So far Women’s History Month has been whirlwind and I’m using this time to check in and see what condition my condition is in.  March has brought me a lot of good community time.  I was lucky enough to be a speaker at WBEC NY’s Women Mean Business Summit in New York and the timing could not have been better.

It was the first event of the new Executive Director, Phala Mire and the packed room, eloquent speakers, and chance to connect with old friends and new was a balm to the soul.

Past informs the present

Later this month, I’ll be visiting with a dear friend across the country and seeing even more long-time friends in the town of my first adult job where I was an environmental fundraiser and a political organizer.

Right now, my history as an organizer feels very important to me. I described to a friend how the life path is never a completely straight line.  I never thought I’d be a business owner, and then having become a business owner, I didn’t expect that political organizing would be so important. And yet, here we are.

Marsha Firestone, Ph.D. my former boss and mentor in the women’s business space told me, “Sometimes the worst thing you think can happen, turns out to be the best thing.” While that can be true of careers, it certainly feels like the worst thing that can happen is happening and is, in fact, the worst thing. Except, then, everything seems to get worse after that.

You are not powerless

When I was an environmental fundraiser, my colleagues and I had a book club where we read about movements that came before us, like the suffragists and labor organizers. They faced long odds and many of them worked for changes they wouldn’t see in their lifetimes.  They had victories then setbacks. The paths to more rights, better working conditions, the end to child labor were not straight lines either.

While it’s OK to feel bad, it’s a privilege to wallow and feel powerless. You do have power.

With that in mind, here are some bright spots in my Women’s History Month. These are some things within my control that I’m doing. I would love to hear from you what you are up to.

1.With 12.5 Minutes brought to you by CEI Media Group (please follow), my co-host Jared and I are showcasing what business owners are doing not only to keep their heads up but to keep those in their industry going.

I remember during the quarantining part of COVID 19 one of the most maddening yet comforting things was that you might be reaching the end of your rope when someone else was just emerging from a dark period with perspective and lightness. Being there as the emerging one, is a great gift we can give each other and one of our recent guests, John Reid of SKY illustrates that perfectly in his interview with us.

2. On the panel at the WBEC NY event, my co-panelists included Angela Dingle, Executive Director of Women Impacting Public Policy, and Teri Coaxum, a government relations connector.  Both women offered straightforward ways that business owners can make their voices heard individually and collectively.

3. I donated to Forté’s #AccelerateAction campaign (s/o to my friend Diti for being on the Board of the organization) to provide professional development and address systemic barriers to women in the workplace.

4. Being on the Leadership Council for We The Change as we plan our retreat April 21-23 in Denver has been really motivating and will be another great touchpoint for people I know and those that I want to know in the purpose-driven women business owner space. I keep saying that my work, and continuing to do it, is my biggest act of resistance.

5. After my last newsletter, Julie Yoder of English With Purpose directed me to the Maryland Skilled Immigrant Task Force with some information. Here’s a list of job fairs for immigrant workers and also federal workers experiencing layoffs.  She also shared this resource from the Maryland Chamber of Commerce on employer’s rights and responsibilities to their immigrant workers.  Thanks for the resource, Julie!

6. Maryland State Senator Smith was on that webinar and I called his office about my concerns.

7. Last but not least, I was asked to be a panelist at NAWBO’s 50th Anniversary event in DC in June. That means that NAWBO started in 1975 – 13 years before the passage of HR 50/50 which gave women the right to access credit without a male co-signer, paving the way for robust resources for women’s entrepreneurship in the U.S.  The legislation was the result of a wide range of women’s business advocates organizing and working together.  I’m thrilled to celebrate that history and the future at the event in June.

The biggest lie that malevolent powers want us to believe is that we don’t have power. How are you using yours?