How Women Inspire: Invest, Lead, Give

“Deals are made on the golf course.” “Your network is your net worth.” How often have we women heard these phrases throughout our lives, only to be scolded or warned against doing these same things that men are encouraged to do? It’s time for us to change the cultural narrative around using our connections to create professional opportunities for ourselves and the women around us. This week’s epis...

In a world where women leaders are still facing immense challenges and criticism, our role as advocates for each other has never been more important. Too often, we've seen women tear each other down, rather than lifting each other up. But when we commit to refusing to participate in the toxic dynamics that hold us back and instead use our voices to build other women up, amazing things happen....

The workforce in the US is more diverse than ever. And with a large part of the educated workforce being made up of Latina women, strategies and ideas around investments are shifting. Emma Rodriguez-Ayala is here today to talk about how investors need to learn how Latino communities view and value money, bridging the financial literacy gap by teaching kids about money from a young age, and much mo...

While women in general are underrepresented in leadership roles and corporate America, those least represented are Latina women. Despite being one of the largest sections of the workforce, Latina women make the least money of any demographic in the country; on average only being paid 62 cents for every dollar made by a white man. Marilyn Alverio founded Latinas & Power as a way to bring Latina...

Women-led venture firms grew from 12 in 2010 to over 300 in 2020, representing new opportunities for women in leadership and innovation. As the first generation of women with decades of work experience and control of 50% of wealth, it’s up to us to invest in companies who share our values, especially in women’s healthcare. Ariane Tom is here this week to share about the importance of investing in...

As we mark two years since the Dobbs decision which overturned Roe v. Wade, highlighting inequality in healthcare is more important than ever. Limiting access to essential reproductive care disproportionatelty affects women of color, non-English speaking folks, people living in poverty, and other marginalized groups. Kwajelyn Jackson is here this week to discuss her work in fighting for reproducti...

Local politics is often regarded as the most important level of government. It is where decisions are made that affect you and those in your community directly and daily, and where people come together to improve where they live. Aja Brown became mayor of Compton, California in 2013 by doing just that, caring for her community and inspiring others to do the same. She is here today to talk all abou...

Having diverse perspectives in your workplace is good not only for productivity and output, but also for creating a comfortable environment where all people can do their best work. In recent years, however, we have seen shifts on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) regulation. Nancy Geenen is an expert in DEI in the workplace, and on today’s show she’s sharing insights from her book The Advanta...

As women-founded companies receive only 2% of venture funding year after year, it’s more important than ever for women founders and women venture capitalists to band together to reshape what it means to be an investor and an entrepreneur. Winsome Kirton and Tatijana Janko are two women advocating for and leading this change. They’re here today to discuss diversity in investment, their experiences...

In the world of founders and business owners, you’ll find many people who start more than one company. You’ll be hard-pressed, however, to find someone who has not only started multiple successful companies and a venture fund, but imbues all of her projects with as much passion, authenticity, and respect for her culture and values as Betsy Fore. Betsy has taken her success and turned to mentoring,...

Women control 52% of wealth in the United States. Despite that, less than 5% of women who can invest in venture capital actually do so. Venture capital is often portrayed as an avenue of wealth for the “bros” but if we come together as women, our unique value sets and perspectives can change the world by funding innovative, women-founded startups looking to find solutions that benefit everyone, ra...

Entrepreneurship is never easy and it proves to be more difficult for women. But with resilience, determination, and support from a strong network, entrepreneurship is attainable for all women. Soon Hagerty knows more than most about what it takes to be a successful business owner and has made it her mission to support and mentor other women on this journey through the Boundless Futures Foundation...

Investing in venture capital has historically been a men’s game, and the companies that receive funding reflect that. Less than 2% of venture funding is awarded to women-led companies, and that number has remained the same for many years. But as the pool of venture investors diversifies, we believe that number should grow. Tessa Flippin, Founder of Capitalize VC and Julie spoke about this topic in...

Less than 2% of all venture funding every year goes to women-founded businesses. But while that number has not changed in recent years, the amount of women actively investing has increased significantly. Our mission at How Women Lead is to create opportunities and access for women investors to help increase the amount of funding for women in the venture space. Naseem Sayani, Co-founder and GP of E...

As we progress in our careers, we better understand the importance of mentorship and coaching in our professional lives. Too often though, career coaching and professional development resources aren’t accessible to young professionals, whether it’s cost or time-prohibited. Ivoree Jordan and Myshell Gresham have started We Have Range to change that and create accessible resources for young professi...

Venture capital has a reputation for only funding certain demographics of entrepreneurs, particularly white men. As both entrepreneurs seeking funding and investors looking to support them become more diverse, we don’t necessarily see that trend change. Gayle Jennings O’Byrne is here today to talk about the power of storytelling in venture capital and how it can help build trust, break down barrie...

There is no better time to prepare for your search for a board position than in the seasons of life leading up to it. And with 30% of those on public company boards now being women, there are more resources than ever to prepare you and stories from other women who have already made the journey to learn from. Join us for a replay of our recent Linkedin Live with Kimberley Goode where she shares  th...

We have all learned rules around when our voices should and should not be heard; when it’s safe to speak up and moments when it’s too costly to use our voices. Anyone who carries a subordinated identity, particularly women, experience the expectation of silence baked into corporate policies and practices, while it goes unnoticed or misunderstood by leaders. Elaine Lin Hering is here today to share...

Healthcare technologies continue to see innovation faster than ever before. But as technologies change to ideally improve healthcare for everyone, we cannot have the only minds in the space be white men. Michele Colucci is here today to talk about the shift towards more women getting involved in venture funding for healthcare technologies. This week’s episode 111 of How Women Inspire Podcast is ab...

Society and business are slow to change. Without leaders using disruption to create positive change, we would likely never see improvements to our quality of life, both personally and professionally. But there is evidence that shows women are less likely to be disruptors, since we grow up hearing that being disruptive is a negative trait. Charlene Li is here this week to encourage women to embrace...

Climate change is at the top of many people’s minds as we experience more and more of its effects each year. Finding ways to reduce your carbon emissions and even achieve carbon neutrality is easier than ever as technologies advance and we create smarter systems to achieve our business goals without using as many natural resources. Cathleen Turner, the founder of CZero is here this week to talk ab...

Healthcare is an industry that affects everyone, no matter your race, gender, and age. With every person needing healthcare access, having a diverse group of voices and minds both in clinics and in companies developing healthcare technologies is more important than ever. Andrea Henderson knows this and has made it her life’s mission to not only find these diverse voices, but also invest in technol...

Every day, we see technology improving the systems and industries all around us. From finance to environmental science and more, technological advances are allowing us to make great changes to the way we live and work. The medical field is no exception, with scientists and inventors working tirelessly to improve healthcare across the board. Crystal Nyitray, the CEO of Encellin, is here today to ta...

Since the release of ChatGPT at the end of 2022, the whole world has been buzzing about AI. While it has proven incredibly useful in businesses and is sure to keep changing the technology game, AI and large language models don’t come without their fair share of problems to be corrected. Inaccuracies and biases in the data used in AI present many problems. Katie Trauth Taylor is no stranger to thes...

When women are in positions of power and influence, it’s better for people, profits, and the planet. But society up to this point has not been conditioned to see women as influential, successful leaders. We at How Women Lead are working to change how the world perceives women leaders and our credo is our guiding light on this journey. Today we are compiling Julie’s episodes about the four tenets o...