I Am Woman
Growing up, I used to dream about the day I would join the workforce. Being a mom and founding a family has always been on the table but never my top priority. In fact, I started working when I was just 15, taking part-time jobs here and there, and haven’t stopped since then. Earning and spending my own money gave me the empowerment and independence I needed to solidify my drive towards creating a career for myself. Along the way, many successful women inspired me to keep going for my goal.
In case you need some female empowerment today, here are five women I highly admire and the lessons I learned from them.
Isabella Lowengrip
Image Source: Scandinavian Traveller
The Swedish entrepreneur started her first company at the age of 16, dropped from school at 17, and earned her first million when she was 19. She was laughed at when she started her blog, only to build a makeup empire for herself after.
She openly shares that she was close to going bankrupt before her company got saved by a buy-over. Being the vulnerable person that she is, she also shares her struggles with depression and how she overcame it with ECT-Electroconvulsive therapy.
Her other businesses include a shoe brand, a clothing label, an investment company, and personal finance workshops. Two ventures she went into and went bankrupt are Egoboost, a magazine and Bellme, an online shop that failed to take off.
She is a mother of two and openly shares that she gets all the help she might need to be able to raise her children while being the boss lady that she is.
Moral of the story? Successful people are just regular people who take the time to build on their strengths.
Lessons learned: Don’t be afraid of failure, be vulnerable, know when to get help.
Kristel Bechara
Image Source: Atelier Kristel
If I were to describe this Artrepreneur in a word it would be: Pioneer.
Kristel Bechara is an award-winning Lebanese visual artist based in Dubai. Her contemporary artwork portrays the human condition and all the complex emotions associated with it in unique dynamic patterns and excessive colours.
Her artwork is created using oil, acrylic and giclée printmaking mediums and has been displayed in galleries in Tokyo, Milano, Brussels, London and France. As a recognition for her talent she received the UAE Resident Award at the 2018 World Art Dubai for her collection “Beauty in Diversity”.
Kristel’s drive to innovate pushed her to become the pioneer female NFT artist in the Middle East. Inspired by her winning collection “Beauty in Diversity”, she named her NFT series “Beauty in DeFi”. She is now an established NFT artist selling her digital art on OpenSea and featuring in publications across the globe.
On top of all of that, Kristel is a wife, mother of two and a traveller who finds inspiration in exploring cities, art museums and galleries. She creates art in her studio in the mornings and spends her afternoons and evenings with the family.
Moral of the story? You can have it all if you put your mind into it.
Lesson learned: Be bold, be you and don’t be afraid of innovating and taking the first step.
Sarah Al-Suhaimi
Image Source: Arabian Business
This woman is the symbol of Saudi women’s rising.
Named one of the “50 people to watch” by Bloomberg Businessweek, she broke the glass ceiling of the male-dominated finance sector in a male-dominated country.
Sarah Al-Suhaimi is the first female member of the Saudi Airlines board and chairperson of Tadawul, the Saudi Stock Exchange.
She graduated from her accounting program at King Saud University with the highest honours and completed the general management program at Harvard business school.
She started her career in asset management at Samba where she became the senior portfolio manager co-managing 12 billion in local equities. She then joined Jadwa Investment, a leading player in the Saudi capital market, as head of portfolio management. Then she served as a CEO for NCB Capital.
On top of that, she is a trustee of the IFRS Foundation, the international financial reporting standards, and We-Fi leadership champion. She has led efforts to integrate the Saudi capital markets into the global markets and earned respect.
Moral of the story? Challenge the status quo.
Lesson learned: Shake things up. Even in the hardest and least favouring environments you can make it.
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
Image Source: Interview Magazine
Born to a Puerto Rican mom and an American dad, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez was sworn-in the youngest woman and youngest Latina to serve in Congress.
During the 2016 presidential election, Alexandria built up her skills in electoral organising and activism by volunteering to help in the campaign of Bernie Sanders in the South Bronx. Shortly after, she ran her own campaign which shocked the political establishment especially when she defeated Joe Crowley, who has been in Congress since 1999. Her campaign was driven entirely by volunteers and donations. The Congresswoman refused to take any contributions from corporations, a practice she continues to this day.
Ms.Ocasio Cortez is fighting for key issues such as medicare for all, housing as a human right, and elevating public education. Some of the plans she is focusing on include but are not limited to: healthcare as a human right, putting an end to unjust evictions, reducing homelessness, making public college tuition-free for everyone, and cancelling all student debt.
Moreover, over her first term, she introduced a total of 23 pieces of legislation and in January 2021, she was sworn-in for her second term in Congress.
Moral of the story? Fight for what you believe in.
Lesson learned: Don’t let criticism bring you down. Be proud of where you came from and fearlessly and fiercely fight for your dreams.
These highly achieving women among others inspire me to keep on going. I would also like to pay tribute to all stay at home moms and caregivers who sacrificed their careers to do the most difficult job in the world. You are the true heroes.
P.s: Dear women, don’t forget to elevate other women today and everyday!
Sources:
- https://www.bbc.com/news/business-41767407
- https://entrepreneurshandbook.co/a-swedish-blogger-was-laughed-at-now-she-has-a-4-million-business-880bcfb3006e
- https://www.atelierkristel.com/
- https://saudiscoop.com/lifestyle/sarah-al-suhaimi-a-powerhouse-of-finance-and-money-markets/
- https://english.alarabiya.net/business/economy/2017/02/17/Who-is-Sarah-al-Suhaimi-the-first-woman-to-lead-Saudi-stock-exchange-
- https://www.strategy-business.com/article/Talent-and-trust-The-woman-who-rose-to-the-top-of-Saudi-Arabias-banking-sector
- https://ocasio-cortez.house.gov/about
