You are a woman pursuing an impressive career in male dominated industry – don’t let fear or frustration deter you from your dreams. In this episode Gillian Muessig, the CEO of Outlines Venture Group and co-founder of Moz, shares how she constructed an impressive career in the Venture Capital industry, and how you can do the same. “Be unabashed, unapologetic, and unafraid.” Gillian gives advice to all female entrepreneurs, not just those working in the VC industry. She recounts he...

Being human means that we feel a wide range of emotions, and the most sought after emotion is happiness. We all yearn for happiness, but we don’t often think about how we can actively put in effort to increase happiness in our day to day lives. Michelle Wax founded the American Happiness Project, a country-wide movement to capture and share how everyday people from all walks of life are creating their own happiness, regardless of external factors. In 2019, Michelle took to the road, traveling...

Most people open up their Instagram app to see what their friends and family are up to. Reshmi Menon goes on Instagram to learn about brands’ marketing strategies. Reshmi Menon, the Head Of Marketing at Suta, is a self-proclaimed “girl next door” who wants to make an impact and change consumers’ perspectives. She’s always loved marketing and has her master’s in the subject, and her habit of messaging brands on social media platforms regarding their marketing strategies ended up paying off whe...

“There are tee shirts that say, ‘Underestimate me. This’ll be fun,’ and that was exactly how I approached life.” This snippet is just one of many learnings we gained from our conversation with Julie Roehm, the Chief Marketing and Experience Officer at Party City. Julie is no stranger to adversity and has been a fierce competitor and determined power female ever since a young age. Calculated yet adventurous risk taking throughout her career has shown her that things don’t change if you aren’t ...

Whoever came up with the saying that “Fashion is Pain” should learn from Suta. Fashion can be comfortable, practical, easy to move in, and absolutely beautiful designs! Sujata and Taniya Biswas are entrepreneurs, change-makers, visionaries, and… sisters! These two fashion powerhouses are the Co-Founders of Suta, a fashion brand that combines India’s weaving traditions with contemporary style. Sujata and Taniya discuss their views on sustainability, changing the perception of weari...

It’s so easy to get bogged down in your day job and repeat mindless tasks just to get the job done. But what will take you to the next level in your career, and also in your personal life, is maintaining a growth mindset in everything that you do. Anne-Fleur Vaartjes, a Risk Analyst at Morgan Stanley, is living an adventurous, travel-filled, curious life and she seeks out opportunities to enrich her growth mindset wherever possible. She shares with us that having a growth mindset is imp...

What do Forbes 30 Under 30: Science, MIT Tech Review 35 Innovators Under 35, and L’Oreal USA for Women in Science all have in common? They’ve all spotlighted Ritu Raman for her incredible accomplishments in STEM. And now Empowered Women Series has joined the club! Ritu Raman is a biohybrid engineer and a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Langer Lab at MIT, and she brings a fresh new perspective to the typically male-dominated STEM field of biology. Ritu’s innovation and critical thinking have ...

Ever had trouble putting on your bra? You just couldn't clip it correctly, or it dug into your rib the whole day? Now, think if you had a disability and there was absolutely design consideration given to designing your bra... how would you manage? Inclusivity isn't a box to check on a corporation's must-have list. It is a mentality, it is the way you think about and perceive those around you. Let's improve our perception and help others improve theirs. If we want to succeed as a humanit...

There’s only so much time in the day to accomplish what you want to accomplish, whether that be advancing your career, growing a family, pursuing a passion, or whatever else. But sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own lives that we forget to make time to change the world. Anu Chitrapu is one of those rare women who has achieved immense success in her career as well as changing the world. This Bank of America SVP finds time after her 9-to-5 to volunteer with a number of global nonprofits, a...

Here at Empowered Women Series, we believe that all women are strong women. Our inner strength and grit allow us to move mountains (metaphorically, at least). But for Empowered Women Series’ first ever live event, we brought you a Master Class from a woman who is literally stronger than almost everybody. We had the opportunity to partake in a Master Class in Coaching from Brittany Diamond. Brittany is the 3x 3rd Strongest Woman in the World as well as the founder of BDimez Training LLC and a ...

It’s far too easy these days to get stuck in a rut of negativity. Even turning on the news could plummet your day into despair. But what takes real strength in times like these is spreading optimism to those around you! Lisa Tanzer is a believer in the power of optimism. This mother, philanthropist, and President of Life is Good, lives every single day in the pursuit of positivity and aspires to help those around her in simple ways such as spreading the generosity of time and having small, me...

Every once in a while, we all get caught up in our day-to-day lives, overbook ourselves, or lose track of our schedules. Society equates business to productivity, but sometimes that equation fails to work out. And this is where we turn to our trusted friends like Catherine Cheng for advice! Catherine Cheng is a double major at a prestigious university, a Business Analyst intern at refine+focus, a violist, a reader, a yogi, a runner, a baker, and in what free time she has left, she is a core m...

Becoming a lawyer or a doctor are two of the career paths that require the highest level of education, persistence, drive, and motivation. Imagine becoming both a lawyer AND a doctor… Aretha Delight Davis has done both with poise and grace in order to give back to her community. It’s easy to get caught up in everyday life and become stuck in a career rut, focusing on your everyday job instead of thinking big picture about your goals and aspirations. For Aretha, the decision to transition fro...

Having worked at Bloomberg for 28 years, Fran Sharp is legendary at the organization. It is said that if you don’t know how to solve something, you go to Fran! Often we might feel like our softer skills, like caring about people, being nurturing or a “giver” might not be compatible with our career goals, or perhaps that they are skills more suited for our “personal lives” more than the “business world”. However, embracing these skills, along with our true selves (whatever that may be), ...

How many times have you said yes, when you really wanted to say “no”? From spreading yourself too thin to straining important relationships, almost everyone knows the consequences of not knowing how to say “no”. In this episode, our very own Purnima Thakre takes the interviewee seat in this invaluable lesson on learning how to prioritize ourselves, teaching us that by establishing our limits, we are not limiting ourselves, but rather freeing ourselves. From heading Empowered Women Seri...

“What do you want to do with your life?” Choosing the right career path is one of the crucial life decisions. Like all other life questions, this one too doesn't have an easy answer but fortunately has the right process. That process is an ultimate life-hack, it’s called Rotational Programs. Katie Martensen, an Associate at Citizen’s Bank Consumer Banking Leadership Development Program shares why she joined this program and how it has already expedited her career clarity. In...

In times like these, innovation and creativity are more important than ever. There are so many goods and services out there in the world to purchase, but entrepreneurs are constantly finding white space in the market to create new unique offerings. When there isn’t a product that already exists to solve your need, why not create one yourself? Tracy Snider found one of these white spaces, and she hit the ground running to create her own company. This extremely bright and creative entrepr...

Life is full of unexpected, we know it better now. However much we plan, our plan doesn't always go the way we want it to. We all make mistakes and are forced to make hard decisions. And we are not alone. YOU are not alone. Many successful people had to go though this as much as we do, or even more. Like Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen. Even this award-winning CEO, one of the Top 30 Most Influential Women in the MENA region, and a Global Cinema Leader, even these three titles fall sho...

If you are currently socially distancing yourself and working from home. Thank you! Here are a few tips on how to make the most of this "opportunity" working remotely. Carolina Fowler is a Marketer / Creative Strategist and has made a successful career while working from home. In this episode Carolina talks about what to do create balance and discipline with all this freedom and responsibility. Her tips would be help you come out as a better version of yourself when this is over. Y...

Karen Ansara is the co-founder of New England International Donors and the Ansara Family Fund, and she’s deeply involved in global philanthropy efforts. She’s passionate, yet maintains a strong sense of flexibility by finding a way to be creative in all of her endeavors, whether they’re work related or family oriented. In our newest episode, Karen shares her tips on how to balance family and career. Finding work-life balance is a challenge that every woman faces during at least one poin...