Given the situation in the US right now, we asked a few empowered women about their thoughts and feelings on the issue. One of them is fitness coach Jasneet Jhinger, owner of Livfit Lifestyle (https://www.livfitlifestyle.com). She opened our eyes to a different sort of racism that exists, people discriminating against people of the same race! This is what she shared with us:
“I have something to say about #Blacklivesmatter , we are all standing up for this wonderful movement. Showcasing our support by using hashtags, sharing protest videos, trying to bring awareness to this harsh reality of racism and discrimination. Do you know how real change will happen? When we look inside ourselves. A much needed self-reflection & a wake up call. We’ve got to re-wire our brains to wash out the generations worth of conditioning that we grew up with Myself being an Indian, I have this to say… In India, fair skin people are considered superior to dark skin people. The very reason why there is a huge industry of skin ‘whitening’ creams in India. ‘Don’t go in the sun because your skin will get dark!’— don’t give a damn about damaging your skin in the sun BUT afraid of getting dark because it is not considered a superior colour. Dark skin people will struggle to get married because of their skin colour. With that kind of conditioning, imagine what we would think about the blacks? Unfortunately, we bring this mindset to anywhere and everywhere we go… We might not be doing this consciously but after years of limiting beliefs, we might end up doing it subconsciously. So beware! I request all to do little self-reflection and start re-wiring that little brain of ours so we can pass on the much needed equality to our future generations. I am freaking proud to say that some of my best friends and biggest support system back in Canada was from my African friends. The most kind and loving people. I miss you all.” – Jasneet
Given the situation in the US right now, we asked a few empowered women about their thoughts and feelings on the issue. One of them is social media influencer Mikaela Michelle, who has a huge fan following on Instagram, more than 22,000! (www.instagram.com/mikaelaamichelle)
Here is what she shared with us:
“Social media is not only the biggest platform I have, the audience I have here is also highly influential. I feel like I have a responsibility to address the horrible events of last week with the unfair, disgusting death of George Floyd. I’m sorry if it took me a while to talk about it here, I have so many thoughts I didn’t know where to start.
I am so sad to be living in a world where racism is still SO PRESENT. You know it is, even if you’re not subject to it. As influencers, it is our duty to speak up about these issues, fight for what is right and fight against racism online AND offline.
If you think your voice doesn’t matter, you are wrong. You’re an influencer on social media and you’re an influencer within your close circle of family and friends. Your words have an impact, whether you believe it or not.
We have to educate ourselves and others and fight together against racism and the unfair treatment of people of color around the world. PLEASE USE YOUR PLATFORMS to spread knowledge and awareness.
Being non-racist is not enough. We all need to be activists. Don’t be scared to take a stand on social media and fight for what is right. You might get unfollowed by some but guess what, whoever remains will be that much more loyal and engaged. That is who you want in your audience. Don’t be afraid to lose a brand deal either! If you can’t stand behind a brand just as much as their product, the collaboration is not worth doing! That should never keep you from speaking up against racism.
If you are a person of color, I am with you. I am so sorry for the missed opportunities you may have had, sorry if you have ever felt like you needed to change who you are or how you act to please a broken society and system, sorry if anyone has treated you poorly just for being who you are, sorry if you’ve been through traumatic experiences just because of the color of your skin. My heart breaks for you. I promise I will do better to fight this fight with you.
If you’re a white person, please acknowledge your privilege and stop challenging the way people of color feel when they speak about their experiences, just listen. Educate yourself and PLEASE, educate others around you that you know engage in racism. It’s uncomfortable to call out people in person, but it’s necessary at this point and I feel like having these conversations in person is the best way to change someone’s way of thinking. Please don’t be afraid to speak on your platforms. I know you might be scared of phrasing your thoughts in a way that will be perceived wrong but at some point, we can’t stay silent.
Given the situation in the US right now, we asked a few empowered women about their thoughts and feelings on the issue. One of them is entrepreneur Lua Jones, who runs ‘Dear Teenage Me’ (https://dearteenageme.com).
Here is what she shared with us:
“At school, when I was about 11, I remember being shown a video about slavery, racism and the civil rights movement. It rocked me to my core. I felt my first huge flush of white guilt. I was outraged by my own skin colour, at how people that looked like me had done such despicable things. I was knocked sideways and it stirred up in me a great ‘need’ to do something about it!
However, in reality, I did a whole lot of nothing, nothing of any repute. I simply began identifying myself as ‘non-racist’. Soon after that, I embraced everything black culture and upheld it, celebrated it, exalted it. I wanted to be on ‘their’ side. I looked to black music, language, countries for my redemption and solace and to quell this white guilt. And, as I have talked about before, in fact, what I now realise I did, was in fact to appropriate black culture. My own naive and uneducated way of attempting to be an anti-racist. I know now to do better.
Looking back, I see that I felt stopped in my plight, the plight so clear to my 11yo self who felt called to address the racial injustices of the world, and be an ally. Instead, I worried; about what others would think, whether I could even make any difference, about getting it right/wrong, or what might happen to me if I stood out in a crowd and be the only one to speak up. I was also scared of being vilified by those I was trying to ‘help’, or that I would be called-out for being racist, a ‘white saviour’ or bad feminist, and that I might lose credibility, or admittedly, even lose some of my own privileges, god forbid! Also, at play, was ultimately how much energy I needed to ‘give’ to this, when in reality I could totally ‘get away’ without addressing it, because it didn’t affect me directly. And hey, there are other battles to fight right? All this, clearly my own white fragility and privilege at play with a good ol’ dose of ‘not my problem’.
I am now seeing so many people ‘stand up’ that haven’t before. And, I am so pleased to see this happening, it’s a shame of course that it hasn’t happened sooner, but I do believe it is never too late, what matters is right now, who we are being about it RIGHT NOW, and we must stand up now!
To those who remain silent, your silence is deafening!! Because finally, this is erupting and we are already late to the party. I personally can see how much of a coward I have been. That there have been so many things that I believe in and have wanted to bring to light, and yet I’ve stood back, held my tongue and waited until others would go first, because I wanted to feel safe amongst a crowd. I have been a fraud with no conviction.
This shows me just how much it takes to be a leader, and although I identify as a leader, I often do not act as so. This is how I must do better.
And.. I am human and admittedly it is difficult to step up sometimes, so we must forgive ourselves for that – guilt is not useful here! I know that I could keep on endlessly educating myself before I act, but this is no excuse anymore, the time is now!
I have to take risks, speak up and be prepared to fail. If I get it wrong, I will learn, and I am learning.
I am committed to being a part of the solution.
I am in awe of those who stood with Malcom X and marched peacefully in 1963, knowing that their lives would be at mortal risk.
So please, white people, we need to stand up, and we need to be the MAJORITY of people marching and protesting and making these waves, and be of service to POC, using our white privilege so that they can no longer be hurt by systemic racism.
And we must act with peace. Take your egos out of the equation, do not make this situation worse, it is not about you!
The only way to overcome this plight is through love – as with anything. We must bring gentleness, understanding, innocence, goodwill, modesty, generosity, flexibility, proper principles, honesty…
White people can make a huge difference, we cannot expect POC to be always calm when the system has been hurting them for so long, they are disproportionately affected by EVERYTHING right now!
I have privilege and I will do my best to use it correctly, and though I am very upset and want to cry today over all this, I will not, because I am grateful, I know how lucky I am to be able to live with this privilege of being white in the world today, and not feel as if my life is at risk or considered to be worth less than another – every single day of my life.
I am making my own reparations and I hope you are too.”
Meet our featured beauty with brains Heidi Cuijpers, a businesswoman based in Perth, Australia.
“My name is Heidi Cuijpers. I’m a wife & mother of 2 boys, I cherish my family. I live in Perth, Western Australia and have my own online beauty, health & wellness store of botanically based, vegan certified, cruelty free, pure, safe, beneficial products created by Arbonne.
I have been a career driven professional & I was a model & modelling teacher. I’ve studied management.
I like to help others find hope and strength , I believe you grow through what you go through. I support other women’s success, I inspire & create healthy recipes, healthy attitude, mind, body and soul.
I love being able to have my own business bringing my passions to life. There is always beauty in being yourself. “ – Heidi
Here is an interview with her.
What are your goals in life? Have you achieved them?
I have achieved most of my recent goals, which were getting married & starting my own business. But I always have personal development goals & professional goals. I like to set yearly goals for myself, I break them down from year to monthly to weekly to daily. To make it easier to monitor my progress. You can apply this in any goal – Studying, Finance, Weight loss etc. I want to lose 10 kgs this year, about 1 Kg a month, I will monitor weekly my progress & I will exercise daily for an hour. 2. Who or what inspired you to do what you do?
My family inspire me, I like to lead a healthy lifestyle & love inspires me, I love what I do. I also have a vision board, a collage of pictures & affirmations that remind me of my hopes, dreams & goals.
Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
I see myself doing more travelling. It’s not a goal for me at the moment but In future it will be, among other things on my vision board.
Meet beauty with brains Pallavi Gupta, one of the models of our ‘Legends Of The Fall’ autumn fashion feature. She holds the title of Mrs. Congeniality, which she won at the Mrs. India Worldwide 2020 contest held in February 2020.
“Life isn’t easy, it has never been. And that is one thing I appreciate about it, because victories and happiness that come post hard work, feel the sweetest. Having struggled a lot to carve a niche for myself, here I am, in the land of dreams – Australia.
A round the clock mom, 9 to 5 administrator and a Ph.D Scholar – Namaste I am Pallavi Gupta, born and brought up in the city of culture, pride & heritage – Rangeelo (colourful) Rajasthan. We arrived in Sydney last year in June 2019 and by God’s grace started working with Victoria University as Student Administration and Examination Officer soon after.
I have more than 15 years of work experience including two years in contact centre which helped me groom my communication and inter personal skills. Through those experiences I have learned to interact with a diverse group of people, which has increased my ability to relate to others. I consider myself a public speaker and would like to be a television presenter. I am passionate about cooking and love experimenting, be it either in the kitchen or with my looks.
I won the title of Mrs Congeniality during the Mrs India Worldwide 2020 contest held in February 2020, here in Sydney. Thereafter developed a keen interest towards modelling and if given a chance would love to continue to do modelling. My aim is to become a successful professional and would love to help the under privileged children someday.” – Pallavi
The recent fatal stabbing of Kamaljeet Sidhu (27) by her husband in Quaker’s Hill (Australia) is very saddening and alarming. According to the news, she had gone to the police some time ago and taken out an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) against her husband but was still living with him. There has been a spike in domestic violence victims seeking assistance amid the coronavirus lockdown.
While abuse can happen to anyone, according to statistics women are more frequently the victims. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 95 percent of the assaults on partners or spouses is committed by men against women.
It can be very hard for domestic abuse victims to express themselves or to seek help and women often hope that their partners will change with time. Domestic violence victims also often blame themselves and think its their fault.
Women need to understand that it’s not their fault and that a violent man isn’t worth staying with, because of societal pressures or any other reason. We as a society need to raise more awareness, and help women find their voices. If you or someone you know need help and are based in NSW, please don’t hesitate to contact the NSW statewide domestic violence line at 1800 737 732 or any of the other numbers in the list (by https://www.womenssafetynsw.org.au).
“I am the mother of a 6 years old boy. My hobbies are watching TV, socialising, cooking and painting. I am passionate about modelling, to be confident in my own judgement and desicions, learning something new, having adventures, travelling. My goal is to grow my career in Modelling, to grow my fashion boutique and build my career in the desired field. My dream is to see myself successful , strong and confident in every step I take.” – Sony Reddy
Meet our featured beauty with brains Charlotte Noel, an entrepreneur based in Belgium. Here is her story.
“I’m 28 years old, started my first company at age 25. Studied International Business Management in Toulouse (France), Barcelona and Berlin. When I was backpacking in Guatemala in 2012, I experienced the impact of Sustainable Tourism for the first time. It planted a seed in my head but it wasn’t until a rather well known Tourism company approached me to work together that I started TravelRebel. TravelRebel is the leading platform in Sustainable Tourism from Belgium.
Because I grew up in an entrepreneurial environment and was encouraged by my education to go for it, I didn’t really have the glass ceiling to chase my dreams. But I am aware so many women and girls do experience the glass ceiling. I want to encourage everyone to go after their dreams with TravelRebel. And because we have a large reach (1,6million/monthly), I try to spread the message of women empowerment on a frequent basis.
I believe everyone that has a certain influence should take the responsibility to promote women empowerment. The projects I did were in Senegal (Education for all especially girls).
Here is an interview with her. 1. What are your goals in life? Have you achieved them?
My goals are to grow my entrepreneurial skills, find a good balance between a thriving career and a future family. I am able to work from anywhere at anytime. Which gives me so much freedom and I truly hope I can keep it this way.
I started my first company at age 25. Even though I always knew I wanted to start my own company, I expected to only start after 35 years old.
What does a typical day in your life look like?
There is no typical day to be honest. Most people underestimate how intense a content creation trip or press trip is. Some trips you wake up at 5AM and go to bed at 1 or 2 AM 🙂
I sometimes only slept 1.5 hours a night as I still had to do my emails at night + beating a jetlag.
I am lucky I can work from anywhere in the world. But I wasn’t taking much holidays/days off. Now with corona, I try to take it slower some days and give my head some rest, try to go for long walks, think about where I want to go with TravelRebel.
What does women empowerment mean to you?
Lifting up others, showing women how strong and inspiring they are, helping causes that strive for a kind and more empowered world, supporting women in business. I am using my channels and reach to spread the important message.
Are there any memorable or special experiences which you would like to share with us?
I went to Kenya to visit several women’s groups. They welcomed me in such a heartwarming way, I will never ever forget this. You see the impact of social entrepreneurship when you get the chance to meet the real people/smiles behind a social company. The impact it has on so many families, helping women earn their own money and become more independent, sending their kids to school to get a chance for a better future.
Meet our featured beauty with brains Viola Ng, an event hostess and blogger based in Malaysia.
Viola is a person who likes to imagine and let her thoughts run free. She lives according to her two hashtags #bereal and #blessed. Viola loves life and living in the moment. She likes to blog and write things down in her diary as she believes magic comes out of writing. She is the mother of a beautiful girl and is happily married. She loves Disney. Her goal is to inspire and bring the best out of people. She hosts all kinds of events.
Here is an interview with her.
Tell us a bit about yourself – what you do, your hobbies and etc
Hi, I am Viola. I am working at a developer firm. On my free time, I pursue my passion as a freelance write or blogger. I always had passion in hosting and events and therefore, this remains a part of my list of “Dreams come true”. I am glad that I get to do things that I love.
What does a typical day in you life look like?
As our country is undergoing “Movement Control Order” due to Covid-19, I pretty much enjoy my Mom duties. 45 days have passed by and I just don’t feel it. Having a baby makes you forget that time exists. Without MCO, my daily life would be going to work, meeting clients, completing tasks, figuring out my life and what to do next, rushing back home to take care of my baby. It is as typical as any other days. Disney is part of our life. On special occasions, we would do something magical.
Do you find it hard to balance family and work? If so, how do you overcome it?
Like any other person, I am a wife/mom with great sense of ceremony. Be it birthdays or any festive celebrations, I want to implement this in my own family. My husband is a sales person so his working time is fixed. We can’t both work and leave our child at home. Since my time is flexible as my job scope allows me to travel in and out of office so I take the larger portion in spending time with my child. I try not to arrange any jobs during weekends. But as a host, most of my events are held during weekends. So this is the time when I will weigh out which is important for me. Maybe if I work this weekend, I’ll make sure I don’t work the next coming weekend. I will also make sure I arrange any upcoming jobs at least 1 or 2 months in advance so that I can advise my family to help to care for my baby.
Who or what inspires you?
BOOKS! Ernest Hemingway quoted “There is no friend as loyal as a book” I have to agree with that. Sometimes characters in books are the ones that bring out the best version of me. I spent a lot of time reading because I am an only child. Books became my best friend. I would ponder over a story that I have read and try to imagine life.
Meet our featured beauty with brains Lyn Abernathy, a published author based in Georgia, USA.
“I am a writer. I am a poet, a freelance writer, and a novelist. My debut novel, ‘After the Dash’ was just published this month! It is available now on Amazon and through all major booksellers. I have been an entrepreneur, a virtual assistant, an HR consultant, a bookkeeper, and more in order to pay the bills.
I also have a blog on my website, http://www.LyndaAbernathy.com. The main thing, though, is how I have pushed and persevered to make my dream of being a novelist come true. I have been mocked, rejected, ostracised and even fired for having too much passion, but I don’t see the point in a life without it. I have held second and even third jobs in writing while working full-time. I have been dedicated to this dream, and it is finally a reality!
I am a Georgia girl, born and bred, though I have lived in the midwest for a few years. I am addicted to coffee and taking pictures of my dogs. I love to travel. I take a lot of pictures.” – Lyn
Here is an interview with her.
Can you tell us more about your book – your experience in writing it, how much research went into it etc
After the Dash is the culmination of years of work and life. I started writing it in 2015, after a particularly rough period in my life. The year before had held grief, heartbreak, health issues, financial problems, loss of friendships, and a whirlwind of other negatives. It tore me completely down. However, it was that flat view of devastation that ultimately brought me back to myself. Only after everything else, all the distractions and noise, had been taken away could I clearly see who I was, who I wanted to be, and what I wanted to do with my life. I spent three years writing the book, as I was working full-time and would step away from it for weeks at a time. Then, because the novel is cross-genre and not easily defined (much like me, and I would wager much like you), it took several months to find my publisher. The release of After the Dash in April of this year was a lifelong dream come true for me.
Did you always want to be an author from childhood? Any specific reason or inspiration?
I always was an author, though I didn’t always know that’s what I wanted to do. What I mean by that is I was writing as soon as I learned to read. I would write happy little poems about dogs or sunshine and illustrate them with my crayons when I had only just learned to write. I’ve written poetry my entire life. It’s a way of journaling, a release, for me. I actually have a book of poetry on Amazon. I always wrote short stories. Once, when I was a teen, my brother made fun of me and called me a nerd because I had taped together 6 pages of notebook paper, filled with an entire family tree. I was going to write a series about them, and I had fleshed out each character, their relation in the family, his or her backstory, etc. But I didn’t refer to myself as a “writer,” and if you asked me what I wanted to do for a career, I would answer with “archaeologist” or “Olympic swimmer.” It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize my talents, my passions, and my purpose were as clear as day if I just paid attention.
What is your advice to women who want to become published authors but find it hard to gain foothold in the industry?
Be authentic and be tenacious. You absolutely must believe in yourself first and be your own advocate. The market is flooded with writers, and it is incredibly difficult to get attention in the industry. Keep trying, anyway. I read somewhere that J.K. Rowling was rejected over 200 times for publication. The industry doesn’t always know what real readers want. Just keep letting your light shine until just that right person or publisher or agent recognizes what you know you’re worth. And now, you can publish your own self if you so desire! Go straight to your audience without any hassle. Whatever way you choose to go, believe in yourself, have a thick skin, and never, ever give up.
Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
Well, I’m a dreamer. I want to say I will be writing from my messy desk, a cup of coffee in hand, some cool techy gadget that has replaced laptops documenting my words, as I look out of my broad windows to a rocky shoreline, surrounded by my various published works. My RV will be parked outside, ready to roll off on another adventure, to see somewhere new. Realistically, I will likely be doing something similar to what I am now: hustling with a day job (or two), writing, traveling when time and income permit, and living my life as authentically as I can.
Empowered Brave Women Building Futures 