"I was three years old, in the pew at church, and I told my Father I wanted to be a Catholic priest. He told me that I couldn't be a Catholic priest because that job was only for men. That experience sort of led me on a path to question and then gain access to places where women usually aren't. I am in the tech field, I often find myself in situations and at conferences where there aren't lines at the women's bathrooms and I wonder to myself why aren't there any women here?" Jennifer van der Meer is the founder and CEO of Reason Street, whose mission it is to help companies find the right business model.
Elaine Boxer
"When I was in college I joined an all female singing group. They were more than sorority to me, they inspired me. Being part of that group made me really proud to be female." - Elaine Boxer is a business consultant and owner of Voila Chocolat.
Jamie Lee
"I was having cocktails with a group of women and one commented about how she hated her job and that she was underpaid. A friend answered, "If you are good at what you do, you can always ask for more. There's always more in the budget." That was the comment that made me want to teach women about negotiating." - Jamie Lee is a consultant with She Negotiates.
Shelly Ratigan
“It is much harder to be a man, they are under much more pressure to perform. Not having all that pressure makes it easier for women to believe in themselves. Women aren’t expected to have accomplishments – it somehow seems to come as a surprise when a woman does have accomplishments, but that is expected of a man.” Shelly is an entrepreneur and the owner of Taos Northside Health and Fitness in Taos, New Mexico. “Women are born with leadership qualities. Some people say that is because women are often mothers. I don’t think that is true. I didn’t become a mother for a long time and I had these skills. It would be wonderful if women could recognize their leadership skills from the beginning.”