We are stronger together
Welcome to the second issue of Hero with Girl Power newsletter, a space to celebrate and encourage dream chasing women of all backgrounds, and walks of life.
Since I launched this Substack and began promoting it, a few publicists have asked me how many people subscribe. I get it—I’m also a publicist and I do the same thing! Like many of you, I am a dreamer and a go-getter, and building my platform from the ground up! I’m hoping to form a supportive community of like-minded women who will help me grow here and reach readers, as I do the same for your brand/cause/business! So please, if you like what you’re reading, be sure to subscribe and share with your friends. We are all stronger together!
On that note, I am going to share a Substack I love to read: Atoosa Unedited by one of my favorite editors, Atoosa Rubenstein (former editor-in-chief of Seventeen magazine and the founding editor of CosmoGirl). If you know, you know (and love)! Atoosa learns things the hard way so you don’t have to!
WHAT DOES GIRL POWER MEAN TO YOU?
I ask girls of all ages and life stages, “What Does Girl Power Mean to You?”
“Having girl power means being confident that you have multitudes within you, any and all of which you call up at any time, depending on whether you need to salve, sacrifice, secure, or slaughter.”
– Laura Gassner Otting, keynote speaker and Best-Selling author of Limitless: How to Ignore Everybody, Carve Your Own Path, and Live Your Best Life
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE
“One friend with whom you have a lot in common is better than three with whom you struggle to find things to talk about.”- Mindy Kaling
FEMALE FOUNDER SPOTLIGHT
Meet Xenia Chen, founder of Threads, the game-changing brand of modern hosiery on a mission to make tights inclusive for everyone, with its tone-matching technology. Chen created the innovative brand with a “problem first” approach.
“This idea was born out of my own frustrations with the hosiery shopping experience when I was working as an investment banker,” says Chen. “I wore tights almost every day as part of my work outfit but had a hard time finding a brand that was both high-quality, comfortable, and affordable. As an Asian woman, I often had a hard time finding tights that matched my skin tone, as traditional brands tend to make tights that are too fair in skin tone. I knew it was time to build a hosiery brand that would allow all women, no matter their skin tone, to have equal access to high-quality wardrobe staples that enhance who they are, rather than take that away from them.”
Slip into a pair of Sheer Contour 20 denier tights when you’re feeling fancy during a quarantine date night or venturing into the wild….and working from the office!
EXPERT TIP
How to get your inbox to zero.
We spend more than 3 hours a day sifting through our emails—that’s roughly 20 weeks per year. Yikes! Productivity coach and time management expert Donna McGeorge is revealing how to take control of your inbox to reduce the feeling of dread whenever you check your email and take back precious time in your day.
“A lot of the overwhelm we feel is seeing the unread numbers and knowing that there’s 10,000 tasks that require our attention,” says McGeorge, author of The 1-Day Refund: Take Back Time, Spend It Wisely [Wiley, March 1, 2022]. “Start by creating an archive folder and dragging everything into it. It takes habit, practice, and discipline. But it’s possible to have zero unread emails if you set a habit and stick to it.”
Emails can be a drag. So, do just that to get your inbox to zero.
HERO WITH GIRL POWER
Shout-out to Cassandra James, who portrays Terry on General Hospital and is the first transgender woman cast as a transgender character on a soap opera. Soaps in Depth shares that James came out to her family and friends as being gay, but she still didn’t feel like she was living as her true, authentic self. In 2015, she came out again—this time as a transgender woman—and began her transition in 2016. Bravo, Cassandra, for being true to you and paving the way for others who need to know they are not alone! You are a Hero with Girl Power. Follow Cassandra on Instagram.
BOOK SPOTLIGHT
PREP, PUSH, PIVOT: Essential Career Strategies for Underrepresented Women
PREP, PUSH, PIVOT: Essential Career Strategies for Underrepresented Women (Wiley, January 12, 2022) by career coach Octavia Goredema is an action-oriented career coaching guide specifically for women of color in the workplace. However, so many of the tips are universal and will help you get whatever you want out of your career, whether that be more balance, money, or a fresh start.
“Women of color are the most underrepresented group in the corporate pipeline,” says Goredema. “We are hired, promoted, and retained at lower rates. When I was growing up, my mother told me that I would have to work twice as hard as everyone else to get ahead. I tried my best to follow it, but it was not healthy or sustainable. Waiting for your boss to notice is not enough. Your health and well-being should be your top priority. Women of color are doing the work and achieving results but are not always seen. It’s time for a change.And that begins with women of color knowing their worth, their core values, and paying it forward.”
Part One focuses on preparation, encouraging you to know your worth and cement your career values. Part Two is focused on pushing forward, coaching you on how to position yourself for promotion, navigate career breaks, and align your goals as a working parent or caregiver. Finally, Part Three addresses how to change careers and empower others around you to succeed, and offers a variety of resources to help you achieve your next career milestone.
An acclaimed career expert, Goredema’s insights have been featured in leading media outlets including Forbes, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, and Black Enterprise. She co-hosted HBR Now, Harvard Business Review’s weekly show about leadership. A dual U.S. and U.K. citizen, Goredema was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire by the Queen (MBE) in recognition of her work. Octavia is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, where she leads the Gender Equity Network in the United States.
Follow Octavia Goredema on Instagram.
THE FINE PRINT
Thanks for reading this newsletter, which was written as I sip decaf Nespresso and eat leftovers for lunch.
YOU HAVE THE POWER TO WRITE YOUR OWN STORY AND BE THE HERO OF IT, TOO. @princessgenevievebook
Hero with Girl Power is inspired by the children’s book I wrote for my daughter, Princess Genevieve: The Hero with Girl Power.
Be sure to follow me on Instagram @thejoellesperanza and @herowithgirlpower
To submit for a spotlight in the next issue of Hero with Girl Power, email me at joelle@joellesperanza.com
Always grateful,
Joelle
Empowering girls of all ages and life stages.
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