Lifting Women Up
It’s no secret women play a vital role in society. We are strong and powerful forces. Women’s History Month is celebrated annually in March but truthfully, women and the history of women in America and the world should be celebrated, discussed, and recognized way more than just one month every year. Here at Busbee, we believe in empowering women every month, but one of our goals for the year is to celebrate women even more. Below, Team Busbee is sharing their thoughts and reflections on some important (and some fun) topics to get you thinking about the multi-faceted roles and contributions of women. I’ve also shared a short list of how women can help women. But I would love to hear from YOU in the comments about the ways you lift other women up…
If you missed this post, make sure you check it out…we shared a Q&A with a very inspiring woman, Amber Venz Box!
Team Busbee Q&A
Erin – CEO
Q: What motivates and drives you?
A: This answer is simple…what motivates and drives me is all of YOU! This business started after my husband asked me “What would you do for free?” I said I wanted to make women feel pretty…and that’s how Busbee Style was born. Now, 8 years in, we’ve built an incredible community of like-minded women who lift each other up and want to feel like the best version of themselves. We’ve created a safe space where women can find the energy, support, and encouragement they need to try new things. I want to help you feel empowered and every time I see one of your stories about how I’ve made an impact on your life, your style, your healing journey, or whatever it may be…I’m motivated to keep going.
Denise – Community Manager
Q: Why do you think it’s important to have more women in leadership positions?
A: As a parent of 2 teenage daughters, I think it’s important for young girls to see women in leadership positions in all different industries. As they start to think about future careers and possible college majors, seeing the women that have come before them excel in their chosen fields allows them to visualize success for themselves. It is hard to strive for something you cannot see!
Susan – Editor & Home Writer
Q: What do you consider your greatest accomplishment to be?
A: When asked what my greatest accomplishment has been, I immediately began taking inventory of my professional career wins like promotions, awards, and revenue stats. But, honestly the accomplishment I’m most proud of is more straightforward than that…Being a mom. Or better yet, being a working mom. Modern expectations of working moms are nearly impossible to meet! It takes strength but vulnerability, patience but authority, organization but flexibility (and let’s not forget a STELLAR sense of humor) to raise kind and productive humans. I think we forget to think of motherhood as an “accomplishment” because so many of us are moms, but it’s as challenging as it is beautiful, it IS important, and it should be celebrated!
Joy – Virtual Assistant
Q: Tell us about a woman that has inspired you either personally or professionally.
A: My mom has inspired me personally and professionally. Even though she grew up in an alcoholic and abusive home, with her perseverance and faith she is able to see the positive in every situation as well as the positive in every person. The way she has lived her life has challenged me to do the same.
Alissa – Social Media Manager
Q: What do you know now that you wish the 10-year-old version of you knew back then?
For much of my life, I spent more time questioning how I “should be” instead of simply being myself. I strived so hard to embody many of the qualities celebrated by society that were not necessarily in my nature. As a quiet, introverted, pretty goofy person, I often felt I wasn’t as good as the outspoken and charismatic others that were usually seen in the spotlight. I felt my voice wasn’t as significant. Through struggles and changes in my life, I came to realize the value in who I am at my core. My unique nature and gifts have brought me to where I am today and carried me through difficult circumstances. I now recognize that by embracing and sharing who I am, I bring a certain light to the world that otherwise would not be. I wish the 10-year-old me knew how worthy and valuable she was, exactly how she was, and knew the value of fully stepping into the beauty of my true self from the start.
Kaitlyn – Digital Strategy Manager
Q: If you could have dinner with three inspirational women, dead or alive, who would they be and why?
A: It’s very hard to narrow it down to only three! But I’d have to say…
Oprah Winfrey, Coco Chanel, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. There are SO many reasons I’d like to have dinner with these women, but the biggest characteristic they each have in common…they inspire and empower women.
Some other women I’d love to have dinner with: Michelle Obama, Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony, Marie Curie, Jane Austen, Eleanor Roosevelt, Princess Diana, Kate Middleton, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and Jackie O.
Side note: The dinner would be even better if cooked by Ina Garten at her gorgeous house…who doesn’t love the Barfoot Contessa, right?!
How Women Can Help Women
1) Compliment a woman if you like something she’s wearing or doing.
2) When you ask a woman “How are you?” plan to really find out how they’re doing, what they’re feeling, and what they have going on in their life.
3) Offer to help in some way. Whether that’s picking the kids up from school, grabbing your friend a coffee when they’re running late to work, or just opening the door for that struggling mom with the stroller. Small acts of kindness go a long way.
4) Try understanding someone’s side, point-of-view, or situation before jumping to your own conclusion.
5) Stop the gossip. If you have that one friend who is always gossiping, let them know that’s not okay, it doesn’t serve other women, and that we should be building each other up rather than tearing each other down.
This is SO important…What other ways can we help lift women up? Please share your ideas in the comments below!
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Loved this post! 🌞 At the end of the day we’re all human and want the to be the best version of ourselves and to me, it means meeting myself wherever I am that day. I try to practice the same view for everyone I know/meet. We don’t usually know what other people are going through on an very personal note. A daily practice for me personally, is to be conscious of not judging your own or another person’s journey. I find it brings a feeling of peace and inner calmness. Sometimes I’m not very good at it but that’s why I refer to it as a practice. Each day I get to start over. And you can too. 💕
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Jill… such a good reminder. xo
All these responses are so great. You have assembled a very inspirational team, Erin!
Glad you enjoyed it, Mary! I am SO thankful for my incredible team!! xo