5 Ways to Create the Career You Truly Want
At 27, Erica Williams Simon came to an important recognition. She was “successful” but not happy.
“So, I did what we are never supposed to do—especially as women, especially as black women: We’re never supposed to quit. You don’t quit. Well yes, you do and I did,” she recently said.
What she discovered in the time of self-exploration that followed was that many cultural and generational narratives had shaped her idea of what it means to be successful that had nothing to do with what she actually wanted out of life.
Now, the woman who had been listed on several “30 under 30” lists as a rising political star and TV commentator, is on a mission to help others understand the cultural stories that shape their lives and create new ones that will lead them to the life they actually want.
The author of the 2019 book, You Deserve the Truth, Erica shared these five insights with the Conference for Women: Read More
9 Mantras to Help You Turn Your Idea into a Business
Nathalie Molina Niño, CEO of BRAVA Investments
While starting a business, you’ll find yourself talking yourself into, and out of, a lot of choices. From idea to full-fledged enterprise, these mantras from real founders and executives will help you stay strong along the way. Pick and repeat the ones that speak to you the most.
#1. Corner yourself with courage—and go. Read More
Holiday Survival Tips from Simple Habit’s Founder
A Stanford B school dropout, Yunha Kim is on her second startup—and like most things that meet a real need, it’s genius. Called Simple Habit, the app is a “Spotify” for meditation, meaning it’s a platform for different experts to share their bite-size meditations and audio therapy sessions.
Kim had her Eureka moment after turning to meditation apps to cope with the stress of running her first company. “I got pretty tired of hearing the same voice over and over again,” she recalls. “It occurred to me that to listen to a new singer, I don’t go to another app. I go to a platform like Spotify, where I can find new artists as well as my favorites.”
Flash forward less than three years, and Kim has a huge hit on her hands. “Simple Habit has helped more than 2.8 million people relieve stress and anxiety, with an average of 30,000 new users joining the platform every week,” she says. What’s more, she just closed $10 million in her series A, after raising $2.8 million from seed investors.
Her advice for newbie entrepreneurs? “Taking care of yourself is critical,” Kim says. “When you’re building a business from scratch, you are the number one resource you have. You will work long days, and stress is inevitable, so it’s important to take a little time each day to step away, breathe and reset.”
Here, Kim’s four tips—and her Simple Habit audio recommendations—for surviving the holidays: Read More
Real Advice for Women Seeking Mentors and Allies
If your mentors all look like you, you have a mentor problem. Same goes if they all have similar backgrounds and work histories or if you have only one—or none.
“Your mentors should be a diverse network,” says David Smith, an expert on gender workplace issues and co-author of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women. “If they’re not, you’re missing out on key perspectives and information, and you’re probably not being challenged enough in your thinking.”
Of course, for women in male-dominated fields such as the military (Smith’s background), the problem isn’t having too many mentors who look like you (i.e., female). The problem is having a mentor, period. Read More
2018 Session | Women & Work: The Changing Meaning of Ambition
Faced with pivotal and thought-provoking moments in their careers, college friends Hana Schank and Elizabeth Wallace came back together decades post-graduation to embark on a project about women, ambition, transition, crisis and achievement. This workshop will share their rich insights, findings and first-hand experiences about the changing meaning of ambition. Drawing on their project, The Ambition Interviews, they will offer insights into the variables that push women to make big decisions, and offer tools to help emerging professionals make those decisions easier. For a new generation of working women or anyone at a crossroads, this session will explore the impact of modern parenting, a 24/7 work culture, and sexism in the workplace so that those big decisions become a little easier to make. Read More
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How to Stop a Bad Boss from Impeding Your Career
If you have a difficult boss, you know what it is to feel stuck. You can always quit, of course, but leaving without a new job is risky. Most people can’t take the financial or professional hit. Or maybe you are at a great company and simply don’t want to leave.
The thing to remember in this situation: “Your career is a marathon and not a sprint,” says Mary Abbajay, president and CEO of management consultancy Careerstone Group. “Every long run has rough patches, but that’s when you grow—when you’re being challenged.” Read More
5 Mantras for Entrepreneurs Who Want to Do Good
We all know how start-ups have been disrupting business, changing how we shop, bank, dine out, meet up and get around. From sector to sector, technology is removing inefficiencies, and as a result, our lives are more convenient and improved.
Yet one part of the start-up landscape that we don’t often hear about is the social enterprise space: for-profit companies that are using technology to help advance humankind. Read More
Transform Your Workplace with Radical Honesty | Podcast
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When Patty McCord was the chief talent officer at Netflix, she co-authored the company’s famous “culture deck,” which spelled out her vision for creating a company culture that hinges on employees behaving like, and being treated as, adults. In this 30 minute teleclass, the author of Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility will share what she has learned about radical honesty in the workplace, motivating with challenges and treating your coworkers like grown-ups. She will also provide an HR director’s take on how to address failure in an interview, disagree with your boss and even say goodbye to the best job you’ve ever had without looking back. Read More
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Thinking of Joining a Non-Profit Board?
About 20 years ago, when she worked for the Seattle Mariners, Gail Hunter reached out to the YMCA of Greater Seattle about joining its board. “My family had been members forever and it was a big part of my childhood,” says Hunter, now vice president of public affairs and event management for the Golden State Warriors. “I wanted to give back.”
But expanding your network, acquiring new skills or even giving your résumé a boost are all fine reasons for wanting to join a non-profit board, according to Hunter. That is, “as long as you are willing to do the work,” she says. “Organizations need their board members to be committed and active.” Read More
2017 Session | How to Get Taken Seriously as a Woman in Tech
Whether you are just getting your foot in the door, negotiating your next promotion and raise or trying to get backing for your big entrepreneurial idea, the tech field is a tough place to be a woman. From a lack of visible mentors and role models to underrepresentation in startup communities and pontification about including more women in tech, without much action, the challenges that women face in the tech field are well-known. This panel of experts will share how they found their way in this field and the tangible strategies that can help you do the same. Read More
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