Future-Proof Your Career On Your Terms Now
FemWealth Issue #8
Welcome to FemWealth #8!
Hi friends,
Yesterday was May Day (aka Labor Day), and it got me thinking about Work. Redefined by tech innovations and generational changes and disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, Work is, probably more than ever, center stage in our lives.
Significant shifts transform our world, from tackling the global health, environmental, and inequality crises to geopolitical tensions and the massive adoption of technologies whose impact we don't yet fully understand. How do we, especially women, prepare for an uncertain future?
The Covid-19 crisis has disproportionately impacted women's careers and erased decades (if not centuries) of progress towards gender equality. The ripple effects on leadership and wealth creation are to the detriment of women.
Work has a pivotal role. It shapes our identity and impacts our decisions and choices in all other areas of life. Now it's time to redefine Work on our terms.
What role does work play in your life? What goals, values, and aspirations do you connect with your career? What's your edge or "unfair advantage"? How entrepreneurial are you in your career? These are some of the questions I am currently reflecting on. While I have no definitive answers (even for myself), I would love to share some thought-provoking ideas and strategies from the leaders and game-changers who shape the future(s) of Work.
Be Inspired by the Millenials and Gen Zs Who are Crushing it!
Tiffany Zhong, Founder & CEO of Islands and Zebra IQ
Fresh out of high school, Tiffany Zhong landed a job as a VC analyst. She started to grow her professional network at the age of 16, reaching out to investors on Twitter asking for advice on starting a company. In exchange, she gave them valuable insights into the values and behaviors of Generation Z (those born between 1996 and 2010).
In 2017, Zhong started her own company Zebra IQ to help brands understand and reach Gen Z. She also founded Islands, a platform for creators to engage with their communities, earlier this year.
Zhong and her generation give us a good glimpse into the future of work. A mobile-first and side-hustle generation, they care about values and see through the Bs.
Read the Zebra IQ GenZ Trends report. 💎
Kat Norton, Chief Excel Officer aka Miss Excel
Excel is a skill. It's something that can save people hours in their week so they can spend more time doing what they love. This is a skill set that gets people out of the office earlier and back home to their families. It's a skill set that stands in the way sometimes between people and getting the job they want, the promotion they want. And that's why I do what I do.
Norton used to fly across the US to teach Excel in her previous job. When the pandemic hit, she moved back with her parents and started a side-hustle: translating abstract Excel concepts into fun and "snackable" TikTok videos. In February, Norton quit her job to focus full-time on her Miss Excel business. She grew to fame as the "Excel Influencer" who is on track to earn a six-figure income. Her "Miss Excel online schools" on Instagram and TikTok have more than 400,000 followers. She's one of the best proofs that everyone can carve their own space on the Internet.
Get some inspiration, and polish your excel skills!
📹 Level Up with LEFT & FIND (Instagram)
📹 This may be the best day of my life (TikTok)
Thrive in Remote or Hybrid Work Modes
Esther Perel, Psychotherapist, New York Times bestselling author
People who work remotely, they're not working from home, they are literally working with home. There is an immediate collapse of all their roles.
A renowned couple therapist, Esther Perel's work focuses on relationship intelligence at work and home. In her podcasts "Where Should We Begin?" and "How's Work?" and public appearances, she redefines the conversations around modern relationships.
Perel believes we all have a "relational dowry," a relationship resume cultivated at home - in our families, our communities, and our romantic lives - that influences the way we interact with our colleagues at work. In our current remote and hybrid work modes, Perel emphasizes the importance of creating routines, rituals and boundaries to deal with pandemic-related loss and uncertainty.
📰 Can Therapy Save the Pandemic-Era Workplace?
🎥 The routines, rituals and boundaries we need in stressful times
🎧 Finding a New Balance with Esther Perel
Find and Cultivate Purpose
Leena Nair, Chief Human Resources Officer and Member of the Unilever Leadership Executive
My purpose: to ignite the human spark for a better business and a better world.
Behind every successful woman, there is a network of people who help her get there. So I really believe, invest in these friendships, invest in these networks, because it's this that helps you to balance what you do at home with what you do at work.
Leena Nair started her career at Unilever as a Management Trainee in her native India, almost three decades ago. She climbed the career ladder in various roles and in different geographies. In 2016 she was appointed Chief Human Resources Officer and a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive - the first female, first Asian and youngest ever to occupy these roles at Unilever. In her role as CHRO, she is responsible for a global workforce of 150,000 employees.
Her personal goal is to build an inclusive environment where all members of our diverse society can contribute and succeed in equal measure. Nair is a global voice for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and the Future of Work. She is also an advocate for prioritizing mental health and well-being in the workplace.
📖 Fit for the postpandemic future: Unilever’s Leena Nair on reinventing how we work
🎥 People With Purpose Thrive - Leena Nair
🎥 The Leader of many “Firsts” - Leena Nair, Chief HR Officer, Unilever
Herminia Ibarra, the Charles Handy Professor of Organizational Behavior at London Business School
Herminia Ibarria is one of the top leadership and career development experts. She is the author of the books "Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader", and "Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career." Her research and writing focus on leadership, women's advancement and career transition.
📖 Why WFH Isn’t Necessarily Good for Women
📖 🎥 Yes, good leaders are authentic leaders — but here’s what that actually means
📖 A Lack of Sponsorship Is Keeping Women from Advancing into Leadership
🎥 Herminia Ibarra: What Will Leadership Look Like In The Age of AI?
I hope you will find inspiration and actionable insights from these remarkable ladies, to help you define your career on your terms. Keep me posted on how that goes! Happy to share more resources.
Btw, I started a new short-form newsletter about my quest to lead a more creative life. It’s called Creativity Ink. It will include many precious gems on work and life. 💎 Check it out and subscribe if you feel this is something for you. Thank you!
FemWealth Curated Content
📖 Following “Radical Candor,” Kim Scott is Back with Another Incredible Framework for “Just Work”
🎧 Confidence with Sara Blakely (and Simon Sinek)
🎧 Matching the medium and the message in a digital age
📖 🎥 Women expect less from their careers as ever before. Here's how we change that
🧵 State of female leadership and the fight for gender equity by Moira Forbes
📖 Standout skills every girl needs for the 21st Century by Erase All Kittens
📖 All Raise Annual Report on the State of Startup Funding (US)
FemWealth News 🗞
Erase All Kittens raises $1M seed round for Mario-style game which teaches girls to code
This Tech Unicorn Just Opened A Million-Dollar Daycare, As Companies Fight To Retain Female Talent
Chloé Zhao Becomes First Woman Of Color To Win Best Director Oscar - only the second woman to win the category in the 93 years history of the Academy Awards 🎥
Harris and Pelosi make history standing behind a president during a formal address to Congress. - "Madam Speaker, Madam Vice President"😍
FemWealth Recommended Events
📅 the global limitless conference [May 5th]
The lineup includes Sheryl Sandberg, Dame Stephanie Shirley a.o. ✨
📅 Redefining Resilience for Professional and Personal Growth - Forbes [May 6]
📅 Ethereal Virtual Summit [May 6]
📅 Customer Spotlight Series: Recruiting Top Talent [May 12]
📅 Ellevest Online Events [recurring] - highly recommended
📅 Ellevate Network Online Events [recurring] - highly recommended
Thank you for reading! Do you have feedback or ideas to share? Add your comments or reply to this email.
The next two issues will focus on Entrepreneurship (#9) and Collaborative Leadership (#10). Would you like to share any insights, content or ideas?💡 Please, get in touch!
Kindly,
Anamaria
Founder and Writer @FemWealth