Ready for another inspirational dose of feminine leadership? Join us at Women Powering Change, July 14th at Mile High Station in Denver.
Women Powering Change accelerates the social impact of women creating a just world. July’s event will be an energetic and informative gathering of diverse nonprofits, innovative leaders, passionate philanthropists, and aspiring activists.
Watch the video from last year’s event here:
Plus, Emerging Women will be hosting four free workshops that you won’t want to miss.
Learn more about the Women’s Foundation of Colorado and register for Women Powering Change HERE. We’ll see you at Mile High Station next Thursday!
If there’s one thing I know to be true, it’s this: One of the bravest and most important things you can do to be successful in your business and hone your personal leadership style is to own your story, and share it with the world.
Dropping your armor and revealing who you are isn’t easy—but it’s necessary, especially if you are committed to living and leading in an authentic, powerful way.
Sharing our stories gives us the courage to dive headfirst into the truth of who we are, and to take ownership over our lives, our choices, and our unique purpose. More than anything, it lets us know that we are not alone. Our stories validate our core truth and connect us to other people in magical ways.
Sharing this truth sets the groundwork for personal and business relationships that are based in authenticity and acceptance. It ensures that we draw to us exactly the right friends, partners, mentors, team members, clients and customers. It helps us get to the heart of what we stand for and reconnects us to our intrinsic motivation.
As the founder of Women For One—an organization whose mission is to empower women from across the world to share most powerful, life-changing personal stories—I have enormous respect for people who choose to come out from behind closed doors and let other people see the world through their eyes.
In the last five years, I’ve worked with a global community of women who are courageously taking off their masks and baring their hearts and souls to the world. Along the way, I’ve picked up three essential tips for women leaders who wish to tell their story in the most authentic, powerful way possible. I’d love to share them with you.
1. Dive into your shame and secrets.
Most of us have secrets that we’d much rather take to our graves than disclose to anyone else. For close to three decades, I kept one of the biggest secrets of my life: at the age of five, I was sexually abused by my father. It was such a devastating experience that I buried the memory until my early 30s.
Saving face and hiding an experience you’re ashamed of can help you feel safe and in control (at least for a little while), but by doing this, you end up losing more of who you are. You become disconnected from your truth. In fact, when you hide the parts of yourself that are too difficult to face, you also end up hiding the parts of you that are meant to shine brightly.
More often than not, the things we’ve hidden away out of shame or fear hold the keys to our freedom. Counteracting shame doesn’t necessarily mean that you throw all caution to the wind and give other people the nitty-gritty details of your life, however.
All the same, the most powerful leaders are transparent about the experiences that shaped them, and they use these stories to illustrate their success and share the specifics of their breakthroughs with others. By being brave enough to go “where angels fear to tread,” and to drag our shadows into the light, we give ourselves and other people permission to do the same—and to heal in the process.
2. Be YOU.
The best way to share your story isn’t to cover it up with impersonal details or spreadsheets full of statistics that will drive home your point. The greatest gift you can give to your peers and the people your serve is your realness.
When you are open, honest, and vulnerable, you have the power to truly touch others.
Your vulnerability cannot be underestimated in its ability to inspire and mobilize people, move hearts, and change minds. When we offer others a genuine glimpse into how something in our lives affected us, we give them an experience that every single one of us craves: connection with the raw truth of another human being.
Think of the leaders who have deeply touched you. It’s more than likely that they are self-aware and genuine—that they are just as knowledgeable about their limitations as they are of their strengths. They are also consistent, meaning that they don’t put on a mask for the public and act differently in private. They embrace their mistakes as part of their wholeness. More often than not, they are willing to share themselves unabashedly, without covering up the details or glossing over them with the paintbrush of perfection.
“Perfect” is boring. But you in all your real, raw, messy, human glory? That’s the leader people are yearning to see.
3. Remember that we’re all connected.
Above all else, there’s one big reason you’re telling your story. Our stories serve to remind us of one essential truth: we are all connected.
In sharing your story, think of the people who have gone through the same thing and will be affected by your account. Also stop to consider those who have little to no context for what you’ve been through, but who are still capable of being touched and changed by it.
When we share our specific personal stories with other people, we assist in revealing the beautiful diversity of the human experience. We contribute to the gorgeous, intricate tapestry of history (and herstory!). And as leaders, we do one of the most important things we possibly can—we create and facilitate more connection, dialogue and community from our simple but profound act of self-disclosure.
If you’re ready to dive into the next chapter of your life and to share your story, you might be interested in Women For One’s debut course, Truthteller: A 5-Week Course for Boldly Sharing Your Story. By the end of the course, you will have a brand-new take on the stories that have defined you—and you will be ready to embrace your wholeness, harness your unique voice and leadership style, and show up in your own life in a way that is authentically you. Learn more about Women For One and the Truthteller course HERE.
Running a start-up with limited capital is tough, right?
You know you have a brilliant idea, and you know you could ROCK THE WORLD if you just had a little cash to implement it. So you shop your genius idea around, offering investors the chance to get in on the action. And then you start to lose your mind…
The challenge of raising capital for a new enterprise brings up many psychological and (dare we say it?) spiritual issues with regard to our relationship to money. It’s stretching me, inside and out. Sound familiar? Then check out these 5 Ways I’ve been reframing my relationship with money. Total lifesavers!
1) Lead with the Impact
In her recent book Sacred Success, Barbara Stanny warns: “Tell a woman she can substantially increase her income, and she may get excited about the possibility, but not enough to stretch beyond her comfort zone, a prerequisite for financial success.”
Don’t let money be your driving force. When I started to raise money, I was so focused on making sure that my potential investors got a return on their investment that I spent too much time on the numbers and too little time communicating the impact we were having in women’s lives.
The excessive focus on the money aspect of my business began to consume my thoughts and I started to lose my “juice.” Once I started to lead with my “why,” to help women actualize themselves in business and as leaders, I attracted more aligned investors and supporters that shared my mission, and I started to get real traction. But more importantly, I felt more energized and resilient, even in the face of “no.”
2) Do the Math!
Now that you have your priorities straight, it’s time to make friends with Excel. If I had a dime for every woman that has said “I suck at math!” I would be a rich lady. I am guilty of this myself – even with an MBA, I dreaded building my own financial statements as an executive and now still as an entrepreneur.
You cannot be successful in business if you don’t know your numbers inside and out. This is not to say that you should do everything yourself: if math isn’t your super power, hire a financial management company that can do your bookkeeping (because who has time?). More importantly, they can do financial modeling and projections for you (key if you are growing or scaling).
The important thing is that you understand your costs and expenses, and where your revenue is coming from. If you don’t know your numbers, the chances of reaching your goals are practically nil.
Understanding the economics of your business and the different scenarios that could play out are essential for forecasting viability, profitability and cash flow. You can’t reach what you can’t see, sisters, so roll up your sleeves and dive in. It’s not as bad as you think, and the confidence you gain from the visibility is invaluable.
3) Alignment is King (and Queen)
This is a discipline. If your soul desires and your financial goals are not in line with one another, success will not be fulfilling or sustainable. If you are looking for investors, partners, clients or customers, remember that you are also investigating the right fit for your business. If you take on a customer or partner because they have deep pockets, but they are not aligned with the depth of your purpose, they will cause you pain, and cash, in the long run.
“If your soul desires and your financial goals are not in line with one another, success will not be fulfilling or sustainable.”
When possible, make sure you have enough runway so you can be selective and discriminating when aligning with your cash sources – these are the people can help to shape your brand and multiply your revenue efforts, but only if you want the same things!
4) Keep an Abundant Mindset
This one is tricky, because often times when we are dealing with money, there is fear – fear that we don’t have enough or, conversely, that we will lose the money we have thus far. As women I think what we fear the most is that we will end up “bag ladies” on the streets without support or resources.
When we manage our money from a place of fear, we are less likely to take risks that could lead to wonderful opportunities and success, or we stay small in our aspirations and don’t allow for a more expanded vision of what we can do.
Here’s a little practice I do when I start to feel the walls of fear shrink my feeling of what’s possible:
Find a spot in nature with an amazing view – the top of a mountain, overlooking a vast body of water, anything that shows you the abundance and richness that surrounds us on earth. If you have limited access to nature, call up an inspiring place in your mind. Breathe deeply, take in the view, and align your thoughts with the vastness of the beauty, power, and abundance before you. This is a part of you, just as it’s a part of the earth. Own it.
5) Spend Time with People You Admire
Notice that I didn’t say spend time with other financially successful people. My husband and I have a wide variety of people in our community, and while some are wildly successful by traditional standards, many are successful in other ways: they have lots of close connections, they spend time outdoors, they create art, cook, and relish their lives.
Surrounding myself with people I admire, in business and in my personal life, has inspired me to be my best – not do the most – because I naturally want to emulate what I admire. When I come from this place, the money always follows.
*If you are an accredited investor and want to be a part of Emerging Women, please mail us directly at [email protected]
Emerging Women Live 2014 ROCKED THE HOUSE! I’m still processing all the magic and mojo that was flowing like crazy. Did you feel it? We have some beautiful images of the event that we can’t wait to share with you… and you can share yours with us, too (just upload them onto the EW App).
Some of you are already wondering how to keep this amazing momentum going, which is why I am so excited to announce that Power Circles are now open! Keep riding the wave of badassery by joining a monthly facilitated group of like-minded women taking the leap to create lives of deep meaning and impact.
I truly believe that there is no better place to create and manifest your vision than in an intimate circle of authentic and vulnerable women. Emerging Women exists because of the work that I’ve done in my personal Power Circle. I sincerely hope you join us – I can’t wait to see what we can all create when we give ourselves permission slips to do the work it takes to transform ourselves and our world!
Emerging Women is hosting another fabulous Power Party on May 22nd, this time in New York City at WeWork Lounge. If you can’t make it in person you can still participate via Livestream by signing up below. Please note that all tickets must be purchased in advance.
About:
Power Parties are authentic networking events that aim to bring together brilliant women ready to influence real change in the world through “the how” of what we do.
Power Party New York is designed to be a comprehensive event that will explore the dimensions of living the truth of who we are through feminine power. You will experience real connection, intentional circles, speakers, book signings, live performance and groove. The line-up for this event is awesomely inspirational – featuring Rha Goddess, Meggan Watterson, Wokie Nwabueze, Jenny Blake and Rose Caiola — all successful visionary leaders, entrepreneurs, and creatives who are trailblazing a new way of influencing positive change in the world.
Expect authentic sharing of what makes these women tick and how they were able to achieve uncompromising success by living the truth of who they are.
Register for Emerging Women’s Power Party New York HERE.
[ew-in-the-loop headline=”Sign up to stay in the loop for Livestreaming of our regional events!”]
Rha Goddess is a world renowned performance artist, activist and social entrepreneur who uses her artistic and motivational talents to heal, transform and inspire. Goddess’ work has been featured in international compilations, forums, and festivals and she has received rave industry reviews from Time Magazine, Essence and The Source, among others.
In her 30+ year tenure as a creative organizer Goddess has worked on issues of racial justice and equality, electoral politics, offender aid and restoration, mental health and youth & young women’s empowerment. Honors and awards include, Meet the Composer, Essence Magazine’s Top 30 Women to Watch, the National Museum of Voting Rights Freedom Flame Award, the Herb Alpert Hedgebrook Prize and being a US Cultural Envoy to Rwanda.
In her newest venture, Goddess combines her hard earned business savvy with her longstanding passion for social change to create Move The Crowd, LLC a professional development and entrepreneurial training company dedicated to teaching Conscious Urban Entrepreneurs how to “Stay True, Get Paid and Do Good.” Learn More>>>
Meggan Watterson is the founder of REVEAL, an organization that spiritually empowers women to connect to the love within them, reclaim their bodies as sacred, and become soul-led agents of change in the world. She facilitates The REDLADIES- a women’s spirituality group in NYC where women come together to encourage each other to find, hear, and to follow the courageous and audacious voice of their soul. (Some break bread together, REDLADIES break dark chocolate. Smile.)
To Meggan, being spiritual is less about learning something new and more about remembering what we have always known. She believes that getting spiritually naked is about having the courage to be radically open about the truth of who we are with no exceptions and no apologies, to reveal ourselves without judgment or shame.
She has her Masters of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and a Masters of Divinity from Columbia University. Her work has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times, Women’s Radio, Feminist.com, Feministing.com and StyleSubstanceSoul.com. Learn More>>>
Wokie Nwabueze is a communication strategist and conflict resolution expert who teaches professionals how to develop the interpersonal communication skills, confidence and presence necessary for success and organizational health in business.
Wokie’s dynamic approach to communication blends her 20 years of experience as an executive coach, attorney, organizational ombudsman, mediator and communication strategist. She sits on the Board of the Scheinman Institute for Conflict Resolution at Cornell University and has taught conflict resolution, communication and negotiation courses and workshops for Columbia Law School, Princeton University, various fortune 500 companies, academic institutions and small businesses.
Wokie received her BA in International Relations from Wellesley College and her JD from Columbia University School of Law. She is a certified mediator, transformational life and executive coach, NLP practitioner and conflict dynamic trainer. Learn More>>>
Jenny Blake is a bestselling author, career and business strategist and international speaker who helps smart people organize their brain, move beyond burnout, and build sustainable, dynamic careers they love. With two years at a technology start-up as the first employee, over five years at Google on the Training and Career Development teams, and three years of running her own business, Jenny combines her love of technology with her superpower of simplifying complexity to help clients through big transitions — often to pivot in their career or launch a book, blog or business. Jenny is an active member of the Young Entrepreneur Council, and is based in New York City.
Jenny created her first website, Life After College, in 2005, then released a book of the same name in 2011 that was featured in Target’s 2012 graduation display. She has been featured on Forbes.com, US News & World Report, Real Simple magazine, and has spoken at major universities and top companies such as Columbia, TEDxCMU, Yale, Parsons, UCLA, Google, Intuit, KPMG and Best Buy.
Today you can find her at JennyBlake.me, where she explores the intersection of mind, body and business. Learn More>>>
Rose Caiola is the founder of Rewire Me. She could have easily been defined by her success in the highly competitive world of New York City real estate, but she has ventured far beyond the boundaries of the business world. As well as being a real estate developer/property manager, Rose is a teacher, speaker, and expert practitioner of a number of disciplines that promote wellness—both those derived from ancient wellness wisdom as well as cutting-edge neuroscience.
In exploring the roots of well-being, she has become a Reiki master and an experienced practitioner of various yoga disciplines and mantra meditation. Rose has studied neuroscience, Tibetan Buddhism, and Chinese herbal medicine and received extensive training in neurofeedback, kinesiology, hypnosis, and Holographic Memory Resolution.
Along her path of discovery, Rose learned that people are often unaware of the many routes to optimum wellness. Her mission was accomplished when she launched Rewire Me in the spring of 2013, an instantly successful website community of seekers looking to heighten their mental, physical, and spiritual self-awareness.
Rose also works with Congressman Tim Ryan on initiatives involving mindfulness as a tool for helping children learn, war veterans heal from trauma, and corporate executives become more effective leaders. Learn More>>>
The Cave Canem Fellow is the Editor of the women’s anthology His Rib: Stories, Poems & Essays by HER and author of several books including her latest book of poems: Swag. She has released five LPs including the live album Sheroshima.
As co-founder of the Off Broadway poetry production, Jam On It, and co-producer of NYC’s 1st Performance Poetry Festival: SoundBites Poetry Festival, Mahogany bridges the gap between lyrical poets and literary emcee.
Her freelance journalism can be found in magazines Uptown, KING, XXL, The Source, Canada’s The Word and UK’s MOBO. She facilitates performance poetry and writing workshops throughout the country, focusing on women empowerment and youth mentoring.
She is the publisher of Penmanship Books, a small press for performance artists and owns PoetCD.Com, an on-line marketing and distribution company for poets. Mahogany is currently the slam host & curator of the Friday Night Slam Series at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe.
Reserve Your Spot at Emerging Women Power Party New YorkHERE!
Check out the Emerging Women Power Party in action:
Emerging Women is hosting another fabulous Power Party on April 24th, this time in San Francisco, CA at Parisoma. If you can’t make it in person you can still participate via Livestream by signing up below.
About:
Power Parties are authentic networking events that aim to bring together brilliant women ready to influence real change in the world through “the how” of what we do.
Power Party San Francisco is designed to be a comprehensive event that will explore the dimensions of living the truth of who we are through feminine power. You will experience real connection, intentional circles, speakers, book signings, live performance and groove. The line-up for this event is awesomely inspirational – featuring Kristine Carlson, KC Baker, Soraya Deen, Kate Purmal, Kristen Wheeler and Francesca Lee, all successful visionary leaders, entrepreneurs, and creatives who are trailblazing a new way of influencing positive change in the world.
Expect authentic sharing of what makes these women tick and how they were able to achieve uncompromising success by living the truth of who they are.
Register for Emerging Women’s Power Party San Francisco HERE.
[ew-in-the-loop headline=”Sign up to stay in the loop for Livestreaming of our regional events!”]
Kristine Carlson is an international bestselling author and a leading expert on love, success, grief, happiness, and parenting. She’s the NY Times bestselling author and co-author of Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff, Heartbroken Open and An Hour to Live, An Hour to Love.
Kristine is a mesmerizing speaker for audiences of women — especially those nearing mid-life. Whether she’s re-telling the story of losing her husband and creative partner, beloved author Dr. Richard Carlson, or the story of waking up in the middle of the night in the throes of a hot flash, her words ring with a singular message: You can be whoever you want, do whatever you want, and love whoever you want — but you don’t have forever.
Kristine has sold over 25 million copies of her books, and has been featured on national radio and television broadcasts, including The Today Show, Empowered Living Radio, The View, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Learn More>>>
Previously an investment banking analyst and legislative assistant to two US Senators, KC Baker is an international women’s thought leadership & public speaking trainer, speechwriter, and two-time TEDx speaker.
She believes that the key to positive transformation in our world lies in supporting women in unleashing the brilliance of their voices.
Her innovative work in the realm of new paradigm women’s leadership has attracted clients such as Microsoft, Forbes, BMW, and McKinsey & Co. Women thought leaders who have worked with her have gone on to speak on prestigious stages such as TED/TEDx, the American Heart Association and more.
Featured in the Wall Street Journal, The Daily Love, and Women 2.0, KC has been hailed as “One of the Top Planetary Changemakers” by Origin Magazine. She lives in Sedona, Arizona with her partner, David Hassell, and their son. Learn More>>>
Soraya Deen is a sought after inspirational speaker. She is master story teller and she inspires her audience to be authentic and know who they are behind their words. Her personal philosophy is that when we tell our stories we give others unequivocal permission to tell their stories.
She is a coach, an author and a lawyer. She has shared the stage with renowned motivational speakers and transformational leaders. She is a member of the world famous motivational speaker Les Browns Platinum Group of Speakers, speaking to create ten thousand voices of HOPE.
Soraya blends her legal expertise of over a decade with her uniquely diverse background to inspire people to navigate conflict and promote peace. A native of Sri Lanka she developed a deep commitment and love, to learning and practicing the Eastern philosophy of SEVA and SIMRAN.
She is the co-founder of Peacemoms and the founder of Peacewrks, a center for compassionate communication, conflict resolution and peacemaking. She has extensive experience and exposure in teaching Nonviolent Communication and Non violent parenting classes. Learn More>>>
Kate Purmal is the COO for an early stage stealth cell therapy company, and serves as a consultant, advisor and business coach to CEOs, executives, and entrepreneurs. An expert in launching successful new companies and business ventures, she has served as Senior Vice President of Digital Content at SanDisk, a founder and CEO of the software joint venture U3, and member of the founding management team at Palm, Inc.
Kate has consulted for dozens of start-ups and more than twenty large companies including Intuit, Hewlett-Packard, Handspring, Palm Inc., CBS, Verifone, and Clorox. She has also held senior roles in marketing, product marketing, business development, sales, and engineering at Interleaf, Grid Systems, and Computer Associates.
She was voted one of San Jose Business Journal’s Most Influential Women in Business, and has won two DEMOgod awards. Kate has been named to the Top 25 Women Redefining Success and has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Times, Inc. Magazine, Working Mother, Working Woman, and the San Jose Business Journal.Learn More>>>
Kristen Wheeler is a business consultant and executive coach who believes that workplaces should be arenas where people thrive while creating amazing results.
For more than twenty years, she has offered expert guidance on matters of IT, strategy, and leadership for clients like Arthur Andersen, comScore, WhiteWave Foods, and eBay. After starting her career with Accenture as a masked and depressed CPA and software developer, she started researching better ways to apply human effort.
Her work is deeply informed by three parallel paths: the trenches of business, advanced degrees in psychology and mythology, and her own journey to develop a work-life she loves. She has synthesized this unique blend of experience into strategies she calls Native Genius™. Native Genius Strategies help people and their companies understand, identify and apply an innate uber-intelligence to solve tough issues and get bottom-line results, while also cultivating meaning and verve.Learn More>>>
Confiding narratives and striking melodies illustrate the songs of Francesca Lee. Layered and lustrous, the music on her new full-length release, The Pieces Left, radiates from an organic center colored by electronic shadings and beats. As sonic light breaks through the opaque mist of a dense soundscape, the sound mirrors the drama of her locale: San Francisco, home to generations of visionaries.
Accepted into the prestigious Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) the college founded by Sir Paul McCartney, Francesca raised tuition money with street performances and personal fundraisers.
As a creator, Francesca incorporates an intuitive approach to songwriting. Attracting cross-cultural audiences is her trademark: the mix of acoustic roots and electronic edgethat she titles “Introspective Dream Pop” resonates to a wide spectrum of listeners including artsy indie kids and fans of serious songwriting. Learn more>>
Reserve Your Spot at EW Power Party San FranciscoHERE!
Check out the Emerging Women Power Party in action:
Sponsors
Chelsea Brookshire
Executive Assistant and Relationships Manager
Chelsea has over 15 years of experience in administrative and executive support. After her years of working in the legal and oil and gas industry, Chelsea has made it her passion to fill her life with creativity and incorporates that into everything she does. Her position at Emerging Women allows her to expand on that creativity and assist with empowering women around the world. She is a native of Colorado and enjoys spending time with her husband, her son, bonus son, family, and friends. In her free time she loves camping, painting, and all things creative.
Michelle Caggiano
Online Business Manager
Michelle studied Marketing and received her degree from Metropolitan State University of Denver. Her passion for marketing, combined with great attention to detail, and over 7 years of experience in the tech-world makes her a valuable asset to the team! In addition to Emerging Women, she is also a solopreneur and works with a number of different clients in the online business realm. She is an experienced Online Business Manager and Virtual Assistant who specializes in marketing operations, project management and online course launch management. She is a Colorado native, mother of two dogs, a cat, and a turtle, and step-mother to an amazing little girl. In her spare time she enjoys live music, good food, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family.
Jen Jefferson
Power Circle Administrator
Jen comes to Emerging Women with over 25 years of experience in event operations and volunteer management. She has worked various types of events as a Volunteer Manager for Integral Life conferences and as an Event Coordinator for various large arts and sports festivals throughout Colorado. Alongside her passion for creating and producing events, she worked as a hospital administrator for over a decade in one of Denver’s largest hospitals helping make care affordable to hundreds of patients. Jen was born in Lima, Peru but has spent most of her life in Colorado. In 2016, a year sabbatical morphed into a life living abroad. Jen has been living in Cusco, Peru for the past four years and cherishes her life in the Andes mountains. In her spare time she enjoys exploring the world, playing capoeira, and deepening her yoga and meditation practices.
Nicole Fegley
Director of Power Circles
For over 13 years, Nicole has been a producer and connector in the field of personal and professional growth and transformation, creating diverse content, life-changing curriculum, and exquisite live and online experiences. She loves to unite and facilitate people in their work to live more good, true, and beautiful lives. She’s honored to bring this diverse expertise to Emerging Women. For the past two years she has been the lead producer for Emerging Women Live, and now is bringing her extensive production, coaching and facilitation skills to EW’s Power Circles. Nicole works in private practice as a Certified Integral Master Coach™, through her company, Unabashedly You, and has worked with hundreds of women (and men) individually and as a group facilitator. She also creates programs and interviews fascinating teachers and wellness experts in her role as U.S. Content Producer for Conscious Life. She is the co-founder of Core Integral, an educational company offering a comprehensive and accessible approach to learning integral theory. Prior to this work, she owned a large and lively restaurant and brewery in Pennsylvania. She has studied extensively and worked alongside Ken Wilber (Integral Theory), Daniel Brown, PhD (Tibetan Buddhism, Self-Development, Attachment, and Positive Psychology), and Sofia Diaz (Hatha Yoga and Feminine Embodiment). She holds a Masters Degree from Lehigh University. She regularly delights in the sunshine and mountains of Colorado with her two dogs and her partner Clint, and is a new mama to her daughter Truly Golden.
Chantal Pierrat
Founder & CEO
Chantal’s mission is to increase women’s leadership across the globe. After earning an MBA from the University of Colorado, Chantal left a career in medical device manufacturing in search of work that would align her dedication to transformative leadership with her passion for living an inspired, impactful life. In September 2012, she founded Emerging Women, a global leadership and media platform that serves over 70,000 women worldwide and has advanced women’s leadership within Fortune 500 companies such as HP, Oracle and more. Chantal’s ultimate vision is to weave feminine leadership and authenticity into businesses, and to create a world where women have a strong voice in the shaping of our future. Prior to Emerging Women, for over a decade, Chantal served on the executive team as the VP of Sales and Marketing for Sounds True, a multimedia publishing company focused on spirituality, personal growth, and holistic living. Chantal is a sought after speaker delivering keynotes at The Grace Hopper Celebration, Wisdom 2.0, and many other stages where women’s leadership is critical to the conversation. When she is not dancing or working to empower women around the world, Chantal enjoys family time with her husband and two sons in Boulder, CO.
Kristine Carlson is an international bestselling author and a leading expert on love, success, grief, happiness, and parenting. She’s the NY Times bestselling author and co-author of Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff, Heartbroken Open and An Hour to Live, An Hour to Love.
Previously an investment banking analyst and legislative assistant to two US Senators, KC Baker is an international women’s thought leadership & public speaking trainer, speechwriter, and two-time TEDx speaker.
Soraya Deen is a sought after inspirational speaker. She is master story teller and she inspires her audience to be authentic and know who they are behind their words. Her personal philosophy is that when we tell our stories we give others unequivocal permission to tell their stories.
Kate Purmal is the COO for an early stage stealth cell therapy company, and serves as a consultant, advisor and business coach to CEOs, executives, and entrepreneurs. An expert in launching successful new companies and business ventures, she has served as Senior Vice President of Digital Content at SanDisk, a founder and CEO of the software joint venture U3, and member of the founding management team at Palm, Inc.
Kristen Wheeler is a business consultant and executive coach who believes that workplaces should be arenas where people thrive while creating amazing results.
Confiding narratives and striking melodies illustrate the songs of Francesca Lee. Layered and lustrous, the music on her new full-length release, The Pieces Left, radiates from an organic center colored by electronic shadings and beats. As sonic light breaks through the opaque mist of a dense soundscape, the sound mirrors the drama of her locale: San Francisco, home to generations of visionaries.
