This comment that a woman made on a Facebook thread after Oprah gave her famous speech at the Golden Globes, January 2018, hit me HARD. The speech, coupled with this comment, slapped me upside the face, stirred a fire in my soul and got me reflecting on every experience I have ever had (both as a woman and as a woman in business) and solidified MY WHY.
Every day, I work with smart, intelligent, kind, incredible women with big dreams for themselves and their families. (I am also one of them.)
And I witness, every single day, the self doubt, the fears, the limiting beliefs they hold, the negative self talk and the barriers to success that they create for themselves. They down play their natural talents. They don’t give themselves enough credit for the work that they do. They don’t stick up for themselves when it counts. And the worst part? They don’t speak out & share the knowledge that I KNOW they have.
Trust me, I am not immune to any of the above. In fact, don’t they say that the one thing you are most passionate about is the one thing you need to learn the most yourself?! Yes. In this case, I would completely agree.
Through my years of being coached and self reflecting on my past experiences, the question has always been…WHY? Why do we as women do these things to ourselves? Why does it seem so much harder for a woman to be in business?
It’s taken me years to figure it out and I now know the answer.
It’s simply because it’s new. This is unchartered territory.
It’s never been more accessible to be a woman in business. We live in a time where our grandmothers fought hard for change & gender equality.
And now, with the paths paved, we have the freedom and flexibility to do and be anything we want to be.
The #BossBabe movement where every working & stay at home Mom has a side hustle or 2, or 3… has never been bigger.
Good thing right?! Well yes! It is!
But guess what? #RealityCheck - We are struggling. We are frustrated, confused, emotionally tapped out, feeling lost & defeated. Here we are supposed to have it all and are left feeling like we don’t.
Yes, the opportunities for us are endless, but this is all brand-new territory! Think back to when you were a kid. How many women in business did you know or see?
I can only speak from my own experience but not one woman in my family had a business and I recall only having 1 friend whose Mom worked for herself.
Being a business owner, is challenging, whether you’re a woman or not.
The difference is that for years & years, without men realizing it, they were groomed, coached & mentored for business leadership.
Research has shown us time after time that we are a product of our environment. And…simply put, women just haven’t been immersed in an environment where we were shown the tools, resources & nuances that are critical to deal with the mental & emotional challenges that being in business brings. It’s all about that #Mindset
What I know for sure is that women do not lack the knowledge, skills or passion for business. What they lack is a tribe of other successful women, lifting them up, inspiring them, empowering them, leading and coaching them along the way.
Yes, it’s a fabulous time to be a woman in business…but we all have some work to do. I am up for the challenge. Are you?
