionate, yet maintains a strong sense of flexibility by finding a way to be creative in all of her endeavors, whether they’re work related or family oriented.In our newest episode, Karen shares her tips on how to balance family and career. Finding work-life balance is a challenge that every woman faces during at least one point in her life. Although there’s no simple one word answer, Karen shares many relevant and useful tips that women of all career paths will find useful.So, how do you balance work and personal life?

Episode 19 is finally here! Featuring an award-winning CEO, one of the Top 30 Most Influential Women in the MENA region, and a Global Cinema Leader — even these three titles fall short of summarizing the successes of Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen’s career. She’s nothing less than a powerhouse; she’s a role-model business woman with a strong leadership and determination.In this episode, Debbie shares how she has seized key life opportunities. From making a 180-degree career change, to delivering a last-minute keynote in front of 300+ people, to growing as a professional and becoming a global leader in the cinema industry, Debbie has seen it all.Get career insights and motivation from a woman who’s not afraid to lead and take risks!

Not everyone knows exactly what they want to do for the rest of their lives, and Karen Ansara feels no differently. But that hasn’t stopped her from following her passion and becoming a driving force behind a global network of philanthropy!In our new episode of Empowered Women Series, Karen Ansara, the co-founder of New England International Donors and the Ansara Family Fund, discusses how to navigate the social impact sector and how you shouldn’t think of your career as a linear line.An extremely dedicated individual, Karen got her start in philanthropy as a way to conduct social change and become active in social justice work. She highly recommends putting yourself out there and making sure you’re working for an organization that’s somehow related to your own story. In her own words, “Get out there and do it!” What are your thoughts on philanthropy?How do you include philanthropy in your day to day life?

Chitra Lele is a world record-holding author of 40 books who has won over 70 awards and certifications. All before the age of 30.A multitalented, busy woman, Chitra can be found wearing several hats at any given point- either working as a software consultant, churning out books, writing research papers, or inspiring people through her well-followed LinkedIn.In our newest episode, Chitra shares her tips on personal branding - and why you shouldn't feel guilty about presenting the best version of yourself Learn ways to appreciate your self growth and enjoy the journey of life in our latest episode.What are your techniques in appreciating self growth?

Madge Meyer, Ex CIO at the State Street, a lifetime innovator, an award-winning author, a public-speaker and so much more. Very early in her career IBM placed her on a crucial space program with NASA, as a scientific programmer. She obviously has had an enviable career trajectory. When it comes to learning from others’ careers, enviable means a biggest learning opportunity! Madge has been kind enough to share her career secrets with us and tell us how-she-did-it. We often know what our dream job is but don’t know how to achieve it. Other times we are in one field of work and wonder how we can transition to another that aligns more with our passions and skills. No better person than Madge to tell us about how-to-transition as she has cemented her feet in different fields and used her intelligence and skill set to reach the heights in every goal she has set her eyes on. In this latest episode of EWS with Madge Meyer, discover how you can build a career as prolific as hers. Is there any field of work besides your own that you want to dabble in? Do you want an expansive career ranging over different fields or just one?

Chitra Lele is a world record-holding author of 40 books who has won over 70 awards and certifications. All before the age of 30.A multitalented, busy woman, Chitra can be found wearing several hats at any given point- either working as a software consultant, churning out books, writing research papers, or inspiring people through her well-followed LinkedIn.To most of us, balancing all this might sound like an unimaginable and overwhelming life. But with the help of mindfulness, she has formulated simple ways to balance it all and remain a kind-hearted person with time to help others.In our newest episode, Chitra shares her secrets of how she does it - to empower us to balance it all too. Learn the simple techniques of deep breathing, mind mapping, emotional tapping, distraction reduction, and other intelligent ways to remain mindful and grounded.What are your techniques in improving productivity and living an ambitious, yet peaceful life?

Another benefit of all these adventures? The people you meet along the way.Since the age of 17, one crucial reason Stephanie went on her trips was to meet and learn about different people. Through these adventures, she's had life-changing experiences that allowed her to understand cultures and religions she hadn't been exposed to before, shifting her entire perspective of everyone around her.In her own words; "It took me from being "country-centric' and 'ego-centric' to becoming more 'world-centric.' It makes me want to understand more- how we're in this together as a world, not as a country, not as individuals."Watch the third and final part of our series with Stephanie to learn about her incredibly wise words about travel.What have you learned about yourself while traveling? What is the most valuable lesson you've learned while traveling?

Imposter Syndrome is all too common a condition that many accomplished people experience; men and women alike. Imposter Syndrome is characterized by a psychological pattern in which someone doubts their capabilities and accomplishments, such that they often dread being exposed as undeserving or inadequate. Jody Seay is a highly successful woman whose diverse career experiences have been fulfilling and unconventionally versatile. As a gifted radio host, author, and more, Jody does not seem to be a woman whose work life had sometimes been inundated by self-doubt. However, listening to such a renowned person discuss her more personal experiences surrounding the topic is not only reassuring, but also deepens our respect for her. Have you ever experienced Imposter Syndrome? If so, when, and if you overcame it, how?

In her years of travel, Stephanie has travelled throughout the Arctic, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, and North America.While Stephanie has learned many incredible lessons throughout these travels, most importantly, she has learned how to be safe Listen to part two of her incredible story and learn about the tips and tricks Stephanie has learned from all her trips! What do you to stay safe when traveling alone? What’s one thing that you’ve learned from your solo travels?

Most of us have been mentees and some of us have been mentors, too. Mentor-mentee relationship helps us achieve our career and life goals, develop our strengths, and most importantly, the best ones create friendships that will last a lifetime. Dr. Bhakti More gives most effective tips on how we can create and maintain these relationships and have them work for us. Dr. Bhakti More is a master at this art. She has developed a mentorship program at Manipal Academy called Manipal Beyond Gender where she has mentored hundreds of young women and men to take risks and reach their potential. Her insights are invaluable and her passion for the subject inspiring. She uses her own experiences of a mentee to tell us what it takes to be a successful mentor and what a mentee needs to do to get the most out of this relationship. Which mentor/mentee relationship has been the most integral to your life? How has this relationship helped you the most?

Most of us wish we could write well, many of us want to write a book. Not many of us know how-to and where-to start or what-to-do. That's why award winning author Jody Seay, awesome person that she is, shares her experience of writing. So that we can learn and may be write a book on our own. One day. Jody credits her late mother for kindling her love for storytelling. As an accomplished author, she takes every opportunity to learn more about the people who inspire her essays and books. By taking upon a genuine interest in others and being passionate in everything she does, Jody has been awarded for a wide range of career successes.Listen to Jody discuss how to look for the “story behind the story” and how that mindset helped her create her newest book, Almost a Murder. The less obvious story is the one that “touches people’s hearts.”When we dig a little deeper, we often enhance our understanding of whom we are talking to, and we become better communicators. Armed with empathy, we may become stronger writers. What story, event, or article are you going to explore more deeply today? May be even write a story about it?

Are you an accomplished woman who wants to help other women achieve success? But don’t know where to start or don’t have enough time to do it? Most universities have mentorship programs and your alma matter might be the one where you start looking. If that’s not possible, may be you want to consider mature and successful programs at other universities like Manipal Beyond Gender. As an educator and a driving force behind this program, Dr. More has been instrumental in inspiring and mentoring hundreds of young women and men. She has helped them get jobs, guided them through personal and career hurdles, and most importantly prepared them to become leaders in their field.Watch Episode 9 of Empowered Women Series and learn from Dr. More’s experiences on how you can create inspiring mentor and mentee relationships. If you were to design a dream mentorship program what will it have? Share with us!

Stephanie’s passionate love affair with exploring the great outdoors has remained constant throughout her whole life, stemming from her childhood growing up in rural Canada. Since she first left home at 17, Stephanie has travelled throughout the Arctic, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, and North America. Surviving warzones and teaching students along the way, today she encourages women to explore the world and remember that the journey is just as important as the destination.As you read this, 65 year old Stephanie is currently on a three month solo expedition kayaking one thousand miles through the Yukon River. Listen to part one of her incredible story and learn about her current journey here! What are your thoughts and ambitions when it comes to solo travels? What’s one thing that you’ve learned from your solo travels? Or, what is something that stopped you from travelling by yourself?

All successful careers aren't fulfilling, however all fulfilling careers are successful. Jody Seay has had one of such fulfilling and successful careers, she has been a TV host, a star in Texas Radio Hall of Fame, an author of 3 award winning books and a professional rolfer. She is an inspiration in every way. Always deeply connected with her audiences. Her listeners trusted her more than they trusted cops.Makes you wonder how did it happen? What does it mean to have a fulfilling career? Here she is sharing everything that you need to know to have an awesome career and connect deeply with people. Do you know other women with fulfilling careers like hers? Please let us know and we would love to talk to them!

Have ever been called bossy? I am sure you have. If you are a woman who ever tried to get anything done (which is all women) you are called bossy, at least once in your life. Surprisingly this word is used only for women, and has a negative connotation. When someone calls you "bossy" it's often about their insecurities than about your personality or attitude. In a quick conversation today Annette Ballou, J.D. Strategic Advisor to the President's Office at University of Massachusetts, gives us quick and easy tips on what to do when you are called bossy. Please let us know what are your thoughts on how to deal with the situation when called "bossy". I remember replying I am bossy because I am your boss. How do you reply/react? Would love to know!

Sometimes you don't have the courage to speak up and sometimes you are shut down even when you speak up. Is the solution in you building your courage or does it have to do with your organization's culture? Listen to Annette Ballou, J.D. Strategic Advisor to President's Office at University of Massachusetts , she shares her thoughts on importance of innovation based organizational culture and how speaking up is foundation of it. What do you think we should do so that everyone has an equal opportunity to speak up?

Being an empathic leader should make you a stronger leader, right? Well, not always. Sometimes, it only results in loads of invisible emotional labor at work and at home. This emotional labor can and should be shared. Listen to my conversation with Sasha Feldstein of California Immigrant Policy Center to learn more. If you've heard last Thursday's interview with Sasha, skip the first minute. Leave a comment to tell us about your emotional labor. To hear more such interviews with Empowered Women check out our YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/2qnWC9m

Negotiating doesn't come easy for many women. The more we share our best practices, stories and proven techniques, the better off we'll all be.In this episode of Empowered Women Empower Women, Sasha Feldstein of the California Immigrant Policy Center shares her experiences negotiating. While Sasha doesn’t claim to be an expert in negotiations, her real-world, relatable experience & helpful formula will help you succeed. I've already started following Sasha’s advice. And i've seen the results. You will too when you check out this episode.In the comments below, Tag the most skilled women executive negotiator you know--we'd like to hear their wisdom, too!

As women, we often have to convince others of the value of our careers. How do we find balance and draw boundaries in our personal and professional lives?This episode of “Empowered Women Empower Women,” is with Yoselin Bugallo, the Director of Admissions at the NYU Stern School of Business. As a specialist in career development, Yoselin has learned a variety of lessons over the years—and one piece of advice that stood out to her was that who you choose as your life partner is one of the most important decisions you make in your career. We’re trained to look at our life in buckets that we keep separate. Everyone has a career bucket, which we’re told shouldn’t mix with our personal bucket. But we don’t really live in buckets. What happens in our personal lives and in our support systems reflects on our career. Surrounding yourself with a support system that can pitch in when you ask for help can be the framework for a great career. Believe you are worth the conversation. Believe you are worth getting what you need.Want to know what’s “Empowered Women Empower Women”? Read here: http://bit.ly/2Ynd4U8

The first episode of “Empowered Women Empower Women,” is with Naheed Chowdhry, the founder of iWill. With a focus on gender equality in the workplace, iWill helps augment, not reinvent, the gender-disparity policies of global leaders. Naheed emphasizes that the best way to shift the mindsets of others is a mix of data and empathy. It’s only when something becomes personal that you can feel the impact and the desire to change your unconscious behavior. She also points to the benefits of safe spaces, where you can open up and discuss experiences without being judged.When you have an idea, it’s important to have your voice heard. Communication is the one tool that can enable the creation of so many bridges. So talk with facts. Try to remove the opinion. If someone’s questioning what you’re saying, use data and ask for examples from them. Celebrate this Women’s Day with listening to Naheed’s effective framework for communication and sharing that gift with women you want to empower! Want to know what’s “Empowered Women Empower Women”? Read here: http://bit.ly/2Ynd4U8