March is the month of International Women’s Day and the Jewish holiday of Purim, which features inspiring and fearless feminist role models. We’re celebrating with a series of conversations with Jewish ladies who are building empowering and supportive women-focused communities.
Check out all featured women here.
Tell us the story behind the community you’re building.
Above the Glass is an online platform that gives entrepreneurs information and tools to start businesses. Through consulting and working with female founders in previous jobs, it became clear to us that there are so many women with brilliant, inspiring, and creative business ideas but no idea how to bring them to life. We made speaking to an audience of women our primary focus and built a community around them. But, at its core, ATG is not for women only; our products and our community are inclusive of everyone.
Describe your leadership style.
It has been a process for both of us to find our way. We are lucky in that we balance each others’ styles. We are conscious of being true to ourselves, both as women and as business owners, but sometimes those two things are at odds with each other. In business, women can be typecast as incapable because they are emotional and irrational, but our intuition and emotional intelligence often make us better business owners. Our goal is to remain feminine, yet direct and unapologetic.
Share the most challenging moment you’ve had while building this community. When were you closest to quitting? How did you pull yourself back up?
Things take at least twice as long as you think they will and cost at least twice as much. That has made us question things time and time again. What picks us back up are the moments when a customer uses our product and loves it, or an entrepreneur finds one of our articles useful and sends an email telling us that.
We are making a difference, and reminders from our community keep us going.
Share the most empowering instance of women lifting up other women that you’ve witnessed.
We witness it daily. Whether it be a note from a stranger to thank us for building ATG or a friend making an important introduction for us, every day we encounter women who go out of their way on our behalf to help ensure the survival and success of our business.
What does being a Jewish woman mean to you?
Being a Jewish woman is about appreciating our culture, history, and family-centric way of looking at things, which carries over to the way we build friendships and professional relationships. We make sure to take moments with our loved ones to recharge and reflect on how fortunate we are.
What advice do you have for other women who are looking for supportive communities to build or join?
You have to just go for it, put yourself out there, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
The worst that can happen is that people will say no.
The best that will happen is that you build something amazing and get what you are looking for.
Favorite Jewish food? Least favorite Jewish food?
Danielle: My favorite is a tie between chulent and chopped chicken liver. Matzo brie, I just don’t get it.
Heather: Lox and macaroons. No least favorites here.
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