Re-Emerging My Activist Self: The Women’s March 2017

I was a Women’s Studies major in College – and in my junior year I marched in Washington DC at The March for Women’s Lives organized by the National Organization for Women.

It was amazing to see over 500,000 women, men, and children marching in solidarity for the human rights and reproductive rights of women. It energized and inspired me, and shaped the work I do to this day.

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(Photo by Barbara Alper/Getty Images)

I was absolutely an activist in my 20’s. But my 30’s? Not so much. My focus turned toward my personal future as I reached toward the female American dream: a partner I loved, 1.5 kids, a house in a good neighborhood, and a career that was meaningful and earned a decent salary.

Four years ago I started saying to myself, “I used to be such an activist… what happened?” I think I eschewed the word because I linked it to anger. But in retrospect, I don’t remember feeling angry – I felt alive and vital. As Brené Brown puts it, I felt like I was in the arena.

Now in my 40’s (ok, late 40’s, but who’s counting?) I realize that no matter how much of the American dream I have, it is a short-lived fulfillment. How can I feel satisfied while so much of humanity struggles to get their most basic needs met, while our ecosystem deteriorates under our negligence and greed, and while women and girls around the world continue to be the target of heinous crimes?

The same goes for personal growth. I have spent the last two decades finding myself, healing old wounds, using awareness practices to out-create deep-seeded psychological patterning. I am a better person for it – thank GODDESS for therapy – and I feel that I could spend my life working on my own personal evolution (is there ever an end to it?).

But I want to go beyond me. It is my wish that every human being has the luxury of working towards their fullest self-expression in this lifetime, just like I do.

So I can’t stop at my life. I need to fight for the lives of everyone around me. I need to speak up for those whose voices cannot be heard. I need to use the inner and outer power that I have accumulated through my personal work to make the way for a more sustainable future for all.

And so this weekend, I will march again. And I do not march alone. I’ll be joining thousands of Coloradans at the Women’s March on Denver to show my commitment to social justice, human rights, and equality. If you’re in Denver, I hope you’ll join the Emerging Women group – we’re meeting at the downtown Sheraton at 8:30am.

This sister march to the Women’s March on Washington is our opportunity to send a message: we are connected, powerful, and will fiercely advocate for marginalized groups to ensure a compassionate and just world.

Not in the Denver area? Check and see if a city near you is hosting a march (at the time of this post there are over 600 scheduled). We will show up all over the nation, and our numbers will speak for themselves. We are half the population, and we will not be ignored. I can’t wait to connect with you, and re-connect with my young activist self. Now is the time, sisters. Let’s show ’em our strength!

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PS – In true Emerging Women Live fashion, we will finish the day with embodied feminine power, aka dance party, at the Colorado Blue Ball – A Ball for All. I hope you are able to do the same with the soul sisters who keep your fire bright!

Juicy Bites: The Courage to Challenge Expectations

“Woman must not accept; she must challenge. She must not be awed by that which has been built up around her; she must reverence that woman in her which struggles for expression.” ~ Margaret Sanger

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” ~ Anais Nin

This week in Juicy Bites, we discover:

  • A woman challenges the pressure to start a family
  • The women Michelle Obama honored for their extraordinary courage
  • 10 ways we can lead with courage
  • How to challenge the way society describes successful women
  • A feminine approach to feminism
  • Bella Abzug, lifelong activist, leader and hero

At the end of this post, we encourage you to join us for a conversation. This week’s Juicy Bites question for you, dear emerging women, is:

1. Life Once Removed via Suzanne Heintz

Check out Suzanne Heintz’s answer to the annoying and limiting question “Why aren’t you married?” The Denver-based art director’s photos are truly worth a thousand words to challenge the outdated but frequently implied notion that a woman without a husband and kids is somehow suspect.

 

“Do we live our lives with a keen awareness of how it feels, or just how it looks?” – Suzanne Heintz

 

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2. U.S. Honors Extraordinary International Women of Courage via Mashable

March 8th marked the 103rd anniversary of International Women’s Day. In celebration, Michelle Obama presented the 2014 Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award to 10 exceptional women, whose work and achievements, often in the face of personal risk, serve as an inspiration to women worldwide.

 

“While our circumstances may be different, in so many ways the solutions to our struggles are the same. So when we see these women raise their voices and move their feet and empower others to create change, we need to realize that each of us has that same power and that same obligation.” – Michelle Obama

 

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3. Lead With Courage: 10 Lessons From Women At The Top On Closing The Gender Gap  via Forbes

Using specific examples from women she’s met in her own career path, Margie Warrell shares 10 inspirational insights on courageous feminine leadership, from “Don’t go it alone” to “Lift as you climb.”

 

“I firmly believe that only when we women born in the western world step up to the leadership plate, and refuse to cower in the face of fear or failure, can we hope to permanently close that gap and create a more equitable world for the millions of women who have none of the opportunity we so easily take for granted.”

 

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4. How to Write About Female Politicians Without Being a Sexist Sh*thead via Jezebel

A few weeks ago, you emerging women started an awesome conversation about the power of words here. In the same spirit, with an added dose of humor, Lindy West challenges publications to be mindful of their language, and to dissolve the damaging double standards applied to news coverage of female politicians.

 

“Here, I made a template (just fill in the blanks and your article is done!): NEWS REPORT: [Female Politician] did [politics] today. [Describe politics.] THE END”

 

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5. Ms. Opinionated: Am I a Bad Feminist if I Don’t Take a Stand on Every Issue? via bitchmagazine

In this advice column, Sydette Harry challenges the expectation that a feminist should have a decisive stand on every feminist issue. We appreciate this reminder to bring a feminine edge to feminism.

 

“Remember that you become a feminist to love people and support them and to challenge the systems that don’t. That’s the important thing: Not what someone call themselves, not whether they have all the correct opinions, but how they’re working to make a better life for women.”

 

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6.  My MAKERS Hero: Bella Abzug via MAKERS

Suzanne Braun Levine, author and first editor of Ms. Magazine, tells Makers about her hero, Bella Abzug, “an activist and leader in every major social movement of her lifetime,” and a woman who truly, outspokenly, lived her truth every day.

 

“She didn’t knock lightly on the door. She didn’t even push it open or batter it down. She took it off the hinges forever. So that those of us who came after could walk through.” – Geraldine Ferraro

 

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We are excited to start a conversation and learn more from YOU, dear emerging women. Please join in with a comment below:

Like what you’re hearing? Dive deeper with us this October at Emerging Women Live 2014. Register before July 31st to enjoy deep discounts.

Juicy Bites: Connecting with Your Authentic Self

It’s the alignment that creates the blossom, the alignment that creates the energy of emergence. Every moment you make a choice to align with the truth of who you are, you’re making tiny little emergences towards your authentic self. You know, in your life, when you’re aligned with your values and when you’re not. Let’s work on strengthening that knowledge and fueling that emergence together!

This week in Juicy Bites, we discover:

 

  • Why it’s important to be true to ourselves
  • How our 6th sense can help us align with our most authentic selves
  • Why Jane Fonda is switching to waterproof mascara
  • How daring to be different can lead to success
  • A call to put your true self out there NOW from Elizabeth Gilbert

At the end of this post, we encourage you to join us for a conversation. This week’s Juicy Bites question for you, dear emerging women, is:

1. How to be your authentic self via aQuarius

 
It can be confusing and disorienting to discover you’ve become out of alignment with your true self. But the important thing is to stay on the path, and know that there are others who are making the same powerful journey. This article highlights changes in self and society that occur as we turn our attention towards authenticity.

 

“It is OK to lose your equilibrium when others think your life should be smooth sailing. It is OK to question your life’s purpose. It’s OK to say, ‘I don’t know who I am.’ It is better to ask the questions and seek the answers than to live a numb life. Sometimes you have to lose yourself to find yourself. Some call this a mid-life crisis… I call it the Heroine’s Journey.” – Marcia Reynolds

 

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2. Interview with Sonia Choquette: Raising Six Sensory Kids in a Five Sensory World via Mindful Parenting

 
Sonia Choquette, speaker at Power Party Chicago, April 10, 2014 is a transformational visionary guide, known for her delightful humor and skill in quickly shifting people out of difficulty and into flow. In this interview, she shares her thoughts on helping children (and grown-ups) listen to their truest selves, along with some practices to enhance our sixth sense, intuition.

 

“When you are connected to your Spirit and intuition, you don’t get caught up in the noise of the world. You’re able to differentiate between your authentic voice and everyone else’s.” – Sonia Choquette

 

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3. CRYING via Jane Fonda

 
Many emotions wait for us on the road to authenticity. In her beautiful blog post, Jane Fonda talks about how she is touched by these emotions living closer and closer to the surface as she grows older.

 

“I’ve listed sad things but what startles me even more is how I get emotional about nice things… Maybe because I’m older my heart is wider open, like a net that wants to catch all the things that matter.” – Jane Fonda

 

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4. ‘I Have Been Told That I’m Different’ via The New York Times

 
We’ve all wondered, as we work towards self-alignment, ‘what if what emerges is too freaky for people to accept?’ If you’ve ever felt that way, take inspiration from Alison Chung, who never compromised her authentic self to conform to society’s expectations and now runs an awesomely unique tech detective agency.

 

“I have been told that I’m different, that I’m wildly eccentric and I think some of that might be true. I am proud of that.” – Alison Chung

 

Continue Reading…

5.  Elizabeth Gilbert’s Advice to Women: Get Out of Your Own Way via The Shriver Report

 
After Emerging Women Live 2013, getting advice from Elizabeth Gilbert feels like getting advice from a most trusted friend. Here, she reiterates her belief that perfectionism never kept men from “putting it out there,” so women can’t let that stop them either. As we take those “Frankenstein steps” toward our authentic selves, it may not be pretty, but it is progress.

 

“Step forward out of your own lingering residual sense of smallness, take up every inch of life that is your blessed inheritance, and DO YOUR THING.” – Elizabeth Gilbert

 

Continue Reading…

We are excited to start a conversation and learn more from YOU, dear emerging women. Please join in with a comment below:

Like what you’re hearing? Dive deeper with us this October at Emerging Women Live 2014. Register now for Early Bird perks!

Power Party Chicago, April 10, 2014

Emerging Women is proud to announce the relaunch of our Regional Events. We are excited to kick-start our Power Parties season with Power Party Chicago on April 10th at Tech Nexus. 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 Chicago 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 absolutely phenomenal – featuring  Christine AryloSonia ChoquetteSara Connell, Betsy SobiechJulie Murphy Casserly, and Dawn Bless, 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 Chicago HERE.

 

[ew-in-the-loop headline=”Sign up to stay in the loop for Livestreaming of our regional events!”]
 

Speakers:

 

Sonia Choquette

 

Sonia Choquette is a globally celebrated and dynamic spiritual teacher, six-sensory consultant, enchanting storyteller, and transformational visionary guide, known for her delightful humor and skill in quickly shifting people out of difficulty and into flow. She is the author of 19 international bestselling books on intuitive awakening, personal growth, creativity, and transformational leadership, including the New York Times bestseller “The Answer is Simple.”

Sonia is inspiring a global consciousness movement around the truth that “We, as humans, are Divine Beings endowed with SIX senses to guide us through life,” and insists that we must activate and rely on our innate sixth sense in order to make the most authentic, well-informed, healthy, and soul satisfying decisions possible.

Her work has been published in over 40 countries and in 37 languages, making her one of the most widely read authors and experts in her field in the world. Learn More>>>

 


Christine Arylo

 

Christine Arylo is a transformational teacher, internationally recognized speaker and best-selling author of the official self-love guidebook, Madly in Love with ME, the Daring Adventure to Becoming Your Own Best Friend. After earning her MBA from Kellogg and climbing the corporate ladder for fifteen years, she chose to devote her life to creating a new reality for women and girls, one based on self-love, freedom and feminine power instead of the relentless pursuit of having to do, be and have it all.

Christine’s opinions have been featured on CBS, ABC, FOX, WGN, E!, in the Huffington Post, and on radio shows, spas, conferences and stages around the world, including TEDx. She is also the author of the go-to book on love and relationships, Choosing ME before WE, the co-founder of a virtual school for women, Inner Mean Girl Reform School, and a spiritual mentor and catalyst for other achievement junkies.   Learn More>>>

 


Sara Connell

 

Sara Connell is an author, speaker and life coach with a private practice specializing in women’s health & empowerment in Chicago. She has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, The View, Rickie Lake, FOX Chicago, NPR, and Katie Couric. Sara has also worked with companies and organizations such as: Avon, Origins-Estee Lauder, GE, The Leo Burnett Company, Unilever, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Prentice Hospital for Women.

Her writing has appeared in: The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, Parenting, BabyTalk, Mindful Metropolis, Psychobabble and Evolving Your Spirit. Her first book Bringing In Finn was nominated for ELLE magazine 2012 Book of the Year and is in bookstores now. Learn More>>>

 


Betsy Sobiech

Betsy Sobiech is part of the global team that launched Tiara International LLC, a company that is redefining women’s leadership to include all women. As the Chief Operating Officer, her mission is to make the power and peace of true leadership accessible to everyone. She considers herself a practical philosopher and has a gift for simplifying the complex. Tiara’s integrated approach reminds us that leadership comes from within, from a unique sense of inspiration. The Tiara Model for True Leadership helps us continuously accept what is, clarify what’s next and stay connected to what’s most important. Betsy embodies this model, practicing every day, in every area of her life.

With a B.A. in Philosophy from Truman State and an M.S. in Organization Development from Loyola University, she specializes in human behavior, group process, solution design, systems thinking and change management. She has worked with companies like Hewitt Associates, Nicor Gas, Exxon Mobile, PepsiCo, AT Kearney, Mesirow Financial and The Advisor Group. She lives in Chicago with her hilarious Lab-hua-nese Daisy (otherwise known as a rescued mutt). Learn More>>>

 


Julie Murphy Casserly

 

Julie Murphy Casserly is a 17-year veteran of the financial services industry and has often been referred to as a financial healer and visionary. She is turning the personal finance industry upside down by de-bunking standard financial planning processes and educating people about a new way of finding financial success… and it all starts from within.

As seen on CNBC-TV, Lifetime TV, Oprah & Friends Radio, The Wall Street Journal, Associated Press and more, Julie is author of the award-winning book, “The Emotion Behind Money: Building Wealth from the Inside Out,” founder of JMC Wealth Management in Chicago, motivational speaker and media expert on the topic of emotions and money.  She also works with more than 2,500 clients worldwide on all aspects of their financial portfolios including investment asset allocation and risk management, insurance needs, retirement planning, business planning, college planning and estate planning. Learn More>>>

 


 Dawn Bless

 

While singing and visual arts were her earliest blooming talents, Dawn has continued to develop into an experienced Spoken Word Artist, Actress, and Playwright. Acting credits include: I Am Who I Am: The Teddy Pendergrass Story, Seussical the Musical, Don’t Make Me Over: A Tribute to Dionne Warwick, At Last: A Tribute to Etta James and many more.

She is currently writing a stage play about the gospel group The Clark Sisters, as well as songwriting for a project with Grammy nominated singer Vashawn Mitchell. Learn more>>

 

Reserve Your Spot at EW Power Party Chicago HERE: emerging-women-powerparty-chicago.eventbrite.com

 

Check out the Emerging Women Power Party in action:

 

 

Sponsors

 



Power Practice #02: Writing the Bones – The Art and Power of Engaging with Your Silence

Struggling with writer’s block?

Dominique Christina shares “Writing the Bones,” a compassionate practice to help us improve our relationship with the written word. This Power Practice will teach us how to accept and creatively transform our silence, our inner critic, or simply put, to engage writer’s block. Dominique patiently guides us through the process of “dealing with silence before words happen.” 

Dominique teaches us how to fight and own our insecurities by giving them a seat at the table, by allowing the silence to be a collaborator and an instigator of creativity. This is truly a fascinating exercise that will help you stretch your imagination.

Play the Power Practice:

“Attach a wider lens to your silence as a way to conquer it.”

A writer, performer, educator, and activist, Dominique has won four national titles in the three short years she has been competing in slam, including 2012 Women of the World Slam Champion and 2011 National Poetry Slam Champion. Dominique is presently the only person to have held two national titles at one time. She conducts writing workshops nationally for various organizations, colleges and universities and is presently enjoying a rigorous tour schedule with Denice Frohman as Sister Outsider.

Her first full length poetry book, The Bones, The Breaking, The Balm: A Colored Girl’s Hymnal will be released March 1, 2014 (Penmanship NY). Her second book, a radical look at the creative process, Writing In Fire, is set for publication in 2015 by Sounds True. Dominique was also a featured presenter at Emerging Women Live 2013 & 2014.

Want to see Dominique perform “The Period Poem” at Emerging Women Power Night? It’s a must-see.

Juicy Bites: Navigating the Elusive Work/Life Balance

This week in Juicy Bites, discover:

  • Inspiring interviews with moms working in the advertising industry
  • Top reads for women looking to improve their work/life balance skills
  • How parents sharing work/life responsibilities benefit the entire family
  • Why work/life issues are relevant for everyone, not just moms
  • Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s funny takes on being working moms

At the end of this post, we encourage you to join us for a conversation. This week’s Juicy Bites question for you, dear emerging women, is:

1. How Moms in Advertising Do the Balancing Act via Digiday

In an effort to empower, inspire, and advance women in the advertising industry, standout working mothers are honored each year by the Advertising Women of New York (AWNY) organization. In this article, Digiday interviews a few of the winners.

“By default, I am helping other women in my company redefine a new normal. Now there’s a whole group of young females who see a female exec making this choice, and now they know it’s OK to say they need to go home to their families too and that there isn’t a negative repercussion.” – Joy Schwartz

Continue Reading …

2. Finding More Moments of Balance in 2014 via Huff Post Women

While researching her own book on choices modern women face and how those choices impact society, Tanya Selvaratnam read many books by female authors who “boldly tackled work/life issues from different angles.” Here, she lists a few of her favorites.

“How do we reject the expectations foisted on us to excel at everything in work and in life, to drive ourselves to the limit, while we try to be happy, healthy human beings?” – Tanya Selvaratnam

Continue Reading…

3. The Work-Life Balance and ‘Getting to 50/50’: Forum via KQED Public Media

When two parents have demanding careers, striking the balance between work and family can be a challenge. But when those parents share work and parenting duties equally, the whole family benefits, according to Silicon Valley executives Sharon Meers and Joanna Strober.

“The fact is that the majority of mothers work, no matter what their income is. And so we need to have solutions that work because most women in America need to work.” – Joanna Strober

Continue Reading…

4.  Single Professionals Need Work-Life Balance Too via Huff Post Women

“A full life doesn’t require a spouse and/or children,” says single, childless professional Whitney Caudill. “All lives require balance and respect.” In this article, Caudill outlines reasons why it’s harmful to center the work/life balance dialogue around only working mothers.

“Work-life balance issues apply to everyone; these issues are not limited, as it often seems, to parents. These issues are relevant for women and men, the married and single, and those that are parents and childless. It is universal.” – Whitney Caudill

Continue Reading…

5.  Gospel of Parenthood, According to Tina and Amy via Huff Post Parents

Finally, because a sense of humor is crucial to the work/life balancing act, here are 16 quotes about parenting from career comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

“It is less dangerous to draw a cartoon of Allah French-kissing Uncle Sam — which, let me make it very clear, I have not done — than it is to speak honestly about [working moms].” – Tina Fey

Continue Reading…

We are excited to start a conversation and learn more from YOU, dear emerging women. Please join in with a comment below:

Juicy Bites: Crafting Meaningful and Powerful Intentions in 2014

This week in Juicy Bites, discover:

  • How to start a 2014 “Happiness Jar” practice with Elizabeth Gilbert
  • Children’s book editor Ursula Nordstrom’s witty approach to New Year’s Resolutions
  • The benefits of resolving to be more generous in 2014
  • 10 TED Talks to inspire achievable, process-based resolutions
  • Why 2014 will be the year of mindful living

At the end of this post, we encourage you to join us for a conversation. This week’s Juicy Bites question for you, dear emerging women, is:

 

1. End of the Year HAPPINESS JARS! via Elizabeth Gilbert

“Happiness comes in the sideways moments, the humble moments,” says author Elizabeth Gilbert. Making those moments tangible, something you can hold in your hand on a rainy day, can be a powerful practice. In this post Gilbert explains how to start your very own 2014 Happiness Jar to celebrate the simple moments in life that otherwise might be forgotten.

“They are almost always nearly invisible moments when suddenly I just felt in my bones the very best aspects of my humanity — gratitude, peace, hope, contentment.” – Elizabeth Gilbert

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2. How Ursula Nordstrom, Beloved Patron Saint of Childhood, Did New Year’s Resolutions via Brain Pickings

Children’s book editor Ursula Nordstrom had a witty approach to New Year’s resolutions. Half a century later, her funny and compassionate take on trying to better herself is still relevant and worth thinking about when styling our own resolutions.

“My New Year’s resolution is to be more loving. I don’t know how it will work out as I have been quite loving up to now with some disastrous, or at least misunderstood, results. Anyhow, I will try even more love and I will let you know what happens. So far not so good. But then it is only the second day.” – Ursula Nordstrom

Continue Reading…

3. A New Year’s Resolution Worth Making via Psychology Today

Lisa Firestone, Ph.D., has a radical idea for 2014 New Year’s Resolutions. Instead of fueling our inner critics with rigid goals meant to produce better versions of ourselves, Firestone suggests we turn our attention outward. In this article, she explains the benefits (not just to others!) of resolving to be more generous.

“Let’s stop buying into the notion that we need to be fixed. Instead, let’s resolve to do the one thing that’s been scientifically proven to make us happier, more fulfilled individuals – let’s shift our focus outward and become more generous.” – Lisa Firestone

Continue Reading…

4. Your TED-inspired New Year’s resolutions via TED Blog

Need some help making your meaningful and achievable New Year’s resolutions? Watch these TED Talks for ideas on making process-based changes in the way we think instead of focusing on specific desired outcomes.

“The perfect tools aren’t going to help us if we can’t give and receive fearlessly.” – Amanda Palmer

Continue Reading…

5.  Why 2014 Will Be The Year Of Mindful Living via The Third Metric

One of the world’s largest marketing communications brands has declared that 2014 will be characterized by a movement toward mindful living. This article explores why trendsetters, search engines, thought leaders, corporations, and scientists all seem to have mindfulness on the brain.

“What the culture is craving is a sense of ease and reflection, of not needing to be stimulated or entertained or going after something constantly. Nobody’s kicking out technology, but we have to regain our connection to others and to nature or else everybody loses” – Soren Gordhamer

Continue Reading…

We are excited to start a conversation and learn more from YOU, dear emerging women. Please join in with a comment below:

20 Powerful Women of 2013

This has been an exciting year for women. We are finally working together to shift women’s roles in society not by compromising our femininity, but by using our true qualities to make real changes in the workplace, in our communities and in the world. It’s been especially gratifying knowing that we, Emerging Women, participated in generating change. I am so inspired by all the women that passionately and courageously are creating a new life for themselves, one that is fully expressed and supported by the truth of who we are.

Change for women today is palpable. It is so important that we take meaningful action when called to participate in this movement. We are more ambitious, more daring, more unified and more determined to create impact by following our true calling, by speaking up, by crossing barriers, by unlearning habits, by being vulnerable, by welcoming failure as part of success and by expressing our true feminine power. And even though there is a lot more to accomplish and fight for, we want to celebrate the women who inspire and motivate us. You’ll find below a list of 20 trailblazers from different industries and different parts of the world who are creating change in the world.

And don’t forget, if you are committed to expressing your unique gifts to the world, you’ll find a community of like-minded women ready to help you succeed at Emerging Women Live. Also, we are curious to know who inspired you this year, so please leave a comment below and share with us the women that motivate you to create real change in the world.


1. Malala Yousafzai ― Activist, Writer

 

Malala Yousafzai, a 16 year old Pakistani girl, who a year ago was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman, fearlessly continues to fight for the right of girls to go to school. Her courage and determination has ignited a global movement of girls who are standing up to speak for themselves. In October 2013 she published a bestseller, I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, a formidable story of courage and the power of one person’s voice to inspire change in the world.

“We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.”― Malala Yousafzai

2. Sheryl Sandberg ― COO, Facebook

 
Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer at Facebook, is best known for her best-selling book Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. Published in March 2013, the book opens a new, refreshing conversation on feminism in the workplace. The “Lean In” phenomenon focuses on encouraging women to pursue their ambitions, and shifts the conversation from what we can’t do to what we can do.

“We can each define ambition and progress for ourselves. The goal is to work toward a world where expectations are not set by the stereotypes that hold us back, but by our personal passion, talents and interest.” ― Sheryl Sandberg

3. Shonda Rhimes ―  Screenwriter, Director, Producer

 
Shonda Rhimes is best known as the creator, head writer, and executive producer of the medical drama television series Grey’s Anatomy, but she is also the creator of the TV-series, Scandal, which made her one of the most influential women in Hollywood. Olivia Pope, the main, non-stereotypical character in Scandal, is one of the strongest females in prime time TV.

“Most of the women I saw on TV didn’t seem like people I actually knew. They felt like ideas of what women are.” ― Shonda Rhimes

4. Jill Abramson ― Executive Editor, New York Times Co.

 
Appointed in 2011, Jill Abramson become the first female executive editor in the paper’s 160-year history. Joining the New York Times in 1997 as the Washington bureau chief and managing editor, she now sets the editorial agenda at the nation’s newspaper of record. Abramson was also named as one of the 500 most powerful people in the world by Foreign Policy Magazine.

“In one’s relationship with dogs and with a newsroom, a generous amount of praise and encouragement goes much better than criticism.” — Jill Abramson

5. Park Geun-hye ― President of South Korea

 
Park Geun-hye became South Korea’s first female president this year, making her the first woman head of state in modern history of Northeast Asia. She was elected with the nation’s highest turnout rate in 15 years. Park presides over the world’s 15th largest GDP at $1.15 trillion.

“Different times need different types of leadership.” ― Park Geun-hye

6. Virginia Rometty ― Chairwoman and CEO of IBM

Virginia Rometty proves that the IT world is not a boys-only club. She heads up IBM, the biggest computer company by revenue ― bigger even than Google, Tencent or Yahoo.

“I learned to always take on things I’d never done before.” ―Virginia Rometty

7. Diana Balmori ― Landscape and Urban Designer, Principal at Balmori Associates

 
Diana Balmori  is redefining how natural and built environments interact by creating smarter and more responsive city parks. Diana was named one of the most creative people of 2013 by Fast Company.

“Landscape architecture is an agile tool kit for dealing with the complexity of the city.” ~ Diana Balmori

8. Angelina Jolie ― Actress, Philanthropist

 
This year Angelina Jolie sparked controversy by bravely opening up to the world about her choice to undergo a voluntary double mastectomy because of her high risk for breast cancer. Her Op Ed piece in The New York Times made Jolie not only one of the most powerful women in Hollywood, but also in the world. Also she received  an honorary Oscar reserved for those ”whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.”

“Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.”―Angelina Jolie

9. Wendy Davis ― Lawyer, Politician

On June 25, 2013, Wendy Davis held an eleven-hour-long filibuster to block Senate Bill 5, legislation that would create new abortion regulations in Texas. The filibuster  inspired men and women across the country to rally for women’s reproductive rights. Davis is running for governor of Texas in 2014.

“My story, my personal story, is my story. I have the ability to make choices and I had opportunities that I was able to take advantage of in my life. Other women of course should be able to define their own destinies and this idea that the heavy hand of government should somehow come in and tell her how to do that is deeply resented in [a] state like Texas.” ― Wendy Davis

10. AM Homes ―Writer

AM Homes won the prestigious 2013 Women’s Prize for Fiction for her for her sixth novel, May We Be Forgiven. The Women’s Prize for Fiction was set up in 1996 to celebrate and promote fiction written by women throughout the world.

“For years everyone kept saying, ‘Who is AM Homes? Is AM Homes a man or a woman? Or is she trying to hide?’ Clearly I’m out, I’m a woman and I’m thrilled to win this prize.”― AM Homes

11. Eve Ensler ― Activist, Writer

Eve Ensler is the creator of V-Day, a global activist movement to stop violence against women and girls. Earlier this year she incited a global flashmob in which every country in the world participated. Ensler’s latest book, In the Body of the World, is a brave and beautiful examination of an illness, unlike anything ever written about cancer. Ensler was also a keynote speaker at our national event, Emerging Women Live 2013.

“So much of life, it seems to me, is the framing and naming of things. I had been so busy creating a future of love that I never identified the life I was living as the life of love, because up until then I had never felt entitled enough or free enough or, honestly, brave enough to embrace my own narrative.” ― Eve Ensler

12. Hillary Clinton ―Politician, Philanthropist

Hillary Clinton is one of the most powerful women on the planet and a strong supporter of women’s rights. Her crusade for women continues with “No Ceilings: The Full Participation Project,”  which aims to put equality for women in the global civil rights spotlight.

“The great unfinished business of the 21st century is helping women and girls break through these ceilings and participate fully in every aspect of life once and for all.” ― Hillary Clinton

13. Elizabeth Gilbert ― Writer

Elizabeth Gilbert is unquestionably one of her generation’s most beloved memoirists. Her new book, published this year, The Signature of All Things, was praised by O Magazine as “The novel of a lifetime…”

“To be very clear: Creativity can ONLY coexist alongside Fear.  I have always lived a creative life, and I know that you can’t be creative without being vulnerable. And you can’t be vulnerable without experiencing fear.” ― Elizabeth Gilbert

14. Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu ― Entrepreneur

Ethiopian entrepreneur Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu is one of Africa’s most successful women. She built SoleRebels, a shoe company that pays fair wages to its employees and uses locally sourced materials such as organic, hand-spun cotton. She was able to turn SoleRebels it into an internationally recognized brand: the shoes have been carried in Urban Outfitters and Whole Foods, and this year, Alemu will open stand-alone boutiques in Germany and Sweden. SoleRebels has become a hugely successful, sustainable, truly world-class enterprise.

“I am always challenging myself ‘how do I continue to make soleRebels not simply the best footwear brand but the best company to work at, a place of transformative opportunity for our staff ?” — Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu

15. Oprah Winfrey ―Entrepreneur, Personality

America’s only African-American billionaire is finally celebrating  the success of once-struggling network, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, launched three years ago. Other highlights include Oprah’s co-starring role in The Butler (which is already generating Oscar buzz) and her memorable commencement speech at Harvard University.

“From time to time you may stumble, fall, you will for sure, count on this, no doubt, you will have questions and you will have doubts about your path. But I know this, if you’re willing to listen to, be guided by, that still small voice that is the G.P.S. within yourself, to find out what makes you come alive, you will be more than okay. You will be happy, you will be successful, and you will make a difference in the world.” ― Oprah Winfrey

16. Marina Abramovic ― Artist

 
Marina Abramovic, celebrated performance artist, embarked this year on an ambitious project to build a 33,000-square-foot center for arts called the Marina Abramovic Institute. The institute is is dedicated to the presentation and preservation of long durational work: performance art, dance, theater, film, music, opera, and other art forms whose performance exceeds six hours. The project was supported by a successful kickstarter campaign which raised $661,452. Among the supporters of  Marina Abramovic Institute are high profile pop culture icons like Jay-Z and Lady Gaga. Abramovic wants the new Institute to be a cultural laboratory. She explains:

“What you get is the opening of your mind. I’m not preaching any new religion; I’m ritualizing everyday activities. You drink the water. You count the rice. You sit in Crystal Cave. You lie in Levitation Chamber. You push yourself to a new level.” ―Marina Abramovic

17. Arianna Huffington―Editor-In-Chief, Huffington Post Media Group, AOL

 
Arianna Huffington has created a separate niche for herself on the personal and spiritual well-being circuit. The initiative The Third Metric: Redefining Success Beyond Money and Power focuses on a more sustainable definition of success, one that includes well-being, wisdom, and our ability to wonder and to give back.

“I love talking about my failures more than my successes because I feel that’s the most important thing I can teach—failure is an essential part of success, because these days no one has succeeded who hasn’t failed along the way.”― Arianna Huffington

18.  Reshma Saujani ―Political Entrepreneur

 
In 2010, Reshma Saujani became the first Indian-American woman (and the first South Asian American woman) to run for Congress. She founded Girls Who Code, a non-profit which aims to provide computer science education and exposure to 1 million young women by 2020. Their vision is to reach gender parity in computing fields.  Reshma is also the author of a new book entitled, Women Who Don’t Wait in Line which advocates for a new model of female leadership focused on risk-taking, competition and mentorship.

“It used to be that there was only one seat at the table for women and we would have to fight one another for it. Now, there’s no limit to how many women can make it to the top.”―Reshma Saujani

19. Angela Merkel — Chancellor, Germany

 
Angela Merkel who was just sworn in by the German Parliament to serve a third term as chancellor, ranked  #1 in Forbes’ Top Power Women and #5 in the top Powerful People in the World. She has served as ­Chancellor of Germany since 2005; the first woman in the position.

“When it comes to human dignity, we cannot make compromises.” — Angela Merkel

20. Sarah Hofstetter — CEO of  360i US

 
Sarah Hofstetter, a modern MadWoman, is the CEO of 360i US, a digital advertising agency selected as the Ad Age’s 2013 Digital Agency of the Year. She helped set up one of the first social-media practices at any agency, which now serves as a hub for social community management at 360i. Hofstetter was named Ad Age’s 2013 “40 Under 40” and was honored as a “Social Media All-Star” by the Social Media Society.

“We encourage brands to think about social media as a mindset instead of a marketing channel. Brands talk to consumers all day; whether it’s customer care, PR, advertising, event marketing or even human resources, it’s just a matter of translating that communication into conversations, and aligning those conversations with brand objectives.”

We are curious to know who inspired you this year, so please leave a comment below and share with us the women that motivate you to create change in the world.

Are you feeling a rising power inside of you that you feel must be expressed? Join us at Emerging Women Live 2014 in New York City and help us to spread the movement that is creating real change in the world.

 

Emerging Women Live 2014 in NYC

Dear Friends,

I am pleased to announce that registration is open for Emerging Women Live 2014! Join us for inspiration, authentic connection, and real support as you evolve into the leader you are meant to become.

 

Emerging Women Live is about exploring what it means to influence change in our world through a more integrated approach to leadership and business. As women seek a more conscious approach to success, we have incredible power as a tribe to reinvent our current landscape and positively shape our future – as well as the future of other women less fortunate than ourselves.

 

Learn more about EW Live here:

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Our first event in Boulder this past October was an incredible success. Whether you attended live, or tuned in via our live stream broadcast, or you simply heard about it through friends or our website, hopefully you can feel the power of the movement we have collectively created.

In 2014 we will be in New York City, where the creative energy and connection to a more diverse population will be welcomed as we grow our tribe to reach even more women both nationally and internationally. Our speaker list is still being finalized, and if you liked last year’s line up, you will be thrilled by who we are bringing in for 2014.

While we expect our numbers to grow, we plan to keep this event intimate so we can focus on the quality of connections we will inevitably make during our experience together. It is the power of these relationships that will propel us forward in our desire to fully manifest our lives.

Join me and the rest of the Emerging Women tribe for an experience that will last far beyond the four days we spend together. Early Bird tickets are available until July 31st HERE.

 

Big love,

Chantal

Interview with Claire Zammit on Feminine Power

This is a transcript of my conversation with the powerhouse Claire Zammit. Claire is the co-creator of the Feminine Power training courses for women and co-leads a thriving learning community of hundreds of thousands of women throughout the world. She is a gifted and highly trained specialist in transformative education that gives her audience access to life-altering shifts, leading to embodied and lasting change. She is also a co-founder of Evolving Wisdom, a transformative education company listed as number 83 in Inc. Magazine’s 2013 list of top 500 fastest-growing, privately held companies in the nation.

Chantal Pierrat: Welcome, Claire.

Claire Zammit: Hi, Chantal. Great to be with you.

CP: I’m excited to be talking to you because I know that every time we get on the phone together, we end up talking about my favorite topic, which is feminine power.

CZ: Yes, absolutely.

CP: Well, maybe we should just jump in, and I know that’s the title of your upcoming book, and it’s the title of your work. 

CZ: We’ve been teaching a seven-week course on feminine power for the last four years, and we’ve had about seven thousand women participate in that, and hundreds of thousands more with our free events. It’s something that I’m really seeing as speaking to women’s experience at a very deep level. I think that’s what we connect with when we have our conversations. So I’m excited to be able to dive into it today, together.

CP: “Feminine” and “power.” They’re two very different energies, but together they totally make sense. And I’m just curious to see if you can start with defining what you mean by “feminine power.”

CZ: Well, I might just start, if I can, with a bit of a story that creates a little context for it. My teaching partner Katherine Woodward Thomas and the women that we were serving in the community, we had started in Los Angeles—we had a center for transformation, and we were coaching women and working with women.

And both of us were accomplished, successful women, as were the women we were serving. And we really noticed, in spite of having so much “power” in our lives, we both felt this very painful and confusing gap between the deeper potentials that we sensed for who we were as women, for the creative contribution, for the intimacy and connection of our relationships, and just for our overall experience of life. We couldn’t quite put our finger on what it was, and we found that women everywhere were having the same experience as us.

At the same time, we noticed that there was a yearning towards the feminine that was happening. We said, “This is really interesting. So why don’t we do a class so we can begin to explore what the feminine is?” And the first night of class, we listed these feminine qualities up on the board, and these masculine qualities up on the board—just common assumptions about the feminine: flowing, intuitive, receptive, surrendered, nurturing. And typical masculine qualities like logical, linear, hard, angular, penetrating.

And we looked at these different energies and these different qualities, and what we noticed was that we were hungry, as a group, as women, to experience these more feminine qualities. We were very drawn, but there was a collective fear that if we allowed ourselves to be scented in these qualities, that there would be a loss of power. So there was this idea that we were drawn to power, we’re drawn to this feminine, but it occurs like somehow there’s not power available to us.

We looked up the word “power” in the dictionary, and it said, “To do, to act, to accomplish, political force, might.” And it was like, “Gee, this sounds very much like the masculine qualities that we have up on the board.” And we realized—it was kind of a big awakening—that we as women, in the power system that we’ve been mastering over the last 50 years, have been in  more of a masculine version of power.

And so we just went, “Wow, I wonder what a feminine version of power would look like,” so that we could begin to create and source our lives from these feminine qualities. We made it our mission to find out how to access the more feminine version of power. And the interesting thing we found was that it speaks to a shift that’s happening, I think, for women where we have accomplished a lot—and certainly there’s a long way to go globally and in the United States. But there have been huge strides made over the last 50 years through feminism that the opportunity, the access to power and to freedom is so enormous.

“We made it our mission to find out how to access the more feminine version of power.”twitter

It’s a different kind of yearning that’s waking up inside of us where we don’t necessarily want to just achieve success, or we don’t want to necessarily just have power for power’s sake. What we see—and this was my experience, it was Katherine’s experience, it was the experience of the women in our community—is that what we’re yearning for is to actually create our lives as an expression of who we truly are and an expression of our deepest gifts. We want to realize our higher spiritual potentials, our potentials for our relationships, our larger creative contribution.

“What we’re yearning for is to actually create our lives as an expression of who we truly are and an expression of our deepest gifts.”twitter

And what we recognized and realized was that because that has to do with the flourishing of these higher potentials, you actually can’t create that kind of success in your life just with the masculine system of power. For that, we need to awaken this new system of power, which is more of the feminine system, and that’s really what we’ve been going into in all of our work.

So the masculine system of power is anything that’s predictable or controllable, and that you can create with a step-by-step plan—like building a house. You have a plan, you have a certain number of bricks, you have an infrastructure, you know how many people you need, and you can just execute the plan and be able to make it happen. So the masculine system is a wonderful system to use for anything that you can create in that way. If you want to get a rocket ship to the moon, the masculine system has been amazing. The miracles of science, the marvels of industry are incredible gifts of the masculine. It’s not that it’s wrong and bad, it’s just insufficient to create the things that we’re now most yearning for.

And feminine power is really the power to create those things that can’t be controlled: true love, intimacy, higher creativity, the realization of your spiritual potential, your creative gifts, being able to impact others. All of these things we need to be able to access with more of a feminine system of power that we’ve found is based upon the feminine principle of relatedness. So I would say there is a difference—I could go into this all day, but I hope that’s a helpful starting point in terms of the context around the two.

“Feminine power is really the power to create those things that can’t be controlled: true love, intimacy, higher creativity, the realization of your spiritual potential, your creative gifts, being able to impact others.”twitter

CP: Yes! Creating a life where we’re really living our truth, and the outer world becomes a reflection of our inner alignment.

I love the idea that feminine power becomes expressed through relationship and our greater contribution. After you realize the truth of who you are, you can go in a million different directions. But when people with a strong feminine lead realize the truth of who they are, they want to express it in terms of relationship. This means a great contribution to the world and how we can make the world a better place.

CZ: Yes. And this is where it really is a paradigm shift.   Many of us are looking at what we’ve been lined up with. Many of us have been lined up with goals of success—going to college and getting a good job. I know I certainly grew up where these were the markers of success. And I experienced them. I was a high achiever early on in life, and I was able to accomplish a lot of goals.

By the time I was in my late twenties, I was the head of an organization, I had a team of 50 women. Everything looked great on the outside. I had accomplished all of the things that I was supposed to do, and yet I was painfully depressed. I would go to sleep with a kind of agony. I would wake up with it. And it was really the beginning of a dark night of the soul. And it was very confusing because I felt like there was a deeper purpose, a deeper reason why I was here. I could feel this contribution inside of me; I could sense it, but I couldn’t see it.

“I felt like there was a deeper purpose, a deeper reason why I was here. I could feel this contribution inside of me; I could sense it, but I couldn’t see it.”twitter

And I think this is the challenge that we have, where we need to create with a different system of power. Because the yearning that’s awakening in us, it’s not just to achieve these external markers of success, as wonderful as they are. A deeper yearning is awakening in us to discover who we are and why we’re here, and really participate in the life process in a way that’s bigger than ourselves. And that has to do with becoming the fullness of who we are in service to the evolution and flourishing of life.

“A deeper yearning is awakening in us to discover who we are and why we’re here, and really participate in the life process in a way that’s bigger than ourselves.”twitter

That’s really the deeper context each one of us—you, me, all of us—in our clearest moments sense that we have gifts and talents inside of us that the world has never seen and may never see again after we’re gone. Perhaps even in our most courageous moments we sense that we have a role to play in shaping the future of our world. And the thing I’ve really discovered is we’re right, but we can’t necessarily see what that looks like or how to get there. And the power that we’ve been cultivating— to do, to accomplish, to make things happen— is not necessarily the power that’s going to give us access to unleashing the fullness of who we are in this larger context.

“We have gifts and talents inside of us that the world has never seen and may never see again after we’re gone.”twitter

CP: Right. I think that’s what excites me the most about the rising feminine. And as we can teach our society, both men and women, to accept that energy, both as a lead and also as something to be integrated with the masculine, that it will bring that component of, “Yes, we want to realize who we are, but that’s not the end of the story. That’s not the end of the game right there. That’s just a stepping stone so we can be more effective in connecting with the rest of the world in a real way.”

CZ: Right! Absolutely. Through becoming ourselves, we can access the power to transform and evolve the world.

“Through becoming ourselves, we can access the power to transform and evolve the world.”twitter

CP: Right. So juicy. And I love your work also because you are teaching women. And again, the feminine is more subtle, there are subtler energies rather than, “OK, step one, step two, step three.” And there’s a lot of skills-based trainings out there for women who want to build businesses, who want to lead, but this vision piece, this perspective, the deep inner transformation that’s required—I really feel like that’s where the real work is.

CZ: Yes. Right. Absolutely. How do we begin to source power from relatedness? What’s the process of creating something from the inside out? In our work, we teach that there are three primary sources of feminine power, and the first is our relationship with ourselves, getting into an empowered relationship with our feelings and emotions so that we can transform and embody the deeper truth of who we are. I love that in your tagline, I think that’s the foundation. We need to actually step in and become the women that we came here to be.

“We need to actually step in and become the women that we came here to be.”twitter-logo-ew

Secondly, to be able to step into this rich co-creative relationship with the energy and intelligence of life and access our own inner guidance and the intelligence and creativity of the life process. And finally, in our relationships with each other. I think we’re so deeply entrenched in a paradigm of competition and autonomy. We feel like there’s something insufficient in us if we need help or partnership or support. But we’ve really found that the truth is we can’t become ourselves by ourselves, and we actually need to learn how to open up and receive and generate support at an unprecedented level to be able to create in this way.

“The truth is we can’t become ourselves by ourselves, and we actually need to learn how to open up and receive and generate support.”twitter

These ways of knowing and being and creating are a critical piece of development that we need to take on to be able to be successful at all of these other things—exactly what you’re pointing to. We don’t want to just have the tools to be able to make things happen. We want to be able to self-express, self-evolve, co-create, and for that we absolutely need to engage.

“We don’t want to just have the tools to be able to make things happen. We want to be able to self-express, self-evolve, co-create, and for that we absolutely need to engage.”twitter

I found it was critical in me—if I can share something from my own experience—to try to make that more tangible, more concrete. So the first thing, “becoming who you are,” I think we all sense this deeper possibility of who we are, and for many of us, we don’t have an experience of being mirrored by others in our lives, personally or professionally, in ways that reflect who we truly are.

That was my experience. I had this chronic experience of invisibility. I would go to different events, different places, and I would feel like I wouldn’t ever get any opportunities. And it would be very confusing because I knew I had wisdom to contribute, but I felt like there was a way, both personally in my relationships, where I felt very unseen and invisible, and professionally, where it was constantly my experience, where other people were not extending support or offering me opportunities or inviting me to participate in things. And I was very, very confused.

And I realized that I had a chronic way of being where I was constantly disappearing myself without even realizing it. So I was actually disconnected from my own feelings and emotions, and this is very common in women’s development in our culture. To access power in the masculine, we’ve had to become very hyper-rational, hyper-in-our-heads, to make it happen. That’s the kind of system. We don’t necessarily know how to relate to what we’re feeling. We kind of disappear our own inner selves.

And so I was so disconnected from myself that it was generating this experience of other people not being able to feel connected to me either. I was kind of waiting to be discovered [laughs]. I was confused because I had such an ability to see into other people and their experience—that’s often one of the gifts of this pattern of invisibility.

But through the principles we teach in Feminine Power—this is where we start, our first power base—I was able to get connected to myself, and I was able to get connected to what I was feeling, what I was seeing, what I was sensing. And I developed an ability to make that visible, make myself visible. So it was a shift from waiting to be discovered to actually taking responsibility to present myself into the world.

“It was a shift from waiting to be discovered to actually taking responsibility to present myself into the world.”twitter

This is what it looks like when we say, “Become the woman, become your true self.” There’s a gap in terms of who we are and who we’re being and how we’re showing up and how we’re relating. And when I began to show up and I was presenting myself, I can’t begin to tell you how radically things began to change for me in a very short period of time.

To be continued… You can listen to the recorded version of this interview HERE

Juicy Bites: Worldwide Equality for Women

In this edition of Juicy Bites we discover:

  • Hillary Clinton’s new project for women’s full and equal participation in our future
  • How developing countries are hurt by women’s economic inequality
  • What we can do to fix gender inequality in the workplace
  • The opening of one country’s first women’s-only bank
  • An elegant speech from Angelina Jolie on being of use to others

At the end of this post, we encourage you to join us for a conversation. This week’s Juicy Bites question for you, dear emerging women, is:

1. Full Equality For Women: Hillary Clinton’s Crusade Continues via Forbes

Hilary Clinton is beginning work on a project to “measure women’s progress in the world and create a roadmap to a future of full and equal participation” for women. “No Ceilings: The Full Participation Project” aims to put equality for women in the global civil rights spotlight.

“The great unfinished business of the 21st century is helping women and girls break through these ceilings and participate fully in every aspect of life once and for all.”– Hillary Clinton

Continue Reading …

2. Gender and finance: Discrimination abounds via The Economist

The World Bank has recently reported that more than 1.3 billion women are “largely outside the formal financial system.” Whether due to gender norms or legal restrictions, many of the world’s women can neither borrow money to advance themselves, nor save enough to protect themselves.

“Gender-based financial exclusion means that the developing world operates at massive under-capacity.”

Continue Reading…

3. This 20-Something Is Writing A New Script For Women In India via Forbes

According to Geeta Ramakrishnan, fixing gender inequality in the workplace is not only “smart economics,” as UN Women’s Executive Director Michelle Bachelet has said, but is also a “critical requirement for societal progress.”

“Women need to realize that current circumstances may be tough to overcome, but if they don’t stand up for their dreams they will be doing a great disservice not just to themselves but also to the future generations.”– Geeta Ramakrishnan

Continue Reading…

4. India Inaugurates First Women’s-Only Bank via Wall Street Journal

India’s first bank aimed at providing loans and financial services geared specifically to women opened this week. The hope is that the new bank will increase the low percentage of women (26%) who have their own bank accounts. The bank is overseen by an all-women board.

“Access to finance and banking not only helps empower women but also broadens the social base of development, thus fostering equitable growth.” –Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

Continue Reading…

5. Angelina Jolie Pays Tribute To Late Mother In Governors Award Speech via Huffington Post

Angelina Jolie receives an honorary Oscar reserved for those “whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.” In her moving acceptance speech, Jolie remembers her mother’s influence on her sense of responsibility to those in need.

“Above all, she [my mother] was very clear that nothing would mean anything if I didn’t live a life of use to others.” — Angelina Jolie

Watch Angelina’s speech here:

Continue Reading…

Join the conversation!  We love hearing from our ever-emerging tribe. Leave a comment below:

15 Women Defying Stereotypes about Female Comedy

While comedy has largely been a male-dominated industry, things are gradually beginning to change. More and more women are stepping up and closing the vast gender gap in comedy. Not only that, but the roles that women play in comedies are also shifting; from likable and naive to strong, independent, honest and unapologetic women. The stereotype that women are not funny is passé. We are witnesses to a new generation of comedians who act, write, direct and perform stand-up. We picked 15 hilarious women, some who pioneered female comedy and some who continue to break down stereotypes and get comfortable in an archaic boy’s club.

1. “While we have the gift of life, it seems to me that the only tragedy is to allow part of us to die-whether it is our spirit, our creativity, or our glorious uniqueness.” ― Gilda Radner twitter

2. “I’ve always dreamed of growing up to be Amy Poehler.” ― Amy Poehler twitter

amy

3.  “My point is, life is about balance. The good and the bad. The highs and the lows. The pina and the colada.” ― Ellen DeGeneres twitter

4. “I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific.” ― Lily Tomlintwitter

5. “It is an impressively arrogant move to conclude that just because you don’t like something, it is empirically not good. I don’t like Chinese food, but I don’t write articles trying to prove it doesn’t exist.” ― Tina Fey twitter

6. “If you’re creating anything at all, it’s really dangerous to care about what people think.” ― Kristen Wiig twitter

Kristen

7. “I’m not funny. What I am is brave.” ― Lucille Ball twitter

8. “I used my imagination to make the grass whatever color I wanted it to be.” ― Whoopi Goldberg twitter

whoopi

9.  “Reminding myself that I have a tailbone keeps me in check.” ― Tig Notaro twitter

10. “I’m not going to die because I failed as someone else. I’m going to succeed as myself.” ― Margaret Cho twitter

11. “I don’t look my best when I wake up. But, I do feel beautiful when I’m tired and happy and I’ve had a good laugh and a glass of champagne.” ― Maya Rudolph twitter

12. “If you’re passionate about your work, it makes the people around you want to be involved too.” ― Wanda Sykes twitter

 

13.  “…write your own part. It is the only way I’ve gotten anywhere. It is much harder work, but sometimes you have to take destiny into your own hands. It forces you to think about what your strengths really are, and once you find them, you can showcase them, and no one can stop you.” ― Mindy Kaling twitter

14. “Everybody has their own way of tapping into their realness.” ― Sandra Bernhard twitter

15.  “I read somewhere that men’s biggest fear is that women will laugh at them. And women’s biggest fear is that men will kill them. Kind of different stakes that we’re working with.” — Chelsea Peretti twitter

Leave a comment below and share with us who is your favorite woman in comedy.

Tara Mohr: Weaving Spirituality into Business

This is a transcript from my conversation, “Playing Big,” with the wonderful and talented Tara Mohr.

Tara is an expert on women’s leadership and well-being. Her work helps women play bigger in their work and in their lives. With an MBA from Stanford University and an undergraduate degree in English Literature from Yale, Tara takes a unique approach that blends inner work with practical skills training, and weaves together both intellectual and intuitive wisdom. Tara has also been a speaker and workshop leader at multiple Emerging Women Live Conferences. 

Tara Mohr at Emerging Women Live 2013

Chantal Pierrat: I’m so excited to have you today—half an hour or 45 minutes all to myself. I think I discovered you about a year ago or a year and a half ago. I’ve been getting your blogs and I read your poetry. And the thing that struck me the most was here was a woman who was diving into business, clearly very, very articulate and wise in the business world, but who was overtly—and I’m putting some emphasis on that because it’s unusual—spiritual. And I’m just so excited because it’s such a rare combination, and I would love to dig in a little bit more about your background and how that came to be and how you came to combine these two worlds that seemingly are very separate. So maybe we could just jump in there.

Tara Mohr: Yes. I’d love to begin there. That’s certainly been a big part of my journey. I was raised in a fairly unique way, hopefully a way that’s becoming less unique.

My mom was very much a spiritual seeker, and had a huge passion for psychology. So our house was full of books from all different religious traditions, from the mystical side of all different religious traditions, and she was always busy reading them. She was up at 5 a.m. writing about spiritual topics, really just for her own journey. She raised me, every morning, at the breakfast table, asking me what did I dream the night before, and having me diagram my dreams out, the Jungian interpretation, on a yellow pad while I was having my oatmeal or my Cheerios or whatever it was at the time.

And truly, I can remember incidents like being teased on the playground in kindergarten and coming home, getting into the car, my mom picking me up and saying, “Mom, so-and-so teased me, and I really hate him.” And she would always say one of two things in that scenario. She would say, “Well, what do you think is going on for that person at home that would make them tease another kid?” Or she would say, “How do you think God looks at that person?”

So this was the milieu I was raised in, and it was particularly remarkable because it wasn’t attached to any organized religion. I grew up with this access to inner life and to spiritual concepts that I think children are ready for and can understand, but we often underestimate how much and how early they can understand it. So I would say that was one track that I was on from very early in life.

“I grew up with access to inner life and to spiritual concepts that I think children are ready for and can understand, but we often underestimate how much and how early they can understand it.”

And yet, at the same time, my parents were middle class, professional, Jewish family who really valued education, and they were saying to me, “You’re bright and you have a lot of potential and we expect you to work hard in school and do well in school.” And school was a world that felt like the opposite of all that stuff I was just talking about. Because, of course, at school, nobody was asking what God thought about any of the other kids. [Laughs] Nobody was thinking about what dreams meant.

School felt very hierarchical. I was always aware of, “Oh, you can get a good grade or a bad grade.” And yet, my mom was saying every child was divine and special. So those things were at odds. In school, we would learn about, “This war happened because this country disagreed with this guy,” and no one was looking at the inner side of anything.

So for much of my life, I would say these two different domains felt very distinct, and I felt, often, like an outsider in both. In one I felt too sensitive and too spiritual, and in one I felt like I was sometimes saying, “Come on guys, let’s do a reality check,” or “Let’s bring a little more intellectual rigor to this.” And it’s really only in my adult life that I have begun to find a way to advocate for the message that these worlds do not have to be separate. And it’s where I can have the joy of people like you saying, “Hey, this is actually something special about you and wonderful that you combine these two things,” instead of them feeling like two different languages, where I was often trying to interpret or translate but that that was really hard.

CP: Yes, that’s why I put the emphasis on “overt,” because I was surprised to see how much you really do—that’s part of your work, that you’re combining both. And it seems like you have a lot of receptivity in the audience that you work with to this particular mix.

TM:Yes. And one thing I’ve found—and I know you have a lot of entrepreneurs listening, so this might be particularly interesting to them from the angle of their entrepreneur hat as well—is that what we tend to think of these different audiences—the spiritual audience, the secular audience, the creative, the corporate people. I even came into my business with some of that, and sometimes I would get caught up in, “Well, who am I talking to? Am I talking to the woman who has a holistic massage therapy business? Or am I talking to the woman who is a professor? Am I talking to the woman who works in the corporation?” And I had assumptions for each of those groups and how “spiritual” I could get with the content.

And what I have found is that those are total stereotypes. Every time I talk to my customers—I do a lot of just getting on the phone and doing one-on-one customer interviews on an ongoing basis because I like to stay in touch with who’s really listening. And every time I do that, and every time I read a bio of someone participating in my program, I find that there’s no stereotype that they match up with. There’s no demographic segment or psychographic segment we could even make up that they match up with. Most women are something we couldn’t predict. I just think about, in the past few weeks, talking to a woman is in my Playing Big program who is an emergency paramedic on an ambulance in a rural area, and wants to play bigger in sharing some of what she’s learned from that. That’s not someone I could ever predict that would be in my programs.

“There’s no demographic segment or psychographic segment we could even make up that they match up with. Most women are something we couldn’t predict.”

Or someone who said, on one of our first calls, “It’s my last day in the military, and tomorrow I’m going to be a civilian. Here’s what I want to play big with as I become a civilian and that’s why I’m here.” All the way from that to the life coaches and the holistic healers and the corporate people and the tech entrepreneurs.

And so many women, especially in our time, are embracing this hybrid where, “I’m a transportation engineer, but I do Native American art every weekend and that’s my passion.” Or, “I’m a college professor and physicist and I do angel card readings and I’d really like to do more of that.” I see so much of that. So I think, unfortunately, in the business world and the publishing world, there’s been an oversimplification of the audience that’s just not true to women today.

“I think, unfortunately, in the business world and the publishing world, there’s been an oversimplification of the audience that’s just not true to women today.”

CP: I so appreciate that, and I love how you’re really taking a stand and are unapologetic in an area like business that can be considered risky. I’m also curious if you’ve ever had people that said, “Well, I just want your Playing Big”—and we’re going to get into that—“I just want the business side of Playing Big. This other stuff makes me uncomfortable.”

TM: It may be that some of those people just click away from my site, and that is probably happening more than—I don’t hear about it too much. And I think people know, if they come to my site, that they’re not going to get pure secular business tactics.

For me, I don’t get excited about helping women develop those because I feel if we’re just helping people to play more effectively within a patriarchical system, that’s certainly not serving the mission I care about. I want women in touch with what they feel called to do at a soul level and to help them play bigger with that. That’s what’s going to change the world for the better. So I feel like there’s plenty of other experts out there who just help women skill up with a very neutral point of view about whatever their skills [are being used for, and] that’s fine. But I’m coming from a different place.

“I want women in touch with what they feel called to do at a soul level and to help them play bigger with that.”

CP: Tell us more about Playing Big and the essence of the work.

TM: Well, I’ll begin my sharing just how I started to use that term, “playing big,” in my work. I used to do a lot of one-on-one coaching with women. Now I do more large group programs, but when I was starting out and I was doing one-on-one, I was seeing a pattern again and again in the women that were showing up in my practice.

I always think about one of my first clients who worked in the social sector and was pretty young, early in her career, and had such incredible ideas about what needed to happen in her organization and her industry. She was on top of every journal and cutting edge conversation in the field. She was constantly reading and linking and thinking about interesting things. And nobody in her organization knew it, and nobody in her field knew it because she just couldn’t act on and speak for her ideas.

And I was so pained by seeing that, and then I started seeing the same thing in client after client. So many of the women I was seeing, in one way or another, had such brilliance to share, had something really important to share, and they didn’t see themselves as ready to share it. They didn’t see themselves as ready to take on a major leadership role. They didn’t think they were expert enough, they were being held back by their inner critic. And of course, part of the reason I was attracting that particular theme and noticing that theme was because I had certainly grappled with all of those issues myself and was still grappling with them.

Tara at Emerging Women Live 2013

So that kind of became a focus of my work. And as I mentioned, I’m always trying to be in touch with my customers. And at a certain point a few years ago, I was doing a survey of my blog readers, and in the survey I asked my readers “What is the biggest challenge you’re facing in your life?” That’s such a good market research question—you want to know what people are grappling with. It was a multiple choice question and I listed all the things that we typically think of as so hard in women’s lives: work/life balance, not enough time, stress, I don’t know what I want, financial constraints, unsupportive people—all this stuff. And I threw in, just on a whim, “I’m playing small” as one of the choices. And when the responses came back, that was the most popular choice.

CP: Oh my. Wow.

TM: [Laughs] And I was fascinated because it was so stunning to me that that was so widespread, but more so that people knew, all these women were walking around with the same feeling I was having, like, “I’m not even sure what I mean by that, but I know I’m playing small.”

CP: Right.

TM: So out of that, I knew that I would then package the work I had already been doing with women on these issues under the term “playing big.” And what the work of that is, for me, the approach that I take, it begins with understanding what you feel called to do in your life right now. Because again, what we want to play big with is not our ego’s ambitions or the world’s ideas of success, but our true calling. So there’s a process of identifying what you’re called to now and accepting that, and then learning a variety of new ways of being that each allow you to stop holding back your voice.

“What we want to play big with is not our ego’s ambitions or the world’s ideas of success, but our true calling.”

So we do a lot of work around mastering our awareness of self-doubt and the inner critic, and beginning to separate that from the other voices within, and connect more strongly with what I call the inner mentor, which is your older, wiser self. We look at unhooking from praise and criticism, so becoming less sensitive to what other people think. And a number of other tools like that, all of which support women in playing bigger.

And then there’s a little bit of tactical work—where I bring back that left brain side and my MBA side—where after we have that foundation of inner work, there’s some training in things like negotiation and communication and pitching your work to the media. Because those things are great. It’s just that if we only get that tactical training, and we don’t change the inner dynamics of our playing small, we can’t even use the skills we learned because our fears will get in the way.

Liking what you see? Give your ears a treat. Listen to the recorded version of this interview HERE.

Gratitude for Emerging Women Live 2013

Just how much love and connection can one let in over a 4-day period? Just when I thought I couldn’t take any more, somehow my heart opened wider to let in even more joy.

I am not sure exactly what the secret ingredient was that led to the BIG MAGIC that was present throughout the event, but it seems that we all brought our wands with us to Emerging Women Live, and I am still floating as a result.

I thought I would reach out while we are all in this power state of emergence, and let you know how very blessed I feel to have had the chance to share this experience with you all, whether you attended the event or joined us via livestream.

Thank you for holding the space for me to step into my being in the face of uncertainty that comes when one is emerging. I was living the truth of who I was and you all made that possible for me – aaaaahhhhhh that felt great.

I have so much gratitude for the level of presence and authenticity that you each brought to the experience. From the beginning, there seemed to be an environment of trust and openness that set the stage for the entire event, and now this has become the foundation of our tribe.

There is much I could say, and yet I have little brain power for words.  I am wanting to sit in the feeling of it all. I want to dive deep into my heart and my body to relish this vibration a bit longer before inviting my mind back in.

And so with this I leave you with a bow of appreciation, and a request to help me build Emerging Women into the movement it is destined to become.

With gratitude and big love,

Chantal

The FREE recorded version of Emerging Women Live 2013 is available for a limited time only. Watch #EWLive13 HERE.

Juicy Bites: Women Heroines in Literature and Film

This week we find out:

  • Literature’s most beloved women heroines
  • Who is the first female Saudi Arabian filmmaker
  • What are 3 communication mistakes that you can easily avoid
  • The real meaning of self-compassion and how it differs from self-esteem
  • Messy or tidy — which is better for creativity?

 

At the end of this post, we encourage you to join us for a conversation. This week’s Juicy Bites question for you, dear emerging women, is:

1. Well-Read Women: Gorgeous Watercolor Portraits of Literature’s Most Beloved Heroines via Brain Pickings

 

The New-York-based painter and fashion illustrator Samantha Hahn is celebrating women in fiction. This book is a fascinating collection of expressive watercolor depictions paired with a memorable quote, of such literary icons as Jane Eyre, Anna Karenina, Holly Golightly, and Clarissa Dalloway.

JANE EYRE 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Brontë
JANE EYRE ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Brontë

Continue Reading…

2. Meet Haifaa Al Mansour, the first female Saudi Arabian filmmaker via Interview Magazine

 

This is quite impressive. Al Mansour’s first feature film called Wadjda, is the first movie to be filmed entirely in Saudi Arabia, and Al Mansour is the first female Saudi Arabian filmmaker.

“There are opportunities for women now, and you have to be able to stand up for yourself, for what you believe in. And the culture is opening up and there are pockets, windows for women. But a lot of women are shy to take them because the culture will not accept women working in a mixed environment; they don’t want women to travel alone and study abroad. It may compromise women getting married quickly. It is very much like America in the 1940s, but it is more [conservative]; women have to be completely covered.” — Haifaa Al Mansour

Continue Reading…

 

3. Three communication mistakes with big impact via Tara Sophia Mohr-Wise Living

 

Tara shares with us a super easy way we can play big this year. Learn how to avoid 3 common communication mistakes, and how to build your voice to be  strong, determined,  non-apologetic.

“Our words are our opportunity. That opportunity is bigger than ever before because women are more literate than ever before and have access to technology — from laptops to email — that amplify our communication.”

*Tara Sophia Mohr will be a featured presenter at the 2013 Emerging Women Live Conference, October 10th-13th in Boulder, CO.

Continue Reading…

 

4. Kristin Neff — The Real Meaning of Self-Compassion via Grace & Fire Podcast

 

This episode’s guest is the inspiring Kristin Neff. Kristin is a professor of human development and culture at the University of Texas, Austin, and she has practiced Buddhist Meditation since 1997. In addition to authoring numerous academic articles on self-compassion, she has written a new book titled “Self-Compassion,” released by William Morrow in 2011.

In this episode, Kristin Neff and the host of Grace & Fire, Chantal Pierrat spoke about:

 

  • The real meaning of Self-Compassion and how it differs from Self-Esteem,
  • The masculine and feminine aspects of mindfulness and self-compassion,
  • The researched results of self-compassion and what the findings mean for leaders, and women leaders in particular,
  • How self-compassion takes us from recognition, to action, and the power creating a practice of self care and love,
  • And finally, Kristen offers sage advice for those women on the precipice of their own emergence.

 

Kristin Neff will be a featured presenter at the 2013 Emerging Women Live Conference, October 10th-13th in Boulder, CO.

Listen here…

 

5. It’s Not ‘Mess.’ It’s Creativity. via New York Times

 

Olimpia Zagnoli
Olimpia Zagnoli

MESSY or tidy — which is better?

Historically, the evidence has favored the tidy spaces. But then the obvious question surfaces: “If messiness is so bad, why do so many people tolerate, and even embrace, it?”

Kathleen D. Vohs, from Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, with two of her colleagues, conducted an interesting experiment and came to the conclusion that physical order produces healthy choices, generosity, and conventionality, whereas disorder produces creativity.
Here are a few of their predictions that led to their experiment:

“Since tidiness has been associated with upholding societal standards, we predicted that just being around tidiness would elicit a desire for convention. We also predicted the opposite: that being around messiness would lead people away from convention, in favor of new directions.” — Kathleen D. Vohs

Continue Reading…


We are excited to start a conversation and learn more from YOU, dear emerging women. Leave a comment below:


Emerging Women Live is for women entrepreneurs and creatives who share a vision to change the world by living the truth of who they are. These are women who are burning with desire to to fully express themselves through the work they do, while promoting a new paradigm of success that leverages the incredible power of the feminine: collaboration, community, intuition, receptivity, sensuality and heart. Join us!

10 Influential Quotes from 10 Powerful Women of the 20th Century

This is our time to rise and actualize! As women lead the way through an authentic expression of who we are, by leveraging feminine virtues instead of burying them, we will create a more integrated world where the best of the masculine and the feminine work in harmony. At Emerging Women Live you’ll hear from some of the most fantastic women visioneers of our time. These are women who are not afraid to be themselves as they take creative risks or launch BIG ideas into the world.
This post celebrates some of the most brilliant, courageous, authentic women trailblazers of the 20th century. These women’s wisdom inspire and motive us to move forward and continue to challenge the conventional.

1. “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”― Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel (1883 – 1971) was the only fashion designer to appear on Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. She completely revolutionized the fashion industry by freeing women of corsets and introducing a more comfortable, casual chic look. Her signature scent, Chanel No. 5, has become an iconic product.

 
Image: Amelia Earhart

2. “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure , the process is its own reward.”― Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart (1897–1937) was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Her courage and willpower opened the skies to other women. She was also a best-selling author, and she was instrumental in the formation of The Ninety-Nines, an organization for female pilots. She was also a member of the National Woman’s Party, and an early supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment. In 1937 while attempting to become the first person to fly around the world, Earhart’s plane disappeared over the Pacific Ocean.

Photo of Ella FITZGERALD

3. “Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” ― Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald (1918–1996) is considered one of the greatest jazz singers of all time. Over the course of her 59-year recording career, she sold 40 million copies of her 70-plus albums, winning countless awards and commendations, including honorary doctorates at Yale and Dartmouth, the National Medal of Arts, and 13 Grammy Awards, including one in 1967 for Lifetime Achievement. In 1979 she was given a Kennedy Center Award for her lifetime in the performing arts.

Simone-de-Beauvoir-web

4. “I tore myself away from the safe comfort of certainties through my love for truth – and truth rewarded me.” ― Simone de Beauvoir

Simone de Beauvoir (1908 – 1986) was a French writer, intellectual, existentialist philosopher, political activist, feminist, and social theorist. In 1949, Simone de Beauvoir published The Second Sex, which quickly became a feminist classic, inspiring women of the 1950s and 1960s to examine their role in culture. In the chapter “Woman: Myth and Reality” of The Second Sex, Beauvoir argued that men had made women the “Other” in society by putting a false aura of “mystery” around them. She argued that men used this as an excuse not to understand women or their problems and not to help them, and that this stereotyping was always done in societies by the group higher in the hierarchy to the group lower in the hierarchy.

Rosa-Parks

5. “Each person must live their life as a model for others.” ― Rosa Parks

 

Rosa Parks (1913 – 2005) was an African-American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress called “the first lady of civil rights” and “the mother of the freedom movement”.  On December 1, 1955, an unknown seamstress in Montgomery, Alabama refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. This brave woman, Rosa Parks, was arrested and fined for violating a city ordinance, but  her act of defiance marked the beginning of the modern civil rights movement in the United States and ultimately lead to the end of legal segregation in America. Her courage made her an inspiration to freedom-loving people everywhere.

OKeeffe-hands

6. “I feel there is something unexplored about women that only a woman can explore.” ― Georgia O’Keeffe

 

Georgia O’Keeffe (1887 –1986) was a prominent  woman painter. Georgia O’Keeffe prevailed in a what was a long time a man’s world, and became a key figure in the American Modern Art. In 1962, O’Keeffe was elected to the fifty-member American Academy of Arts and Letters. She was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1966. In 1970, when she was 83 years old, a retrospective exhibition of her work was held at the Whitney Museum of American Art. The New York critics and collectors recognized her as an artist ahead of her time. Her work hangs today in museums and private collections around the world.

7.  “Odd how the creative power at once brings the whole universe to order.” ―Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf (1882 – 1941) was an English writer, and one of the foremost modernists of the twentieth century. Woolf is a key figure in the modernist literary movement. She is best known for her writings between World War I and World War II including the 1929 essay, “A Room of One’s Own,” and novels Mrs. Dalloway and Orlando. In her work she examined the difficulties that female writers and intellectuals face because men hold disproportionate legal and economic power and the future of women in education and society.

8. “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, holding the post from 1933 to 1945 during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s four terms in office. She was the first presidential spouse to hold press conferences, write a syndicated newspaper column, and speak at a national convention. As a champion of human rights, she strove to further women’s causes as well as the causes of black people, poor people, and the unemployed. She served as the first chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights, and oversaw the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Later she chaired the John F. Kennedy administration’s Presidential Commission on the Status of Women.

9. “True happiness… is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”  ― Helen Keller

 

Helen Keller (1880–1968) was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. A childhood disease left Helen deaf, mute, and blind. Her story became popular through the dramatic depictions of the play and film The Miracle Worker. Keller campaigned for women’s suffrage and labor rights. She was inducted into the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame in 1971. Keller wrote a total of 12 published books and several articles.

10.  “Woman must not accept; she must challenge. She must not be awed by that which has been built up around her; she must reverence that woman in her which struggles for expression.” ― Margaret Sanger

 

Margaret Sanger (1879–1966) was an American birth control activist, sex educator, and nurse. Sanger popularized the term birth control, opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, and established organizations that evolved into the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Sanger’s efforts contributed to several judicial cases that helped legalize contraception in the United States. Sanger is regarded as a leading figure in the battle for American women’s rights.

Want more? Check out these 10 Badass Quotes from 10 Badass Women:

 

And then join ALL the badasses at our annual Emerging Women Live! Registration is now open HERE.

Juicy Bites: Feminine Values are Shaping Modern Leaders

This week we learn:

  • The importance of feminine values in shaping modern leaders
  • The “100 Natural Laws of Cliteracy”
  • Why it’s important to practice courage, vulnerability and authenticity
  • Why admitting your struggles may save your startup
  • Overcoming the real issues immigrant women face when pursuing their dreams
  • Caroline Ghos’s take on  Marissa Mayer’s recent controversial feature in Vogue

At the end of this post, we encourage you to join us for a conversation. Please leave your comment below.

What is it that makes you feel deeply vulnerable?

1. “Feminine” Values Can Give Tomorrow’s Leaders an Edge via Harvard Business Review

Today’s work requires a new leadership paradigm. This article, a study based on 64.000 people around the world, reveals that both men and women leaders should incorporate more feminine values.

“If people have grown cold on male-dominated structures and leadership, they offer a solution: Two-thirds of survey respondents felt that “The world would be a better place if men thought more like women”, including 76% of the French and Brazilians and 70%of Germans.”

Continue Reading…

2. Cliteracy 101: Artist Sophia Wallace Wants You To Know The Truth About The Clitoris via Huff Post Women

New York artist Sophia Wallace wants everyone to be cliterate. Wallace’s project entitled “Cliteracy” includes “100 Laws of Cliteracy,” street art about the organ, as well as a “clit rodeo” that involves an interactive installment of a giant golden clitoris.  Her artwork has a much broader focus than sexual pleasure.

“It is a curious dilemma to observe the paradox that on the one hand the female body is the primary metaphor for sexuality, its use saturates advertising, art and the mainstream erotic imaginary. Yet, the clitoris, the true female sexual organ, is virtually invisible,” Wallace told Creem magazine earlier this year.

Continue Reading…

3. Brené Brown On Why Courage, Vulnerability And Authenticity Have To Be Practiced via Huff Post

Brené Brown champions the feminine virtues of authenticity and vulnerability. Her work gives people permission to be themselves, and that’s probably the greatest gift anybody could give.

In the interview, published in Origin Magazine, and picked by Huff Post, we talked about taking risks. Brené exposed the painful ways we “say ‘yes’ when we mean ‘no’, and say ‘no’ when we mean ‘hell yes.’” She  invites us to get in the arena and “get (our) ass kicked on occasion” — all in the name of living our truth.

Continue Reading…

4. Can honesty save a startup? via Forbes Women

This article tells the moving story of two women entrepreneurs who decided to be honest and acknowledge the difficulties, challenges and frustrations of starting your own business. Jessica Lybeck and Erin Hopmann, founders of Dabble, created a blog called “30 Days of Honesty” where they allowed themselves to be vulnerable, authentic and admit their day to day struggles. Stella Fayman, a serial entrepreneur, believes that their decision is a bold and inspiring move: “I applaud them for their integrity and authenticity in sharing such a harrowing time with the public. If only we could all be a little bit more honest, we could help each other and solve our own problems much more quickly.”

Continue Reading…

5. The Women Who Do it All but Don’t Have it All via Washington Post

In this article, Georgeta Dragoiu, managing director and co-founder of MDC Strategies, talks about the cruel realities immigrant women have to face when trying to pursue their dreams. She explains:

“While money isn’t always the solution, it is certainly a key part of the problem. For many women, believing they can lean in to a career, rather than multiple low-paying jobs, starts when they’re exposed to alternate realities. They need a sense of community that extends beyond others who sound or look like them, and that can help them see new opportunities. That’s why we should make sure the debate on women’s empowerment doesn’t leave out those who can’t afford the same set of choices.”

Continue Reading…

6. Dear Marissa Mayer Critics: It’s Time To Rally Around Great Leaders Everywhere via Fast Company

Caroline Ghosn discusses the recent controversial appearance of Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo!, in a feature in September’s issue of Vogue. Caroline explains:

“At the end of the day, perpetrating this culture of intense scrutiny–especially as it is applied to unconventional-looking leaders–makes us all the poorer. All we are doing is continuing to validate the noxious benchmark that leaders need to look and act a certain way.‬”

Continue reading,,,

This week’s Juicy Bites question for you, dear emerging women is:

What is it that makes you feel deeply vulnerable?

Words of Wisdom from our Speakers at Power Party New York, September 10th, 2013

Four fantastic women are ready to share their wisdom with you, on September 10th in NYC at Power Party New York. I hope you can join us and experience the energy and receive the amazing gifts these women have to offer.

We encourage you to step out of your comfort zone, to open up and allow yourself to be challenged, to ask yourself questions you would have never dared to ask, and to receive the answers and the guidance you need to shift your paradigm of success. Power Parties are authentic networking events like no other you’ve ever experienced. We ask real questions, and we connect because of our passions and not because of our status. We embrace vulnerability, and our feminine power. We courageously listen, learn and grow.

Power Party New York is Emerging Women’s 5th local event. Our goal is to bring together brilliant women and build a veritable tribe committed to truthful living. With your support we can generate real change that empowers women not only in our communities but around the world.

Join us and begin creating a life of alignment, authenticity and powerful self-expression!

If you can’t make it in person to Power Party New York, you can still participate via live-stream. Please RSVP on Facebook, and we will share the live-stream link closer to the date.

RSVP on Facebook HERE

Register on Eventbrite  HERE  (Early Bird Pricing Ends August 30th)

Below you’ll find a 4 quotes from our fabulous presenters at Power Party New York. Enjoy!

Speakers:

Mama Gena

Regena Thomashauer (Mama Gena) is a revolution: an icon, teacher, author, mother and one of a handful of pioneers on the planet researching the nature of pleasure and dedicating her life to the discipline of pleasure and fun.

Image by Ibai Acevedo
Image by Ibai Acevedo

Kate Northrup

Kate Northrup is a professional freedom seeker and creative entrepreneur. She created financial freedom for herself at the age of 28 through building a team of more than 1,000 wellness entrepreneurs in the network marketing industry.

Image by Ibai Acevedo
Image by Ibai Acevedo

 Robyn Hatcher

Robyn Hatcher is an author and communication skills expert and Founder of SpeakEtc., a boutique communication and presentation-skills training company. Once an extremely shy child, Robyn is now passionate about helping individuals express themselves effectively and powerfully.

Image by Brandon C. Long

Amy Ferris

Amy Ferris is an author, screenwriter, playwright, and editor. Her memoir, Marrying George Clooney, Confessions From A Midlife Crisis was produced and performed as an Off-Broadway play (CAP21 Theater Company) in 2012.

Image by Michael Vincent Manalo
Image by Michael Vincent Manalo

Register for EW Power Party New York  HERE

Power Party New York is an event in support of Emerging Women Live, October 10-13, 2013, a national event at the St. Julien Hotel which will feature the following speakers: Brené Brown, Elizabeth Gilbert, Eve Ensler, Alanis MorissetteSobonfu Somé, Ani DiFranco, Kelly McGonigal, Tara Mohr, Tami Simon, Kristin Neff, Jennifer Lee, Sera Beak and many more!

Check out the Emerging Women Power Party in action:

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Juicy Bites This Week: Overcoming our Fears

This week we learn:

  • Wisdom from pioneer science woman Maria Mitchell
  • Why it’s important to take credit for your work
  • The top 100 websites for women
  • Why startup failure is not the end of the world

At the end of this post, we encourage you to join us for a conversation. In one word (or more) tell us:

What does it take to overcome our fears?

1. Pioneering 19th-Century Astronomer Maria Mitchell on Education and Women in Science via Brain Pickings

Maria Mitchell was the first woman to work as a professional astronomer. She became professor of astronomy and the only woman on the faculty at Vassar College in 1865. A trailblazer woman in science, a fighter for equal pay and equality in education, she also co-founded the American Association for the Advancement of Women and became the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

From Maria Mitchell: Life, Letters and Journals (public library; free download) — emerges a portrait of a fascinating, fearless woman.

Check out this diary entry from 1874:

“For women there are, undoubtedly, great difficulties in the path, but so much the more to overcome. First, no woman should say, ‘I am but a woman!’ But a woman! What more can you ask to be?

Born a woman — born with the average brain of humanity — born with more than the average heart — if you are mortal, what higher destiny could you have? No matter where you are nor what you are, you are a power — your influence is incalculable; personal influence is always underrated by the person. We are all centers of spheres — we see the portions of the sphere above us, and we see how little we affect it. We forget the part of the sphere around and before us — it extends just as far every way.”

She also encouraged the freedom of thought:

“Women, more than men, are bound by tradition and authority. What the father, the brother, the doctor, and the minister have said has been received undoubtingly. Until women throw off this reverence for authority they will not develop. When they do this, when they come to truth through their investigations, when doubt leads them to discovery, the truth which they get will be theirs, and their minds will work on and on unfettered.”

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2. What are we all so afraid of? via The Telegraph

A new blog, ifuwerentafraid.tumblr.com shows the impact fear can have on women’s lives. The blog is hosted by Lean In, the campaign run by Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook and the author of Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.

Anna Maxted, a bestselling author based in North London, England – no stranger to crippling anxiety – wonders what she’d do if she weren’t afraid.

“You gaze at this parade of women on If U Weren’t Afraid and suddenly understand that your fears are ordinary, honest. And yet, how sad to see those discarded dreams.”

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3. Why You Need To Brag More (And How To Do It) via Forbes Woman

A May 2013 study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin found that women who work with men are far less likely to take credit for their work than those who collaborate with other women. Instead of  truly accepting their accomplishments , women give away the credit, talking about the great team they had, the collaborative efforts involved, etc. Familiar right? Instead of saying thank you, women are unnecessarily modest.

“A 2012 report from management consulting firm Accenture called “The Next Generation of Working Women” found that women are less likely to speak up than men, less likely to proactively manage their own careers, and less likely to ask for a raise. According to an NPR report that aired last year, the last fact can mean anywhere from $1 million to $1.5 million in lost earnings over a woman’s lifetime. Owning up to your accomplishments isn’t about arrogance; it’s about equality.” ~ Peggy Drexler

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4. The 100 Best Websites For Women, 2013 via Forbes Woman

The fourth annual list of FORBES 100 Best Websites for Women is a formidable resource.  We are curious which one is your favorite? Leave your suggestion in the comment box below.

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5. Why you should ignore startup failure stats via VentureBeat

Melania Brescia Photography
Melania Brescia Photography

Running a startup that eventually fails can be a valuable experience, writes Eran Laniado, managing director of BMN.

Eran explains:

“[…] not attempting to pursue one’s dream may be very frustrating. Moreover, those who never try will never fail. Those who never fail find it difficult to cope with challenging situations outside of their comfort zone when these eventually arise. A failure today may teach a person to cope more successfully with similar situations in the future.”

Continue reading…

This week’s Juicy Bites question for you, dear emerging women is:

Let’s start a conversation. We would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below.

Eve Ensler – Fearless Champion of Women

I would like to introduce you to one of my heroes. The great thing about the hero archetype is that they are always trying to save the world. With Eve, we can say that literally. Earlier this year, she incited a global flash mob through her V-Day campaign – an effort put forth by her non-profit 1 Billion Rising to raise awareness and stop the violence against women around the globe – in which every country in the world participated. Every country. Every single country in the world was dancing and submitting videos calling out for an end to the horrors that many women face in the world today. Who else has had that kind of reach? I still can’t wrap my head around it, but that’s ok, because my heart gets it at such a profound level.

In her brilliance, Eve is using dance to communicate the undiminishable power of both body and spirit. Through the body, where our femininity has such wisdom and power, and through the dance, where we celebrate and connect to the web of humanity – we rise.

Eve Ensler is one of the most important supporters and activists of women’s rights of our time. Her art and activism has inspired thousands of women around the world, to open up and share their own stories. Eve is a Tony Award-winning playwright, performer, author and activist. Her signature play The Vagina Monologues, has been translated into over 48 languages, performed in over 140 countries, including sold-out runs at both Off-Broadway’s Westside Theater and on London’s West End (2002 Olivier Award nomination, Best Entertainment).

Her experience performing The Vagina Monologues inspired her to create V-Day, a global activist movement that aims to stop violence against women and girls. V-day raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of the award-winning play The Vagina Monologues and other artistic works. In 2011, over 5,600 V-Day benefits took place. The V-Day movement has raised over $90 million and educated millions. Eve’s latest book, In the Body of the World (Metropolitan Books) — the book is a brave and beautiful examination of an illness, unlike anything ever written about cancer.

Eve has written numerous articles for The Guardian, Huffington Post, Washington Post and the International Herald Tribune. She was named one of US News & World Report’s “Best Leaders” in association with the Center for Public Leadership (CPL) at Harvard Kennedy School and one of “125 Women Who Changed Our World” by Good Housekeeping Magazine (2010). In 2011 she was named one of Newsweek’s “150 Women Who Changed the World” and The Guardian’s “100 Most Influential Women.”

Eve Ensler mentioned in a recent interview in Origin Magazin:

“Freedom, that’s the kind of power I’m interested in. When we help each other get free, then it’s not about anybody being on top or anybody being on the bottom. It’s about being together, in a community. One of the many wonderful things about One Billion Rising was to see how everybody took this energy that was circulating around the planet and turned it into what they needed it to be. To me, that’s where freedom and energy come together.” ~ Eve Ensler

Eve Ensler was a keynote speaker at Emerging Women Live 2013, where she shared with us “In the Body of the World”.

She spoke about themes from her most recent memoir, a meditation on separation and connection—to the body, the self, and the world.

Eve has devoted her life to the female body—how to talk about it, how to protect and value it. Yet she spent much of her life disassociated from her own body—a disconnection brought on by her father’s sexual abuse and her mother’s remoteness.

“Because I did not, could not inhabit my body or the Earth,” she writes, “I could not feel or know their pain.”  But Ensler is shocked out of her distance. While working in the Congo, she is shattered to encounter the horrific rape and violence inflicted on the women there. Soon after, she is diagnosed with uterine cancer, and through months of harrowing treatment, she is forced to become first and foremost a body—pricked, punctured, cut, scanned. It is then that all distance is erased. As she connects her own illness to the devastation of the earth, her life force to the resilience of humanity, she is finally, fully—and gratefully—joined to the body of the world.  

In her talk and her work, Eve Enlser is unflinching, generous, and inspiring; she calls on us all to embody our connection to and responsibility for the world.

Enjoy this TEDTalk below where Eve Ensler talks about her lifelong disconnection from her body – and how two shocking events helped her to connect with the reality, the physicality of being human. 

If you are dedicated to living a fully expressed life that thrives on authenticity, creativity, and the power of your unique self, Emerging Women Live is your tribe.


***Featured image of Eve Ensler © by Brigette Lacombe.

Juicy Bites This Week – Accepting The Truth of Who You Are

This week we find out:

  • Fascinating research that points out the achievements and challenges women face in the workplace
  • Alanis Morissette’s advice for women who are on the precipice of their own Emergence
  • Women’s barriers to becoming leaders, and candidates for senior positions
  • The inspiration behind Emerging Women
  • How self-compassion can help us accept the truth of who we are

At the end of this post, we encourage you to join us for a conversation. This week’s Juicy Bites question for you, dear emerging women, is:

What allows you to accept the truth of who you are?

1. Women in the Workplace: A Research Roundup via Harvard Business Review

This article explores recent research by business, psychology, and sociology scholars that offers a window into women’s collective experiences in the workplace, bringing light to issues such as:

  • Work/Life Balance
  • Equal Pay
  • Leadership Qualities

Continue reading…

2. Alanis Morissette – Creative Intimacy and the Merging of Yin and Yang via Grace & Fire

Emerging Women is happy to announce the launch of our podcast series: Grace & Fire.

Our first podcast features the amazing powerhouse Alanis Morissette as she talks about:

  • Vulnerability
  • Strength with Femininity and balancing the Yin/Yang or Masculine and Feminine essence
  • The effect of success on the creative process
  • How anger can actually build intimacy in relationship
  • And finally, Alanis gives her one piece of advice for women who are on the precipice of their own Emergence.

Alanis is a keynote speaker at the 2013 Emerging Women Live Conference, October 10th-13th in Boulder, CO.

Listen to the podcast HERE

3. Women Rising: The Unseen Barriers via Harvard Business Review

We are seeing more and more companies make gender diversity a priority. Despite the good intentions of their employers, women still face hurdles to becoming leaders and candidates for senior positions.

“Becoming a leader involves much more than being put in a leadership role, acquiring new skills, and adapting one’s style to the requirements of that role. It involves a fundamental identity shift. Organizations inadvertently undermine this process when they advise women to proactively seek leadership roles without also addressing policies and practices that communicate a mismatch between how women are seen and the qualities and experiences people tend to associate with leaders.”

Continue Reading…

4. LeapCast Podcast Episode #3 – Chantal Pierrat via LeapCast

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Check out this podcast series from LeapCast – a catalytic community for passion-seeking women.

Tune in to learn what inspired Chantal to start Emerging Women Live, the fears that surfaced as she was launching, and how she pushed past them.

Listen to the podcast HERE

5. Embracing Our Common Humanity With Self-Compassion via Huff Post Healthy Living

Kristin Neff talks about the importance of self-compassion and being in touch with our common humanity, and how that allows us to be more understanding and less judgmental about our inadequacies, and more aligned with the truth of who we are. Recognizing that we are not alone in our suffering, and that failure and imperfection is inevitable we are able to be acceptant of ourselves and less intimidated by our mistakes.

“One of the most important elements of self-compassion is the recognition of our shared humanity. Compassion is, by definition, relational. Compassion literally means “to suffer with,” which implies a basic mutuality in the experience of suffering. The emotion of compassion springs from the recognition that the human experience is imperfect, that we are all fallible.”

Kristin Neff is a speaker at the 2013 Emerging Women Live Conference, October 10th-13th in Boulder, CO.

This week’s Juicy Bites question for you, dear emerging women is:

What allows you to accept the truth of who you are?

Let’s start a conversation. We would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below.