Hi all,
Just wanted to let you know that. From now on our blog posts will be on our website . So we will no longer b posting on here .
Apologize for any inconvenience and please follow us there .
Website Click here
Fresh off her gold medal win with the USA women’s water polo team in Rio de Janeiro, Kaleigh Gilchrist hopes to be added to that list of multi-medal Olympians. Before fully pursuing polo, the 24-year-old was a rising force in the surf world. She was on the path to pro surfing greatness, but something stopped her – she decided to devote herself to the pool instead of the ocean. The Newport Beach local played polo at USC, where she became team captain. And after that, she went to represent the USA in 2016 Games.
In high school, Gilchrist won the most prestigious U.S. amateur surfing title (the Surfing America USA Championship) twice by beating the country’s best surfers under 18, including Courtney Conlogue (currently No. 1 in the world) and Lakey Peterson (No. 6 in the world last year). At fourteen, Newport Harbor High School water polo coach Bill Barnett put her on the varsity team as a freshman, a prestigious selection. Barnett had coached three U.S. Olympic men’s teams and was in his 40th year at Newport. People always thought she would have to end up picking only one sport, but Gilchrist refused and pushed herself to excel at both. Playing collegiate water polo was intense for Gilchrist was intense. Members of the team were required to watch the video in their free time, complete water polo homework, keep binders full of plays, scouting, take water polo tests, and on top of that playing four to five hours a day. Even now, despite playing for the most dominant water polo team on the planet, Gilchrist went back to her love of surfing. She just took out some of the biggest up and coming surfers at the APSS Shoe City Pro, a 2017 Women’s Qualifying Series 1000 event held on the south side of the Huntington Beach pier.
Gilchrist became nostalgic for the golden years during her first fall away from South Central. At her inaugural homecoming as an alumnus, she wanted to do it big. Notorious for her all-time costumes, Kaleigh made her first ever “I MISS SOUTH CENTRAL” T-Shirt. With the insane amount of positive feedback from her fellow alums the light bulb went off and imisssouthcentral.com was born.
With being the founder of a business and excelling at two different sports, there doesn’t seem to be anything Kaleigh Gilchrist can’t do.
We Do It Together is a nonprofit film production company created to finance and produce films, documentaries, TV and other forms of media, uniquely dedicated to the empowerment of women, by telling their stories. The team believes that the company can create a movement, with women and men, with actions behind words, that will change the outdated paradigm that we see in media, and its marginalization of women worldwide. Advisory Board Members include Queen Latifah, Jodie Foster, Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, and other female filmmakers.
Founder Chiara Tilesa, an Italian film producer, wanted to find an alternative way for all women in filmmaking to be heard. In an interview with Variety, she said that We Do It Together was “for everyone: not just the actresses, directors, producers, but also to the agents and managers.” Advisor Board Member actress and director Patricia Riggen talks about the struggle of being a female director. “Even if you get chosen to be a director, that doesn’t mean the struggle ends there. It means the struggle begins there. Because every single day, you have to fight for respect. You have to fight for people to believe in you and to follow you.”
Studies done by organizations like the Sundance Institute/Women in Film, and Stacy L Smith, the director of the Media, Diversity & Social Change Initiative at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, more than back up the theory that times need to change. Both studies bear witness to Hollywood’s long-standing gender gaps at every level of the industry. They concluded in no uncertain terms that women “…face deep-rooted presumptions from the film industry about their creative qualifications, sensibilities, tendencies and ambitions.” One study, Celluloid Ceiling, found that women were vastly underrepresented behind the camera. For example, though women constitute roughly 50 percent of U.S. film-school graduates, they make up only 7 percent of the directors of the top 250-grossing Hollywood and independent films over the last several years.
The struggle is also still there for women on the screen. According to San Diego State University’s Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, female characters made up just 12 percent of the protagonists in the top 100-grossing domestic films in 2014. This figure is 3 percent less than it was in 2013, and 4 percent less than in 2002. The Sony e-mail hack in 2014 revealed that even at the highest levels of A-list stardom, female leads, like Jennifer Lawerence, were being paid a fraction of their male counterparts.
“We hope in the future we won’t have a need for dedicated niche financing for films by and about women,” said Tilesi. “Film has always possessed the power to defy convention and change hearts and minds, and this power and potential must be harnessed to challenge the current archaic norms related to women within the entertainment industry. We feel that the way to make this a reality is to give women from around the world a concrete way to express themselves and an on-going structure that will ensure that these stories will be financed and distributed.”
Danielle Cohen-Shohet is the genius behind GlossGenius, the new way for beauty professionals to do what they love. With her passion going back to when she was five years old playing with her mom’s makeup, Danielle loves the art of makeup, and how it’s always changing and empowering to others.
GlossGenius is a platform that enables beauty professionals by helping them manage and grow their businesses. While they are helping people bring their inner beauty to the surface, GlossGenius takes care of the business end–bookings, scheduling, payments, client relationship management and more.
A self-confessed beauty junkie, Danielle did freelance makeup in college and realized that it wasn’t as easy as it looked. “Being a sole proprietor and managing even just a few gigs was painful enough and it became apparent that for those doing this full-time, it’s infinitely more painful and has a significant effect on their bottom line.” Once she realized how particularly jammed beauty professionals were, Danielle knew there was a problem to be solved. “Independent beauty professionals end up doing all of the administrative stuff — yet they go into the industry out of a passion for their craft, not to take care of the business headaches,” said Danielle. “I knew there was a market when I spoke to customers and they told me about their pain points. We created GlossGenius to give these pros the technology to overcome the bottlenecks associated with managing and growing their business.”
Growing up fascinated with business, Danielle caught the entrepreneurial bug very early. “In middle school, I started a small business, selling cards. In college, I started two ventures and got into investing so I could understand businesses from a fundamental viewpoint more. After college, I went to work in finance at Goldman Sachs and gained a lot of skills that would help me now.” However, a strong background in business didn’t mean that Danielle didn’t meet any obstacles. “I met people that didn’t see what I saw. There will always be those people, but I looked at it a different way. If they could see what I saw, they’d already be doing it themselves.” If you come across tough obstacles in your journey, Danielle’s advice is simple: “Turn each one of them into an opportunity for your company.”
From makeup artists to hairstylists to creative nail techs, there is no limit to who can use GlossGenius in the beauty industry. What makes GlossGenius unique is that it’s simple to use and mainly mobile, as well as helps the individual grow their business. “What all of this comes down to is making them more awesome versions of themselves who can achieve more (like earn more money)…[My customers] are amazingly talented, and some of the hardest working professionals out there. They care about their clients, and they care about moving their businesses forward.”
Danielle’s long-term vision for the company is becoming a platform that is synonymous with trust, intelligence, and empowerment that is essential to being in the beauty industry. “I want beauty professionals to rely on us for helping them build their businesses. I see our company materially changing the lives of beauty professionals as we help them fully realize the value of the amazing businesses they’re building.”
For other women entrepreneurs, Danielle has this advice:
Just do it. And bring it every day. There are so many great ideas out there. What separates someone from having a good idea from an entrepreneur is that entrepreneurs are the ones that do it. So spend everyday doing things that get you closer to the launch of your idea, however, big or small those actions may be.
Work with a co-founder that inspires you. The co-founder you work with will be one of the most important aspects of your company. My co-founder, Karim, is one of the sharpest people I know. Together, we challenge each other and lead each other to think about aspects of the business in unique ways.
Find reasons to say ‘yes’. Make the most of every opportunity that comes your way and don’t be encumbered by all of the reasons why it will be challenging to succeed.
Fearlessness is non-negotiable. Starting a company is one part what you don’t know, one part what you will discover and one part what you’re able to make of it. Fear doesn’t sit well in any part of that equation.
To find out more about GlossGenius, visit glossgenius.com
Finding the right bra can be a real process for most women. First, you have to get measured, usually, spend an average of a hundred dollars, and then throw it out after a year. Fed up with this, Heidi Zak launched ThirdLove, a lingerie company that gives you bras that fit at an affordable price.
Zak, who worked as a senior marketing manager at Google before founding the company, differentiated ThirdLove from other lingerie startups by integrating technology into the process. She patented an app to allow users to size themselves at home with just a few photos. Once a person is sized, they can shop for the bra they need. ThirdLove allows customers to try the garments before they purchase for 30 days. If it doesn’t fit, then they can send it back for $2.99. The company also provides a glossary of fit concerns and fit charts on the site for reference, as well as live chats with ThirdLove stylists. The company also designs half-sizes for customers that don’t fit standard sizes.
Since its launch over four years ago, the company has raised more than $13 million and has more than 250,000 paying customers. They have also expanded into underwear, loungewear, and sleepwear. “Our mission is to empower all women to feel comfortable and confident every day, which is why we’ve donated over $1 million worth of bras to women in need across the country since we began in 2013,” said Zak. “The bra industry is dominated by a single company that has been pushing an antiquated male idea of what sexy is. Instead, we believe the world is ready for a modern woman’s idea of sexy.”
Zak’s first job was when she was fourteen, working at a farm stand. She learned two things that she still uses today: “One is how to make things look really beautiful. It was very much learning how to merchandise — how do you make them look compelling for a customer that it going to walk in. The other thing was I learned how to think about the customer, what their needs were and how to sell to them effectively.”
Starting a business is hard work, and can take its toll on its founder. When it comes to having a creative block or almost burning out, Zak says it’s important to be outside. Whether it means taking a walk, unplugging from technology, or snowboarding during the winter. She believes that physical activity can reenergize you.
For future entrepreneurs, Zak uses a piece of advice that she received in her early entrepreneurial days. “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. When you start your own company, you have to get used to learning how to do things that you don’t know how to do. You also need to learn how to take risks and be okay with not knowing what the next stage is going to bring.”
Visit their website at http://www.thirdlove.com
~Maureen L.
Shattering worldwide crowdfunding records, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls has raised more than a million dollars and captured the imagination of nearly 20,000 backers in 71 countries. It features a hundred stories about the lives of a hundred extraordinary women, from Elizabeth I to Serena Williams. Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo, co-founders of Timbuktu Labs, created the book. It features original artwork from sixty female artists commissioned to illustrate stories that reinvent fairy tales to inspire both girls and boys.
Originally from Italy, Favilli dreamed of going back to America after getting her Masters degree in journalism in California. She and creative director Francesca Cavallo began to work on what would eventually become a children’s media company, Timbuktu Labs, in a tiny kitchen in Milan. They applied to every startup competition they could find. Eventually, they landed a spot in the entrepreneurship program at Mind the Bridge, a one-month residency in San Francisco intended to provide an introductory experience to the ecosystem of Silicon Valley. From there, they were in touch with the venture capital fund, 500 Startups and founding partner Christine Tsai, who offered them a spot in their prestigious accelerator program in Mountain View.
Timbuktu Labs raised its first round of funding in 2012 and made its mark by launching Timbuktu Magazine, the first children’s magazine ever to be produced for the iPad. In the years since, Timbuktu has been an innovator in children’s digital media, combining learning games and progressive thinking skills that are not only visually appealing but also highly engaging. Then, came an idea for an anthology with reinvented fairy tales.
The project was a runaway Kickstarter hit, meeting its original funding goal of $40,000 in 30 hours, raising $675,614 during a twenty-nine-day campaign, and then continuing on Indiegogo’s platform InDemand, where it has passed a million dollars in pre-orders. It is the most funded original book ever in the history of crowdfunding. Only a reprint of the Bible and a reissue of a comic book have surpassed it, and Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls is closing in on the record.
“We know children’s books are still packed with gender stereotypes,” said Favilli. “We’re both in our early 30s, we’re female entrepreneurs, and we know first-hand how hard it is to succeed, to be considered, to be given a chance.” The book was inspired by Favilli and Cavallo’s journey as female entrepreneurs. “It’s important for girls to see female role models. It helps them become more confident and set bigger goals for themselves,” said Cavallo. Each story in the book features a full-page portrait, drawn by a female illustrator. Favilli and Cavallo will print 60,000 hardcover copies of the book. Their original goal was 1,000 copies.
The first print run is currently sold out, but you can pre-order yours now at www.rebelgirls.co or on Amazon.
~Maureen L.
We here at Mavens of Nyc are very excited to interview Ms. Akuete about her product Eugenia Shea and the journey till this date. My last call with her, she had mentioned that She had gotten an account with Anthropologie for amazing butter. Yes, that’s Anthropologie! We are excited as well.
Here is our conversation with Naa-Sakle.
MONYC: Hi Naa- Saakle, Thank you for joining us in this journey of Eugenia Shea
N-S.A: Hi Binnie! So pumped to be speaking with you, thanks for taking the time to interview me.
Of course, Let’s get right into it then ..
What is Eugenia Shea?
Eu’Genia Shea is the all-natural alternative to your favorite moisturizer. With just five ingredients, including at least 95% shea content, we’re sure to keep you moisturized all day.
That so cool. . How did you end up making this product? What is the background story?
Back in 2000, my mother returned to our native Ghana and rediscovered her love of shea butter. Across sub-Saharan Africa, the shea industry supports about 16 million women, but particularly in Ghana, because of geographical fragmentation, limited English, lack of technology, and high illiteracy rates, it is relatively easy to take advantage of them. Given my mother’s roots in Ghana and her time in the US, she thought she was well positioned to help bridge the gap between these rural shea nut pickers and global shea butter demand. She started a business, which she named after me, that helps strengthen existing cooperatives and build new ones, providing them with sustainable wages and organic training to produce shea butter. Over the course of her career, she became the President of the Global Shea Alliance, advising governments and NGOs about shea standards, but she also realized the gap between her mission and that of many of her customers. When you’re selling to distributors and brands, often times, they don’t care about the quality of the product or the integrity of the supply chain… so, we started our own brand, Eu’Genia Shea, to produce high-quality shea butter with a mission, direct to consumers and retailers.
There is a social purpose to this brand, we love when a brand gives back! Please explain the background and cause.
In addition to providing sustainable wages and topnotch benefits to economically underdeveloped areas in Ghana, we also donate 15% of our profits back to our workers in the form of an education fund.
What were you doing before you were working on this?
Before I started working with my mother, I was in generic finance for about five years – Lehman Brothers, to Barclays Capital, to business school, to JP Morgan – so a very different world!
Oh wow! Going from finance to a company is totally different worlds, do you miss that corporate life? How was the transition?
I love waking up with a mission everyday and I can’t imagine going back to the corporate world, but I do sometimes miss the security of a paycheck and seeing more than just my mom everyday.
Shea Butter has become quite popular over the years as a way to moisturize, Can you explain to us what exactly Shea is, the process and making of it is?
Shea butter is derived from the fruit of a shea tree that grows across sub-Saharan Africa. The traditional way of processing is a multistep method. For us, that includes sorting and washing our nuts twice, cracking for even roasting, grinding, kneading, and boiling to clarify before filtering twice and packaging.
What makes your product better than others that are out there? What is the difference?
The more shea butter, the better, but not all shea butter is created equal. Even our most complicated formula has just five ingredients including at least 95% shea content relative to generally under 10% for peers. In order to have the highest quality shea butter around, we also supervise all parts of the supply chain. From partnering with our hundreds of organically trained pickers, to processing the nuts into shea butter in house according to the methods my mother developed as President of the Global Shea Alliance, to packaging ourselves in Brooklyn, we’re always involved to make sure you get the best.
What makes you get up every day wanting to this over and over again?
It all boils down to my mom and the women. My mom built her business from scratch to provide a livelihood to hundreds of women with few alternatives. Not working hard everyday is a disservice to them and the dedication they’ve had for decades.
She is a fascinating example for you! I see where you get that drive from.. You are so personable in character, we admire that personality so much. Many companies and founders tend to be standoffish and prideful.. What’s your take on this?
Haha! My personality is definitely not universally loved, but thank you! Our brand is just a reflection of me – part Ghanaian and part American, hard working and fun (most of the time!)… For some people, putting on a show makes their job easier, maybe helping them separate work from life? But for me, there is so little separation between those worlds already that I would probably go crazy if I had to put on a corporate mask all the time.
If another woman was thinking of starting her own company what advice would you have for her?
Make sure your support system is intact! Some people can do it all themselves, but you probably don’t have to!
In the end, we love women like you take risks and make sh*t happen. All along try to be humble and supportive of other women. What is a quote that you live your life by??
Support as many women as possible as holistically as possible. This is a constant reminder of why I’m doing what I’m doing – to help uplift communities. And not just providing some kind of assistance to a ton of people, but really improving the lives of everyone we touch.
What is your take on failing and succeeding?
I love this new wave of companies that have a social mission built into their business model. Being part of that community makes me feel pretty successful already, but longer term, it goes back to the quote. As long as I can keep supporting the chain effectively, I will consider myself successful.
Thanks, Naa-Saakle. We have learned so much from you. You are truly amazing and Eugenia Shea is a pretty cool product! We want to personally thank you for sharing yours and Eugenia Shea’s story. We wish the best for you and hope that many success come along your way!
Please check her out on eugeniashea
You’re Never Too Young to be an Entrepreneur!
“I think a big part of entrepreneurship is being able to problem solve. There is no rulebook for starting your own business and no formula you can follow to be successful. You have to be willing to do what it takes to figure it out. You might have successes, you are definitely going to have failures, and you have to be willing to learn from your mistakes. No matter what type of background or college degree you have, there is always going to be a crisis, and it is going to be you who has to figure out how to overcome it.”
Lazzari’s long-term vision for Simple Sugars is to grow it into a $30 million company.
~Maureen L.
Ginny Allen is the founder of Motorsoul Riding School (a nonprofit organization) in Canada. Starting as an avid rider in 1997, with raw talent and a passion for the sport that earned her early recognition as a rising star as an instructor. With that, she quickly becoming a licensed examiner for the Ministry of Transportation before developing her own ministry approved motorcycle training program.
Once in a while, everyone is bound to go to that deep dark place. I’ve been there well too many times. I am going to provide you with 5 steps that are going to help you.
Everyone has a way that works to get out of negativity. It works differently for everyone. But the following are few ways that are known top ways to help move your mind forward.
MOVE /Movement:
This one is pretty tough. When we are down and depressed, we tend to sit and stall in one place. It’s hard to move and your thoughts are the way to heavy. You must physically get up and walk away from that quicksand. Get out of the house or wherever you are. Just move, it gets your blood flowing creating a sense of freedom.
Listen to Music
Music really is the gateway to the soul. Listen to uplifting, inspirational music. Give it about 20 minutes to kick in. Lie down on the floor and put your headphones on. Go outside and sit down and just listen to good music that will soothe your soul. I always found music to heal me, whether I was angry, down, sad or really not able to move. It just puts a sealant on your soul.
Write
When we are overwhelmed with life, we actually need to let all those emotions out. It’s hard to speak to a friend, family member or even someone you really truly trust. Sometimes you just don’t want to talk to anyone, that is the beauty of writing. Get a journal, or make one online b/ make it private. You can also pull up your notes app on the phone and just start writing. Write your true and raw feelings, emotions, every bit and piece that you are experiencing, that you would not fully disclose to anyone. This will help to clear your soul.
Get out and about, Explore
This part is kind of difficult because you really don’t want to be around anyone. It is really important for you to get out and be around the world. You do not need to talk to anyone, but you need to walk, move, breathe and experience different settings. Even if it’s to go to a park, mall, library, walk on the streets, coffee shop. Just go. Get out and be in the world, do not engage, but be there. You will notice, the change in your mind, when you are observing the world, looking around, breathing, feeling, and just seeing a bigger picture. It will get you distracted, even if it is temporary.
Feed yourself positive thoughts
What I mean by this is quite simple. At one point, I had so much clutter in my head that I could not breathe. I was walking outside, it wasn’t feeling that great still. All of a sudden, I started to tell myself positive things. I told myself that I am strong, brave and amazing. I just kept chanting these few words in my head over and over again. Within a few minutes, my mind started to clear. I started to breathe and felt relieved. Whatever your mantra is, you make it and you tell yourself.
There are many things you can do to de-stress yourself, get out of the negative space and be an amazing person. These I believe are the top 5, which have always time to time helped me till today. I am not ashamed to say I have downfalls, that I am emotional because that’s what being a human is. We are emotional creatures, may one thing be more overtaking on our soul than others, but we are run by emotions.
Please let me know if these have helped you, or what else you do that helps you.
Mavens of NYC 