The Future of Travel: “Personalization is no longer considered an added bonus but a requirement” with Joshin Raghubar and Candice Georgiadis
With a universal consumer shift from products towards experiences, international spend on luxury experiences is on the rise and personalization is no longer considered an added bonus but a requirement. More people are steering away from the big red bus and group tours and looking for a curated, private experience.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Joshin Raghubar. South African born Joshin Raghubar is a seasoned African entrepreneur in the media, marketing, and technology sectors. He is the CEO & Founder of Explore Sideways, a leading purveyor of curated, private food, wine and cultural day tours and experiences in South Africa, Portugal and beyond. Raghubar has also founded iKineo, a Pan-African customer engagement agency and Sprout, South Africa’s leading digital media performance firm. Joshin serves as the chairperson of the Bandwidth Barn, Africa’s largest non-profit incubator and accelerator for technology businesses; non-executive director of the Cape Innovation & Technology Initiative (CITi), the public/private sector agency tasked with development of the region as a technology and innovation cluster; and non-executive director of Enke, a non-profit organization that works to empower youth to develop social innovations in their communities. He was recently recognized as a 2019 Laureate for the John P. Mcnulty Prize, which celebrates individuals and their ventures who are using their entrepreneurial spirit and expertise to address the world’s toughest challenges. Joshin also serves as a non-executive director of both the Africa Leadership Initiative (Southern Africa) and the African Leadership Network. He is a fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative and the Aspen Institute’s Global Leaders Network, a fellow of the United States-Southern African Centre for Leadership and Public Values, and a member of the Bertelsmann Foundation’s global Transformation Thinkers program. Joshin has a business science (honors) degree from the University of Cape Town, and a masters in development studies from the University of the Western Cape’s Institute for Social Development.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I began my working life soon after South Africa had transitioned from Apartheid to a democracy. As a young man, it was clear to me then, that while we had climbed the ladder of political liberation, there was still a mountain to climb for people of colour for economic liberation. Despite, being from a family of teachers, I became an entrepreneur and a civic activist for building an inclusive technology-led economy. The story of Explore Sideways, is that during the course of building and running two digital and marketing firms, one of our clients was the tourism authority of the Cape (Town) region. The client brief our creative team to develop a campaign to drive more visitors to the Cape wine lands. The insight for our agency team was that there was no comprehensive easy-to-use way to find out about all the amazing wineries and experiences the Cape had to offer, so they reverted to an idea to develop a discovery app for the region. While the client loved the idea, they did not have the budget to support it, so we funded and launched it ourselves. When we realized that the biggest users of the app were independent travel guides themselves, we realised there is a huge need for of-the beaten path, curated itineraries and experiences, matched to the traveller’s unique preferences, and a service that enabled independent specialists to deliver them. We launched Explore Sideways to address this need, and to share the people, places and experiences that inspire us, with the discerning traveler.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
There are so many interesting moments. A recent moment that stands out, is leading a closed group discussion, at the most luxurious palace hotels in Marrakech, with a former Secretary of State, and almost 20 other foriegn or prime ministers on the impact of technology in Africa, now and over the coming years. And most notably seeing them all burn up the dance floor later.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Right in the beginning, the day after we launched the first version of our website, an eCommerce booking platform for the curated experiences we had put together, we waited with bated breath for bookings to start rolling in. After one day nothing happened. The next day we didn’t get any bookings either. On the third day we started to worry and by the fourth…you get the picture. The lesson we learned was to never assume that just because you’ve launched something that you’ve been working on and poured you time, effort and energy into that people will automatically flock to your site/app/store etc and book, download or buy your product. It takes time to build a brand and get your name out there.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
At the end of the day, people are trusting us with their time. Explore Sideways is a luxury travel firm trusted by discerning travellers, that curates unique private wine, cultural and active experiences and enables a community of approved independent specialists and insiders to deliver them.
One of my favourite stories that exemplifies what makes us stand out is ‘The Table Mountain Wedding’ story. We were approached by a couple from the US that needed help arranging their wedding day. Now, Explore Sideways is not a wedding planning service but we got such a great vibe from the groom and it was just them (they were eloping and wanted to make it really special) so we agreed to help. Needless to say we pulled off what some would call impossible…a wedding on the slopes of the iconic Table Mountain (a national reserve and one of the seven Natural Wonders of the World) with a pastor, an African themed wedding cake (covered in Zebra stripes!) and an arbour included. Not only did we get access to a part of the mountain that isn’t open to the public by vehicle and host a full wedding ceremony in a breathtakingly beautiful spot, but we managed to make this happy couples special day one they would truly never forget…zebra stripes and all!
I think this story really speaks to some of our core values as a business: trust, passion, openness, innovation and action. We’re a small team but when we’re given a challenging brief we do everything in our power to make it a reality while maintaining our client’s interests as the core focus.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”? Can you share a story about that?
We are privileged to work in this industry- it allows us to express our creativity in the experiences we curate, expand our own horizons and well as those of our guests. It allows us to learn and grow, and if we can remind ourselves to keep growing, we find the energy to thrive. Secondly, we get a lot of energy by building and being part of a community. We actively invest in developing our tribe of independent specialists and partners around our mission. It’s more fun to do it together than doing it alone.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
It may sound cliché, but I have to lead with my parents. They showed me how simple acts of personal leadership and consistently having the courage to move into uncomfortable spaces can have profound impact. I grew up during Apartheid in a time of racially segregated schools, and my parents made significant sacrifices that enabled me to attend a multiracial private school on scholarship. While the school experience was exceptional, it is the example of pushing beyond the boundaries others set for you, that I continue to draw inspiration from.
Let’s jump to the core of our discussion. Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the travel and hospitality industries?
A trusted global brand that enables discerning guests to get the best value for time when they wish to experience their trip through an insider lens of wine, food, culture and unique activities. Our model creates a four-sided marketplace of all #sideways approved verticals: matching discerning travellers with independent specialists and guides, insiders to curate and tailor these experiences and the tourism assets from wineries to yachts to restaurants. Explore Sideways provides a simple booking experience, enabled by technology and design, for agents and guests who book directly.
Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing this innovation?
In a nutshell, Explore Sideways delivers a trusted way to get the most value for time. We know how precious time is, especially on vacation and have done all the work for you. With so many tour companies and options out there, we’ve single handedly tested every itinerary, sat down with every independent specialist and guide and tasted the wine, guaranteeing a #sidewaysapproved experience tailored to your preferences.
A guide can make or break your experience and matching our specialists with our guests is something our team truly prides themselves on.
How do you envision that this might disrupt the status quo?
With a universal consumer shift from products towards experiences, international spend on luxury experiences is on the rise and personalization is no longer considered an added bonus but a requirement. More people are steering away from the big red bus and group tours and looking for a curated, private experience.
Can you share 5 examples of how travel and hospitality companies will be adjusting over the next five years to the new ways that consumers like to travel?
Personalization, curation, shared economy, sustainability and bleisure travelers (tacking on a personal trip around a biz trip, especially around millennials / remote economy)
You are a “travel insider”. How would you describe your “perfect vacation experience”?
A perfect trip is when I get the best value for my limited time. Luxury for me is an experience I can trust to be authentically best-in-class local, that I enjoy, am inspired by and expands who I am. If you’ve traveled over 10+ hours to a brand new country and only have a few days to explore- don’t try to do it all on your own via google. You’ll most likely end up in touristy areas, waiting in long lines or even worse; a big red bus with 85 other tourists doing the same thing. Instead, spend a bit more to get the value for time, and seek out a local agency (a trusted global brand with hyper-local specialization) like Explore Sideways , who specialize in private, tailor-made experiences dependent on the traveler’s wants, needs and most importantly -time. Because on vacation, time is the most prized asset.
Can you share with our readers how have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
One of my goals has always been to drive the technology and entrepreneurial ecosystem in South Africa and beyond, working across government, business and society to build an inclusive, future-proof economy. The Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative, where I have been a member since 2005 and chairperson for the past 6 years is leading the continent’s first and largest tech incubator and building an inclusive workforce by placing previously unemployed young people into tech jobs. I was honored to have recently been recognized as a 2019 Laureate for the John P. Mcnulty Prize, which celebrates individuals and their ventures who are using their entrepreneurial spirit and expertise to address the world’s toughest challenges.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Mass adoption of Bitcoin and off-chain cryptocurrencies based on the Bitcoin Standard.
And a global challenge where people spend more minutes each day meditating than they do on social media, would be fun.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
For serious wanderlust and food and wine inspo follow our adventures in South Africa and Portugal, @exploresideways
Social Impact Heroes of Social Media: “Let your mission be your guide” with Arielle Lorre and Candice Georgiadis
Let your mission be your guide. I say this a lot but whenever I deviate from my mission of using my experience to help others, I often find myself in the weeds unsure of what I’m doing.
As a part of my series about social media stars who are using their platform to make a significant social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Arielle Lorre. Arielle is a Los Angeles based influencer who is best known for her platform, The Blonde Files. What started as a fitness journey turned into a brand as her authentic voice, vulnerability, openness about her struggles and triumphs, and eye catching content attracted a large audience. Arielle talks candidly across her channels about her recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction, hormonal and gut health, nutrition, mental health, beauty tips, relationships and how to thrive.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
My story begins in 2014 when I got sober after nearly dying of drug and alcohol addiction. I went to treatment and afterwards worked on my mental health and rebuilding my life for a couple of years, and in early 2016 I decided to address my physical health, too. I wanted so badly to get in amazing shape so I began doing Australian trainer Kayla Itsines’ workout program, BBG. I started an anonymous fitness accountability Instagram account and it took off very quickly from there. Ironically physical fitness is such a tiny part of what I use my platform to talk about now.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this career?
There have been so many interesting things that have happened; this industry, since it’s relatively new, never ceases to amaze me — and baffle me. But the most amazing thing has been the connections I have made in real life with people who I have admired, who have their own struggles too. Social media really can be amazing at bringing the right people together when used for good.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I don’t know that I’ve made any mistakes per se; I don’t mean that in an egotistical way but I have built my platform on sharing my experience, good and bad! So I’ve written and posted and storied things I probably wouldn’t now (in retrospect) but it’s all part of my evolution and I learn from everything!
Ok super. Let’s now jump to the core focus of our interview. Can you describe to our readers how you are using your platform to make a significant social impact?
My goal with my platform is to encourage people who are struggling; provide hope to people who feel hopeless or helpless; and just use my experiences to help others. That ranges all the way from sobriety to gut health to interpersonal relationships to spirituality to mental health issues and everything in between. I do wrap it up in a pretty package (I am a very visual person and love a pretty aesthetic) but if people take the time to read my words or listen to my podcast, they know what I share is substantive. 5.5 years ago I was in Cedars Sinai dying of drug addiction and alcoholism and had run my life completely into the ground; it’s been quite a turn around and I want to use it to benefit others.
Wow! Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted by this cause?
I get messages daily from people who have been impacted by what I share. I get young girls who are struggling to stay sober who say they think of me whenever they want to use. I have people thank me for sharing about my debilitating struggles with my gut because so many are told it’s in their head and feel alone. My favorite messages are about how a recipe or my cookbook has brought their family together. I recently got one from a woman who said her mom has been dealing with health issues lately and has been withdrawn. They’ve been cooking recipes from my cookbook (everything is very clean) and she said it’s the first time in a long time she’s seen joy in her mom. So moving!!
Was there a tipping point the made you decide to focus on this particular area? Can you share a story about that?
Sharing about my struggles has never felt shameful to me and I noticed very early on that it was resonating with people. I never ever wanted to be an influencer who just posts a photo and moves on with their day; the community who follows me and my mission to help others is very important to me. That said, when I got sober I learned that in order for me to be happy I have to turn my attention to other people and how I can help them. I try to do that in all areas of my life, which is how this platform came to fruition.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
Just three? I’ll focus on recovery here. On a societal level I think people should be more vocal about their recovery. Obviously there are traditions to be respected but it really helps to break the stigma of addiction and alcoholism. And speaking of the stigma….the way addicts and alcoholics — AND recovery — are represented in media does not help. What teenage drug addict is going to want to get clean when they associate recovery with smoky church basements? Ok and lastly we need to STOP putting addicts and alcoholics in jail for petty crimes. I think it’s clear that it doesn’t often rehabilitate them. And if they are in jail, give them a chance at recovery with more 12 step meetings. I should stop there!
What specific strategies have you been using to promote and advance this cause? Can you recommend any good tips for people who want to follow your lead and use their social platform for a social good?
I look at my experiences and struggles as gifts that might help someone else dealing with something similar and I share it on my Instagram. That has been my diary for the last 3.5 years and that’s where people know to go. I have diversified and have other mediums where I might go deeper on a subject, but that’s where the core audience is. My main piece of advice for others would be to just be as authentic as possible. Invite people in; people love to feel connected and like they’re part of your journey. Share what is true for you, not what others are sharing.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
1. It’s ok to clap back at trolls! I used to be so concerned with being liked by everyone that I let people say some really horrible things to me on my platforms. I do know that people who do this are not in a good place and I do NOT condone bullying. But there is a way to call it out so that maybe they’ll think before they do it to someone more vulnerable.
2. It’s ok to say no. I said yes to things early on that didn’t necessarily align with my core values because I wanted to grow.
3. Be patient. Yes there are overnight internet sensations but in general growing an audience — and letting them get to know you — takes time. It took me 3.5 years to get to a point now where I feel like things are really gaining momentum.
4. Be unapologetically yourself! Don’t emulate others. It’s easy to get caught up in trends of social media whether it’s aesthetics, tone, or even subjects. Stay true to you. Whenever I’ve gotten caught up it falls flat.
5. Let your mission be your guide. I say this a lot but whenever I deviate from my mission of using my experience to help others, I often find myself in the weeds unsure of what I’m doing.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Well, if everyone could ask themselves “how can I help someone else today?” that would be a huge start!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Eckhart Tolle: “Whatever you think the world is withholding from you, you are withholding from the world.” There are so many lessons in this quote, most notably for me that I get back what I give. Stop looking for things outside of me and use what’s inside of me to give back. I’ll get it back tenfold.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Adam Gausepohl of PopShorts: “Nowadays there’s a culture in entrepreneurship where people celebrate raising money; Your focus should be on building a sustainable business, not simply raising money”
Focus on building a sound, profitable business. — Nowadays there’s a culture in entrepreneurship where people celebrate raising money. Your focus should be on building a sustainable business, not simply raising money.
As a part of my series about social media stars who are using their platform to make a significant social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Adam Gausepohl. Adam is the CEO and Head of Creative at PopShorts, a social media strategy and Influencer marketing agency that was recently crowned Boutique Agency of the Year at the ThinkLA IDEA Awards. Since founding PopShorts in 2013, Adam has become one of the leaders in the social marketing space; he is currently a judge of the Webby Awards and was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 Finalist in the category of Marketing and Advertising. Adam has crafted award-winning campaigns for the world’s largest brands, studios, and agencies, which have reached over one billion people and engaged millions more across all social platforms.
Thank you so much for doing this with us Adam! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Before PopShorts, I ran a small viral content website that was similar to Buzzfeed. We were always looking for new viral content for our articles when Vine was bought by Twitter. Out of nowhere, these 6-second social media videos were suddenly being shared faster than any other content on the Internet and content creators were gaining hundreds of thousands of new followers. We saw an opportunity in social media and Influencer marketing and pivoted our business model.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this career?
I was with a client at a Lakers game when I noticed the kids next to us were British. Having grown up in the UK I asked him what his favorite football team was and he said, “Manchester United.” An Arsenal fan myself, I told him it’s not too late to change teams. He rejected my suggestion, then asked me who was my favorite Manchester United player of all time? I responded, “Peter Schmeichel,” a Danish goalkeeper from the 90s. He quickly replied, “What about your favorite outfield player?” I was surprised he knew who Peter Schmeichel was since he looked no older than 12, but I entertained him and said “I guess David Beckham.” The kid shook his head in acknowledgment, accepting my answer before going back to watch the game. About 15 minutes later he scoots by me to head out into the aisle, where he walked down towards the court and greeted a man standing there waiting for him with a kiss on the cheek. The man was David Beckham. The kid comes back up and sits down next to me. I ask “So, you know David?” The kid replies, “That’s my Dad!” Little did I know I was chatting with the son of a footballing (soccer) legend. Cruz Beckham was polite, well-mannered and clearly well-raised. Hats off to David and Victoria.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I’m not sure about the funniest mistake, but for anyone starting out in a new career I can tell you that I’ve made my fair share of mistakes. The important thing to remember is that it is okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them.
Ok super. Let’s now jump to the core focus of our interview. Can you describe to our readers how you are using your platform to make a significant social impact?
At PopShorts we frequently take on pro-bono work that has a social benefit. We’ve worked with the Ad Council to raise awareness for important issues such as “Don’t Snap/Text and Drive” and “How to Prevent Forest Fires.” Personally, I also enjoy sharing my knowledge and experience with others and have become a Mentor at ThinkLA to provide career advice to young advertising professionals. I have also presented workshops and presentations to students and businesses in Morocco, Tunisia and Spain as a part of the US Department of State’s speaker program.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted by this cause?
Rather than talk about one individual, I’ll share an insight from one of our recent campaigns we created for Colorado Crisis Services, which was designed to raise awareness for mental health counseling services and suicide prevention. That campaign resulted in thousands of individuals reaching out for help and literally saved multiple lives.
Was there a tipping point the made you decide to focus on this particular area? Can you share a story about that?
Giving back is something the three co-founders here at PopShorts believe in, so we’ve made it a point to give back whenever and however we can. While our business is thriving, we define success as more than just revenue, it’s the impact we have in our communities.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
There isn’t really one particular problem we are trying to solve as we’re actively involved in many different initiatives. From my experience, driven and motivated communities impact society and this in turn puts pressure on politicians to take action. Three things anyone can do to make a difference are: 1) take action (ideas are nothing without action), 2) use social media to gain support for your cause, and 3) support each other.
What specific strategies have you been using to promote and advance your causes? Can you recommend any good tips for people who want to follow your lead and use their social platform for a social good?
We leverage social media influencers who have large built in audiences. However, everyone can make a difference by using their platform to reach their family and friends. You can share a petition or donation page, share a video raising awareness for a cause you care about, or find events to support or volunteer at on social media.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
1) Don’t worry about making mistakes, but make sure you learn from them. — It’s easy to stress over your mistakes, but once you realize they are learning opportunities you look at them an entirely different way.
2) Google is your best friend. You can teach yourself almost anything nowadays so don’t wait for other people to teach you everything. — When I started out I was intimidated by all the things I didn’t know, but now if I don’t know something I’ll google it, watch a tutorial, and I’m good to go.
3) Don’t rely on outside sales companies. — It’s tempting to hire someone claiming that they can help you secure meetings with executives and decision-makers at companies you want to work with, but I’ve found that their motivations are in securing your retainer and not in driving you qualified business leads. We’ve wasted a lot of time and resources producing proposals for low-percentage opportunities that came from outside sales companies. Build out your sales strategy internally instead.
4) Focus on building a sound, profitable business. — Nowadays there’s a culture in entrepreneurship where people celebrate raising money. Your focus should be on building a sustainable business, not simply raising money.
5) Attention to detail matters. — We once lost a client because someone didn’t proofread a deliverable. Build a process that eliminates client-facing unforced errors.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
A movement that would put enormous pressure on politicians to write legislation that would significantly reduce the global carbon footprint.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“I believe the target of anything in life should be to do it so well that it becomes an art.” — Arsène Wenger. I love this quote. It reminds me to constantly look for ways to improve myself in everything I do.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Richard Branson. He’s a fascinating entrepreneur with a true zest for life.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Follow @popshorts on all social channels. I rarely use social media myself, but when I do I typically share my thoughts on Twitter: @adamgausepohl.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! Thank you!
The Social Impact Heroes of Social Media: “Don’t be concerned with other people having ideas or platforms similar to yours, just like there are tons of hamburger restaurants; there are tons of people working to make a difference” with Ameerah Saine of Brunch and Slay
Don’t be concerned with other people having ideas or platforms similar to yours, just like there are tons of hamburger restaurants; there are tons of people working to make a difference. Your tribe will find you. Comparison will still your joy every time, I have made it a point to focus on my timeline and not look at what other female empowerment pages post, there are a number of great pages out there focused on connecting women, I find that to be a good thing but nothing will take the wind out of your sails like comparing your beginning to someone else’s middle.
As a part of my series about social media stars who are using their platform to make a significant social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ameerah Saine. Ameerah is founder of Brunch and Slay a Lifestyle company creating a space for multi-cultural women to connect, through experiences, be inspired through content and showcase their business and products.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
In my 20’s I began to relocate for work, and each time I moved to a new city I found it hard to find adult friends. I would relocate and have to make new girlfriends all over again. The fact that I traveled extensively for work did not make connecting with women any easier. I’d always complained about this to my husband and in 2016, I found myself a new mom with tons of time on my hands, something I was not entirely comfortable with. I was frustrated and needed to find women who were evolving and embracing new things in their lives. I was no longer the woman I’d been in my 20’s the things I wanted now were different. I needed to find and connect with my tribe. I talked about it with my husband, and he encouraged me to take my time off to create something that would meet my needs, and Brunch and Slay was born. I wanted to create a space that would encourage women to connect organically; I also wanted to promote a supportive environment. I tried to cultivate the perfect backdrop for us all to be free to be ourselves. The events were a hit and they soon evolved into a podcast and now an e-commerce store where you can find products and courses all curated by women who are a part of the BAS Tribe.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this career?
I had the pleasure of interviewing Ty Hunter (Beyonce’s former stylist), back when the podcast first started, as a matter of fact, I hadn’t recorded one episode when I met him and he agreed to be on the show. He was so kind and made me feel extremely comfortable. I listen to those first episodes and cringe now, but I’m forever thankful to people like Ty who supported me from the beginning.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
After our first big brunch, I had my videographer create a recap video, with all the girl power songs that I loved, I was so proud of that video. I took out an ad on Facebook and began to market like crazy until Facebook shut it down. I had no clue at the time that I’d committed copywriting infringement. I can laugh about it now but at the time I was really bummed about it.
Ok super. Let’s now jump to the core focus of our interview. Can you describe to our readers how you are using your platform to make a significant social impact?
I’ve made Brunch and Slay a stage for multicultural women. It’s a place where women who typically are overlooked by mainstream media, can connect with their ideal audience to introduce and launch their products and services. From our events to our podcast, we focus on the positive, we even use our followers in our photoshoots. I want every woman to know that she has something to bring to the table.
Wow! Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted by this cause?
A day or so before our first event, a woman messaged me on Facebook, with her concerns about attending our brunch alone. I encouraged her to attend and told her I would save a spot for her at my table so that she would not be alone. We hit it off; she explained to me that she was at a crossroad in her life. She’d reached a point in which she needed more. She wanted to start her own company as an event planner but had no clue where to begin. I shared my knowledge of a few local groups and introduced her to a few women in the tribe. Those relationships helped her find her tribe; she now has a thriving event company in Houston. I share this because sometimes we need to be in the room with people who understand our journey. I used BAS as a resource for her, and with her drive and dedication, she has built a fantastic brand. I see her on TV often and her company has a cult following.
Was there a tipping point the made you decide to focus on this particular area? Can you share a story about that?
Event after event I would meet women who had businesses and products that ran circles around things I would see in magazines or on TV. I could not get over the fact that these women were thriving with virtually no support or funding from major banks or corporations. These women were PR, Marketing, Sales, and everything in between for their companies, and I wanted to help them. I wanted people to see that multicultural women are innovative, educated, and more than what you see in mainstream media. So I launched our podcast which I use as a spotlight. I like to think of BAS as a stage; my job is to provide the perfect setting for women to showcase their talents. We’ve now evolved and adding curated e-commerce store that our guest and tribe members can introduce, launch, and market their products and services.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
As a community, we can make an effort to support small business, to seek out women-owned businesses operating in excellence and not only support them by purchasing from them but by telling others about them. We can leave reviews about our experience with them, which helps with their digital footprint.
What specific strategies have you been using to promote and advance this cause? Can you recommend any good tips for people who want to follow your lead and use their social platform for a social good?
As an influencer, I am consistent, I post positive images, and spotlight new women weekly. People have come to know that our feed will be something they can rely on to bring good vibes and positivity to their timeline when you decide that you want to make a difference people will support you and your vision if you remain consistent.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
1. Don’t get caught up or too focused on how many followers you have or some magic follower number. Instead focus on those folks who do follow you, and engage with them get to know them and why they support you.
When I first started I would beat myself up about not having any followers; I would repost images from Pinterest and try to pick pictures I thought people would like, it wasn’t until I started posting original content that people began to follow my pages.
2. Don’t be concerned with other people having ideas or platforms similar to yours, just like there are tons of hamburger restaurants; there are tons of people working to make a difference. Your tribe will find you. Comparison will still your joy every time, I have made it a point to focus on my timeline and not look at what other female empowerment pages post, there are a number of great pages out there focused on connecting women, I find that to be a good thing but nothing will take the wind out of your sails like comparing your beginning to someone else’s middle.
3. Drive traffic to your site, Instagram of Facebook can disappear tomorrow, and if you only connect with your audience on their platforms, you could be devastated if the algorithm changes or the systems crash. About a year ago IG changed their algorithm, and my page took a hit, I was devasted I went from have tons of likes per post to barely any. The new change meant that my followers no longer saw my post, I had no clue how to fix that at the time. I realized that I can only control my domain and that I should use social media as a tool to and not the in all be all.
4. Pick one or two social media platforms and give them all you’ve got, trying to master each platform will drive you crazy. I tried to post on every social media platform from Twitter to Snap Chat and it was a fulltime job. There was no way I would be able to truly grow on each platform, so I did some research and discovered that my audience and demographics were IG and Facebook lovers, which helped me curate content that they wanted to see.
5. Be authentic, people follow you for a reason. Since becoming an influencer I’ve been tempted to take on affiliate work and partnership that were not always on brand, and my audience quickly let me know that they were not happy about it. I had to learn that lesson quickly. As your audience grows it is very tempting to take on affiliate work, it’s a great way to monetize your platform, but I know now to be sure that those opportunities and partnerships are on brand.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I’d would make our hashtag #WeBuildWeWin a movement, because to me the answer to most of the problems that we as women face is collaboration. When we build together we tap into our community and use our resources; we can accomplish great things. We no longer see one another as the competition but as allies. I do believe that true healing begins there.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Nothing beats a failure but a try” It’s an old southern saying that my mom always told me when I was a kid, it means always to push yourself and try to accomplish your dreams. It’s a constant reminder to me to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Oprah Winfrey, because she has helped raise the vibration of our society, she has brought cultures together and challenged our way of thinking. Her journey and path is one I relate to and respect. She never let how others viewed her hinder what God placed in her heart. I admire that after all of her success, she continues to work and focus on improving society. Her prayer “use me” is one I utter daily.
“5 Things That Should Be Done To Close the Gender Wage Gap” with Francine Griesing and Candice Georgiadis
Paid Family Leave — In order to lessen the burden placed upon women, we need to mandate government-funded family leave and encourage fathers in particular to take it. By doing it as a government benefit, we enable women and men to participate in raising young children without unduly burdening small business.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Francine Griesing. Francine is a trailblazing serial entrepreneur. In 2010, during one of the roughest economic downturns across all sectors, she founded Griesing Law, a women-owned and operated law firm, and has since co-founded Bossible, a marketing and business development consultancy and GriesingMazzeo Leadership, a professional training and coaching company. Fran is a valued, strategic advisor to top executives and general counsel, with over thirty five years of legal experience representing public and closely held companies, not-for-profit organizations, government entities and executives in complex business transactions, high stakes litigation, employment, and alternate dispute resolution. After practicing at top tier law firms and as Chair of Litigation for the City of Philadelphia, Fran founded Griesing Law so women could reach their potential in the male-dominated legal field. Fran was selected by the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and Bank of America as the 2018 Woman Business Owner of the Year and by The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia as the 2018 Small Business Person of the Year.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us the “backstory” that brought you to this career path?
The reasons I became a lawyer and the reasons I became an entrepreneur are very different. As for the lawyering, when I was young, I always had my head in a book so my father nicknamed me “The Judge” and that’s what my family called me when I was growing up. My father was a Holocaust survivor, so there was a strong focus on morality and justice in our family, which ultimately led me to pursue my career as an attorney (and it is no coincidence that my brother is an attorney as well, and a public defender at that).
As for my path to entrepreneurship, that was a lot less linear. Throughout my legal career working at several large corporate law firms, I was often the only female attorney in the room. This was and still is a disconcerting trend in the legal profession, which inspired me to continuously advocate for the inclusion and promotion of women attorneys. So in 2009, I was contemplating two offers to join new law firms but in my gut I felt that neither was the right next step for me. At that time, I went on a walk with my daughter and we were talking about my hesitation and she says, “Why don’t you start your own firm?” I told her that I couldn’t do that because I was afraid I wouldn’t have enough clients. She laughed and said that was ridiculous because I already had clients. I kept insisting that is wasn’t doable and she stops me and says, “What kind of role model would you be for me if you didn’t do something because you were afraid?” In that moment, the light bulb went off in my head and I decided I was going to take the plunge and open my own firm where attorneys, especially women, could be happy and successful practicing law. Running and growing a law firm over the past ten years inspired me to launch two additional businesses with my daughter and my colleague based on my experience as an entrepreneur — Bossible and GriesingMazzeo Leadership.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this career?
The most compelling story to me is how the launch of a law firm led to the development of ancillary businesses with my team members who are not lawyers. For example, our firm received accolades for our business success and other lawyers, clients and professionals started asking for our advice on how to elevate their business profile. Providing marketing and strategic advice in that arena was outside our usual law practice. Based on a demand for these services we launched Bossible. In addition, our team members are prolific speakers and writers and thought leaders in areas beyond our legal practice such as diversity inclusion and elimination of bias, business leadership, empowerment for women and minorities and sexual harassment. As the demand grew for us to do more paid speaking, often on topics that were not strictly legal topics, we founded GriesingMazzeo Leadership to educate and train others in those areas. What I learned is that you need to be agile and seize opportunities when they arise even if they aren’t explicitly in the areas you focus on.
Can you share a story about the funniest or most interesting mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
It was not funny at the time but certainly resulted in a strong lesson for me about turning disappointments into achievements. Only two months after I started my firm, our landlord sought to break the lease. We had already bought furniture and stationery and have given everyone our address and advertised our location as part of our launch. We did not have time or energy to move and this news was terrible from a cost and morale perspective. We picked ourselves up and found a new space, which we loved and enjoyed for eight years, and it turned out to be an important move for us. However, at the time, it felt like a big setback, but instead of treating this as a disappointment, we touted the move as necessary because we were doing so well that we had quickly outgrown our initial space. Challenges are all about how you frame them.
Ok let’s jump to the main focus of our interview. Even in 2019, women still earn about 80 cents for every dollar a man makes. Can you explain three of the main factors that are causing the wage gap?
1. Lack of awareness. Broadly speaking this is not knowing, understanding and/or acknowledging what the wage gap is and how pervasive it is. On an institutional level, it is being blind to what is going on internally within organizations. This includes a failure to look at the numbers themselves and examining a company’s culture including the mechanisms for promotions and compensation and how and why men disproportionally benefit.
2. Lack of representation — The status quo is maintained until someone comes along to disrupt it. Without women in positions of power, there is no one to question and check the inequalities that men inherently benefit from.
3. Lack of support for women personally and professionally. Women bear the brunt of caregiving for children and their parents, emotional labor of taking care of those in their personal lives and the physical running of their households. Women are also relegated to “women’s duties” at work in addition to being subject to sexual harassment and other #MeToo related-issues at work at alarming rates. Unsurprisingly, that combination of factors put women at a disadvantage when it comes to climbing the corporate ladder and being compensated equally.
Can you share with our readers what your work is doing to help close the gender wage gap?
As an attorney and an entrepreneur, one of my passions is educating and advising women and other marginalized groups on their rights under the law and the steps they can take to combat discrimination from their employers whether it’s through their pay or through other forms such as harassment or retaliation. On the flipside, I also advise employers on how to foster inclusive workplaces, including how to combat discriminatory practices and eliminate bias so that employees are safe and productive. People need to feel like they truly belong in order to succeed.
Can you recommend 5 things that need to be done on a broader societal level to close the gender wage gap. Please share a story or example for each.
1. Transparency — Information is power. Salaries and hourly rates should be made public as we cannot fix what we cannot see.
2. Accountability — Once information is made public is needs to be addressed. This includes penalties and consequences for pay discrepancies at an institutional and governmental level.
3. Paid Family Leave — In order to lessen the burden placed upon women, we need to mandate government-funded family leave and encourage fathers in particular to take it. By doing it as a government benefit, we enable women and men to participate in raising young children without unduly burdening small business.
4. Universal Childcare — For the same reasons as paid family leave, we need publicly-funded high caliber childcare. Large employers may be able to subsidize this, but many middle market, small business and non-profits cannot bear the cost, so a government underwritten program is also critical.
5. More Women and Diverse Leaders — The more perspectives shared in the business discourse, the more likely we are to come up with innovative ideas and break old patterns that continually (intentionally or not) subjugate women and diverse employees.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I have always aimed to combat the forces that exclude women from leadership roles and force them out of their professions. I try to embody this through my corporate culture, the long standing relationships I have built and maintained with other female professionals, and my commitment to institutions and organizations that foster inclusivity in the corporate field and beyond. The movement is already underway, and I seek to keep the momentum going with my efforts, but more importantly to encourage and inspire the next generation of women leaders coming up.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
JFK’s famous quote, “a rising tide lifts all boats,” is at the root of how I do business. My businesses all focus on a collaborative team approach that discourages internal competition. With such a close knit team, I wanted to create a unique and open culture where the success of any one employee means overall greater success of the entire business. In addition, paying it forward is something I continue to live by and hope to instill in others as well.
One piece of the puzzle that I’m super passionate about — that admittedly feels like a short-term band-aid solution for an entrenched and many-faceted issue, but focuses on the piece that’s more in control — is talking about how to tackle the compounding effect of salary negotiation over the course of your first decade in the workforce.
As part of my series about “the five things we need to do to close the gender wage gap” I had the pleasure of interviewing Katie Finley. Katie has spent her career working at the intersection of marketing and data for consumer brands. She is passionate about taking distributed data sets — from inventory and planning, to on-site behavior, to in-channel performance, to lifecycle patterns — to illustrate the customer journey from discovery to evangelist. She received her B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University, and is the Founder & CEO of Ori, a contemporary apparel brand for sizes 12+ based in Los Angeles, CA.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us the “backstory” that brought you to this career path?
After college, I wasn’t totally set on a career path. My first job was in marketing at a startup studio, and because I was more analytically minded, that snowballed into this ‘customer acquisition’ function for a number of different consumer brands, both full-time and in a freelance capacity, for most of my twenties.
The one thing that stood out to me across these jobs was that I have one of those equally right/left-brained minds, and my superpower is taking large datasets from disparate sources and distilling them into meaningful insights about products, customers, or brands. I love patterns, trends, and numbers of all kinds. I *also* love investigating the color commentary around those datasets — really finding the story. That combined quant and qual skillset made me a great marketing analyst, and my fascination with people, behavior, and brands kept me on the consumer track along the way.
Can you share a story about the funniest or most interesting mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I made about a million mistakes as a result of operating under one, wrong!, hypothesis: I had to know everything, and be the best at it, before I was truly qualified to do it. In reality, most great managers I’ve had — or leaders I’ve worked for — generally just do their best to take action with the information available. They trust their experience and instincts and learn new skills along the way.
Early on, I think I could have saved myself a lot of stress and general wheel-spinning by just jumping into new projects and roles with the confidence that if something went wrong, I’d likely be able to figure it out.
That’s something I’m probably overly intense about sharing with other women early in their careers: instead of focusing on checking every.single.box before you apply for something, make sure you can check off some of them and then just go for it — you will figure out how to check the rest of the boxes along the way.
Ok let’s jump to the main focus of our interview. Even in 2019, women still earn about 80 cents for every dollar a man makes. Can you explain three of the main factors that are causing the wage gap?
1 . Women defaulting to the caretaker role — whether this is for children, or for aging parents — women often have two full-time jobs, one at home and one at work.
2 . Significantly more men in leadership roles: when men are largely in control of hiring and promoting, unconscious bias & pattern matching results in a long-term, systemic effect of men bringing more men into leadership.
3. Bias around negotiation: research indicates that women risk more downside and negative perception from choosing to negotiate than male counterparts.
Can you share with our readers what your work is doing to help close the gender wage gap?
On a personal level, I always make time for conversations with younger women who reach out about navigating the first couple of years of their careers. I had a number of people kindly respond to my own cold emails when I was just getting started, and I try to pay that back as much as I can by being generous with my own time, and finding opportunities to be a sounding board or share my perspective.
One piece of the puzzle that I’m super passionate about — that admittedly feels like a short-term band-aid solution for an entrenched and many-faceted issue, but focuses on the piece that’s more in control — is talking about how to tackle the compounding effect of salary negotiation over the course of your first decade in the workforce.
E.g., let’s say a man and a woman go for the same job at the same company after they graduate from college. Both receive offers for 80,000; the man negotiates for 85,000, while the woman is agreeably ‘super grateful for the opportunity,’ and accepts the offer as-is. Compound that year over year: assume the woman negotiates for a salary increase that amounts to 6% YoY, while the man negotiates for raises that amount to 12% YoY. What started out as a 5,000 difference between the two salaries becomes a 24K difference 3 years out, and 42K difference 5 years out. (Take this 9 years down the road and the man is effectively making 100K more than the woman.)
This equation is def oversimplifying a nuanced issue when it comes to unconscious bias, pattern matching, entrenched societal gender roles, parental expectations, and how all of those things impact career paths differently across men and women — but to me, it feels like it’s something totally addressable and actionable on the individual level. If I can personally encourage more women to advocate for themselves and negotiate for themselves earlier on in their careers — on an individual level, it will cumulatively go a long way.
Finally, more broadly, with Ori: our mission is to create beautiful clothing that inspires comfort and confidence for women in all shapes and sizes. The fashion industry has been encouraging women to be smaller for decades — and to spend a significant amount of time & energy attempting to exist in agreeable smaller bodies — which has ripple effects in the workplace & more broadly, in our everyday lives. We think that your favorite garments — the ones that look as good as they feel — can help us stand up a little straighter, take up more space, and be seen as the powerful people that we are. Our size range, 12 and up, has long been an afterthought for the fashion industry, and we have so much passion for designing these garments that are another small part of encouraging women to go make a dent in the universe — in any and every size they are.
Can you recommend 5 things that need to be done on a broader societal level to close the gender wage gap? Please share a story or example for each.
To zoom in a bit, the one thing that seems overwhelmingly important to me — with both up- and downstream effects — is the prevailing societal role of each partner, male and female, in the family unit.
Still thinking broadly from the ‘societal level’, but focusing on this one issue — here are a couple of things we can think about with respect to companies …
1 — How can we push companies to accommodate for both parents in terms of equal leave policies?
2 — How can we think about more affordable and accessible childcare options?
3 — How can we make working environments, cultures, and expectations more conducive toward having families — for both parents?
And then — in terms of societal expectations at the individual level …
4 — Re-thinking current approach to gender norms in parenting, in which the woman is expected to take on the active, primary role as caregiver by default
5 — Male partners taking on more responsibilities at home
^ Shifts at either of these levels would have a cumulative effect in the workplace, most notably — more women in senior leadership roles, resulting in more women hiring more women into senior leadership roles.
Again, this is of course an extremely complex and many-variable issue that can be tackled from different angles; but the one that stands out to me is this current male/female discrepancy in caregiving obligations outside of the workplace. The more we can alleviate the pressure of multiple caregiving jobs that are so often prescribed to the female partner at every level, and work *with* men to become equal partners, the more we’ll see women leading companies.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Not sure if this is movement-worthy, but I’m really into personal accountability, which is an approach that has been incredibly helpful for me in managing my own company. One of my vendors late on a delivery? I could have managed the relationship better. Supply chain failure? I could have set up a check-system to catch it earlier, and I’ll have contingency plans for the next run. One of my employees didn’t work out? I could have done a better job vetting them in the hiring process, or better articulated expectations, or maintained an environment more conducive to sparking their best work.
Of course, not everything is up to you, but by viewing the world through that general lens … I think every single person becomes more empowered, which is good for everyone.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Until we make the unconscious conscious, we will be dictated to by it, and call it fate.”
It sounds woo-woo, but I actually find it quite practical. It just reminds me that we all have these stories we tell ourselves — about who we are, our circumstances, and what we’re capable of — and if we don’t investigate these handy self-imposed scripts, then our life stories become … ‘this is what happened to me.’
It takes courage to assert control over and assume accountability for your own career and life — but I think it pays off many times over.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Jamie Kern (IT Cosmetics)! Talk about an empire builder. She’s unstoppable.
This was really meaningful! Thank you so much for your time.
“5 Things We Need To Do To Help Close The Gender Wage Gap”, with Alexandra Marin & Candice Georgiadis
Give women a chance! Unless we break the patterns and barriers and start seeing women as missing pieces of the greater puzzle, we won’t be able to succeed. I believe that once you set yourself such limits and see women as an obstacle in the way of your goals, you are in fact setting yourself up for failure, even though you don’t see it right now. Limitations of any sort will find a way to spring out in a multitude of problems and you won’t even see it coming or will spend an enormous amount of time trying to figure out what went wrong… what’s missing. Try a different approach, maybe a different puzzle piece. Try changing your beliefs about what others can and can’t do — give women a chance!
As part of my series about “the five things we need to do to close the gender wage gap” I had the pleasure of interviewing Alexandra Marin. Alexandra is the design expert that leads CodeCrew’s development and success. She’s been designing websites and improving the way people interact with emails for over 7 years, working with brands all across the web. After working on projects for some of the biggest brands and most exciting start-ups, Alexandra realized she needed a strong outlet for her limitless creativity and prowess, and she was ready to turn her work into a mission — That’s when CodeCrew came to life. Alexandra’s passion for customer satisfaction drives her desire to create a seamless user journey. She is passionate about creating a memorable user experience and wants to bring the power of poise and simplicity to some of the biggest brands as well as non-profits who may not have access to top-tier design and email marketing. Her interest in non-profits and the goal to make the world a better place is what fuels the work that CodeCrew does: Email Marketing for a more sustainable earth.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us the “backstory” that brought you to this career path?
Thank you for having me! It’s quite an honor to be here. This surprising journey began almost 10 years ago, right after I graduated college, where I studied foreign languages and realized that I wasn’t quite a fan of translating documents all day long, buried behind a desk filled with papers. It simply felt like I didn’t belong there — as if something was definitely missing — and I had to find out what that was. I always loved playing sports but since my parents encouraged me to focus on studying instead, I had to give up on my passion and choose the safer yet less fulfilling path. This gave me a strong desire to make a promise to myself, one which I would have to honor for the rest of my life. I promised that I would never give up on my dreams, never give up on what makes me whole, and never give up on my true nature.
Once I realized that the desk job I was in didn’t make me feel whole I — this is where the surprising part comes in — found another desk job! However, this desk job wasn’t like any other 9–5. When I sat down to design for the first time, I knew that there was no turning back. It didn’t matter what desk I was at or where I was anymore, all that mattered was that I had found the work that unleashed my passion, creativity, and analytical spirit without having to worry that my personal and professional development would stagnate. Following design felt more like a calling than anything, and I am pretty sure this was one of the best decisions of my life.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this career?
Haha! Your question takes me back to one of the dearest moments of my life. It takes me back to two years ago when I got married. I’m kind of a freak when it comes to details, and after spending what felt like years looking for the PERFECT wedding invitations, I finally realized that I was going to have to design them myself if I wanted them to be as perfect as I imagined. So, there I went! I had to design them from scratch and then find an events agency willing to print them out without thinking I was totally mad. I’ll let you in on a little secret… I didn’t stop there. I went along and designed the ring box, menus, and gift box. At this point, I realized design was much more than any hobby or curiosity, it was my life! Luckily my husband understands my passion and still married me after pulling this one-off.
Can you share a story about the funniest or most interesting mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Hmmm, I’m going to call this one the most interesting because it helped me discover that no matter how experienced you think you are or how confident you are in your abilities to run a team, you can never truly run a company and be successful without putting your ego aside and your team first.
We were facing a situation where we almost lost a crucial project due to me being set in my own ways. Even though my team was doing an awesome job at presenting the right solution, my judgment was so clouded that I almost cost us all of our jobs and an important contract.
Somehow, I managed to take a step back and remind myself that there’s a very strong reason why each and every team member has joined me in this journey for so long. I was reminded that they could choose anything else to do or anyone else to work for, but they have made a conscious decision to be here and that thanks to them, we have made it so far.
I have never believed in the concept of a one (wo)man team, but rather in the strength of a team united by the same goal: To deliver top-notch services and actually make a real difference for the businesses we work with.
I realized the mistake I was about to make and I learned the importance of having an amazing team behind me and that experience does not grant you the right to believe that you always know what’s best for your company and that nobody is perfect, mistakes will happen and you are allowed to make them as long as you are willing to understand that you are part of a team, you are not the team although you are the one holding the greatest responsibility, they are the ones holding you.
Ok let’s jump to the main focus of our interview. Even in 2019, women still earn about 80 cents for every dollar a man makes. Can you explain three of the main factors that are causing the wage gap?
Yes, that is true, unfortunately. To my mind/In my opinion, the most important element is the human factor. Although we have come so far, we still have to go a long way to the point in which we are all considered equals. Sometimes I feel like so many of us are still trapped in the Stone Age and are missing the point of our existence. Women have come a long way in the United States, but we forget that there is still a long way to go. We talk about gender equality so much that we live under the impression that the problem is half-solved, yet no concrete actions are being taken to eradicate it. The core of it all for me, having experienced gender inequality on a first-degree level, it all comes down to compassion. If we would all be a bit more compassionate toward one other, maybe we wouldn’t have to deal with the emotions of shame, guilt, and hatred that fill the blanks when compassion is not present. It should be as simple as that, but, unfortunately, it is not.
A major factor is education. Education lies at the foundation of needs for every human being. I like to imagine that children are clean book pages waiting to be written and some of them get to become best-sellers. You don’t get to write your own story when you’re a child, your parents and upbringing do that for you. your authors are misguided themselves, or are built on the truths and progress of past generations (as is natural) chances are your novel becomes a reflection of your programming and not an independent work of art. It does not become your work of art until you make it so until you pick up the pencil and write it for yourself. We live in a world today where there is an immense amount of resources at our fingertips for better understanding issues like gender inequality. You don’t need to have the first-hand experience as a woman to understand that there is a very present issue with the gender wage gap. Taking action starts with education. Without a solid education — based on healthy principles, love and respect, and the history of minority repression, including women’s rights — gender-related issues won’t go away.
As for the third factor, much of our modern-day work culture is influenced by traditions institutions of power. Women weren’t able to vote until 1920, and many women didn’t enter the workforce until the 1960s. In the grand scheme of things, this wasn’t that long ago. Women entered the workforce at a time when men had never worked with women before, they were used to seeing women as mothers — meant to be kept away from labor and power. These beliefs have influenced modern-day gender dynamics, and as previously mentioned, women have come a long way, but there is still much work to be done. With women still making 82 cents to every man’s dollar, we can’t say that we have earned equal rights yet. Women have worked hard to have a seat at the table, today, it’s about being equally valued at that table. Another contributing factor to this traditionalist power structure is that many men are not informed enough about maternity leave. While some companies to date have addressed that maternity leave should not be exclusive to a mother, but to both parents, there are still many biases around women taking maternity leave. Building an equal workforce for women involves equal, if not more, action from men to take part in education and progress.
Can you share with our readers what your work is doing to help close the gender wage gap?
Absolutely! Let me make a small side-step to tell you what our company, CodeCrew, is all about. We’re an email marketing agency with a strong environmental calling. What does that mean? Well, first off, we’re super honest folks so there’s no beating about the bush here — not all clients we ever work/worked for have an environmental mission. Focusing only on those clients would be detrimental to our greater goal. What we do instead, is ensure that whoever we work with has a mission, albeit making lives easier and/or happier for their clients, donating to charities or helping clean hundreds of tons of plastic waste from our oceans.
I know you’re probably wondering why we’re not exclusively environmentally focused, so let’s clear the air on that as well. Part of what we do here at CodeCrew is to run bi-annual campaigns where we handpick an NGO with an amazing mission and offer our full services to them completely free. This year we had Mission Graduates and ImpactMatters join our program. The first helps ensure that college is accessible for our less fortunate youth, while the second has an immense mission to help other NGOs understand if they’re doing a good job and where they need to improve.
Back to the main topic here, at CodeCrew we absolutely discourage the gender gap. We are a company built on equality in all forms, as reflected in our business model. Just because someone can’t afford our services, doesn’t mean they don’t deserve them. Sometimes you have to give others a hand to help them rise up. This stands true inside of our company as well. We believe that all genders, all ages, all ethnicities should have an equal opportunity for earning given that they do their best work. Our talented crew is made out of folks from as far West as the San Francisco Bay area, and as far East as Eastern Europe. The only thing we look at is how talented you are, and how much value you can bring to our team, we don’t care if you’re from Morocco or Vancouver, male or female, 18 or 55 as long as you’re leading with your heart. Our payment structure is built quite simple — we have a few tiers across a few different positions, and as your responsibilities grow, so does your wage; as easy as that. Nobody is treated or paid differently based on what they can’t change, but those who show a strong drive to make the world a better place through what we do are the ones who climb the ladder. The key to building this culture is being transparent. As we said, we are straight shooters who don’t waste our time with dishonesty or keeping things in the dark, we believe that transparency encourages equality.
Can you recommend 5 things that need to be done on a broader societal level to close the gender wage gap. Please share a story or example for each.
1. We should start by raising awareness. We’ve been applying the same principle to the pressing matter regarding climate change and global warming and it’s working. Yes, it’s true that we are taking baby steps in that direction, but every step is better than no step. That’s how all success stories start, with small yet steady steps, until they amount to many people walking in the same direction. We begin by accepting that we have a real problem in front of us and that it needs to be addressed and we do that by educating people. That would be the second thing on the list to close the gender wage gap.
2. Educating people from all over the world, from all cultures and communities is vital to putting an end to discrimination and shrinking the gap. It requires a massive joint effort but the sooner we take action the faster women will have the same rights as men, including the ability to earn just as much or more.
Remember that this is not coming from a feminist who believes that the planet should only be populated by women — I’m exaggerating a little for the sake of making a point — but from a woman who believes that the key to success is equilibrium. A balanced frame of mind makes for a balanced world, a world where industries develop in a healthy way, without damaging the environment as much as they’ve been doing it for the past hundred years, a world where poverty would no longer be such a huge issue because we would all help each other and support underdeveloped communities, a world in which minorities or old beliefs will no longer create a rift between people, a world where women will be recognized for what they are, human beings just like men, with legal and societal rights, just like men.
3. Offering Support: In our endeavor to reach this ideal state or at least get close enough to a world populated by human beings with equal rights, we will need to offer support to those who need it. This third step might very well be the most significant one as every person performs better with a support system in place. We are social beings and knowing that there are support groups out there that can guide us throughout this life-changing journey encourages women and other unprivileged people to continue on the path to a better life, therefore, a better world. Women will have to adapt to a multitude of new situations and since our existence is all about constant changes, support is essential, knowing that there is somebody out there willing to offer them selfless help makes all the difference in the world.
4. Moving on to the fourth ingredient. Give women a chance! Unless we break the patterns and barriers and start seeing women as missing pieces of the greater puzzle, we won’t be able to succeed. I believe that once you set yourself such limits and see women as an obstacle in the way of your goals, you are in fact setting yourself up for failure, even though you don’t see it right now. Limitations of any sort will find a way to spring out in a multitude of problems and you won’t even see it coming or will spend an enormous amount of time trying to figure out what went wrong… what’s missing. Try a different approach, maybe a different puzzle piece. Try changing your beliefs about what others can and can’t do — give women a chance!
5. Which leads me to the fifth element: You. This is where change starts. Wake up and start appreciating your team or co-workers, appreciating their hard work and let them know how much they are worth. But don’t do it without believing in the process. Open your mind, open your eyes and see how important each team member is to the development of your company or your ability to perform. See the fact that you function as one organism comprised of fine routes and connections backed up by a complex network of neurons working towards the same goal. If one neuron stops functioning properly the entire system goes haywire or crashes. The analogy reveals that all employees are part of your team and all of them should feel valued in order to keep your system from failing and just like neurons, they are gender-neutral so discrimination turns out to be counterproductive. Any person is capable of error and since there is no such thing as the perfect human being, what lies at the bottom of discrimination? Pure prejudice and narrow-minded thinking, simple as that. Take a second and ask yourself: “Am I perfect? Have I ever made mistakes during my career?” and if the answer is affirmative — which I suppose it is because like I said, nobody is perfect — then you will realize that the problem is you, not the gender of your peers. This is also where an opportunity for change will present itself.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would like people to understand that all our actions have consequences and that we should love and respect each other and the world we are living in a lot more. I would like people to be less self-involved and realize that it takes a collective effort to grow together and that our legacy should not impact the world in a negative way. We are not here to parasite the planet and leave nothing good behind. We are here to thrive together by supporting each other and the planet, starting with humans and all other living creatures. We all have a specific role in the ecosystem so don’t let yours be the one of a parasite.
The answer to this question loops in with what we here at CodeCrew are already trying to do — increase the world’s effort towards living more sustainably by raising awareness through the work we create for our clients. Regardless of your career, your gender or any other factor, you can make a difference if only you set forth on achieving it, and that’s exactly what we’re doing here.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” — Mark Twain
This is my favorite quote and I try to let it guide me every day. It’s somewhat related to trying to find your calm in the middle of the storm. We live in a crazy stormy world and the only way to stay sane is to take a deep breath and take control of your anxiety and frustration.
Responding negatively to an unpleasant situation is only going to escalate the situation even more and won’t help you or the person you’re interacting with. Try being calm and replying with kindness and patience. Chances are you will get through to that person or situation better than by using aggression as a weapon even though that might be your first impulse.
Aggression always triggers a defensive response and builds up a wall between you and your interlocutor. If you practice kindness you will get to a state that allows you to communicate your message with ease and clarity and won’t turn the other person’s defensive switch on. It has helped me in many situations, and it diffused a lot of bombs, so to speak.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I would love to meet Roger Federer. I would be so humbled by the experience and by the opportunity to have a relaxing breakfast with such an amazing person. He is indeed an inspiration to all of us, an example of a great champion, one of the most balanced characters I’ve seen, a humble man carrying with such dignity and honor the values that should govern all of our lives. He is somebody who has succeeded in life and stayed true to his kind and driven nature. I truly admire him.
This was really meaningful! Thank you so much for your time.
Thank you too! I truly enjoyed our discussion today, and hope you have a great week!
The fact remains that women are less likely to ask for higher salaries due to underlying stigmas that they will produce less outcome due to family obligations. With my son in a daycare service, I continued to work overtime, as I felt the pressure to compete with my male colleagues and also had obligations to pay for the household needs.
As part of my series about “the five things we need to do to close the gender wage gap” I had the pleasure of interviewing Jasmine Gercke PhD, President of Jazz Consulting, aka Dr. Jazz. Dr. jazz is a serial entrepreneur, author and yogi, and the creator of Jazz Yoga and a passionate advocate of healthy body and mindfulness practices. This spiritual advisor represents the world with her diverse reach from classrooms to boardrooms, with a skill set that ranges from social entrepreneurship, to alternative medicine and technology. She stands for humanity’s transformation, from stressful surviving into mindful thriving, by merging Western knowledge of medicine with Eastern wisdom through her work. Born in Wimbledon, UK, educated in Wiesbaden, Germany, and currently based in Canada, she completed her postgraduate studies in International Business at the Manchester Business School and now represents the world through Thought Leadership. Her Jazz Yoga Therapy Method is based in neuroscience, positive psychology, and mindfulness combined with sound healing music at 432hertz and is the first-ever method to combine yoga with music in this cellular healing revolution. Dr. Jazz shares her story and wisdom through her speaking events “ Your Breath is your Lifeline”, “Bounce Back”, “How to be a human in the bionic world of Artificial Intelligence”, and is currently promoting her upcoming book Billionaire Yogi — Health I$ Wealth in an effort to bring Peace and Joy to the world.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us the “backstory” that brought you to this career path?
Absolutely. Do you ever remember having that ‘aha’ moment, where you question your entire life choices you took to this present moment and you ask yourself: “What now?” Well, I had that moment in 2007. I was supposed to be happily married, with a beautiful young child, and a promising career at Ernst & Young. I was the owner of a home, a car, I had disposable income and yet my perfect life was shattered into pieces in a glimpse of an eye. When that dreamstate fell apart, I awakened and realised I was not contributing enough to society. Unfulfilled with the choices I had made thus far, I decided to make a drastic change. Transformation is a journey within.
What enables me to find strength in moments of hardship is the light at the end of the tunnel. The shift was triggered by a diagnosis of major depression, which was primarily caused by my environment at the time. This was my permission to look inwards for answers and led me on a journey of trusting myself more. The first step of taking my power back was following my dream. I became a certified Yoga Teacher, which empowered me to resign from my job as a Resource Manager for Eastern Canada and this process inevitably led me to build a yoga school to serve my community. Change is brought about by this inner transformation. I was fighting for government aid to feed my young son during the legal process of my divorce. I felt the financial pressure and I was backed into a corner. I was a victim of societal boundaries, stuck in a grey zone. This is the paradox of being educated in a world where the system fails. However, giving up was never an option. After several months of struggling, I applied for a grant for young entrepreneurs which helped me birth my first Jazz Yoga School and fulfilled my dream to serve our community. In order to make a change in your wellbeing you must become your own hero, and this was my first attempt at it.
Accountability is key in business and in your personal growth. It is important for me to share that this was only a stepping stone to my true calling as a Keynote Speaker and Thought Leader. Through my speaking, I am able to tackle topics such as Artificial Intelligence and its power to support the advancement of healthcare in third world countries, which allows me to stay connected with the revolutionary innovation that we are witnessing. This transition did not happen overnight. It was a 10-year process combined with the constant awareness of changing my story. I now live to empower women and youth and shed light on the struggles we live on a daily basis in oirder to drive change through the power of education.
The beauty about my backstory is, that its darkness has led me directly to the light and to the path of Sustainable Development Goals initiatives by the United Nations. This innitiative will continue to guide my future, as I serve humanity; and this time with my head on my shoulders and definitely in the front line. My story is a constant reminder that we must surrender to the power of love. Your life can change in an instant. Never forget the power of your dreams. Whilst the shift was triggered by loss, it also activated a deep trust in my Self, which continues to drive me to always offer my best, to inspire and educate and spare the suffering of our fellow brothers and sisters.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this career?
This is a good question. There are so many stories and each one has impacted my life. I must say that every day and every human interaction brings about fascinating learning experiences in this career path. The reason I chose to be a voice for Women in Business, is that I am a woman of mixed race, who has experienced life as a single mother, working in the corporate environment in a mostly male dominated world having to fight for recognition. I know what it feels like to be paid less than a man working in the same role and to be rejected from boardroom meetings because of my sex. I have been mentally abused in my personal life and I have found my own power through positive psychology. Whilst it taught me resilience, it also motivates me to be a change agent.
Through entrepreneurship, I have been able to learn how to thrive as a team and use each others’ strengths to succeed. As a humanitarian, I proudly stand by the choice of love and compassion over money and power. This means using my skill set and faith to shine in a world that has lost its way and prefers to discriminate rather than appreciate.
I ask you to go deeper and find peace and joy in your journey by celebrating humans and their impeccable flaws, as this is what makes us all unique and irreplaceable in business and on this planet. The most beautiful part is the encountering of amazing humans on a daily basis. My journey as a spiritual advisor has taught me so much about my Self, as we lift others and we find our own success. This is a time where we must stand strong together and rise. It is time.
Recently, I was part of an amazing initiative to support non-profit organisations in South Africa to honor the incredible humans making a difference in this world on a daily basis. One person can truly change the world through the power of love. One local farmer has been working without running water on site for nearly 30 years. On the flipside we have used so much water that we are threatened to run out of it in this very lifetime. These stories have changed my perspective and we must continue to work towards the #ActNow initiative by the United Nations to bring awareness to the current issues we are facing as humanity.
Can you share a story about the funniest or most interesting mistake you made when you were first starting?
I would not characterize any of my mistakes as funny, however the word interesting does capture the experience of it all. Growth can manifest itself in many categories and in my case, the sacrifice symbolised with the time I fell on my head. Overworked and underpaid, I had lost my way as an entrepreneur and I did not see the fall coming. The key to a successful entrepreneur is self-care and whilst I was working in the Wellness industry, I was taking on way too much for one person and I had a huge lesson to learn in delegating work, or the lack of my skill at the time.
One night after working late, I lost consciousness and must have fallen head first onto the wooden floors of my apartment, as I found myself flat on the floor when I awoke. The egg size bump on my forehead was a clear indicator that I was hurt and with no memory of what had happened, I somehow managed to get to the Emergency. This fall was a wake up call. The long recovery back to mySelf affected my business and my personal life and I suffered tremendously.
Whilst this was a hard lesson to learn, it was also the opening door to my transformation. It allowed me to go deeper into my own value system and reinvent myself. My own growth into the digital world of Artificial Intelligence in the Healthcare sector flourished from this freak accident. A friend of mine captured it beautifully when he told me: “Falling on your head might have been the best thing that ever happened in your life.”
I was running a successful Yoga business into my fourth year of survival, which is seen as having made it if we look at it from a statistical point of view in the start-up world, but the truth is, that the market was changing and the digital world was emerging faster than imaginable. I felt the need to reach more people without continuously burning out in this fast paced and competitive society. The lesson was clear to me in the process of recovery: work smarter, not harder.
In business we can underestimate the projections and timeline of a project, which can be detrimental. In my case, I expected to be running the same yoga school for at least 15 years when I signed my original lease. At the time, I was not aware of my journey to come: a series of failures and accidents to experience. My frontal lobe concussion was followed by a minor car accident in the same year damaging my thoracic spine, which led to another physical transformation and refinement of my yogic path. The recovery of both the concussion and spine injury aligned with my decision to implement an exit strategy for my business at the time and bring the Jazz Yoga brand global by training digitally and travelling the world as a Speaker. This has directly led me to my current adventurous life as a Bourgois Gipsy, a life filled with humanitarian work and entrepreneurship. This blessing to coach in both a business environment and online is allowing flexibility in my life in a world filled with boundaries.
The fact of the matter is that I will likely be educated in the field of Healthcare all my life and that innovation is key in the path of success and change is inevitable. That I guess, must be the humour in it and the “funny part” you are referring to, as I can now laugh at the falls and obstacles when I share my story on stage.
Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
The most important takeaway from this experience was learning how to prepare my business exit strategy and in my life as an entrepreneur it allowed me to reinvent myself as a Thought Leader and Global Speaker by implementing a strategic plan. Over the period of one year I rebranded which has offered me an opportunity to sell the ownership of my business to another company or investor in the future. The exit strategy for Jazz Yoga School allowed me to liquidate my stake in the business and relaunch Jazz Yoga Ayurveda as a global brand. With the help of the national community TV project, aired in Canada and with the assistance of global ambassadors we have successfully relaunched. I have learned that it is never too late to claim back your brand and stand apart from the competition.
The learning process is ongoing, but the understanding that we cannot do it alone has become a key in the succession of achieving milestones in the bigger vision of my dream. The transition was a process of transformation that can be summarised in several layers of understanding life. The lesson of resilience in life has only confirmed my vision for this world and allowed me to self-express my authenticity and staying true to my calling, which is to serve this world and my family.
This expansiveness of my heart has taught me to live in the present moment and treasure every moment and as my son so bravely says to me: “Live your best life Mom”. This profound learning that we are all interconnected and have our own personal truth to live by, is manifested in joy and thriving in a world that is changing and filled with beautiful souls that understand the power of love. There is a lesson in every step of our path. This experience was a reminder that we can never fail, as life is designed as our teacher.
Ok let’s jump to the main focus of our interview. Even in 2019, women still earn about 80 cents for every dollar a man makes. Can you explain three of the main factors that are causing the wage gap?
The wage gap between genders refers to the difference in pay between male and female and whilst John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act in 1963 and made it illegal to pay men and women working in the same place different salaries for similar work, we are still recording statistics where women make $0.79 for each dollar compared to our male equivalent according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Whilst one can argue that our statistics are not completely accurate, we have identified three main factors that continue to cause this wage gap in our society: Legal, Collective and voluntary.
To clarify, these factors which include occupational segregation, bias against working mothers and direct remuneration discrimation, are causing a trivial divide when it comes to lack of fairness in pay. We must commit to dig a little deeper and understand how we can support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) which include Gender Equality as the fifth most prioritised amongst the 17 goals in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Our mission is, to achieve equal access for primary education amongst all children and to eliminnate practices such as discrimination against race, sex, gender and mutuation?
Persistently, we acknowledge the gender pay gap in less developed countries, however there are still preserving?
Issues around the globe. Whilst we find comfort in the reports by the Centre for Global Development that states: “It often gets worse before it can get better”, there is no excuse for this old way of thinking, allowing inequality? We must achieve gender equality and empower women and girls to create a new world of inclusiveness and fairness.
Can you share with our readers what your work is doing to help close the gender wage gap?
As an Entrepreneur and CEO of our Canadian Consulting company, I am upscaling myself as a Woman in Business which will directly impact the gender pay gap. I continue to educate myself so I can inspire other women to become their own boss and leader. My reason for inspiring and building confidence in women is to encourage other women leaders to step up and to ensure our global economic growth and wellbeing.
One of the reasons we are still facing issues of gender inequality is, that we only have around 20% of women in political leadership roles and even less in technology related roles, which causes the economy to suffer as a whole. We need to focus on including more talented women in the AI, Politics and Leadership to accelerate the process of closing the gender pay gap.
Our consulting services to businesses include training and development in measuring the gender pay gap. We are aware, that calculating the statistics, is the first step towards closing the gender parity. We are continuously learning new methodologies of business to allow for improvement in reducing the time it will take to close the gap. Through our non-profit organisation (www.risenheaven.org), we aim to offer sponsorship to talented children, young adults and women, specifically to the less privileged allowing them to access financial support and creating opportunities for more women leaders across all verticals of business to succeed. This initiative is in alignment with the UN SDGs 2030 goals to close the gender pay gap.
Can you recommend 5 things that need to be done on a broader societal level to close the gender wage gap. Please share a story or an example for each.
According to the Centre for Global Development women are more educated today than in any point of history. I think there are five reasons that stand out when we evaluate the core issues of the gender pay gap and allow ourselves to seek deeper knowledge inside to resolve these discrepancies in our society.
Taken from the initiatives of the United Nations’ 17 SDG Goals, I believe that, if we as a nation, focus on no poverty, zero hunger, good health and wellbeing, quality education, gender equality and last, but carrying the whole, partnerships for these goals, we have an opportunity to drive change on the societal level.
I am implicated in many charitable organisations with regards to education in the East and what appears to be one of the main drawbacks is that many women are not allowed to go to school at all, or have duties in the home which hinder the process of education further. The women that have the opportunity to pursue their studies end up marrying and still fall into the tradition of staying at home with the family. All these predetermined factors cause the occupational segregation and embody quality education and gender equality as mentioned in our solutions to drive change as a collective.
Whilst education increases women’s earnings, it has not had the effect we hoped for in terms of equal pay and justice. When I completed my postgraduate studies in 2001, I was hired in a low paid entry level position, which was on average $8000 less than my male peers. This trend continued even once I applied my acquired negotiation skills. I jumped ship to another corporate superpower and while my income increased I was never able to share the same playing field as my male colleagues in relation to our compensation. Over the course of a decade, this has affected my standard of living and that of my family.
This leads us to another reason for gender pay inequality — transparency of remuneration. If we as a collective teach women to respect themselves and empower them to ask for their value when taking on new opportunities, we will no doubt come one step closer to our dreams and find equality of human rights for all. This addresses Health and wellbeing at the same time, as it builds confidence and allows for financial stability to afford to take care of your health.
One solution that has been implemented is maternity leave for both genders. Whilst this allows for women to be more present in their careers, as they take a shorter leave, it also offers the opportunity for men to spend time with their newborn. This is seen as a solution to our gender pay gap, but it also raises the question of gender equality. It is scientifically proven that women need to spend more time to connect to their newborn, breastfeeding and allowing for the child to bond right after childbirth, whilst men tend to connect more after the child’s first birthday. Whilst this solution appears to be politically correct, is this not more advantageous for the man yet again?
Women need the time after childbirth to recover and the brain is often affected, due to postpartum and new responsibility and worry for the newborn. Separation anxiety can cause a lack of productivity and performance at work and the pressure can lead to “burnout”, which I experienced first hand. With the lack of support at home and the need to travel for my position, the walls closed in on me and I eventually had to take a partially-paid leave after the birth of my son. This strained me financially and slowed down my career path. All this was leading up to my divorce, and as a single mother, I was challenged further in becoming financially stable. Are we addressing the underlying issue of hunger and health and wellbeing, when we only partially pay for a leave of absence caused by mental health issues?
The Paycheck Fairness Act essentially works to close loopholes in the landmark Equal Pay Act of 1963 beforementioned in this interview, and it will lead us to move forward in our mission to be fair in all that is gender related discrimination. Transparency of pay also falls into this category and in my personal experience this is how I first found out I was being underpaid as a Woman in 2003 at my banking job. Comparing my income to my male peers, I learnt that I had the same experience, was delivering on my tasks and was remunerated less than my supposedly equal colleagues. I decided to educate myself on how to negotiate fair pay. I learnt to ask for a range of pay when applying for a new position.
The fact remains that women are less likely to ask for higher salaries due to underlying stigmas that they will produce less outcome due to family obligations. With my son in a daycare service, I continued to work overtime, as I felt the pressure to compete with my male colleagues and also had obligations to pay for the household needs.
I also compromised myself when it came to asking for raises and evaluating my performance and I self sabotaged, as I felt guilty for taking leave for family emergencies and obligations.
During my maternity leave, a colleague was hired to replace me, and he remained as a permanent position upon my return to work which basically made my position obsolete. This was the final straw for me. I decided to empower myself and take matters into my own hands. I embraced the entrepreneur in me. I was now my own boss and only I was responsible and accountable for my advancement in my career.
There are no boundaries in this life. When I hire my team I ensure to pay men and women equally and according to their experience and deliverables. We have a responsibility to offer equal opportunities to all humans, no matter what the gender or race.
A recent experience I had in South Africa with a local safe house that provides a transition home for newborns and abandoned children, took my breath away. There are newborn children left in gutters and at hospitals without documentation, often HIV positive, neglected, born addicted and premature. This dire situation is affecting the entire societal structure. Unless we place these children in stable homes and allow for inter-racial educational opportunity, we will not see change. We must strive to facilitate adoptions across borders to offer these children an opportunity at a privileged life without hunger and poverty, so they can return to their roots with an open mind and new mindset to add value to society.
It begins with each life we save. Education is the solution and government policies must support this need for evolution. Racial discrimination and sexual abuse are still amongst the most life threatening amongst the societal issues and we have the power to drive change as a collective.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
The movement I represent is to inspire the most amount of people through Jazz Yoga by applying mindfulness meditation across the world with jazz music tuned at 432hz which is the heart vibration in line with the earth’s vibration and will allow for transformational change on a cellular level. This is a Global movement that will allow the corporate world to apply tools to reduce stress and in effect reduce loss of the bottom line and allow for healthy humans in the workforce.
This can be introduced as an immersive experience with the newest technology which permits us to offer every employee an opportunity to take charge of their health. Health is Wealth for every business and the individual. If we awaken and self-realise and elevate our thinking as human beings, we can tackle some of these concerns we have for our society. Mindfulness is the key to mental health and will lead us one step further towards peace on earth.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
It is never too late to rewrite your story and it is not what you do outwardly, but the presence you bring to the action.
This understanding has allowed me to rewrite my story to become a thrivor in my own life. For the most part, I was standing in my own way. One day I decided to take the leap and follow my heart. Society tends to label and categorise us, and is usually based on stories of your past. If we allow this to influence our decision making instead of listening to our own heart, we will forever be trapped in the rat race of old thinking. When I decided to become a humanitarian and fully commit to my calling, the legal system failed me, and as a mother, I had to surrender and give up custody of my child to protect him. In the process I was humiliated and called crazy for my life choice to serve humanity. The irony of the story is that my own child understands what the legal system ignores, which is the fact that love is more powerful than money.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
It would be my honor to meet Oprah and share with her the vision to make this world a better place by serving humanity through love and joy and the power of Jazz Yoga Mindfulness Meditation.
This was really meaningful! Thank you so much for your time.
“5 Things We Need to do to Close the Gender Wage Gap”, with Kelley Steven-Waiss and Candice Georgiadis
Look at your promotion process and see where the bias lies. Are managers truly evaluating their employees on the what (the work being completed) and the how (how they are living the values) and nothing else? I would guess the answer is no. We need to do a better job of helping leaders and employees with a review process that is easy to understand and blocks bias.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Kelley Steven-Waiss. Kelley is Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at HERE Technologies, overseeing the company’s human resource management and talent strategy. Prior to joining HERE, Kelley was EVP and CHRO of Extreme Networks, Integrated Device Technology (IDT) and PMC-Sierra, as well as held several consulting positions in large global firms, public software and retail companies. Kelley started a software incubator while at HERE Technologies to develop a talent mobility solution called, Hitch. Hitch is a cloud-based SaaS software which uses machine learning and AI to match project-based opportunities to internal employee profiles based on visualization of employees’ skills. Kelley has an MA in HR and OD from the University of San Francisco, and a BA in Journalism from the University of Arizona. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for FormFactor, Inc. (NASDAQ: FORM) and as the Advisory Board Chair of SVEF, an education non-profit in the Valley. She is married and the mother of 4 children and the co-author of “The Inside Gig” which will be released in April 2020.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us the “backstory” that brought you to this career path?
Well, I certainly had no intention of becoming a CHRO or of founding a technology company. I simply followed my grandfather’s advice to take the opportunities that most interested me and remain intellectually curious.
But more importantly, in 1994 at the age of 24, I lost my mom tragically. She’d made a mid-life career change to become a Los Angeles police officer. It was a lifelong ambition, and it was cut short when she was gunned down after responding to a domestic violence dispute. She had only been on the job for three days.
She went for it, even though the odds were against her, and reimagined herself after years in a different career. Her example catalyzed an idea I had to create a technology that would help employees reimagine themselves. Hitch is a cloud-based SaaS talent platform that creates a gig economy on the inside of organizations. It helps employees to have greater exposure across the organization, demonstrate their capabilities in areas outside their “day jobs,” and reminds them that they can always reimagine themselves.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this career?
One of the more interesting junctures on the path of my career was the opportunity to take on a role at Genentech after being laid off from an executive HR role. I came into Genentech as a contractor to lead Innovation Communications. I had the raw skills for the role, but it wasn’t well defined.
It was a bit of a “unicorn job,” as I call it. It was deliciously ambiguous by design, so it was perfect for someone like me who built a reputation for coloring outside the lines.
I remember being asked to find a way to reach an audience of product management folks in biotech who had every reason to rest on the laurels of their success. I had to get their attention and open up a dialogue about breaking the status quo. But there was no burning desire nor the appropriate platform for this, especially not with some of them in Basel, Switzerland, and others in South San Francisco.
As I was walking through the buildings in both locations, I noticed a lot of modern art. It occurred to me that art was something that could appeal to everyone — it was both provocative and non-threatening. So, I had an idea that maybe I would use art as a way to drive difficult conversations. The art would tell the story.
I hired an artist (Gaping Void) to draw some characters in different situations that people in the company could relate to. These cartoons also had provocative or controversial statements. The net is that everyone loved it. They started talking about it and debating some of the statements, and it began to go viral inside the company. Employees started hanging the cartoons in their cubicles and inserting them in presentations. The art became the conversation piece that led to change. I realized that sometimes the power of creativity can be an important way to solve problems and connect people.
Can you share a story about the funniest or most interesting mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I had just started as the head of internal communications for Siebel Systems. We had a daily news feature running on our intranet, which I managed, called MySiebel. I was two weeks in when one of my employees resigned but then asked me if he could stay a few extra weeks. Of course, I didn’t know much about my staff at this point, so I agreed.
Little did I know, this employee had a bone to pick with my boss. He also had all the access to the newsfeeds for several weeks following his departure, because they were done well in advance. One week after his departure, a story showed up on the front page of that site making fun of my new boss, and it went all over the company.
I rallied to get it taken down, and it showed up again the next day! The employee had rigged it on the backend to reappear. So, lesson learned. When things end, don’t always assume the best. Before agreeing to additional time, I should have done some more investigating. I forever learned the power of asking good questions.
Ok let’s jump to the main focus of our interview. Even in 2019, women still earn about 80 cents for every dollar a man makes. Can you explain three of the main factors that are causing the wage gap?
I want to start by calling out something: The 80-cent difference is for white women in the U.S. If we add women of color to the mix, this number jumps exponentially. If we’re going to be allies for ALL women, we need to make sure people understand the systematic barriers in place and that these barriers are even more impactful to women of color. We need to talk about this.
· In 2018, the ratio of women’s to men’s median weekly full-time earnings was 81.1% (a decrease of 0.7% since 2017, when the ratio was 81.8%) leaving a wage gap of 18.9%, compared with 18.1% in 2016.
· Hispanic women’s median weekly earnings in 2018 were only 61.6% of white men’s median weekly earnings
· The median weekly earnings of black women were only 65.3% of white men’s earnings.
· Asian women’s earnings are 93.5% of white men’s earnings.
But there are a few relevant factors at play here:
1.Young women opt into lower-paying roles
High percentages of women make the choice to take on roles that pay less. Women often choose to be teachers or social workers, which pay less than accountants or engineers. But why? In a study commissioned by Microsoft, they found that young girls lose interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) around age 15 and never come back to it. They did not have exact reasons for why this occurred. Role models, hands-on exercises and mentors are great ways to keep girls interested, according to the study.
There is also the perception that having children means that women work less and that men are more stable. Michelle Budig, a sociology professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, has studied the parenthood pay gap for 15 years. She discusses this perception in this NY Times article. The ramifications of this pay gap include the idea that the man needs higher pay to support his family, while the woman loses pay because she has to leave at 3:30 p.m. to pick up her kids from school. This might be in spite of her working nights and weekends to complete her work.
4.Pay history perpetuates pay inequality
When looking for a new job, people share their current salary with recruiters. The woman was making $100,000 in her previous role, and the man was making $120,000. Both are hired at the same level and expected to deliver the same outcomes. The recruiter may even give them both an increase from their prior job. Yet this still puts the woman at a disadvantage from the start. She will be trying to catch up throughout her whole tenure at the company. This is another way that pay inequality exists.
Can you share with our readers what your work is doing to help close the gender wage gap?
At HERE Technologies, parent company of Hitch, there are a few things we are doing. One is eliminating the question of previous salary during the recruiting process. Our recruiters share the salary range and ask if the range fits into the expectations of the candidate. We don’t want to continue to saddle women with the baggage of previous lower salaries coming in the door. We know that is the first step in making sure we don’t exacerbate the issue of lower salaries. The women aren’t ever able to catch up to their male colleagues otherwise, no matter how well they perform.
Unfortunately, we know that bias plays a major role in how people are chosen for new projects and roles. Leaders default to who they know and trust versus allowing someone to broaden their skillsets and learn new things. The future of work dictates that we have employees who can take on new things and learn through doing. This is what the Hitch talent platform is all about. Giving leaders an opportunity to look for talent outside of their smaller team and have an enterprise-wide view of who might be interested in their project. They are able to advertise their project on an internal board where employees have a profile. The project could be for a percentage of their time in a given week or a swap from another team for a specific timeframe. That will help to complete the project and add skills that the employee can use once they return to their original team. And this transparency provides equal opportunities for all, instead of tapping the same networks of colleagues. This helps us break down our functional silos and has a positive impact on our culture of inclusion goals as well.
It’s also important to have a defined career architecture. Knowing what it takes to move to the next level is key for employees and leaders. Most folks understand that this is key to retention. It also helps leaders to have conversations with their people about their career paths and how they can develop themselves.
In addition, we have our first deep dive gender pay equity study underway. We could only do this once we rebuilt the career architecture. Looking at pay from just a job grade perspective was not enough. We needed the career architecture to ensure we were comparing apples to apples and have equal pay for equal work. Following this study, we will also look at our key processes to ensure our system is fine tuned to foster our equal pay for equal work mission.
Can you recommend 5 things that need to be done on a broader societal level to close the gender wage gap. Please share a story or example for each.
· Make sure that educators and parents learn about their own biases, so they don’t make gendered comments about traditional male and female roles. This includes dividing housework and letting girls and boys know that any role is open for them. It also includes expecting girls to understand math and science concepts and not telling them that literature and social studies are more their lane.
· All companies should stop asking about prior pay history. We know different municipalities are passing ordinances about this. But we should proactively just do it, without needing a law.
· On television and other media, show women in roles that have traditionally gone to men. If people see women, and especially women of color, in roles on TV and in movies that have traditionally only been played by white men, it would go a long way toward eliminating bias. The Geena Davis Institute has done some amazing research into how women and girls are portrayed in the media. The GDI says, “If they can see it, they can be it.” Turn on the Saturday morning cartoons and you’ll see how women are taught to perceive themselves. It starts early.
· Look at your promotion process and see where the bias lies. Are managers truly evaluating their employees on the what (the work being completed) and the how (how they are living the values) and nothing else? I would guess the answer is no. We need to do a better job of helping leaders and employees with a review process that is easy to understand and blocks bias.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
It would be to unleash human potential by tapping the hidden skills in every organization and encouraging both individuals and organizations to live the growth mindset: that everyone has the potential to grow, change and reimagine themselves.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite life lesson quote: “Do what you love and success will follow you.”
My grandfather was the one who told me this as I was about to graduate from undergrad, and it became the mantra for decision points in my career. I knew that if I had passion for something, I would be more likely to perform and progress. That was what led to my “jungle gym career” — I made decisions based on where my interests were and still progressed to the highest level.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I guess that would have to be Meg Whitman. Although I never had the pleasure of working with Meg directly, I have watched her career from the sidelines. She is ambitious and versatile. Her career has spanned several industries and, even politics. When she failed on a big stage in her run for governor, she did it with aplomb and was humble about what she learned about herself in the process. I would love to spend time with Meg to hear about where she got her inspiration, what keeps her going, and if she had the chance for any do overs what they would be.
“5 Things We Need To Do To Close The Gender Wage Gap”, with Dr. Grace E Olugbodi and Candice Georgiadis
Increase female-friendly recruitment schemes. For example, schemes that support and encourage women coming back from maternity leave. Maternity is a very trying period for every woman, after having gone through the rigors of labour and taking care of a new born to settle them into their new world. It is very stressful having to leave their babies by going straight into full time work. This usually causes a lot of women to lose ground.
As part of my series about “the five things we need to do to close the gender wage gap” I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Grace E Olugbodi. Dr. Olugbodi is the creator of the multi-Award winning math board game called “Race To Infinity” and the author of “Make Math Fun: How to Increase Your Child’s Grades and Confidence Through Games” book. Grace graduated with 1st Class Honours in BSc Computing with Information Systems and holds an MSc in Financial Markets with Information Systems. She then went on to become an Investment Banker and Java Software Programmer for many years in five different Investment Banks, programming on the Systems that traders use for stock trading. After 8 years in Investment Banking, Grace and her husband started a business in Health & Nutrition offering specialised cooking utensils, which has now been running for over 10 years. She is currently the Chair of Governors in a Primary School and the Chair of the Finance Committee. She is also the Governor in charge of Creative Curriculum, teaching and learning for the school; as well as a Trustee and Director on the Student Union Board of one of Central London’s largest Universities. Grace also sits on the board of a Multi Academy Trust comprising six schools as a Trustee and Director. In 2015, Grace co-authored a book that hit #1 BestSeller on Amazon in 7 different categories, titled “Get in the Game.” Grace’s real passion is teaching parents, tutors and teachers a special method that successfully helps children make math fun, enjoy math more, increase confidence, reduce mathematical anxiety, and helps increase kids’ opportunities for success. Her game, Race To Infinity, designed, tested (with a lot of help from her two children) and finally launched in December 2016 has won 4 National & International Awards in the last 2 years and been endorsed and approved by reputable organisations including National Numeracy, Tower Hamlets Education BP and the Good Toy Guide (including numerous headteachers, teachers, Heads of Math Depts in Schools, Education Celebrities, parents, children, large tuition centres and tutors). The Race To Infinity math game has been awarded the prestigious AmazonCHOICE BADGE and the Amazon BESTSELLER BADGE several times by Amazon.Co.Uk and Amazon.Com itself. In 2018, Amazon asked to partner directly with Grace’s company. They became a partner, such that Amazon itself now buys her Race To Infinity game wholesale and sells retail. Grace has won numerous Awards in the last few years, including the Micro to Small Business Award 2019 for the Royal London Borough of Greenwich (one of only 3 Royal Boroughs in London) Business Awards 2019, and a couple of Women Inspiring Women National Awards. Grace has been invited to and spoken on several reputable platforms including the BBC (BBC Business Live), Barclays Plc and the London School of Economics. In July 2019, Grace was interviewed Live on BBC NEWS TV about her Race To Infinity math game. This was also aired Live on BBC WORLD TV. In the same July, Grace was awarded a Honorary Doctorate Degree (Doctor of Philosophy) by London Metropolitan University, one of Central London’s largest Universities, in recognition of her work in helping children fall in love with Mathematics. She is a Speaker for Inspiring the Future and a National Numeracy Challenge Champion. She has also been quoted on NBC, FOX, ABC, and CBS News, and has been featured in UK local, national and international media including the UK Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and several international newspapers including The Guardian.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us the “backstory” that brought you to this career path?
As a child, I was a curious girl with curls in my hair. My father played chess with us and I loved playing board games with the family. My parents always loved to challenge us, so they would always push us to try out seemingly impossible things.
When I was 10 years old, my father supported me in math, and made math fun and creative for me.
I had been an average C student in Mathematics and always saw the “math people” as so lucky. During one particular summer however, something significant happened with my math-confidence. What my father did with my math learning increased my self-confidence and later brought offers my way that I could otherwise only have dreamt of.
This period was during the summer between Primary (Elementary) School and Secondary (High) School. By the time I got into Secondary School at the turn of the first term, I was an A student; but I did not realise it at the time.
At the end of that academic year, I was told I was the best student in math in my whole Year group, out of 300+ students. I was shocked; actually gobsmacked. I could not believe it. That had to be a joke.
It turned out it was not a joke. I won the Math Prize. That gave me great belief and sent my confidence soaring. I continued to win Math Prizes in school. That was how my story started.
Little did my father know, that that was the beginning of him changing his little, curly-haired daughter’s life.
Unknown to me at the time, my father had given me a gem, a precious stone. I was to later make helping children fall in love with math, my mission. This was to change my life.
Fast forward nine years, I started University. Because of my love for math, I studied a BSc Computing degree, in which I had a First Class Honors result, just through choosing the most math-like units wherever there was a choice. I then worked in Investment Banks for several years as a Software Programmer.
My Masters degree was in Financial Markets with Information Systems, which I studied full time at the same time as working in an Investment Bank full time. I also remember doing my MSc dissertation while at the same time being pregnant too.
One day during my first year while studying for my BSc at University, I went to the Student Union Building; as I usually went there to help in the Peer Support programme, to support fellow students not doing so well with Math and Programming. When I got there on this particular day, I saw an advert asking for volunteers to go into schools and help children who were struggling with math build their math-confidence, through games and through creative ways.
This advert made my heart bleed for these children because that was not my experience. It was obvious that these children were suffering from mathematical anxiety and had low confidence. That was just not right. I felt heartbroken. I volunteered and joined the non-profit Foundation, and went into schools to help these children through games and creative ways. We attended once a week during the selected children’s lunch break. They had to give up half an hour of their lunch break to come and play games with us each week.
Within just six weeks, we saw remarkable feedback in the children’s results and their new attitude towards math. Their teachers reported that the children were engaging more in class, and had increased confidence in math. By the end of the year, the children had all raised their math levels.
Through my experience, I realized there are three key problems surrounding children math learning. Too many children:
1. Hate Math, don’t see the point in doing it, or find it a boring chore.
2. Do not believe they can get good at it; usually because they have been inadvertently told that by a parent or a teacher.
3. Do not have effective, creative, fun methods of doing and practising math.
Sadly, many children experience low self-esteem and low self-confidence as a result, which can affect their life and future. I find this heart breaking as it can also easily lead on to Math Anxiety.
However, the bigger problem is that too many parents are afraid of math themselves and don’t know how to help their children. The world is a lot more competitive and demanding now, and the youths of this generation are finding it harder to do well or get good jobs without math.
In the USA, UK and many other countries around the world, statistics show that mathematical anxiety among children and adults is rife.
As an example, in the UK, government statistics show that half the adults in the UK have numeracy levels no greater than that of an 11-year old. They have found it is costing the economy around £20 billion a year.
After my initial experience with those children in schools, I started to think. All the while I was studying my MSc while working as an Investment Bank Software Programmer, I was also thinking of how I could help parents help their children with math effectively. I wanted to think up a way parents could do this effectively, without having to teach math themselves. There were just not effective enough methods out there.
In 2003, I made it my mission to turn math into a game that every child would love to play every time.
I decided to start working on creating my own math board game that would achieve just this, and help children globally learn and practise math while playing, without realizing they are learning. After all, math is a common language we all share. Numbers are numbers, everywhere.
I realized the solution is to catch them young and started planning for the game to be aimed at children aged 6 to 13 years.
I believe that everyone can improve their math skills. I also believe that talent is overrated — there is no such thing as a “Math person”. Math is simply a skill, and any skill just needs practice, with the right guidance, to get good at it.
I want to make a difference to society and impact children globally just as I have done with my two children who have become excellent at math. I want to see children all over the world loving math, enjoying math, doing math with ease, being math confident and reducing mathematical anxiety.
Years later, I created my first math board game called Race To Infinity. That was my baby. I also wrote my book titled “Make Math Fun: How to Increase Your Child’s Grades and Confidence Through Games”.
I had started originally with little or no funds, and had created my first math game on paper.
In 2015, when the game was ‘ready, my mentor from Virgin StartUp said it was wonderful but that the game board itself was wrong and needed re-doing. After years of work I had to start again. With no spare money, I had to be resourceful.
Between myself and my two kids, we played that game about 450 times to test it. I could not launch it if it was not perfect. I ran workshops and kept tweaking the game until I was satisfied. On a shoe-string budget I printed 100 copies of the final version and sold non-profit for proof of concept. Then I saved to print the first 1,500 games.
I learnt to sell on Amazon like my life depended on it and the game became successful there. I worked hard and reinvested to improve the product and did four additional language translations of the rules to make five translations available (English, French, German, Spanish and Italian). We are now currently working on starting the Arabic and Japanese translations.
I built this game through resilience, grit and determination.
No printer would print only a 100 games for me, so I grafted my way through to achieve what I needed to achieve. I used four different printers in four different locations. Each printer was about half hour to an hour’s drive apart, and I collected all the components from each and drove all to the Finishers’ to put the components of the 100 games together. I was with the Finishers’ in the factory and together we put the components of each game together and shrink-wrapped them to become fully packaged board games. I still remember filming a video of the first game when it was coming out of the machine.
When I saw the first game of my finished product come out of that machine, I did not know whether to laugh or to cry, because it had taken me so long to complete in my opinion. I actually did laugh and cry at the same time.
I now specialize in helping children fall in love with Mathematics by creating educational and math board games for children. The games have been specifically designed to have replay-ability; that is, that ability of a game to bring a child back to want to come and play it over and over again. I also worked to design our math games to teach and develop other life skills such as creative thinking skills, critical thinking skills, decision making, logic, deductive reasoning and spatial awareness.
To solve the math problem, I have created a program incorporating the notion of play learning. This program motivates children to do math with stress free, creative, fun and stimulating methods. It’s a 5-step methodology that sells them on the big WHY, and includes unique games that bring fun to math, alongside my online hub, my book, stories, workshops, consultations, and math shortcuts videos. This system is making a difference to how children, and even parents view math, making children happier and parents worry less.
I also do a lot of volunteering. I speak about how math changed my life and how parents can help their children build more math confidence, make math fun, reduce math anxiety and help them build more opportunities for a successful future.
I also build video online courses to support parents to learn how to help their children with math without having to learn math as they know it to be.
I am Chair of Governors (Chair of Trustees) in a school, and a Trustee and Director on the Student Union Board of a University. I also take part in various other activities and Public Speaking.
After the Race To Infinity game release in December 2016, I had some satisfaction that I am walking with purpose. I have since been pleasantly surprised at the uptake of the game and how well it has been received. I have had hundreds of have fantastic testimonials and endorsements from parents, children, head teachers, math co-ordinators and huge organizations.
One of the first ones I had was from a Director from a large International Tuition Centre. He said “children were actually queuing up to play the game and coming back to ask for it over and over.”
I have since had Amazon who asked to partner with me, such that they now buy wholesale and sell retail, and have so many endorsements from large organizations all over the world. I also have partnered with billion-dollar companies like the Berkeley Homes Plc.
Race To Infinity is now available in 10+ countries and has won several Awards, mostly National and International awards (UK and USA) in the math game, family game and Home Education/Homeschooling categories. I have also won a few personal Awards.
The games are now fast developing into a product line which we are working to get into retail worldwide. I am also expanding my programme to include a membership site for parents and will further license out my methods to be able to take it further global. I continue to live out my purpose and mission.
I am addicted to helping children fall in love with math. This is my addiction, my heartbeat.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this career?
Last year, as I exhibited our games at a National Show, a lady walked up to me and said she was an Amazon buyer. She said they had been watching what I had done with the Race To Infinity game on Amazon so far and that they loved the product and my work so far. She said they believed they could take me much further and asked that they would like to partner with me.
I was shocked, and scared. Although it sounded like a really good thing that a trillion-dollar company would search me out and that I was flattered, I was still worried. I thought I must be in trouble. My fulfilment house must have sent the wrong products to Amazon accidentally instead of my game.
Long story short, it was actually real. The next day I received an email from the lovely Amazon lady confirming everything. We (BeGenio) are now partners with Amazon, such that Amazon now buy our Race To Infinity games wholesale and sell retail.
That was the beginning of good things to help me achieve my mission and help kids. It has kicked off so many other things.
I have been very lucky in that it has all continued. Race To Infinity has won quite a number of National awards just between last year and this year. Most of the major excellent happenings have been within the last six to seven months alone.
One such one was the BBC interview. Just a couple of months ago in July, I was interviewed live about my Race To Infinity Math game on BBC NEWS TV and BBC World TV(which aired live), spoke at the London School of Economics in the Women Who Change Lives Series on Social Entrepreneurship, won the Royal Borough of Greenwich Best Business Awards 2019 in London (Best Micro to Small Business Category) and have been awarded a Honorary PhD Doctorate degree by one of Central London’s largest Universities in recognition of my work in helping children fall in love with Math (July 2019).
Race To Infinity has been voted one of the Top 10 Best Games in The School Run and has won several Amazon #1 BESTSELLER and AMAZONCHOICE Badges.
The morale of the story is that I feel totally blessed that my purpose and mission is becoming a reality. I simply am trying to help children fall in love with math, build confidence, reduce Math Anxiety and build more opportunities for a successful future.
All of these pieces of recognition and wonderful support have come from other people and organizations that have been kind enough recognize the importance of raising children who are numerate in all nations, in this new world we live in.
Just some days ago, I was invited to run Race To Infinity math game workshops and math tricks workshops to help kids build confidence in math, alongside some huge companies like Deloitte, VISA, Proctor &Gamble, EY and GlaxoSmithKline.
Can you share a story about the funniest or most interesting mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
The biggest mistake I made was not launching the Race To Infinity game earlier. After all, I had my prototype for many years, but I was too afraid to launch it. I thought it was going to fail.
However in 2015, when I literally could not sleep easy at night anymore and had no rest from not launching my dream and helping other kids love math and be confident in math, I made a decision.
I remember standing in the kitchen and declaring openly. I said: “If it will kill me, I will get my Race To Infinity math game out.” I also declared that: “If it is the last thing I do, I will get the board game out”. “Let it fail, I will get the game out”. That was it.
After overcoming a few more show-stopping challenges, at the end of 2016 I launched the Race To Infinity math game and started selling in 2017. I have not been able to believe the success of it so far. I am still pinching myself, wondering how I got so lucky. I believe I made my own luck, with help from above. I am not sure I can take the credit, but I worked incredibly hard and actually even suffered. I sowed blood, sweat, tears and more.
I learnt a big lesson.
Try everything. If you do not try, you will never know. Never.
If something does not work, pick yourself up and try again.
I had to create a brand new game board in 2015 when my mentor said the mechanics of the game and the way of playing the game was fantastic, but that the board was all wrong. I did not even know how to draw. I still do not.
I almost did not launch the game. I look back at all the innocent children that would have missed out, that would not have increased their confidence through playing the game like numerous kids have. It does not bear thinking about.
I often think about all the testimonials I get from parents all over the world saying math will never be the same again and how their children’s math skills have improved. I think about numerous parents that have told me their child learnt their 12 Multiplication Times Tables just by playing my Race To Infinity game. When I look back, I thank God that I launched this game as I almost did not launch it.
I keep wishing I did not wait so long.
Don’t give up. Believe in yourself. If you do not, nobody will.
Get involved in your niche in your local community and volunteer.
Anything you get involved in can lead you to anything, or lead you anywhere. By chance, by stroke of luck, by serendipity, by providence, or through destiny. What started out as volunteering led me to my passion and mission.
Ok let’s jump to the main focus of our interview. Even in 2019, women still earn about 80 cents for every dollar a man makes. Can you explain three of the main factors that are causing the wage gap?
The Gender Wage Gap is a sensitive topic, one that has been going on for a while now. It all boils down to fairness, equal opportunities, eliminating inequality, caring about pay discrepancy, fostering inclusion and diversity. It is about humans feeling valued and not marginalised.
There are a lot of factors causing the Gender Wage Gap to exist. Three of the main ones are:
1. Little or no transparency and accountability where salaries being paid to males and females who are of similar levels of experience, are concerned.
2. Too many women not feeling able, confident enough or “good enough” to apply to senior positions, leaving those positions to more men than women. If women are not getting the experience they need at such levels, when they eventually get to those levels, they do not feel they are worth paying the same as their male counterparts. As such they do not tend to ask for the same amounts. This is continuing to lead to imbalance as women do not generally ask for what they should be worth, whereas men do.
3. Women losing ground after maternity. As a woman, I can say through personal experience that having been out of work for months focussing on something else, that is, raising a baby, you are sort of “put back” by the time you come back. It’s not uncommon for some of your male counterparts to have moved ahead while you are away nursing the baby. Maternity usually happens more than once on average for most women, which means losing ground generally happens more than once.
I was lucky in that my field (Software Programming) was a field that had scarcity of Programmers for Investment Banking in terms of supply. So being a female, or male, did not matter much. There was no room for gender preferences.
Many other women though, have to go through this period. They lose some ground each time they have a baby and some never go back to work, leaving more positions unfilled by women.
Can you share with our readers what your work is doing to help close the gender wage gap?
It goes without saying that my support staff get paid appropriately for their skills whether they are male or female.
In my own career, despite being one of the only females in the environment, there was no question of me not being paid for my skills; my skills were in short supply and therefore in demand.
Therefore, we are advocating the STEM careers (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), and that jobs based on Mathematics are some of the highest paid jobs around.
The key, is to catch them young. If we can raise girl children to also be confident in math and in their own ability and self-worth, they will be applying for the senior positions.
We focus on math because Mathematics teaches resilience and sparks curiosity, the ripple effect of which includes a positive mental attitude, cognitive development and numerous life skills that create a fulfilling career and life.
Can you recommend 5 things that need to be done on a broader societal level to close the gender wage gap. Please share a story or example for each.
We as women have a whole host of other challenges that men do not have.
The Gender Wage Gap is definitely one such topic that we must focus on, on a broader societal level.
Talking from personal experience, when I was in Investment Banking, I did not actually suffer any of the negative symptoms of the Gender Wage Gap, or so it seems.
I have personal experience of being in a man’s world. In all my years in Investment Banking, every time I was in a team, I was almost always the only female in the group. In my last two jobs in Investment Banks as a Programmer, I have to say that our pay amounts were very close or the same. In fact, I remember earning more than at least one male colleague with the same amount of career experience that I had.
The reason, I believe, was because I made myself stand out and had gone into a field that many did not want to go into. I imagine there was demand for Programmers but not that many more for supply.
Therefore, the Software Programming section of the IT (Information Technology) recruitment industry had to treat everyone the same. There were no men or women so to speak, we were one. We were not plenty enough to perform pay preference experiments with, in a field where there was already some scarcity.
To be qualified to be paid on same level as men, I had to ask for the same sort of pay amounts my male counterparts asked for; and I had to do what they did, that many other men (and even more women) did not want to. Lots of people in the IT industry did not seem to like programming at all and would rather do any other IT role (but programming).
Well, that was a blessing in disguise for the rest of us who were females. It left the opportunity open to the few women who cared to be programmers, to make up the numbers for the relatively few men who were happy to be Software Programmers. The recruitment agencies and employers could not care less whether I was male or female.
I had graduated from University with First Class Honors in BSc Computing and Information Systems. I chose to do more math-like units and more programming units as I wanted to become a Software Programmer, because of my Father’s influence on me in making math fun and creative for me when I was 10 years old. I had five programming job offers when I finished at University; much more than many, if not all of my male counterparts. For many years, I worked in 5 different Investment Banks in the City of London, in and around London Wall and I believe in those years, the Gender Wage Gap for me as a female, during those years was closed.
There were other forms of female discrimination I suffered, but the Gender Wage Gap issue is not one of them to my knowledge.
Hence, I can name five ways I am certain can start to close the Gender Wage Gap further from my personal experience.
It starts from when kids are being raised. Confidence plays a big part. When I was naming what I would like to earn each time I applied for a job, I never considered or thought for a moment that I should ask for less because I am female. It did not for once cross my mind.
I simply looked at what people (not women only, just people generally) with the same amount of experience earned in the programming world in Investment Banking, and named those figures.
There are simple, but strategic things we should be doing to close the Gender Wage Gap. I list them as follows:
Publish the salaries of both genders with equal experience. Having organizations publish these would increase transparency and therefore, accountability. If this is mandatory, just like CEO’s salaries, the action will start to have salary decision makers think a little more when deciding on salaries for both males and females.
2. Educate women to ask for what they are worth for their pay, when applying to jobs. For example, it is important to raise girls to be self-confident and confident in their abilities.
3. Encourage women to apply to more senior positions.
4. Increase female-friendly recruitment schemes. For example, schemes that support and encourage women coming back from maternity leave. Maternity is a very trying period for every woman, after having gone through the rigors of labour and taking care of a new born to settle them into their new world. It is very stressful having to leave their babies by going straight into full time work. This usually causes a lot of women to lose ground.
5. Encourage females to study more STEM-related subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Those roles are in the Technology field where there are massive shortages. Just like my personal experience, there is likely to be less gender pay discrimination in this career field and related ones.
I strongly believe we need to help girls know and believe that they CAN DO Math. Math is also a subject that once a person is confident about, will generally have that self-confidence spreading across several parts of their life.
In summary, paying attention to these five points will make a big difference in closing the Gender Wage Gap.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would create a fun math global movement, online and offline. I would turn parents into math fun buddies using the special tried-and-tested method we used in schools to turn children’s math-confidence around within six weeks. I would create a math centre with an arts twist to show the link, and a touch of sports; and turn my story into an inspiring film. I would use this to show parents exactly how to support their children with math, successfully and change their lives positively, without having to actually teach math themselves. I would use specially selected games, that I have tried and tested over the last 20 years of my experience in the Creative Educational Games Industry.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite life lesson quote is a lovely quote by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe.
“The moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.
Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.” — Goethe.
Looking back now, I realize that that moment in 2015, that I decided and said aloud that I was going to finish creating the game and find the confidence to launch it into the market, everything I needed to do just that began to move in my favor. Providence moved. It will for you too, once you decide.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Oprah Winfrey, because she is so inspirational. A normal woman like me, with a normal background, that has such made such major strides in life, and inspired so many people. A private breakfast or lunch with Oprah will do more to turn my mission into reality; will make my dream come true, help us spread this positive math message, and inspire countless other women.
This was really meaningful! Thank you so much for your time.
