Wednesday Wisdom: Believe Women

After spending two hours poolside yesterday with two women from different parts of New York State, who met through Women TIES but never face-to-face, I witnessed my entrepreneurial dream as reality. Allowing women in a relaxed way to meet each other creates stronger emotional bonds that lead to better business bonds especially in such an ideal setting.

Our conversation zig and zagged, like the butterflies around the deck flowers, covering the topics of rebranding, raising kids in a technical world, healthy eating, Billie Jean King, and Cliftonstrengths Assessment tool. The pop Korean band BTS even came into a discussion talking about midlife music choices. I’m just saying it was a mix of personal and business disclosures that warmed our hearts and bonded us.

As my 27th anniversary of becoming a woman entrepreneur occurs on August 8th, I stepped away from the conversation reminiscing on my early beginnings with a home-based business (that you hid from clients in 1995), with no pool in the backyard, not knowing women entrepreneurship would become my passion and career, or envisioning the ways I would develop into a vocal feminist in the areas of women in business, sports and life. Sometimes you don’t know where the stones lead you on a path, until you look back.

After my guests left, I saw a message from a Cortland member mentioning the results of NYS Governor Cuomo’s sexual harassment investigation. My thoughts immediately went back to the beginning of my career when I was 21 working in Philadelphia as the Assistant to the Corporate Vice President of an investment banking firm with a male client of my male boss who sexually harassed me. When my boss complained to me about not treating his client well, I told him the problem and all he said was, “I don’t care Tracy, he is my largest financial client and you’ll do what he asks.” I knew in that moment I needed to work with and for women only. Yesterday’s pool conversation and Cuomo’s news reminded me that I believe and hear women when they share their truths.

Today’s Wednesday Wisdom has a couple thoughts for you. First, look back over your shoulder and see where the stones in your path have led you. Are you where you thought you would be? Where did the path curve? Are you happy with where you are? Second, do you believe women when they speak their truth? If so, good! If not, why? If women are ever going to rise in this world of ours, it will be because other women believed their truths, supported them when needed, and carried both theirs and their own torch to make a difference.

We have so much more individual and collective power than we believe. Women are the future whether they speak up or calmly share their story poolside. Listen and believe.