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PREFACE:
What are women missing that’s preventing them from deep rooted, career contentment?
The transformation that happens when women stop waiting for permission to rise. In today’s episode, we will be sharing insights on how to bridge this gap . . .
Klaudia Zinaty is the CEO and Founder of Women Empowerment Awards & the Women Empowerment Foundation.
And today’s conversation topic feels especially meaningful because we’re not just going ot be talking about women succeeding. We’re going to be talking about and unpacking what happens when women create spaces that allow other women to succeed.
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Raj Girn: Hello, everyone—welcome to the Transform Your Confidence With Raj Girn podcast. This is a new season, it’s our second episode, and you guys know that we’re looking at going a lot deeper than we ever have before.
We always bring on incredible women to talk about their expertise, some of the accomplishments that they’ve had, learning from the things that may have not worked for them.
And today’s conversation topic feels especially meaningful because we’re not just going to be talking about women succeeding. We’re going to be talking about and unpacking what happens when women create spaces that allow other women to succeed, as well as what success looks like and feels like and what women are doing journeying through life today with all of the things that we have to deal with, but also all of the things that we have at our fingertips that perhaps we’re not really seeing as opportunities for ourselves.
Joining me today is someone whose work has become synonymous with creating visibility for others, giving people recognition that deserve it, leadership and what that actually means today, as women, and creating opportunities for women to rise in whatever that is that they have a passion towards moving the needle for.
Klaudia Zinaty is the CEO and founder of the Women Empowerment Awards and the Women Empowerment Foundation, and she has hit a five-year milestone this year, which I cannot wait to dive into because the journey of the five years is something that I’m so intrigued to know about—how did she get to where she has today and what does this community, that she’s built, really mean.
I want to talk to her now also about what it means to recognize women, what mentorship, for her, has looked like in what she offers, and how we develop leadership and not lose who we are as women and stay in touch with the nuances of what makes us who we are as individuals.
The organization also has scholarships and has created a meaningful community that really does do deep impactful work, so let’s just hear what she has to say about everything. I want to welcome her now formally.
Klaudia, I adore you, you know that, and I’m so proud of you hitting this incredible five-year milestone. Welcome back to the show.
Klaudia Zinaty: Thank you so much, Raj, and thank you for being a part of it since it’s an unbelievable year. It’s unbelievable to think that it’s been five years already, so thank you.
Absolutely, Klaudia. When you came up with this concept all those years ago, I thought to myself, this is a slam dunk in terms of me supporting it. Everything that the value of this organization and community and awards and foundation that you’ve created is what I stand for as a woman, inherently speaking. We share this journey, right?
That’s what makes it so wonderful is to be able to do it together.
Absolutely, so I want to ask you something that I’ve been percolating for a while, and even though, you know, we know each other outside of the professional space, we are friends as well, we are confidants.
We are women who help to create partnerships among women, among men out there who really ally with women a lot more than we’re giving them credit for, and that is a really great topic of discussion as well that I’d love to lean into as we continue our discussion.
But I want to ask you this, Klaudia, for women meeting you for the first time today. Who is Klaudia beyond the titles, beyond the stage, and beyond the accolades?
Well, first and foremost, she’s a mother, and being able to go into anything as that with those types of responsibilities. I’m an entrepreneur. I’m a professor.
I am a philanthropist, so Klaudia is a little bit of everything, and I think when you combine it all, it makes me who I am today, and being able to recognize that in others as well is wonderful because when I do something, I do it with intention, but also I do it because I walk in the steps of it as well.
Absolutely, and you often speak about lifting other women. Was there a moment in your own life where someone opened a door for you that changed everything, that made it notable to you, can you highlight the importance of this type of support?
Absolutely. I mean, in different stages of my career, there’s always been someone who has been a mentor that I’ve looked up to, who has provided the opportunities, and it’s something so simple, Raj. It’s like an introduction to someone. It’s an invitation to something.
Those are like such simple little things that you could offer but can change the trajectory of someone’s career, and so even when I started the Women Empowerment Awards, I approached two people that I personally looked up to, which was Suzanne Rogers and Sylvia Mantella, and I came up to them with an idea, and the fact that I was seen, that I was heard, and the fact that I was supported in this initiative was really the foundation of why it became as successful as it is today, because when you have people recognize and support that, then it opens opportunities and doors that you may not have had previously.
Absolutely. Let me ask you what has happened around you at that time when you were starting the Women Empowerment Awards? I want you to kind of go back there and I want you to think about why it was that you decided that these awards and the foundation that followed thereafter was important? Like what problem were you trying to solve?
Well, at the time it was COVID, and so when COVID hit, I was running a non-for-profit already, and I saw first-hand the devastating effect it had on so many women. So many women who were let go, who were laid off, who were struggling to keep their businesses going, and then on top of that, in the background, the children home from daycares, the children home from schools, and here they are trying to juggle so much all at once.
It was extremely overwhelming, and to be able to witness that, but also to witness the other side, which was the resilience, the determination, the perseverance, the balancing act—I don’t think we give ourselves enough credit, and we’re the first ones to give credit to others, but the last ones to give credit to ourselves. So coming out of that and experiencing that, I thought, I really wanted to create something that would be able to make women more visible, to allow women to step into their power and recognize the power they have within themselves to be able to do all of these things that they do, and to be able to gain that visibility out there so that others can see and be inspired by, and so that’s how it all became to be.
Women are not just walking away with an award. They are walking away with confidence, visibility, opportunity and doors opening for them.
When you launched it five years ago, Klaudia, did you believe it would become what it is today, or did it evolve into something perhaps bigger than you initially thought? Because we have our utopian dreams, and we start something as creative beings that we are as humans, right? Can you share that with me?
It’s interesting that you ask that question, because truthfully, coming out of COVID, I was weary, right? There was always that little bit of doubt: “Are people going to show up?” Because people were still very nervous about being next to each other. Had it not been COVID, I definitely would have had way more confidence in the ability of it, but because we were coming out of a pandemic, it really was a bit of uncertainty. But having said that, I’ll be honest with you, I believed in it.
I believed in myself. I believed in what I wanted to do and I think that’s the first step, is when you believe in yourself and what your ability is, and you believe in what you’re doing because you’re passionate about it, because you stand behind it, then you have the confidence to carry it through.
So yes, I did believe it was going to be successful, my only concern was it coming out of the pandemic, but I knew, I knew this was something that was really going to take off. And I remember clearly the first year that we did it, I’ll never forget this.
I had one of the women that attended the awards, she came up to me and she said, “Klaudia, we should have been doing this 10 years ago.” And I said, “You’re absolutely right.” And that still stays with me today.
It makes me think of something else as well, Klaudia. I mean, you’ve recognized hundreds of women to date now in different capacities, whether it’s with the awards, whether it’s having them speak at events that you have initiated through the foundation or whether it’s just the networking opportunities and all the things that come along with being a part of your community.
I want to ask you, what have those moments taught you about women and how often we minimize our own achievements, because we still do this. I mean, we still do this.
I know, and that’s the thing. I still see it today, and that’s where we need to change. We need to change that mindset.
We need to change that self-doubt, that imposter syndrome. And I think once we are able to do that, and the only way we’re able to do that is really leading by example. I think more women lead by example, and they step into their confidence and others see them do that and think if they can do it, I can do the same.
I think the second part is, surround yourself with women that you look up to that empower you, that inspire you, because when you’re surrounded by that amazing village of women, it’s incredible the opportunities and even just the self-confidence that you’re able to achieve, and that’s really important.
One of the things I’m most proud of is when we started this, it was the awards, and now, it’s really evolved into a movement. It is a movement. It is a sisterhood of women supporting women, of women cheering each other on, of women collaborating with one another, just being able to really help each other out. And that’s why I call it my family, because you always look to your family to help you out.
And I really feel like we have become a family of sisters, and it’s a beautiful thing to be able to witness. And I think that is the first step. When women feel a sense of community, a feeling of support, a feeling of recognition, of visibility, and knowing that their voices are heard, I think it really is the first step to being able to get out of that zone and really be able to uplift and empower.
Absolutely. I mean, I’ll mentor that. Everything that you just said there is truly why you do the things you do, right? It’s why you take on the struggles as well, because building something isn’t easy, right? So, I want to ask you that.
Through your experiences, having worked with women across so many different industries in so many different ways, what have you learned in terms of why women struggle so much to own their success? Because it’s a thing. It’s a thing, unfortunately.
Our society doesn’t help, right? When you take a look at what women are getting paid in comparison to men, the fact is that even during COVID, 72% of women in comparison to men were laid off and let go.
And I think that societal pressures make it very difficult. Then you add having a family on the side and trying to balance, both, right? We women in general have to balance both the home life and the business, so that also makes it a lot more challenging.
There’s always that bit of self-doubt, the lack of confidence that a lot of women have. And I think that’s where we need to really be able to build women’s confidence.
It’s interesting, Raj, because when you take a look at even our awards, when you get that trophy, yes, it’s a recognition of what you have accomplished and achieved, which is incredible. But I’ll tell you something, the women that walk away with that award, that physical award, they’re not just walking away with the award. They’re walking away with confidence.
They’re walking away with opportunities. They’re walking away with visibility. They’re walking away with doors opening for them and being able to feel like they can accomplish anything that they put their mind to.
And I have seen it. I’ve witnessed it firsthand that when women get that recognition and that visibility, it changes their level of confidence. It changes the fact of the way they perceive themselves.
So instead of asking to be in a room and asking for permission, they go to the room because they know they belong in there. And so that’s the one thing that we need to do is, we need to recognize as many women as possible, because the more that we do, the higher the confidence, the more opportunity comes their way. And that’s how we’re able to continue to do that for so many women in our society.
Absolutely. Recognition sounds beautiful on paper, but your organization is actualizing it and creating reality around it. In your experience, what actually changes in a woman after she feels seen? You’ve alluded to that already with what you just said, but what actually changes?
I’ll tell you.
Yeah, share that.
I’ll tell you.
Women often know how to nurture everyone around them. The question is whether they are willing to offer that same care and belief to themselves.
My favourite stories. I’ll give you some, a few of my favourites, and we feature this as well on our page and on our website. Emily O’Brien, who won our Rogers Entrepreneur of the Year Award. When she first came to our event, she really, you could tell it like when she was on stage, she lacked the confidence.
She really felt out of her element. And I remember her coming up to me afterwards saying how she felt so awkward in the sense that she didn’t feel like she belonged in that room with seeing all these women and such. And now if you look up Emily O’Brien, she has done a complete 180.
She is so confident. She went from having her popcorn—and her story is fantastic, so . . . I encourage everyone to look her up and be able to read her story.
But she was incarcerated and she started this popcorn company. And while she was in prison, women’s prison, and at the time when she won the award, her products were available at a lot of the small shops in local cities and such. And after the awards, I mean, the confidence of her now, she’s on stage, she’s doing TED Talks, she’s speaking out at various events.
Her product line has now gone national across Indigo and the Loblaw stores all across Canada. I mean, she has completely blown up.
So, when you ask me, what does that create? This is what it creates. It creates the ability to be able to see yourself being able to do things that you never thought imaginable. And so that’s one example, like Marcia Brown, who won our Mantella Corporation Entrepreneur of IPOC award in the first year, she was doing Trust 15.
And it was 15 young girls that she had that she would help them in terms of building confidence and leadership and such. And I remember this the very next morning, I had a voicemail message from her. And she had left me a voicemail saying, this award changed my life.
She said, so many people used to tell me that I wouldn’t be able to do what I want to do. And I couldn’t follow my dreams. And after being on stage and winning that award, I know that I can do anything that I put my mind to.
Now her program not only has expanded, like tenfold, she’s now including men into the young boys into the program, so that she can be able to help young boys also be able to change the mindset of how they encourage and be able to be able to show respect with women and being able to perceive women in a much more positive, respectful, encouraging way. So, it’s beautiful to be able to see that.
Christine Collura, who last year won our Innovation Award, who created Puzzles for her autistic son, just now got featured in Walmart stores.
And so, this is where I’m saying it’s beautiful to be able to witness because you see that change and also the collaborations. There was recently a collaboration with Beckie Di Leo, who was our award recipient for mentorship in the first year. And she actually met one of our finalists last year at the awards, who does rights to Afghanistan and its right to learn.
And it helps young girls in Afghanistan get an education. So, the two of them collaborated, and they did this beautiful art collection with Beckie Di Leo’s 6ix Academy at Toronto District School Board with her organization. So, it’s beautiful to be able to see these opportunities and these collaborations and this growth.
And so, to answer your question, like this is the result of what happens when you give the woman the visibility and the recognition that she truly deserves. It’s the gift that just keeps giving, right? Really does. Yes.
Women collaborate and connect and share ideas. It’s beautiful.
Absolutely. I’m curious, Klaudia. I mean, you talk about how the community that has been built over the last five years through the awards and through the foundation and through the work that you do throughout the year. I want to know what has changed in your journey, in your perspective on life, in your thoughts about women that you feel is something that has been really profound for you to learn through this experience?
For me, I think when I see the incredible work that women do, I think for me, what’s most profound is the amount of incredible things that women are doing. And I wish I could recognize all of them in that room, one by one, and be able to give awards, because it’s really incredible to be able to see what every single woman is doing.
And I think when you also think behind the scenes, how much she is handling, like we all have stories. We all go through our obstacles and all of the challenges that we face. And I think the stories are so important.
And one of the things that I recognize a lot is that when you see these women share their stories, there’s so much that we relate to, because we’ve all been through it. We’ve all been through something in someone’s story, whether we, we were immigrants, whether we are single parents, whether we are juggling family and balancing life whatever it is, we, we can all relate to something. And so, for me, it’s seeing that room of women who are just doing it so well, and being able to recognize them, I think, is so incredibly important.
My dad used to say when I was younger, and before I went to school, and he used to say, wealth is knowledge. And so, he would always say, go get an education because wealth is knowledge. And I’ll tell you, Raj, every year when I sit in that room of 500 women, I think I am in the wealthiest room ever.
Because if you sat and had dinner conversations with all of these women, imagine what you could learn. Incredible. So, I think for me, found is that you just women underestimate how much they contribute and make an impact to society.
And I really feel that we need to give ourselves more credit, because we really do change so many lives. And we really do make an impact on society. And I think what we need to do is be better, and stop being so humble, and being able to use our voices to recognize that and give ourselves the credit that’s due.
Hear, hear, hear, hear to that. Oh, my gosh. In one sentence, just so we can encapsulate it in one sentence, Klaudia, how has being the CEO and founder of the Women Empowerment Awards and Foundation changed your life?
Oh, my gosh, it’s been a humbling experience. It really has. Because just being surrounded by so many incredible women and stories, I think has been beautiful to see.
Just the growth that we’ve had over the last five years has been tremendous. What we’re doing with the foundation and being able to give back to the next generation of young girls has been incredible. It really has been life changing for me.
It really has because the amount of amazing women, so many of them now that I call my friends, has been tremendous to be able to meet so many in such a small amount of time, by being able to collaborate with so many, and also just to see how many of them give back.
Like when we started the foundation, the number of women who stepped forward to say, I would love to be a mentor to another young girl, I would love to be able to contribute my time to be able to help others. We recently did a couple of projects through our foundation where we gave out 100 tote bags to women’s shelters with all the essentials and such that were from our swag bags.
And so many women stepped up and donated and provided. It’s just, it’s a beautiful thing to be able to witness. We recently did the prom project where we gave dresses to young girls who could not afford to go to their prom because of financial barriers of purchasing a very expensive prom dress.
And so we were, we did an outreach to our community, and they all came in and were able to do that. So just to be able to witness that, I think, honestly, it’s so humbling. And it also, on the other side, shows what a powerful group of women that we have.
And collectively, it’s incredible to see the power of what we can achieve. So that, to me, has been the most life-changing is really being able to witness firsthand the power of women, the power of community and sisterhood, and the impact that we have collectively made as a group to others in the society. So, it’s been, it’s been a beautiful thing to witness.
Once one woman rises, we all rise.
Absolutely. So, for those people who are watching, listening and reading this right now, who perhaps aren’t familiar with the Women Empowerment Awards and Foundation, let’s just dive in a little bit and share a little bit of what it’s all about. It’s been built on three pillars, elevate, educate, empower. Walk us through these three.
So, ‘elevate’ is being able to provide visibility, support visibility, and being able to put these women out in the spotlight, and this is women and young girls.
‘Educate’ is being able to provide them with the skill sets, the knowledge, and we do that through guest panels, we do that through mentorship. So different opportunities to be able to help them learn something newer, a new skill set, or being able to align them with someone who can help them level up.
And then ‘empower’ is our award. So, it’s being able to give them that recognition, to be able to create opportunities and collaboration for them as well. So those are the three pillars that we believe in as part of our mission.
And now, five years later, here we are, we are sitting barely a couple of months away from the big festivities.
Let’s share with everyone, what is being planned that perhaps is different from what you’ve done before? And maybe we start by telling them what you normally do, and then what is going to be different in these five years of festivities?
Because I know that you’ve got a lot up your sleeve, you’re slowly starting to talk about some of this stuff, but I know that there’s like hardly any tickets left. And hopefully there’ll still be a few left when we launch this episode Klaudia, why should people get involved? Share all the good stuff.
Absolutely. Well, I mean, of course, it’s just a beautiful environment to be a part of, because it’s just, it’s women empowering women, its women supporting each other. It’s a great way to be able to network.
It’s a great way to be able to make new friends. It’s a great night out. And we celebrate these women.
There’s a lot of different things going on. It’s not your typical award. I always tell people, it’s not your typical awards, because there’s a good time before where there’s a lot of activities with small, owned businesses.
So, there’s a lot of opportunities to learn about these other small business owners and be able to participate. We have everything, like there’s, I think, 12 or 13 activations this year. And again, everything that I do is very intentional.
The theme is all about ‘transformation’, because we have transformed. So, the last couple of the last four years, we’ve sold out every venue that we’ve been in, we have sold out months in advance. And interestingly enough, the last three years we’ve been at the Park Hyatt, and every year we have sold out in June and our event is in September.
And had we stayed at the Park Hyatt this year, we would have already been sold out before the tickets even went on sale, because we are already at 400. And that would have been the full capacity at the Hyatt. So, the fact that we’ve moved on to a new space is actually very beneficial, because last year, we had a massive waiting list of 72 people that we weren’t able to let in because we were at full capacity.
This year we moved into a larger space to be able to do that. But the wonderful thing is, because there’s a lot of activity, there’s a lot of activations, there’s opportunities to meet new people and exchange numbers and network. And then you have this beautiful gala event where we’re recognizing these 10 powerhouse women on stage.
And then we bring in performers like this year, we’ve got Simone Denny from Love Inc., who sang the ‘You’re a Superstar’ song. And again, intentionally, I deliberately picked her for our fifth year, because if you listen to the lyrics of superstar, it stands for what I believe in. And so I really wanted her to be able to celebrate with us in our fifth year, because that song is so impactful to me personally, and resonates with me.
And I wanted it to be like our anthem for our fifth year. And then we brought in DeeDee Austin, who’s coming in from PEI. And she’s this amazing 20-year-old indigenous performer, who won the Golden Buzzer with Canada’s Got Talent.
And so, we wanted to bring her in, because again, we want to be able to recognize and represent as many women as possible. And then after our amazing awards gala, there’s more opportunity for women to connect afterwards. And so that’s why it’s such an important night.
Because not only is it just recognizing these women, but there’s so many other aspects to it that are so important. And then, of course, our gift bags, which I know are amazing gift bags worth like $3,000 every single year. So, it’s wonderful.
But again, Raj, like everything that I do is very intentional. I really want to be able to create this evening. But it has to be a value, right? Like when you talk about what is important to that person, because when they’re buying the ticket, we want to make sure that they get a lot in return in terms of value.
So, they’re getting that opportunity to network, they’re having this lovely three course meal at the Fairmont Royal York, which is a beautiful historic space, they’re getting a performer by Juno award-winning performance.
And then on top of that, they’re getting this opportunity to be able to collaborate and network and change information with all these amazing, powerful women in a room. So, we really try to do as much as we possibly can, because we want them to walk away feeling inspired and empowered and feeling that they’ve just made a whole bunch of new friends and connections.
So that’s really important as well.
Absolutely, Klaudia. And other than buying tickets, are there other ways that women can get involved? Are there opportunities in sponsorship? Are there opportunities for corporates who may be, listening, watching and reading this, share that a little bit with everyone?
There are opportunities to be involved. You can be a mentor, you can be a volunteer, there’s an opportunity to be a sponsor, there’s an opportunity to be a partner, and be able to be one of our vendors. We’re with our sponsors, or sorry, with our scholarships, you can provide a grant to be able to help a young girl be able to pursue her post-secondary education.
We’ve actually had some award recipients from our past sponsor a scholarship for a young girl to be able to pursue post-secondary education. You can sponsor one of our awards with a gift similar to what you are doing with the incredible cover for the ‘Today’s Confident Woman’ magazine.
So, there’s a lot of opportunities to be involved. We encourage everyone to be able to reach out to us with any idea that you have anything that you can contribute. We’re always looking for that involvement, because the more that people contribute, the more impact that we can make.
Absolutely. I’m curious, Klaudia, having done this for five years, like five years, sister I’m so proud of you.
I’m so proud of you. Because, having watched you along this journey quite intimately. I always see this one thing happening, this common denominator, this thread from year one to year five, and that is, how can I make this more impactful for the women, like, this is the big statement that you’re always trying to figure out, you’re always looking at how can you make this better?
This has never been about, oh anything that is coming from a space of, I don’t know, this is about me, right? Because what I find with you is when it’s about them, it’s about you. Comment on that.
It really is. To me, the proudest moment for me is being able to see other women shine.
And so, I think, we talk about leadership all the time, right? And I think leadership is so important. And one of the things that I’ve been able to benefit from seeing this grow from 250 women to over 500 plus women is I’ve learned to be a better leader, I’ve learned to be a better communicator, I’ve learned to be more intentional with the decisions that I make. And so, I am more intentional with the partners that we align with as well.
There’s been partners I’ve turned away because they’re doing it more for visibility than they are for aligning with our mission and our belief. I think being able to be authentic, being able to lead with purpose and intention is really important to be able to do that. So, with this year, all of the aspects that we are doing, all of the awards that we are providing, the additional awards that we’re providing in addition to the physical trophy award, are all done very intentionally, so that it provides visibility.
So, for example, with being on the cover of your publication, another example is having a national broadcast interview as one of the awards, giving $15,000 grants that will help a startup company really be able to do something fantastic and be able to level up, and a $10,000 grant and these $2,500 grants.
This year, one of the award prizes is a $10,000 pitch package, where someone who has been one of our actual award recipients from last year is donating her entire program of how she was able to bring in over $3-million of investors. And so, she’s going to teach that to another woman.
I know, so this is what I’m saying. It’s just, it’s amazing to be able to see that. But that’s what it is, is when I’m planning this year, all of you, and you’ll see when it unfolds is that everything is done very intentionally.
And to be able to, how can we reach more women? How can we uplift more women? How can we provide more role models for these young girls, so that they have more confidence, we build young leaders, we’re able to show them how to be able to give back to their communities. So, I think, being able to do all of those things is really important. But it has, it’s, I’m continuously growing.
And you and I talk about this all the time is that we never stop growing ourselves. And you and I know, there’s hills and valleys, like we all have struggles, like don’t think that this was a launch this way. There’s always been issues with our economy with what’s happening in the US with, with everything that’s happened with the pandemic, all these things are factors.
But how do you overcome them? How do you find solutions that don’t focus on the problem, focus on the solutions, how to be able to bring in the right people that would be able to move it forward, move that needle forward. So, all of those things are always important to be able to find and resolve as well.
Find your organization. Find your community. Find your tribe. Find the people who have already walked the path you are trying to navigate.
What have you discovered, Klaudia, that women actually need more of? Because, as you’re talking about all of these solutions and resources, and extras on top of, just getting the award itself is a part of the intentionality of what you’re doing here.
So, I feel it’s important, because I know that you’ve done deep thought and deep research, and deep conversations with people to really come up with all of this added value, right? It’s like, it’s like a 5D value that people are getting. So, I need to ask you this. What have you discovered that women actually need more of? Is it confidence? Is it capital? Is it a community? Is it skills? Is it visibility?
And don’t say all of the above. Because we know it’s all of the above. And perhaps if you’re going to say that, I’m prefacing your answer. Which do you need? In what order of priority? Maybe that’s the question I want to ask you.
So, confidence, capital, community, skills, visibility.
The one thing I’ve noticed the most with all of my interactions and women year over year over year, the biggest thing for them is a sense of community. They want to feel a sense of belonging.
And so, I think through community, you get access to all of those things. You get to learn leadership, because you can find a leader and be able to learn from that leader, you can get mentorship, you can be able to find out from others how they get grants and access to funding.
So I think if you build a really strong community, then all of those other things are accessible to them, because it opens the doors for opportunities to be able to have access to women who have either done it, know about it, or can direct you in the right place to be able to do that.
But that’s one thing that I learned, because a lot of times it’s interesting when you see the women get together. It’s, it’s really, for me, very profound, when you realize that they just want someone who knows what they’ve been through. And they want someone who can relate to the struggles of starting your own business, products not being shipped in time, balancing family and entrepreneurship, not getting that deal or getting that deal and having no one be able to recognize it, because they’re just go, go, go, go, go.
When you’re in that community, where you’ve got people supporting you, who are giving you that visibility, who are giving you that access are helping you with funding, even through myself, the number of times that I’ve reached out to our community, because it’s our sisterhood.
The number of times I’ve reached out to our community, and I do it all the time, I’m like, does anyone know someone who can help us with this? Does anyone know someone that could help us with grant writing, being able to do social media, whatever it is. And it’s wonderful, because, if we need mentorship, hey, we need mentorship in, in construction.
Is there anybody there that can do it? And I think that’s what it is, you need a community to tap into that it has all of these resources, and tools and knowledge and experience. And once everybody’s able to share that, then we all win, right? Because once one woman rises, we all rise.
We all cheer each other on. So, I would say community, I think community really feeds everything else.
I absolutely agree with you. I think that’s an excellent way of looking at it. Because, oftentimes, we look at, okay, I need this, I need this, I need this, but I don’t know what order I needed in. Perhaps what you need is a place where there are people who have already done this, who already have this.
And that’s what you’re talking about here, Klaudia, I love that that’s the way that we should look at solutioning things, find an organization, find a community, find your tribe, find your sisterhood, wherever that needs to be for you. And the other part of this that I’ve learned from my experience, having coached so many women, Klaudia, is for some reason, women still don’t feel confident to ask for help. Right.
And I feel that’s what you’re doing a lot of is almost like not having to have them ask but giving them the offerings of solutioning and resources and opportunity, your comment.
I agree. And I think the lack of confidence in women is really, unfortunately, it’s far too, too often.
And I, I think once women have that confidence, but I think what builds that confidence is being in those rooms, and being able to see and be inspired and connect with women who can cheer you on, who can support you, who can advocate for you, who can make those introductions on your behalf, that you may not feel the confidence to be able to do that.
But once you make that connection, then you can step into your confidence to be able to carry it through. And I think that’s what it is, is once you feel the sense of belonging, like, I’ll tell you, when I first got into, because as you know, I was in the fashion industry before, and I remember when I first got into the fashion industry, I had no confidence at all.
I felt like I was so out of my element. And it wasn’t until I started to put myself into spaces where there what there were other like-minded individuals like me, I started to build my confidence because I was surrounded by women that really helped me be able to believe in myself, have confidence in myself and be able to step into my own power to know this is what I want to do and how I want to be able to do it.
But I think sometimes you need to be in that room and feel confident that you belong in that room. So that’s why yes, absolutely. I think confidence is extremely important.
And when you surround yourself with a whole support of women who believe in you, you start to believe in yourself.
You know, you’ve just opened a massive wide door that I’m going to step right into sister. Let’s talk about how you’ve done that.
For women out there. They look at women like you, they look at women like me, they look at the women with the titles, right? The women that have done the things that they wish they could do, but they don’t know where to start. I want to give them a little bit of an insight into that through you.
Are you game?
Yes.
Okay, okay. So, I’m going to start by asking you what has been the hardest moment in the last five years? And did you ever question continuing because of it?
Gosh, okay. So, we’re getting personal now—okay!
We’re going there girl.
So, most of my followers and community don’t know this. But in 2022, just before Christmas, actually, I had broken my leg.
And I’d broken both major leg bones in my right leg. And this was at the tail end of COVID. So, I wasn’t able to get surgery for eight days.
And it’s appreciating people like you could not even imagine. And by the time I got surgery, which was in December, and I started to heal literally having to learn had to wait it out to heal, but also to learn to be able to use my right leg again, which was really difficult when you live in a house with stairs and you drive and not being able to function. And I remember clearly sitting in bed, I think it was in February.
And I felt so defeated. Because I was planning the awards. No one knew that I had broken my leg.
And I was like, ‘how am I going to do this? How am I going to run this event and be able to do it when I can’t even get out of bed?’ That’s really where I remember a lot of my dear friends that are so close to me, and I love them. And they actually said, you know what, Klaudia, just cancel it for this year.
Just cancel it, work on your healing. Everyone will understand. And you can come back next year and be able to continue it next year.
And I remember Raj at that moment, I actually said to them, there is absolutely no way I’m going to let these women down. These women need to be recognized and everything in my power to ensure that they are. And so, I did everything from my bedside for months.
And it wasn’t until like thinking about six months of healing, until I was able to walk again and function again. And even then, I wasn’t actually fully healed. But I was still in my high heels at the event in September.
But to me, that’s again, it’s us being able to realize the power and the strength that we have within ourselves, and being able to tap into that, and change the mindset. And it’s so easy to be defeated, and say I’ll just postpone it, I’ll next month, next Monday, next year. And it’s so easy for us to do that.
That’s such an easy way out. But I think, being able to say, ‘no’. I’m not going to allow myself that excuse of being able to back out, I’m going to go through this, I’m going to see it through, I’m going to push through it. So, I would say to other women, even at your worst time, even if you feel defeated, even if it feels like things are not going your way, take that first step.
And I remember that first step I took down the stairs, after my leg was like, okay, enough to be able to do it. And it was painful. It was painful to go down the stairs with two leg bones broken.
But I remember feeling such a sense of pride when I made it to the bottom of the stairs. So, I would say with everyone, take that first step, and just keep on going and don’t, you don’t allow anyone or anything to stop you.
Resilience comes in so many shapes and forms, right, Klaudia, and there is a way out. And there always is more than one way of solutioning something. And sometimes it’s okay to say, I need to sit this one out, because I need to give myself grace and permission to say that I actually need to step out for now. There is a time when you do need to listen to that.
But there is also a time, like you’ve just shared here, which I think is so powerful. And that is, is there a way you can still do it and deal with the challenge at the same time? Right? I want to ask you, because you did that way. What did you learn about your capacity for resilience?
There is far more growth in collaboration than there is in competition.
Yeah, it’s interesting, because I think all of us, I’m not going to say I think all of us, I think we underestimate ourselves.
I really do. I think a lot of the time we underestimate our ability to be able to push through things to be able to take on things to be able to bounce back from things to make that comeback. And I think so many of us really underestimate our abilities to really look deep within ourselves and be able to use that inner strength and that mindset to be able to do it.
And that’s one of the things that I really feel that I actually posted something on my Instagram, like a couple of weeks ago, and it said, underestimate me, that would be that will be fun. Because I live, I live by that, like, yeah, go ahead, underestimate me, that’ll be fun to watch. Because I think we do, we tend to do that.
We really need to realize what our superpowers are, because we all have them, all of it. And you’re right. We know ourselves better than anyone. Tapped out, when you need a reset, when you need a rest, because you can’t always be on.
And I think it’s important to be able to recognize when you need to take that break to take that reset button to be able to put your health, mental health and wellness, first and foremost, because you need to have that in order to function properly and move forward. And also when to be able to say, hey what, I’m not going to let this setback define who I am, and what direction I’m going to go.
And so, I think it’s that ability to know which one it is.
Do you think women misunderstand empowerment?
I do. I don’t think they realize how powerful they are. So, I mean, think about everything that we do, like the fact that we, our bodies, bring life to other people. It’s just incredible to see the superpowers that we have.
And no matter what comes our way, we’re still going, we still do what we do. And we just roll up our sleeves. And we’re like, okay, let’s get this done.
And yeah, I do. I actually feel that a lot of women don’t know how to tap into their superpower. And I think once they do, whether it’s the confidence that you help women be able to ignite within themselves, whether it’s the leadership, that they’re born leaders, and they just need that one person to help them bring that out in them.
Whether it’s the opportunity for them to be able to take something that they absolutely love, that’s their passion, and be able to do a business of it and bring it to life and make it something that they love doing and love being able to give to others.
And so, I think that’s what it is, is if we can ignite that flame, that spark, I think then we’re able to make such a huge impact. And all it takes is one person to ignite that spark.
And it just will create such an incredible impact on so many. It’s like when you see that, that image of you like that one match, and then all the matches are all light. And I think that’s the beauty of it is it takes that one spark, and then you’re able to pass that on to so many other women and be able to help like a huge community.
Let’s try and help one woman, Klaudia, right now, who may be watching, listening or reading this, who feels capable, but also feels invisible. Like, what would you want her to understand about bridging that gap?
That she can do it, and it just means taking that first step. So I think the women that are afraid to or too shy, or have self-doubt, how lack the confidence is, do it, take that first step, attend a conference, function, something that you, you are passionate or that you believe in, or something that excites you or interests you, take that first step, make that first outreach, even if you are too nervous to do it in person, do it through LinkedIn or other platforms and reach out to that person, tell them why you admire them, and ask for that 15 minute coffee chat.
I think that the first step is to be able to do that outreach. Because if you find that one ‘mentorage’, that will open up so many doors and open your eyes about how you see yourself. And I think that’s really important, because the minute we start seeing ourselves differently in the sense of what we’re capable of, what we can achieve, how we see ourselves as women, but also as entrepreneurs, as CEOs, and founders, and the impact that we are able to make, and are making right now in society.
And once we recognize that within ourselves, I think that is what is going to then change the perception, not only of how we see ourselves, but how we can pay it forward to other women and help them see that within themselves.
What’s something women need to stop apologizing for? Because that tends to get in the way of everything that you just said.
And we’re the first ones to say, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, we have, we need to stop doing that.
And it’s interesting, because I even did a blog about this the other day, where we talk about women versus men applying for certain positions, right? So, men will apply for positions that they’re only 60% qualified for. Women will apply for positions when they’re as close to 100%. Like they will, if they’re 60%, or even 70, or even 80, they won’t apply for a position, but men will.
So just crazy. And they get the job, and the men get the job. So, it just shows you like the mindset for them that the fact that they are willing at 60% to throw their name in there to be able to have that confidence.
And so, we need to be able to say, hey, we need to do that. We don’t need to wait for that 100%. We don’t need to wait until we’re 100% ready.
Even when people apply for the awards, I say to them, like, you don’t have to wait until you reach this level that you feel that in your head, you have to reach in order to qualify.
Like we want women to be able to recognize themselves along all the journeys of their life, to be able to give themselves credit through every single step of that journey, not the end result, but every single step, because every single one of those is an achievement that helped them get to the next and to the next. So, we need to be able to celebrate all those small successes.
And I think that’s where we need to change that mindset, where we see ourselves as capable and able, equally as men. And we don’t have to wait for that perfect timing, perfect moment, perfect success story in order to be able to do that.
One word women need more of . . .
I mean, for me, the word is always ‘empowerment’. It always is. I really do think that’s why I started it is because that word is so powerful. You know, it’s got the power in there, empowerment. And I think when women step into their power and see the strength of what their skills, knowledge, abilities are, their visionaries will be their change makers, their trailblazers and all the different industries that they do.
And once they recognize what that superpower is, then it’s a matter of, okay, how do we grow that? How do we put a spotlight on that? How do we blow it up so that, you know, everybody else can see it too? So that’s not just kept within, but it’s shining the light on it so that everyone else can see?
Absolutely, what’s one leadership quality more women should embrace?
Oh, my goodness, I would say communication is really important. Really being able to communicate is really key as a leader.
I think being able to recognize the strength in others and being able to allow them to communicate that strength, and being able to share that strength with so many because when you have a group of great leaders, then any one of them can take over. And that’s, that’s the beautiful thing is being able to be in a room and not know who’s in charge, because so many of them are so good at being leaders, that any single one of them can step up and be able to take over.
And so, for me, it’s not just the ability of that title of being a leader, but it’s of what you are able to do in action? How are you able to communicate to others? How are you able to see the strength in other people and know what that strength is and zone in on that strength so that you’re able to, you know, utilize that to be able to do something for the greater good.
And so that’s to me is important is good leaders can be able to do things in action. And the action would be things like being a strong communicator so that you’re able to do wonderful things, both within an organization, but also in society as a home.
Absolutely. You know, something that women are so in a league good at, because of our nurturing capacities being so deeply rooted, we need to use more of those innate abilities that we have that are, that ebb towards the feminine side of humans in these leadership positions, so that we are able to create more of a holistic and a meaningful and an impactful environment.
So I agree with everything that you just said there Klaudia, I want to ask you, what is something you’re personally working on? Because we’re always looking at bettering ourselves. We talk about this all the time. What right now? Are you personally working on yourself?
Empowerment is not about waiting to be chosen. It is about choosing yourself and creating spaces where others can rise with you.
For me, I think the most part is just being able to speak like one of the things I’ve always wanted to do Raj, is I’ve always wanted to be a speaker.
And I have started doing that by being speakers on different panels. And so I think I’ve told you one of my dreams when I had this conversation a few years back is that I’ve always wanted to be on a stage and be a motivational speaker.
And so that’s one of the things that I’ve started doing. But I’m perfecting that, because that’s something that isn’t done overnight, it’s being able to really hone in on that skill, and learn how to be able to communicate how to be able to use voice trajectory, how to be able to use hand motions, how to be able to ask the right questions for engagement. So that’s one of the things that I’m working on.
The other thing is learning to balance it all as we grow. The other thing too, is there’s a lot more responsibility. So we’re so much and we are adding things every year, like when I first started in 2022, it was only the awards.
And then, two years later, it was the awards and the foundation. And now we’re planning to expand that community, which we’re hoping to do in the next year or two, to be able to really make it more of a sisterhood community. And to be able to grow it not just in Canada, because we get so many people from all over that want to be a part of it to be able to expand it on a global level.
So, for me, the learning is always going in AI is a really big thing right now. So again, that’s something that I personally don’t know a lot about, but I want to be able to learn because I know that’s the direction of where our society is going and where business is going. So that’s something that I’m also working on and really being able to create opportunities for women to be able to get together and do, you know, have very intentional conversations.
And whether it’s learning from each other about how to be able to level up their businesses, whether it’s learning about how to balance family life, whether it’s about mental health and stress, whether it’s financial literacy, how to get their brand more exposure, being able to create opportunities where women can come together and have those conversations and learn off each other, I think is also really important. There’s a lot of different things that I’m working on.
A lot of the things that I’ve gotten better at is that I’m giving myself more time now, more time for myself for self-care, and more time with my family. And just being able to take moments to enjoy and embrace the quiet periods as well. So that’s one of the things I’m learning to be better at as well.
I love it. So, for women who aren’t pushing the needle for themselves, they ask themselves, I’ll go after it when I have more time, more money, more experience, and more anything else. What would you say to them?
I would say change your mindset, because the only limitation you’re putting is on yourself.
So, if you’re going to continue to put those limitations on yourself, then you’re never going to be able to move that needle forward. So, I would say, not putting your own limitations on yourself, because other people will put limitations on you.
When we start doing it for ourselves, then we really are taking a massive step backwards. But once we stop doing that, then that’s half the battle.
That’s half the battle. So you know, just start like connect with someone, connect with someone that you look up to and admire, make some make some, you know, friends at an organization event, whatever it is, and be able to learn off of each other and listen, listen to each other, and learn from each other, because there’s a lot of growth in that as well.
But like, you have to change that mindset, because the minute that you keep going in that cycle, you’ll never break it, that’s the first step is being able to break that cycle. And if you have a difficult time doing that, then connect with someone who has done it, and got through it, and be able to learn from that, so that you are able to do it yourself.
What’s something women tell themselves that keeps them small, like you believe that that thing that they tell themselves, that keeps them small, is just simply not true? Can we bust that myth? I think a lot of it is, you know, that it’s not, we fear failure.
And no one’s gonna show up. It’s not going to be able to keep up. I think a lot of it is fear of failure.
And I think that’s the big step backwards that causes women not to be able to do the things that they want to do. They keep saying to themselves, it’s not going to work, or no one’s going to buy my product, or I’m not going to get the exposure that I want to be able to get.
And I think when you start making excuses for yourself, and believing that, I think then that’s the imposter syndrome, that the biggest thing that I’ve seen is like, the number of times that I tell women, well, did you nominate yourself? No, me? Why? Like, no, no, no.
Why not you? Why not you? Tell me why not you? And I always tell them, tell me why not you? And then they’re just like, maybe I maybe I will. And then it’s something to like, maybe I will. Yes.
Because we’re the like you said, we’re the first ones to block ourselves to that self-doubt that imposter syndrome that we’re not ready enough. We’re not good enough. It’s gonna fail. But I always say, if you knew that you would never fail, how big would you dream?
Wow, that’s a big one. So, I feel that there’s something really important to think about here with what you’ve just said. Let me ask you from your experience.
Do women need more motivation or more permission?
I think we definitely need more motivation. But I don’t think we need permission. I think we give ourselves permission. The only people that stop us are us. So we need to stop asking for permission, and we just need to be in the rooms where we belong because we do belong there.
And I think we need to stop thinking that we don’t. I think we need to stop thinking that those rooms are for these people, but not for us. And the minute that we allow ourselves that opportunity to be like, no, I belong in that room.
And I belong in that room. And I belong in that room. And I think when we start allowing ourselves that opportunity, that’s giving ourselves permission.
We’re not asking because we’re now taking control of that. So, we need to take that control back and stop waiting for others to be able to do that for us and be able to do it ourselves. And that’s where the leadership kicks in, right? Good themselves.
And once you build up that confidence in that leadership and know that every room that you go in there, you belong in that room. And I think that’s really a very important aspect of being able to do that.
You know, it just makes me think of something because, you know, as builders, you know, which we are as women, right? You’ve built this community, I’ve built my community. We build our homes, right? How do you know when you’re building from purpose versus trying to prove something? And does it matter?
And that’s a great question. And I think the difference is that the shift to me, at least personally with my business, is that, you know, I’m not here to build myself.
I’m not here to build the company. I’m here to serve others. And I think when you realize that what you’re doing, your purpose in life is to serve others, then I think that’s where it changes the way that the way your life is the trajectory of your business, because we’re not here for self-serving, we’re not here so that we can build ourselves up.
We’re here to help others build themselves up, because when they win, we win, because we sit back and go, look at how much they’re shining, look at what they’ve accomplished, look at what they’ve done. So that’s the way that I live my life on a daily basis.
What’s a belief about success that perhaps you had, before Women Empowerment Awards and Foundations experience came into your life, that you no longer agree with?
I believed before, that it was all about the recognition, how many awards you get, how many times you’re published, how many things you’re on, and then, and those are all great, like, don’t get me wrong, they’re fantastic, they give you great exposure. They’re wonderful. But that’s not life’s purpose.
Life’s purpose is what are you doing to serve others, how are you doing something in life that is going to help others rise, that is going to help others level up, that is going to help others be able to lead by example? That’s where the legacy comes in. The legacy you’ve achieved, the legacy is, how are you building something that is going to continue to sustain for many years to come, 25, 30, 50, long after you’re long gone. So, the legacy isn’t after you’ve moved on. The legacy is in the here and now.
What are you building today that is going to continue to pay it forward for the next 50, 100 years, the next generation of young girls who are going to step in and continue on that legacy? So that, to me, is the most important piece. And so I don’t look at awards, and that those are wonderful recognitions, and I’m so humbled and grateful for them. But for me, the ultimate award is being able to see the impact that I’m making to even one woman’s life.
If I know I’ve changed the trajectory of one woman or one young girl, then that to me is the greatest form of success.
One introduction may cost nothing, but it can change everything in a woman’s career.
How do women learn to celebrate themselves privately, Klaudia, since that’s what we’re living with on a daily basis? Because we go and we showcase once a year, right? But that once a year is kind of like either a culmination of something, or it’s the start of something, right?
How do we celebrate ourselves on a daily basis? I feel that that’s something that you’re building with the Foundation, right? Like the bits that happen between one Awards and the next Awards. Share that a little bit for me.
And the littlest things. So, I think two things. I think personally; to celebrate yourself, it could be anything.
It could be self-care. It could be buying a $10 bouquet of flowers. Or it could be sitting at your favourite coffee shop and just having that moment to yourself to be able just to take it all in.
It could be the simplest thing. It could be having a nice hot bath, being able to just enjoy that moment and just take that self-care or getting a pedicure, like things that you normally would not have the time or opportunity to, I think is really important.
Self-care is important. Giving yourself time is important because time is a commodity.
Everything. It’s everything.
It really is. So, when I allow myself to sit in the backyard and have my latte in the morning and just listen to the birds and enjoy that moment, that to me is celebrating myself because it’s allowing myself that peace and quiet before the hustle and bustle of the day.
And so I think it’s something as simple as that, it’s going out with a girlfriend and just being able to have that quality time with someone that you really enjoy spending time with or your partner or your spouse, whoever it is. So, I think that in terms of personal is important to be able to do, and it costs absolutely nothing.
There are things that you can do at home and you don’t necessarily have to spend money on, but it’s important to do it. And that’s the critical part is it’s important because I’ll tell you something, Raj, when women start to recognize themselves and congratulate themselves, even if it’s like, good job, Klaudia, even as simple as that, they actually say, there’s studies that show that if you even just do that, give yourself away, it actually changes your mindset. It changes your ability, changes your confidence.
It actually has a psychological impact on you. So even though those things might seem like nothing, they actually do make a psychological impact in the way that you perceive yourself and your ability to be able to do even greater things and be able to dream bigger and do more. So, I think that’s really important from a group perspective.
I think it’s important to be able to share the good news with other people. Again, we’re so humble that we like, may I share this example with your award, right? It’s important for me to be able to recognize you, but it’s also wonderful that you are able to recognize yourself. And when all of your friends are also able to recognize the tremendous things that you have done, I think that’s really important as well.
So, I think when you build yourself a beautiful group of women who all uplift each other and are the first ones to be able to congratulate you as well, I think it is important. So you need to do both. But the one thing we don’t want to do is we don’t want to just wait on that acknowledgement from other people.
We want to be able to take a moment and be able to do it for ourselves because that changes us psychologically to be able to give us that confidence to keep going and to do greater things.
Oh, my gosh, absolutely, Klaudia. And you know, this whole another myth that just came into my head that I just want to quickly mention.
And that is this whole idea of, you know, well, I can’t do this because someone in my circle is doing this, right? Only one person is allowed. For some reason, as women, we think this, right? Only one of us is allowed to do the thing. You take you and I for the perfect example.
We are essentially doing the same thing in different ways. Right. And, you know, I support everything that you do and partner up with you and do all the things to support you as you do with me.
Why is it that women can’t do that the way men do that? Because I really feel that there’d be different conversations that would be happening today than that one conversation that’s been happening since women initially started fighting for their rights. Your comment?
You know, I think there’s room for everyone. And I think that’s where we need to realize that, that there’s room for everyone.
So, it doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, whether you are in interior design, whether you’re in construction, whether you have a small business, a bakery, whatever it is, there’s room for everyone. And I think what differentiates you from the others is your heart and soul, your authentic story. And I think that’s the storytelling part, right? That’s what really makes you who you are.
Doesn’t mean that you’re that the others are not as good. It means that they have their stories and you have your story. And I think you can both be in the same exact kind of circle and aura and energy.
And, instead of women thinking of each other as competition, I think there’s so much more growth in collaboration. By supporting each other, everyone wins because people will be drawn to things that resonate with them. And I think that’s where you have that opportunity and ability to really be able to differentiate yourself, but also to be in that same space without feeling that that person is taking away from you or taking away the business.
Because I could ask that all the time, even with the awards at the very beginning, people say, like, are you ever nervous about the other awards that are out there? And you know, what are your thoughts about that? And I always say, you know what, the more the merrier, because we have to recognize women, right?
Now there’s like multiple platforms where women can be recognized. Wonderful. That’s going to help our society and help minimize that gender inequality gap even more, because now there’s more opportunities for women to be recognized and be put in the spotlight.
So I don’t see that as competition. I think that’s actually helping our greater cause of what we’re trying to achieve by being able to have women be recognized and hopefully be able to reduce that gender inequality gap and give more women the opportunity to have those senior positions, you know, with 8% of women being in senior positions, hopefully we can grow that number to 12, 20, you know, plus and 50, 100, hopefully.
That’s the cause, that’s the result of what we’re trying to be able to achieve. So I do believe that when we start thinking differently in terms of these people are not competition, they’re helping our industry grow by having more representation of women in that industry.
I think that the overall picture is going to be much stronger. So, imagine if there was instead of one woman in construction, there’s 20, how great is that for women in construction? Now, of women in non-traditional roles in an area where other young girls and other women can see, wow, that’s an area I’d like to get into, I’ve always been really interested in that.
And now you’re allowing them that opportunity. So now that industry is growing as a result. So, I think with any industry in any business, we need to see it as an opportunity, and as a way to elevate women and not as a way of competing.
Absolutely, because that doesn’t help any of us Klaudia. It’s interesting, because it’s kind of like having, as you’ll relate to this as a mother, you have more than one child. One type of language works for one child, and the other type of language works for another child.
What if we only had one organization that was speaking the story in one way, and we didn’t have the half a dozen organizations that were speaking the same thing in different ways? We wouldn’t have as many women that are going to try and break that ceiling of 8% of women sitting in those high jobs, because they don’t think they can because they first of all, can’t rewire their brain to understand that they are worthy and that they actually can, and that it’s okay to have 60% or 75% of checkmarks before they go and apply for the job, the way that men do. And, I look at that, I think to myself, kudos to guys, kudos to men, that they’re like I don’t have it all.
But I’ve got some of it. I’ll learn the rest along the way. I wish more women were like that.
I wish that that’s a trait of men that I wish women had. But a trait that women have that they don’t use to further themselves is nurturing themselves the way they nurture their family members. Like, do it for yourself.
This is something, Klaudia, that really you’ve been saying since the beginning of our conversation. Like, nurture yourself, put yourself out there. Your organization is giving people many different reasons outside of the award itself to do that.
Do it for you. Because when you do it for you, cliches aside, you’re doing it for your family. You’re doing it for your community.
You’re doing it for society. You’re doing it for sisterhood, right?
There is no power in being the only woman in the room. The real power is helping more women enter it.
Yeah, like, this is the thing, Raj. Like, everything is out there for people.
There are opportunities for you to meet mentors. There are opportunities for you to collaborate with people. The few examples that I just gave you, those are just a handful of examples.
You know how many others have done it, from the event? There’s so much opportunity. So, take advantage of the tools, the opportunities, the collaborations, the networking. Take advantage of that because that will change the way that you move on with your career path or the way that you move on with your business.
It might provide you a new order or a new opportunity to sponsor an event or to be able to get a contract that you never thought that you’d be able to get or to find the person missing that you needed as a photographer for your event. Like, there’s so many opportunities that are out there and I think we need to really recognize it because people say, well, I don’t know how to be able to get that. It’s all there.
If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. So, ask the question and allow yourself the opportunity to have this access that’s being given to you. These opportunities are literally there for you but the reason why you don’t take advantage of them is because you don’t take that step to be able to access the things that are being provided to you and I think that’s so incredibly important to be able to do that.
Absolutely and you just said something that I think is really important and that is this whole idea of no, right? Like, that two-letter word seems to be this huge issue for women especially, get used to it, get comfortable with it because once you do, it’s not going to matter anymore and you’ll be able to overcome the no. And what’s on the other side of no, it’s always yes.
And I’ll tell you even like last year. I’ll give an example from last year. So, last year, there was so many people I reached out to for opportunities for our awards and I remember reaching out to like two or three different individuals in particular and I said to them would there be an opportunity for you to be involved in the awards and they said, no, we can’t because the economy is not doing well but I have someone who I think would be interested and so they made the connection to that person. You know what? That person came on board.
That person came on board in August. So, that’s what I’m saying is that if you don’t ask, the answer will be no but I did ask and she wasn’t able to do it but you know what? She had someone who was able to do it and I think that’s what happened to me three times last year.
Wow.
And I said and I actually said to them, I said, you are exactly the example of women empowering women because I reached out to you hoping that you might be able to help me with an introduction or being able to help me with something and you weren’t able to do it but you were able to connect me to someone who could.
Imagine if just one woman did that to another woman and the ripple effect that it would have, would be massive because that’s all it takes that one woman that is willing to, even if she can’t do it, if she knows somebody who can and can make that connection, that simple introduction, that mutual introduction, I think can change it or she might not know the answer but she will resource it for you and find it for you and help you get that next step forward and I think that usually like to me is so profound because it costs absolutely nothing but can change everything in a woman’s career.
Absolutely.
Klaudia, after five years of empowering women, what is the one message you want every woman to remember about being a woman who belongs to herself?
I would say the most impactful thing that I would share to women is that your stories matter, that your voice matters, that your dreams matter and that never underestimate the impact that you are making in this world and I want you to choose to believe in yourself. I think once you believe in yourself, you are able to take the next step forward and once you take that step forward, the empowerment piece is reaching back and bringing the next woman forward with you.
Absolutely and I have to ask you this question, forward casting as we do as visionaries, as creatives, 10-year milestone for you, what would you want it to look like? Because when we get there, I want us to play this back.
Yes, I want it to be global, it’s going to go global, this is something for the last couple of years we’ve had so many amazing women from Amsterdam, from England, from India, from Africa, from the US, like so many women come forward and when you read their stories and their journey, they’re incredible to see what they’re doing in their countries for women in their spaces and I would love to be able to recognize that on a global level.
So ideally, I would love to be able to take this on an international level, so 10 years from now, I want to be able to do that. Now, from a Foundation point, I would love to be able to provide scholarships to already we’ve given out $30,000 of scholarships, we’ve given out $137,000 of grants to small businesses and how beautiful would it be to be able to provide, instead of four scholarships a year, to be able to do 10 or 20 a year. And be able to make an impact for these young girls in STEM that don’t see beyond high school because they don’t have the financial means to be able to pursue post-secondary.
I think the more that we put women in those types of roles, in the STEM, in entrepreneurship, then we have young leaders that are independent, that are able to contribute to society in such an impactful way and also to be role models for then the next generation of young girls that are going to come forward and so that’s how the cycle continues to move forward in a progressive way and so that’s where I see ourselves in 10 years is being able to make an impact on a global level.
And I cannot wait to be a witness to that. Let’s watch this episode together when we hit the 10-year mark.
Absolutely, I would love that.
You know, I think what I’m taking away from this conversation is that empowerment isn’t about waiting to be chosen, it’s about choosing yourself and creating spaces where others can rise because they are also getting the opportunities to choose themselves and then they pass the baton.
You recognize that your journey matters and your voice in society matters to use that voice to share your story and to be able to live out those dreams and I think that’s the thing and the minute that we stop underestimating ourselves and our power and what we are able to do and how we are able to contribute to help others, I think that also makes that profound impact that changes the way that our life course goes.
Absolutely and thank you so much for your service, my dear Klaudia.
The Canadian landscape has been changed dramatically for our women since WEA came into being and that is a testament to your hard work and your strength and confidence to be able to ask other women to step up and to be a part of this and to help you accomplish this platform that is so needed for women to remind themselves that they matter, to remind themselves that they all have something impactful and empowering to not only share with others but to also help others find in themselves.
Thank you for being you, my darling, and thank you for your time and coming on my show and sharing just your words of wisdom as well as the success story that has been the last five years. Thank you for that.
Honestly, this isn’t something that I do alone. I mean, I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for women like you and I think that’s the one thing that people don’t realize They come to the event and they see this beautiful event and this amazing celebration of women but what they don’t realize is that this isn’t something that I am able to do alone without phenomenal women that are supporting, that are backing me up, that are cheering me on/
That are helping in so many different ways, whether they are a sponsor, whether they are a media partner, whether they are a vendor, whether they are providing their volunteer services, whether they’re providing their mentorship, whether they are donating funds to give to a woman for one of the awards or providing funds for a scholarship, even just buying a ticket, like something as simple as buying a ticket.
Every single ticket that comes in goes into our charity and that charity is what gives back to these young girls, to these women entrepreneurs with the grants that we provide. So I am unable to do this on my own and so it really takes a village and a community to come together to make it happen.
So, I am grateful to women like you and all of our sponsors and partners and every single person that has bought a ticket in the past and has supported us in some way because we are where we are today because of all of you, not because of me. Because everyone has stepped up to come together for this mission of what we are believing in which is we rise by lifting others and really leading by example and proving that statement is so true and that is why we are successful in celebrating five years and looking forward to celebrating our 10 year and 20 year mark and 25 and so on.
Legacy is not something that begins after you are gone. Legacy is what you are building right now.
I love it. So Klaudia, for those people who want to pick up any tickets that may be remaining still when this goes live, I’ve got a feeling you’re going to be sold out but just in case, where do they go and also is that the same place they go to reach out to you to be able to potentially sponsor or support in any way? Let’s close off with that information.
So you can get in touch with us on our website, it’s woea.ca and you can volunteer, you can be mentor, you can just go through our contact page, you can purchase our tickets on Eventbrite so you are able to go there and just look up Women Empowerment Awards and be able to purchase the tickets.
We will sell out early because if we were at the Park Hyatt, we would have been sold out already so the fact that we’ve moved on to a bigger venue just tells you right now the demand so I would say get your tickets early because they will go very, very quickly and you can also reach out to us on Instagram and being able to just message us on Instagram and one person from our team will get back to you and be able to put you in touch with the right person but we’re always looking for gift bag sponsors, anything like that so if you have anything that you would like to contribute in any way, reach out to our team and we would love to have you be involved in some way.
Cannot wait to see you, what’s the date sister? Let’s share that with everyone.
September 25th, Fairmont Royal York. You don’t want to miss it; it’s going to be really special. We’ve got some extra surprises for our fifth year so it’s going to be something really beautiful and very, very transformational.
And that’s Toronto, guys. Thank you so much, Klaudia. I appreciate you.
Appreciate you and thank you again for all of your tremendous support. You have been with us from the very beginning and so I’m honoured to be able to celebrate our five-year anniversary with you so thank you, Raj.
Absolutely, sweetheart.
I’ll be there for the 10th, the 25th and the rest. You know that.
Absolutely. Women in power, that’s what it’s about.
Absolutely.
Guys, if this conversation resonated with you, please give it a five-star rating because it’s that that’s going to help us to be able to get out amongst so many more women out there on YouTube.
Please do that because the support is really, really appreciated and it is something that we need. I also want you to please subscribe when you get there, hit the notification button. Leave your comments because this is something that I haven’t really been asking you guys to do but it’s really been coming to me.
Please, leave your comments because I’m going to make a really strong effort to read every single comment personally because what I want is I want to make sure that this show is resonating with you and the things that you want for me to be able to share more of and bring on certain types of guests.
I’m only going to know it if you share in the comments. So please, please do that and share it with someone out there, especially a woman in your life who you feel really, really is going to benefit from being a part of our ecosystem at YouTube.
I want you to also go and hang out with Klaudia at the WEA on Instagram. Go join their mailing community as well. That’s off the website as well, Klaudia, right?
You can go onto our website, subscribe, that way you get updated on all of our events because we don’t just do the awards, that’s the main one, but there’s always ongoing events throughout the year that brings that community back together again. So, there’s updates on that on the website as well.
Absolutely, and you know what the great thing is, guys? I mean, I’ve been on that newsletter community since the onset five years ago, and it really is a community where people, you know, you know, ask for help. They offer up their services.
They provide resources. It really is a very interactive space to be. I look forward to receiving the newsletters and the messages that come through Klaudia’s organization, and I know that you’re going to be able to get a lot of value, like a great starting place for you guys.
And also, make sure that you subscribe to our newsletter at theopenchestconfidenceacademy.com, and I’ll see you in the next episode. I cannot wait to share so much more insightful conversations like this one and introduce you to great guests who are on just powerful missions like Klaudia.
Thank you so much for joining me on this episode, and I’ll see you on the next one.
