Sometimes there's a moment in time where people come together in a way
that's so inspiring, and so memorable that it changes you forever.
I was right there. I was in the middle of it.
I was in the heart of Pershing Square and on the top of this RV there were speaker after speaker and they were getting us
amped up. And by about the 15th speaker the crowd started chanting "March, March," so they announced it on the megaphone:
They're like, "Okay. Let's march to City Hall!" And we were absolutely pumped for this one mile walk to City Hall.
So we all turn around and we only made it three feet!
That's because the crowd already spanned a mile wide.
There were an estimated
750,000 people squeezed into the streets of Los Angeles that day, and across the world
millions of men, women, and children
united for the Women's March.
Imagine what we could accomplish if we could tap into that energy on a daily basis.
We could raise the collective vibration for everyone here on Earth.
But...
We do not have that daily energy right now am I right?
And why does it even matter?
Well, according to research the world needs more empowered women.
On average, in emerging markets women reinvest 90 cents of every dollar of additional income
back into their families health and education;
compared with 30 to 40 cents for men.
That means that when women are empowered their increased income become drivers behind community and country well-being.
So regardless of what gender you are
I want you to picture the connection between empowering your mother, your daughter,
your sister, your lover, and the direct impact it can have on creating a better world. And that sounds good, right?
Well right now there are only seven countries in the entire
world that have equal rates of men and women-owned businesses. Only seven. And that's out of
188 countries recognized by the World Bank.
One of those seven countries is a place I lived ten years ago: Thailand.
I was teaching English as a Fulbright Scholar at a school in Chiang Rai, which is in northern Thailand.
I taught nearly 300 students.
My mom and dad they shipped me this box of games like Battleship, Monopoly,
Uno, and Sorry, you know the classics.
So I also started this after-school Game Club for my seventh graders and I will never forget how much the boys and the girls
respected one another. And then in the fall my high schoolers
they started a Fall Festival and I remember walking around thinking
"Wow, these students do not seem to care about societal gender norms."
And I don't just be in their clothing. And it's very unlike where I grew up
where boys and girls have these very defined roles and people have a hard time accepting any alternative.
That's the thing about Thai people. They don't sweat the small stuff and
thanks to Buddhism, they practice non-judgment. So it's a very empowering place.
So when I recently discovered that Thailand was one of only seven countries
in the world that have equal rates of men and women-owned businesses,
I reached out to my mentor the former director of the Thai US Fulbright Program
and I asked her what she thought. And she said it had to do with the tradition of taking over the family business, but
however, she said now these young women they have feel they have more opportunity that they'll likely pursue their own dreams.
So she wasn't sure if these equal rates would continue.
Well from where I'm standing as a woman who has created a business that I can take literally
anywhere in a backpack, with a laptop and Wi-Fi, I think it's absolutely fantastic.
I think these young Thai women now have unlimited opportunity for the business and the life they can create.
That's the power of technology.
We we agree on this right? That technology and the Internet has created the best time in history to become your own boss?
Because it certainly has.
However, I wonder is access to technology all we really need? And I don't think so. Take the United States
for example. We have exceptional access to technology yet women only own 30 percent of U.S. businesses
There's a bigger core problem here.
Confidence.
In the book Womenomics they studied the vast confidence gap between men and women.
Women don't consider themselves as ready for promotions as men do.
And we generally
underestimate our abilities.
Here's the thing...
Evidence shows that success correlates just as closely with confidence as it does
competence.
So this confidence gap can become absolutely devastating for the female entrepreneur.
And I know firsthand.
So I'll share that with you. I grew up in a very confident way in a loving family in Louisville, Kentucky.
mmm
Louisville, Kentucky
And I played eight competitive sports growing up.
And despite knowing that boys were generally stronger and faster, and let's be honest more entitled, I
believed I could accomplish anything and so I went for it. By the age of 27, I had lived in four different countries. I
had raised tens of thousands of dollars for charity.
I completed an Ironman triathlon. And I was graduating with two masters from USC.
Fast forward two short years later and I felt
like a complete failure.
I didn't know how I was gonna pay my rent.
I didn't know how I was gonna pay my student loan bills.
I went through one of the darkest periods of my life,
coupled with
the most heartbreaking
breakup I've ever experienced.
All without realizing the bigger problem: that my
self-doubt, my lack of confidence, was at the root of it all.
You see I had always planned on being an entrepreneur, but I wasn't prepared.
It felt like I was at the base of this mountain of student loan debt,
knowing there was opportunity for me at the peak, but not having the equipment to make the journey.
I realize now
-- as much as I love school, I mean come on I have three degrees -- that the increasingly expensive University System counter-intuitively
lowered my confidence as an entrepreneur.  And here are three reasons why I believe the traditional system isn't working
to build confidence for the female founder -- and don't worry
there are simple solutions.
First, the university system trains the mind to believe that it takes a long period of time to achieve the desired skills you need;
anywhere from two to four years to get that piece of paper that says
"Oh, you're ready to go out into the world and make it happen."
That is simply unnecessary when it comes to starting a business. And the Internet has shrunk the learning curve.
There are programs online right now that help women generate 10k and 30 days, that helped them create
$50,000 product launches in 60 days. I
personally took a course that tripled my income in 12 weeks.
Now, the second major problem, is that it requires
students to take years of electives. In the entrepreneurial world, this is what we call "shiny object syndrome."
It makes you a Jack, or a Jill of all trades but a master of none.
And the thing is, the business world rewards mastery not dabbling.
So the simple solution here is to create an ala carte system that allows you to choose courses that fulfill your strengths and your interests.
Not only will this save you money
but it'll make you more money in the long run.
The third major problem, as I see it in terms of building confidence, is the hiring process.
Think about it: professors are generally hired based on their resumes.
Imagine what it would look like if professors were hired based only on student results
after graduation.
Now I don't mean to criticize but
I would like to help as many people as I can
avoid the heartbreak and the despair that I went through -- and
quite honestly the heartbreak that I'm still healing from.
So whether or not you've already been to college or you're going to college or you're seeking some
alternative, or a combination of both like I did,
I just want you to know there are options. And the
essential part of selecting options that work for you is finding stuff that builds your confidence.
And when we build women's confidence, we build a better world. I really need you to feel that energy.
Everything in this planet is interconnected.
Don't you think it's amazing that we can reach people across oceans with the phone in our pocket?
In that same regard we can use the power of technology to empower women.
That's what I'm on a mission to do.
Have you heard of Abraham Hicks yet?
She says that we launched rockets of desire every day and if we align our vibration with the law of attraction
we can achieve any desires we have.
So I'm on a mission to help as many
women as I can achieve their desires in a short amount of time, in a supportive community.
Let's create a groundswell, much like the Women's March
Now gentlemen, you play a pivotal role
in making this world a better place.
For every woman that you empower and encourage to go after her dreams and make additional income, that's
reinvested back into families and communities.
Ladies, if you have a calling from within you, telling you to carve your own path you have to do it!
Let me be blunt that calling will never go away and you've only got one life to pursue it.
So get connected with the right tribe, the right mentors, and the right resources for you, because our world needs you to shine.
And all the success, the fulfillment, and the happiness you are looking for is
yours if you go for it while you're still alive.
Your heart will thank you and I thank you with all my heart. สวัสดี ค่ะ
