On the Brink

In two days, hundreds of us will come together to change the world of work for women at the Rethinking and Accelerating Diversity and Women’s Leadership in Business Forum. The speakers are incredible and what we will accomplish will be groundbreaking. Listen, learn, share, connect. See you there.

For several weeks now I've been telling you about the Rethinking and Accelerating Diversity and Women’s Leadership in Business Forum, sponsored by the Women Business Collaborative (WBC) and Rethinking Women, coming up soon on May 11th. So what is Women Business Collaborative and what does it do, you might be asking? As a matter of fact, it does a whole lot!

What does it take to really change the role of women in business? Vision, leadership and collaboration. That's the purpose of the 2nd annual Rethinking and Accelerating Diversity and Women’s Leadership in Business Forum, sponsored by the Women Business Collaborative and Rethinking Women. It takes place May 11th and we really hope you'll join us. Just read who is coming to speak and I think you'll agree that this is a gamechanging, one-of-a-kind event. Big things are going to happen—register now! 

It really is amazing—the number of high-powered, extremely accomplished women and men thought leaders we have assembled to speak at the 2nd annual Rethinking and Accelerating Diversity and Women’s Leadership in Business Forum, sponsored by the Women Business Collaborative and Rethinking Women. It all happens on one day and one day only, May 11th, which is coming up fast. Don't wait, register now! 

It's getting closer! Edie Fraser, Gwen Young and myself would like to personally invite you to join us and hundreds of others at the 2nd annual Rethinking and Accelerating Diversity and Women’s Leadership in Business Forum, sponsored by the Women Business Collaborative and Rethinking Women on May 11th. Our mission is to achieve equal pay, power and position for all women, everywhere. Join the movement!

It's almost here! The 2nd annual Rethinking and Accelerating Diversity and Women’s Leadership in Business Forum, sponsored by the Women Business Collaborative and Rethinking Women. Please join us May 11th from 11:00am-2:30pm ET and bring along others who will love the conversation. These are amazing trailblazers who are transforming the place of women in business so we all can thrive, here in the US and around the world.

Christine Grant, center, with Lisa Bluder, right, coach of Iowa women’s basketball, and Jaime Printy Brandt, a former Iowa player and teacher
at an elementary school named for Grant in North Liberty, Iowa. Credit...Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen /USA TODAY NETWORK

Recently on January 6, 2022, the NY Times published an article honoring the recently deceased Christine Grant, the University of Iowa’s first women’s athletic director and a pioneer who helped shape the 1972 Title IX legislation, tirelessly advocating for the fair treatment of women in sports.

It’s easy to gloss over how tough it was for trailblazing women like Christine Grant to make a difference in what had been (and too often, still is), a man’s world. Without a doubt, it’s due to their lifelong resolve and refusal to accept sub-standard treatment that women’s sports are where they are today, and where they are going tomorrow. And yet, we’re so far from where we need to be.

My favorite quote from Grant in the article:

“We cannot continue as a nation to continue discarding the dreams and the talents of half of our population.”

Did you know that today, women own 40% of businesses in the US, which amounts to 12 million businesses? One way of looking at this is to say, wow, 12 million is a lot of businesses. But I am tempted to look at it another way. Why only 40%? Along the same lines, only 20% of funded companies have women founders, according to a 2019 EoY Diversity Report. Again, I question why only 20%? What is holding women back from founding companies? To try to get at some answers, I talked about all this and more when I was recently interviewed by Authority magazine for its interview series, “Why We Need More Women Founders.” You can find the interview here.

Are you ready to play a role in the future of women?

Now you can. A great opportunity is before you. I would like to personally invite you to join me and a powerhouse lineup of thought leaders, corporate leaders and entrepreneurs at the Women Business Collaborative (WBC) third Annual Summit: Empowering Through Gender and Diversity.

Register Now!

"If the Golden Rule is to treat people as you want to be treated, the Platinum Rule is to treat people as they want to be treated. If you're truly a global citizen, you have to practice the Platinum Rule."  - Denise Meagles

Yesterday was International Women's Day, and the month of March is Women's History Month. How should we mark these two events? How do we adequately honor and celebrate all of the incredible things women have accomplished throughout history, their contributions to human civilization and culture and progress? It's a tall order. 

But a different way of looking at this is to ask, why do we need an International Women's Day and a Women's History Month? Is it because in spite of all our smashing of myths and shattering of glass ceilings, women are still not equal to men? Women of color are even more unequal.

At our Rethink with Andi Simon Roundtable which met today, we discussed this and a lot more. I'd like to share with you some of the ideas that were put forth because hopefully they can help us understand how to make the world better, for women, for men, for all of us. Enjoy and please share.