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Positively Midlife Podcast
Ellen and Tish, college friends now in their 50s, take on midlife with a big dose of reality, humor, and fun. They cover diverse topics including friendships, books, experiences, adventures, stories, sex, relationships & dating, health, wellness, and BIG dreams. Each week features fabulous stories, interesting guests, and open and honest discussions about topics that are important to women in midlife. Subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen!
If you're interested in being a guest on the podcast or advertising, send an email to postivelymidlifepodcast@gmail.com.
Positively Midlife Podcast
Ep. 92: Inspire Inclusion: Celebrating International Women's Day 2024
March 8th is International Womans Day 2024!
As we celebrate International Women's Day and Women's History Month under the banner of "Inspire Inclusion," we promise you'll be moved by the remarkable stories that are defining women's empowerment today. We're delving into the power of influential literature, like Michelle Obama's "The Light We Carry" and Chrissy King's "The Body Liberation Project," and discussing the impactful ways in which International Women's Day galvanizes unity and progress for women around the world. And have you ever wondered how a box of Girl Scout cookies could represent a giant leap for womankind? We discuss this on the podcast too.
The path to the top is steep, especially for women in leadership, and the view from above reveals a landscape still lacking in diversity. This episode pulls back the curtain on the stark underrepresentation of women in the highest corporate roles, and I'll share how mentorship turned my own aspirations into achievements. We're laying out practical steps and initiatives—such as mentorship programs, workshops, and advocacy campaigns—that promise to elevate women's voices and dismantle the barriers that have kept too many from reaching their potential.
Our journey through this month's theme we discuss the inspiring women who have guested on the show who are changing the game across many different aspects of midlife. You'll hear about Elizabeth White's innovative CoLiving solutions for older women, Susan Salinger's expertise on women in healthcare, and the transformative role of women in sustainable agriculture and sports and dance with Julia Adam. These stories not only highlight the strides we've made but also serve as a call to support fundamental causes like Take Your Daughters to Work Day and We The Women by Julie Suk about the fight for the Equal Rights Amendment, underscoring our collective responsibility to champion women's equality every single day.
Obsessions
Tish: Find Girl Scout Cookies https://www.girlscouts.org/en/cookies/how-to-buy-cookies.html
Ellen: shares three great books to celebrate womens history month and IWD
The Light We Carry - Michelle Obama
Chrissy King The Body Liberation Project
We The Women by Julie Suk
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Welcome back to the Positively Midlife Podcast. This week we are celebrating International Women's Day, which is Friday, march 8th, and this month is also Women's History Month in the United States. So March is a month to celebrate women, for sure, tish.
Speaker 2:Oh, don't you know it is right. And what I love, though, is the theme this year of the International Women's Day is called Inspire Inclusion, and the idea is when we inspire others to understand and value women's inclusions, we are going to forge a better world.
Speaker 1:Truth, tish truth. And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there's a sense of belonging, relevance and empowerment that just kind of catches fire.
Speaker 2:Exactly. You know, the objective of International Women's Day is to collectively forge a more inclusive world for women, and this objective is in line with our podcast objectives, don't you think?
Speaker 1:So true, it really is, and I know we're going to get to some great things that we've talked about on the podcast before. But let's first get to my favorite part of the show, our weekly obsessions, and I think you have a good one for me this week.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm going to be talking about little women. So March, on top of being Women's History Month here in the United States and International Women's, it's also the big push for Girl Scout Cookies. And so I kept asking you know people, have you seen any Girl Scouts? Do you know any Girl Scouts? You know, we're kind of not at that age anymore where our friends don't have these little girls and people were like oh, I just saw them at this store. I was there, I must have, I missed them. I just kept missing them.
Speaker 2:But my obsession this week is the Girl Scouts and we're going to have a link for this. You can enter your zip code in. They can tell you how to order them online. They can tell you where in your area you can actually go and find them, where they're set up. They're in front of Lowe's, they're in front of Publix. Wherever store they're in front of, it is going to tell you where they're going to be and you can hunt down your Girl Scout Cookies or connect with somebody locally. I think, if you buy enough boxes to connect, to go either pick them up or have them drop them off.
Speaker 1:Girl Scouts gone digital.
Speaker 2:I'm loving this. You know, I was a Girl Scout back in the day and my mom helped me with my cookie sales and so, but there's nothing like a thin mint in the freezer. Oh, you're a thin mint girl.
Speaker 1:I like those peanut butter ones. I think they're called tag alongs. They're peanut butter and chocolate maybe. Oh okay, I don't know, Well, I did just see a sign at my local Safeway for Girl. Scout Cookies yesterday and I managed to drive by. I'm not sure how many more times I'll drive by without purchasing, but Okay, what's your obsession this week, alan?
Speaker 1:Well, I'm kind of piggybacking on our last episode, which was about reading, and to honor Women's History Month, I've chosen two books that I really dig about women, and one is the first one is Michelle Obama has had a new book called the Light we Carry, and this is really not her biography but a book about stories and some valuable practices that she shared. And the thing I loved about the valuable practices she had things like starting kind going high, like go high when other people go low, and also assembling a kitchen table, this idea of having a group of trusted friends and mentors that help you when you need it. So that book, the Light we Carry, I think is amazing and also that is one I have to put on my list.
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely she's. Just when I think of that concept of going high. She's like the female poster child for it, right she is.
Speaker 1:She is in class. I just adore her. So the Light we Carry. And then there's another book. I don't know how I stumbled on this, but it's called the Body Liberation Project how understanding racism and diet culture helps cultivate joy and build collective freedom. This is by a woman, Chrissy King, and this book is just amazing and she is wonderful, and I know both of these books, Tisha, are available on Kindle and Audible, because I knew you were going to ask me, Chrissy King, check her out. This book is really. I couldn't put it down. So two amazing reads for Women's History Month.
Speaker 2:I love it. That's fantastic. Thank you, sure. So International Women's Day. This is a global celebration of social, economic and culture, as well as political achievements for women. So each year, this day serves kind of as this powerful reminder of the progress that we've made towards gender equality, and it also highlights the work that we still need to do, the work that still needs to be done.
Speaker 1:I really love that Tish that this is not a frivolous day for women. This is a serious day and here in 2024, the campaign inspired inclusion. It emphasizes the importance of diversity and empowerment across all aspects of society and we, as women really can support each other, no matter what our differences are. Age, ethnicity, race, gender orientation, religion, socioeconomic disability, like geolocation, you name it. Women unite.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, I think that really needs to be the underlining theme, that not to be polarized by different subjects, but to just be supportive and bring ourselves together.
Speaker 1:Yes, under that umbrella of women, tish, where in the world do you think that this is a holiday?
Speaker 2:Wow, I didn't even realize it. Is there certain places that it's going to be a holiday? Yes, I love that idea. I know it's not holiday here, unfortunately. That's right, that's right.
Speaker 1:Well, I'll just name a few Belarus, cambodia. In China it says women only, but places like Laos, madagascar, so many places around the world, vietnam, zambia and in Germany they approved a bill in 2019 to make an International Women's Day a public holiday. There are a lot of places where it is a holiday.
Speaker 2:I'm looking at your full list and when I see it it starts off with Afghanistan. You think about that. They don't value women there, but obviously they've created this as a holiday there.
Speaker 1:I don't know Some of these countries seem like it does not seem really incongruous, but there is some controversy, I have to say. There are a lot of groups that think that it shouldn't be a holiday, because it's a day of activism, it's a day of visibility, it's a day for opportunity and impact. I think that is really what I'm taking away from learning more about IWD, if we could call it that.
Speaker 2:I think too, though, the idea of making it a holiday is to elevate it from. I mean, we have National Pickle Day there are so many days that are celebrated for such crazy things but I think the countries that have decided to make this a holiday, it's elevating the importance of the work that it's doing, of moving that needle forward, so to say. Ellen, this year's theme kind of underscores the critical role of inclusion in achieving gender equality. It's really been like this call to action for us to start breaking down barriers, for us to start challenging stereotypes and to create environments where all women are valued and all women are respected.
Speaker 1:I really like that Tish. At my company where I work my day job, we just had a seminar on belonging and how important that feeling of belonging is. I think inspiring inclusion along the lines of belonging it just really encourages everyone to recognize that people come with varying perspectives and people give different contributions. We need to make a greater effort to include people from marginalized communities.
Speaker 2:One of the key areas is the need to promote diversity in leadership positions. In decision-making positions, women, especially those belonging to these underrepresented groups. They continue to face barriers when seeking leadership roles. Fortunecom wrote an article in June of 2023 detailing that still only 10.4% of women are CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.
Speaker 1:That comes as no surprise to me, having been in the tech industry for so long. But I'll throw another fact at you. Another figure the Bureau of Labor Statistics last year in March notes that 56.8% of the US workforce is women. We should have a heck of a lot more than 10.4% in those leadership roles. The worldwide average for women in the workplace is 39.49%. That doesn't even equate on a global level. This is something for us to really fight to change.
Speaker 2:How I think we are going to achieve that is through education and awareness. That is that path. Having those two things as our focus is the path to moving the cause forward. It will take women supporting and uplifting other women, fostering inclusions, empowering each other. The objectives can be achieved through initiatives such as mentoring programs, educational workshops, different advocacy campaigns, both on an individual and an organizational level. Right To create opportunities for women to thrive, and it needs to be on both levels.
Speaker 1:I like that and I agree I hadn't really thought of it that it needed to be on those two levels. And women also really need resources to make things happen. I know from working and you've worked for years, too many years if we say right, that when we are given the right tools, the right resources and the right opportunities, we can do anything. We just need the chance, right Tish.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I guess what we are asking each and every one of our listeners is on February or, excuse me, on Friday Friday March 8th, which is International Women's Day to kind of pledge their support that they will be part of the solution, and it starts with having the conversation with other women around them.
Speaker 1:I love that and really taking the time on Friday to reaffirm our commitment to creating a world where women are empowered, valued and included, and that we really actively work towards breaking down barriers and doing what we can to foster diversity, how we can build a more equitable and inclusive society, I think, for our kids' generations and those generations beyond our grandkids, I mean let's do it Exactly.
Speaker 2:And again, I think a lot of change comes from women, right. So what are some ways that you think that we can move that needle forward to inspire inclusion? I know that one of the things I had done years ago was I had volunteered with my high school alma mater that I would have a summer intern come to work with me a few days a week.
Speaker 2:I was doing community redevelopment loans at the time and I loved doing that, Like it wasn't necessarily the path that she thought she would go into in terms of what she wanted to do and work, but it gave her opportunities to see what it was like to be an empowered woman in business, and it was that type of mentorship that there needs to be more of.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:I love that you did that, tisha.
Speaker 1:I've never done something like that actually have someone shadow me and do an internship in that way but I mentor four young women, all in their 20s, and I really do think, not only on Friday but every day if we could all think about how we could help give a woman, a young woman, a middle-aged woman, anyone a step up, and so I really think that mentoring is a great way to do that.
Speaker 1:I'll also post on the Slack channel at the company where I work and I also donate to a charity here locally, which is I think we used to call it Dress for Success. But it's a charity that you can give business close to, even for young men, and they help folks who are going out for a first job or a new job and really prepare them, not just in the way they look, but a lot of other ways. So I really like the idea of thinking about a charity where you can do something as simple as donate a work suit you haven't worn in the last few years, right To help someone. Really, you know, get a leg up on the next thing.
Speaker 1:You know like oh sorry, I was gonna say I like this idea of paying it forward with the next generation.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think we need to always be looking for ways to inspire inclusion around us.
Speaker 1:I agree, and, you know, I think we can't be complacent and we can't get to the point where we're just, you know, not thinking about it often enough On, I think, the organizational level. There are so many ways to ensure the needs and interests of women and girls are valued and included, and there's this hashtag, inspire inclusion, and this is, like we said, the whole point of our podcast right is being inclusive and really taking on mid-life, lifting up women to be all they can be.
Speaker 1:So we see this also in areas Tisha. I think you're going to give us a few right. Some of these areas.
Speaker 2:You know, I think I'd like to highlight some of the women that have been our guest, as well as some of the programs and women that we know that can move that needle forward to inspire inclusion Awesome. So I had read this article that talked about different ways that you can inspire inclusion, and so we're going to go through each of those and then talk about different episodes or different people and programs that kind of talk to that. So forging women's economic empowerment. You know, on episode 28, we had our friend, lisa, and her family does all kinds of funding in Africa for different programs and one of the ones that I found so fascinating was they fund the money boxes and, you know, for a very small amount of money they start women into being entrepreneurs in their little tribes and to support each other. And if you want more information about that, episode 28,. It is such an inspiring story.
Speaker 1:I love that one and let me add to it episode 45 for Oregon Chai tea founder, lori Spencer. She works with local women now to help them in business development really how to build their businesses and using all of the experience she had from developing a chai tea in her parents' garage all the way up to a national brand that she sold, and the focus for her on recruiting, retaining and developing female entrepreneurs and talents. I think it's a great episode. So, episode 45, lori Spencer.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I like her, give back attitude. So another way that we can move the needle towards inspiring inclusion is designing and building infrastructure meeting the needs of women and girls. So I have been following this woman, elizabeth White, and she's the founder of New Age Co-living and they are committed to smalling up living, for you know what they're fine. What she's finding is women, especially when they're older, are living this secret life of not having enough, and she's very committed to helping older women that are struggling financially and bringing them together and creating small housing and things like that. Amazing, inspirational woman. I would love for her hopefully to come on our podcast at some time, but her story is great.
Speaker 1:And we'll put a link, of course, to all of these in our show notes, and Elizabeth sounds absolutely like a woman that we want to talk to. I'm going to say good health care for women. You know we need to be helping women and girls make informed decisions about their health, and we have a guest coming on, susan Salinger, who has a book sideline about empowering women in their health care decisions, so stay tuned for that one.
Speaker 2:That is going to be a powerful episode and it's one that I think all women need to hear because you'll be faced with it at one time or another. So another important area would be involving women and girls in sustainable agriculture and food security, right. So it reminded me of our episode 69 with Chef Laura Pauley and her work that she has done with World Kitchen to feed people all over the world. She was recently in the Ukraine helping to feed the people, you know, devastated by the war over there. And it also reminded me of our episode 61, where Mary Fleming traded in her corporate career to start you know, start having a farm and I was just there this past weekend where she does this goat, this baby goat, cuddle session. It was so fun, but she has goats and chickens and other animals and she does amazing things on her farm and, of course, I got my farm fresh eggs.
Speaker 1:And some really good photos with baby goats. But I have to say that both Laura working for World Central Kitchen and Mary, their stories are really inspirational, so I hope folks tune into those. So another way to really promote International Women's Day is this idea of providing women and girls to quality education and access to training. And I want to just throw out that April 25th is take your daughters or granddaughters to work day. So everybody out there who's still working, even if you don't have a daughter or a granddaughter, take someone else's right, Tish.
Speaker 2:I can't say this enough If you have the opportunity to inspire a young person, just to have experience in the workplace being professional, whatever it is you do, you don't know where that's going to lead that person. So, april 25th, start talking to your bosses and see if you can bring somebody along with you. So okay, so I wanted to talk about elevating women and girls in participation and achievements in sports. You know our Episode 55, where your very good friend Julia, who is a former ballerina. She reimagined her life to keep working with her passion and dance and she now choreographs and puts on performances and dinners on a family farm in California wine country.
Speaker 2:I mean, how good, how much better can you get than that? Right, you cannot, you cannot. But also you know supporting and working with groups that work with young girls, such as girls on the run that uses running as a basis to start building self-confidence, kindness and decision-making skills. And, of course, you know my fondness for the Girl Scouts. But beyond the whole cookie thing, girl Scouts build a tremendous amount of skills. So if you can volunteer your time to get involved in organizations like this, do so.
Speaker 1:I love it and I have to say Julia will put a link to that episode. You know, what I found out from knowing her is that ballet is probably one of the most physically rigorous things that you can do. And what she has done between choreographing for different companies and then doing these farm to table dinners with ballet performances up in the wine country an amazing woman. So you know, back in episode four when we were newbies to the podcast, kind of hard for us to listen to in a way.
Speaker 2:I know, I know, hey, you got to grow from somewhere.
Speaker 1:We did. But you know our friend of the show, ellen Howard. She came on and she chatted a lot about her prior career in finance and, after having children, her desire to take her painting from not just a hobby but to a profession. And she has not only an art instructor, she has had board seats on different art. You know organizations here in California as well as being an active plein air artist. And you know she is taking a group to Spain this spring later in the spring to expand not only her view but the view of, I think, the people going on the trip to do plein air painting in Spain. So you know that is something to really admire when you are able to take something like an artistic talent and create a profession out of it.
Speaker 2:And she has done it so well, and you know it's a lot of work, but she has. She is the poster child of living your dream. And, come on, you're taking artists to go paint outside in Spain. I don't know if it gets much better than that. I mean that is just the ultimate. Well, the other thing would be addressing further areas supporting the advancement of women and girls. And it just reminded me of episodes 58 with Fordham University law professor Julie Shuck, and excuse me and she wrote a book we, the Women, and it's the, it's the history, the 100 year history for the fight for women in the United States to have the ERA pass the Equal Rights Amendment, and you know that's all about the advancement of women. We need to be having these conversations, we need to be promoting these women who are doing spectacular things to move that needle forward.
Speaker 1:I absolutely agree and I loved meeting Julie, the book we the Women, and she has a second book out as well. Every one of us should really understand where we are with the ERA Tish, and I think talking to Julie made me aware of things that I wasn't in the past and that we still have a fight ahead of us here in the United States, yes, and it's hard to believe that a lot of other countries are much, much further ahead of us on equal rights. So I hope these stories that we just shared around, these episodes about these amazing women, inspire you, our listeners, for International Women's Day. There's something for everyone here to light you up and get you going and get you motivated about celebrating women.
Speaker 2:You know, share your own stories with your friends of women that inspire you, women who are living their best life and are moving that quote unquote needle forward. So, margie, make sure you also post a picture where you're posing with your heart hands you know where you make the heart symbol with your hands and post it. You know, inspire inclusion hashtag inspire inclusion Start talking to other women about how important this truly is.
Speaker 1:I love that. I kind of always think of Taylor Swift when I think of that.
Speaker 2:I don't know about you I don't know why.
Speaker 1:I think that might be her her hand. But yeah, inspire inclusion to all our listeners. We hope you enjoyed this episode this week and we'll be shared to post our pictures right Tish this Friday on our socials. So it was great to talk about this very, very relevant topic today.
Speaker 2:So until next week, midlifers inspire inclusion.
Speaker 1:That's right, until next week.
