How Women Inspire: Invest, Lead, Give

Ever heard the saying "shirt sleeves to shirt sleeves in three generations"? It's a stark reminder that generational wealth doesn't simply happen; it requires intentional planning and a focus that goes beyond finances. In this episode of How Women Inspire, we sit down with Thomasina Williams, founder of Sankofa Legacy Advisors, to discuss the often-overlooked human element of b...

Diversity of thought is one of, if not the most important thing we can bring into the boardroom with us as leaders. Considering a variety of perspectives allows us to find solutions to complex problems more quickly than if everyone had the same backgrounds and frames of mind. Few know this better than Lynda Grindstaff, board director and cyber security expert. In this episode, Lynda shares her inc...

In a tech world that's constantly evolving, how do you stay ahead of the curve and become a truly impactful leader? In this episode of How Women Inspire, Brandy Goolsby, a seasoned tech executive, shares her incredible journey from finding her voice to empowering the next generation of tech innovators. Brandy and Julie dive deep into the challenges of fostering innovation, the power of strate...

Women have powerful voices and have been using them to voice concerns and demand change forever. But when society is full of naysayers and those who undervalue women, it can be easy to back off of your convictions. In this episode, Denise Brosseau delves into the transformative power of finding your voice and building trust and shares her journey to becoming a champion for women's voices and...

Do you feel confident that you’re in control of your financial future? With the huge transfer of wealth to women in this country, it’s more important than ever to be financially literate and feel confident in the conversation. In today’s episode, Megan Schottmer shares her inspiring journey of overcoming shyness and self-doubt to become a trailblazing leader in the financial services industry. Meg...

As women in the workplace, the odds of success and growth are not usually in our favor. So, what can we do to improve our odds and set ourselves up for success? In this episode of How Women Inspire, we sit down with Shellye Archambeau, experienced CEO, board director, and author of Unapologetically Ambitious. Shellye shares her inspiring story of overcoming the odds as a Black woman in tech to bec...

In a world where the gender funding gap remains stubbornly wide, women are on a mission to change the game. Erin Harkless Moore is at the forefront of driving breakthrough innovations and social impact through strategic investments. In this episode, Erin shares her journey from Wall Street to impact investing, and the powerful strategies she's employing to empower women-led funds and companie...

Are you a woman in leadership struggling to manage stress and are not feeling like your authentic self? In this episode of How Women Inspire, Liz Sklar, Director of Stand and Deliver and actress, shares her journey from stage to C-suite and how she helps leaders find their authentic voice and communicate powerfully. Liz and Julie discuss the importance of managing stress, setting boundaries, and e...

The healthcare industry has long overlooked the unique needs and experiences of women, but that tide is finally turning. Today, we’re sitting down with Elyse Heob, a multi-time healthcare startup founder and expert in bringing groundbreaking innovations to market. Elyse shares her insights on the critical importance of women-led research and product development, the myths surrounding startup chaos...

Only 2% of all founders of AI companies are women, and Jacqueline Schafer is one of those women leading the way in tech. Jacqueline is here this week to share her inspiring journey from her early days as a lawyer at a top firm to founding her own innovative company set on changing the legal landscape. She discusses the importance of partnering with strong women investors and building a company wit...

In the professional world, having a mentor to guide you in making the best choices for yourself can make all the difference. Having a mentor can help you unlock your curiosity, seek out opportunities you didn’t think were possible, and make significant changes to the world. Mentorship is even more critical for people from underrepresented backgrounds, especially first-generation students from low-...

Women’s health continues to be an important issue for many of us, and more and more medical technoplogy startups are getting on board with turning their attention to women’s health issues across the globe. Dr. Vinona Bhatia, a trailblazer in medicine, technology, and global health, is here this week to discuss her work in cancer screening and care both here and in Africa, as well as advocating for...

Growing a business is no easy feat, but here at How Women Lead, we have the pleasure of knowing many women who are leading high-growth companies. Their difference? The companies are not only high-growth, but high-impact, aligning their business values with their personal values aiming for a better world. Coco Sellman is here today to share her journey growing her business and using it as a force f...

If anyone knows about the importance of grit and determination, it’s immigrants. Hispanic people are the fastest growing worker group in the US, and young Hispanic people attending college and universities are truly the workforce of tomorrow. Despite this, Latina and Latino voices are grossly underrepresented in the biggest rooms of power. Marisela Barbosa is here today to talk about her journey s...

Even if we think our career is on a straight path, life has a funny way of presenting us with unexpected opportunities and changing our trajectories. Deborah Smith knows this firsthand, having moved around in the financial industry and taken almost every opportunity that presented itself before founding The CenterCap Group, a boutique investment bank serving the real estate industry. Deborah is he...

As technology advances quickly, it can be hard for regulation to keep up with innovation. So what are developing technology companies to do when regulations are so vague, and standards are yet to be developed? One answer is to work on self-regulation. Jessica Nall is here to talk about her work as a lawyer whose mission is to defend and support tech companies, founders, CEOs, and more! This week’s...

One of the most powerful tools you can have as you navigate your career is a well-rounded network. The relationships you build with mentors and colleagues have a massive effect on your trajectory, and few know this better than Shannon Nash. Shannon is here today to offer us her insights on the power of relationships, the value of diverse perspectives in the boardroom, and the importance of followi...

There has been a significant increase in women-led venture firms, going from 12 in 2010 to nearly 300 in 2020, emphasizing the potential for women to manage $30 trillion in wealth by 2030. And despite women-founded companies outperforming their male counterparts, they received only 1.8% of venture funding last year. But as women have more control over money and assets, we can demand and bring abou...

Everyone has a different path and purpose in life, and those on the entrepreneurship journey often feel it most. But fighting loneliness by building community with and supporting other women and women entrepreneurs leads to incredible collaboration, better health, and lasting societal change. Dr. Keera Godfrey is here today to talk about the importance of investing in women, choosing the path that...

Women currently own 52% of wealth but receive only 2% of venture funding, despite returning 34% more to investors. It’s our mission here at How Women Lead to lift each other up in every way we can, including funding women startups and business owners looking for funding. Because when we invest in our values and put our money into what we believe in, everyone wins. This week’s episode 135 of How Wo...

Women CEOs are incredible - they have to be to get to the top - so it only makes sense that their companies outperform others in the stock market. So why aren’t more people actively investing in women? Patricia Lizarraga is here today to talk about raising visibility and funds for women-led companies that consistently outperform in all different markets. This week’s episode 134 of How Women Inspir...

The importance of getting more women involved in venture and angel investing cannot be understated. As more women earn more money, the value of getting women seats at the table and in positions that decide what their money is being used for grows. Marcia Dawood is here today to share with us how we can be more involved in investment decisions, combat bias in finance, and more. This week’s episode...

It feels like AI has taken over the world since Open AI released ChatGPT at the end of 2022. The widespread use of large language models, however, has shown a great deal of bias and misinformation, in addition to being less than intuitive. So how do we create better AI? Ewa Ding is here this week to share her thoughts and mission to make AI more human-friendly! This week’s episode 132 of How Women...

Women’s voices have been and continue to be culturally dismissed and discouraged. Women are very rarely quoted in science and financial journals, as well as make up only about 25% of all of the people who are quoted as experts in the news media. The fourth element of our credo at How Women Lead is to Be Unabashedly Visible, and today, Julie is sharing her journey to be more visible. This week’s ep...

Every woman has an instance in her childhood where her voice was ignored. Maybe she was told to be seen and not heard, maybe she was looked over in class to speak, or maybe she was told to take up less space. This cultural bias against women’s voices needs to be put to an end, and it starts with us supporting one another and speaking up to affirm another woman and make her voice heard. This week’s...