Leanne A.’s Post

📈 We are all familiar with these stats by now: although women’s overall employment rate in the US hit an all-time high in 2023 (74%), women still earn 16% less than men on average in their prime working years, are 5 to 8 times more likely than men to have their employment affected by caregiver responsibilities and those with young children (<5 y/o) still see their job prospects disproportionately depressed compared to fathers (65% employment rate for mothers vs 92% for fathers). These challenges are uniquely affecting women’s career trajectories. Add to that a layer of complexity if you are a woman of color and/or an immigrant. As an immigrant myself (albeit white, college educated and who emigrated by choice, which I reckon is a privilege), I struggled too to fit in the US workplace for a wide range of reasons. Things as mundane as learning Excel formulas in English or decrypting American corporate jargon ("low hanging fruit”, "piggybacking" 🤔 ) can make you feel vulnerable or incompetent. Not to mention bigger hurdles like: navigating cultural differences and language barrier in interpersonal communication (spoiler alert: the French communication style is too blunt for the US corporate environment 🫢), having non-transferable credentials that forces you to change careers, needing to build a network and support system from scratch, while dealing with the insanely complex and stressful visa process that can take years! 🤲 All this to say it takes a lot more energy, resources, time, and determination for women, immigrant women in particular, to achieve professional fulfillment and economic security. But if we learned one thing from the pandemic, it’s that the power of community is game changing. After all, it’s a lot easier to tackle any challenge when feeling heard, supported and following somebody’s footsteps. 💪 So in 2024, I decided to act and create the community I long for. I rolled up my sleeves, assembled a team of 9 badass women, brainstormed a name and spent too many hours on Canva designing a brand identity to finally present to you: WAVE Collective by FACCPNW 👭 Our collective empowers French-speaking and Francophile women to achieve professional fulfillment by providing a supportive space and vibrant community where women can connect, share insights, learn new skills, inspire and champion each other as they navigate the professional landscape in the PNW region. We welcome women at all stages of their careers and who speak French or not! 🎉 We are celebrating the launch of WAVE with our first networking event on January 25th and would love to meet you there! Grab your ticket here: http://bit.ly/3NYYj4L 🙏 Thank you to my team, Amandine Noel-Crabtree, Léa Guitteny, Julie Drapier, Atika Scott De Martinville, Valerie Robert, Ariane Ogier, Laurence Boris, Theresa Aston, Alma Scott de Martinville for their incredible work helping me bring this to life! #womeninbusiness #womenempowerment #careergrowth #networking

I had the most wholesome Irish women time last week at Women with Ambition’s 2nd annual International Women’s Day event. It was so lovely to walk into an intergenerational Irish women space here in New York and feel like I still have time to achieve all that I want to achieve. This sounds laughable but when society likes to tell you your life is over at 30, these kinds of spaces really help to quash that notion🤣 There were some phenomenal speakers so I wanted to share some of their fascinating points that really resonated with me👇🏻 🔸 Geraldine McGinty MD, MBA, FACR - Marry well. This is a profoundly simple point that I feel isn’t made enough. Geraldine went onto say that choosing your life partner is one of the most important things you can do when it comes to your career and pretty much everything in your life. They can either be your biggest supporter or your biggest adversary. Choose well and don’t rush it. 🔺 Andrea Haughian - Even if you don’t believe in yourself, believe in the person who believes in you. We’ve all been there (hopefully) where someone saw our potential even when we didn’t necessarily see it ourselves. Respect that person’s opinion and if they see worth in you, then don’t insult them by not believing it. Trust them and believe in yourself too. 🔹 Deirdre O’Connor - Stick out your hand, if you don’t like the one you find then stick it out again. I love this! So often we stick out our hand and get bitten and are afraid to try again but keep going until you find the right one, whether that’s someone who’s going to give you a job or someone who’s going to invest in your business, keep going. 🔺 Jane Ferguson - If you’re networking or looking for a mentor and you find someone interesting that you admire, ask them to also recommend two other people from their network to talk to as well. Chances are they’ll recommend people who you may never have heard of before and if you think that that initial person is great, imagine what the people they learn from themselves are like! 🔸 Ruth O'Farrell - Ruth drew comparisons between a saying often used in Ireland: “Empty vessels make the most sound” and a (contradictory to this) saying often used in the US: “The squeaky wheel gets the grease”. Make of that what you will; all I know is that too many people, and women in particular, are told to just sit back and be quiet and I don’t like that very much😂 I couldn’t type all of the speakers’ nuggets of wisdom in my phone fast enough as they were speaking😂 But it was a truly inspiring event and I thank Jane McCooey, Ciara Gormley, speakers, and many more for a wonderful evening💚 #LaurenLearns #InternationalWomensDay2024 #Feminist

Finding our Second Mountain - A Women's International Day reflection. Today, as we celebrate Women's International Day, I reflect on the journey my partner, Yvonne Roe, and I undertook, one that resonates with the essence of David Brook’s book, The Second Mountain The Quest For A Moral Life. The beginning of LŪRA was marked by uncertainty as the pandemic unfolded in 2020, disrupting our plans. Yet, in the midst of the chaos, we found an unexpected gift – time. It gave us the opportunity to delve deeper into our vision for LŪRA, shaping it into something meaningful and impactful. When we discovered The Second Mountain, it put into words how we set off on our journey, reaffirming that we were not in pursuit of self-interest or career ambitions, but that we were climbing our second mountain together in search of vocation, ethics, and a desire to move from being self-centered to other-centered. Our journey with LŪRA goes beyond building a brand; it's about fostering connections, nurturing growth, and giving back to a community that fuels our passion. It's about embracing friendship, trust, and respect as pillars of our partnership, driving us forward on this shared mission. On this Women's International Day, let's continue to uplift and empower one another, finding ways that lead to fulfilment, purpose, and collective growth. Together, let's climb our second mountain and create a world where every woman's voice is heard and valued. #WomensInternationalDay #LŪRA #SecondMountain #Empowerment #CommunityBuilding #WomenInBusiness #womeninfashion

We shouldn’t need a theme for International Women’s Day to encourage our workplaces and society to ‘Invest in Women’. It should be embedded in every industry to see the value that we bring to our work and see the contribution to the success of the organisations we work passionately for. The communities we live in, actively contributing and participating to the fabric of its success, the clubs we belong to and life we work hard for. The families we care for, relationships we nurture and place our hopes for the future in. So lets not just focus on the topic for only today- lets make a real commitment to invest in women. It’s worth it. WE are worth it.

When you shine, I shine! Women don’t have to be each other’s worst enemy in the work place. There’s enough cake for everyone:) Thank you Kiran Scarr for this insightful blog post.

Here's how to start a conversation at your next networking event 💬 Making the first move when networking can be challenging and daunting. You may be unsure of how to start a conversation with someone new. We're share 5️⃣ prompts to open up a conversation the next time you find yourself in this situation. Looking for somewhere to practice your new conversation starters? Empowering Women is hosting an event this Thursday. Find out more about our free networking event here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eYDJG8_4

Happy International Women’s Day! Our Owner & CEO Joycelyn E. David joined fellow awardees of the Foundation for Filipina Women's Network, including Rosary Escaño, Anna Patrizio, Eileen Devilla Rechie Valdez Mary Ann Gamboa, Maria Geroche. As leaders in their respective industries, they are changing the way the world views a Filipina woman, and empowering others to never dim their light. Watch the full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/gBHnvSfF Highlights of the conversation: ✅ "Part of what it means to be an empowered woman today is being able to shape the perspectives of those around you. Just by being you." ✅ "When it comes to real change and representation, every single one of us is capable of making a world of difference." ✅ "The light you’re seeking will always find you, when you put in the work." ✅ "Cherish how far you have come. Celebrate your wins. Uplift those around you. And keep going!" ✅ "Own Your Power. When you learn that you are enough, you will continue to take up space that you truly deserve."

Learn from a collaboration pro on how to develop and foster a close network of female professionals. Register now for this ongoing series where you will hear from female leaders and then breakout into smaller groups for networking and discussion. #Networking

Learn from a collaboration pro on how to develop and foster a close network of female professionals. Register now for this ongoing series where you will hear from female leaders and then breakout into smaller groups for networking and discussion. #Networking

How is your organization celebrating international women’s day?