Hello World,
Greetings from innovation class, again. This is quite a unique course, having us come up with ideas, work in teams, and pitch a product in just a few short days. My team decided on helping women increase confidence, and their salaries, by connecting them to coaches, community, knowledge and practice. Hence, Learn to Earn. It is crazy how many people don't negotiate salaries, and how many people miss out on gobs of money ($750,000 to be more exact) because they are afraid to ask or don't know how to ask. I hope you will consider joining us in this journey by checking out the website (in progress) and signing up to coach, be coached, connect to the community, or leverage the network!
https://www.learn2earn.online
:)
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Getaway and Forest Bath
Hello World!
The other weekend I left the city and went forest bathing. Research has shown that walking in the forest, lowers blood pressure and stress hormones. The same level of walking in an urban environment does not have these same health effects.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/07/17/536676954/forest-bathing-a-retreat-to-nature-can-boost-immunity-and-mood
It was truly wonderful and I am missing the tall trees, soothing green palettes and connection with the universe. If you want to book your own getaway check out the link below!
https://getaway.house
:)
PS I was not paid to promote this, I just wanted to share this lovely experience and a little of the science. Sometimes STEM is soothing, and sometimes its good to leave it all and embrace the great outdoors.
The other weekend I left the city and went forest bathing. Research has shown that walking in the forest, lowers blood pressure and stress hormones. The same level of walking in an urban environment does not have these same health effects.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/07/17/536676954/forest-bathing-a-retreat-to-nature-can-boost-immunity-and-mood
Here is a picture of my getaway cabin (I admit, I've become a bit of glamper (glamour camping) as I've gotten older). It was all the beauty without the bugs.
It was truly wonderful and I am missing the tall trees, soothing green palettes and connection with the universe. If you want to book your own getaway check out the link below!
https://getaway.house
:)
PS I was not paid to promote this, I just wanted to share this lovely experience and a little of the science. Sometimes STEM is soothing, and sometimes its good to leave it all and embrace the great outdoors.
Negotiation for innovation school
Hello World,
Greetings from innovation school. As part of our HW, we are reaching out to people to gather thoughts and develop ideas.
If you are inclined, I'd love to have your thoughts on the following;
Greetings from innovation school. As part of our HW, we are reaching out to people to gather thoughts and develop ideas.
If you are inclined, I'd love to have your thoughts on the following;
When it comes to negotiation (salary for example) did you feel prepared, confident etc?
What would you change about negotiation if you could?
Would you participate in something to increase your negotiation skills?
Would you pay?
What format would you want?
Thank you!
:)
Monday, July 15, 2019
The Action Shot
Hello World!
I hope this finds you well. Today I will write about the action shot. What is it you ask? As part of WAKE and the #Tech2Empower Rwanda trip, we had to submit a picture of ourselves they called the action shot. This shot should be reflective of ourselves, spark curiosity, and have a bit of a story to it. Some women chose a welcoming picture of themselves with their children, others were bold portraits, others still were quirky images in Bolivian deserts that defied ordinary optics, some highlighted impressive feats of yoga. I chose a picture of myself and famous astrophysicist Dr. Neil De Grass Tyson, in the middle of highlighting each other's space themed outfits. (Another blog entry on the details of that interaction!).
It got me thinking however, about the action shot.
I initially did not think I had very many cool action shots (recent ones anyway). For a long time, I did not have any pictures of myself, and then I realized, I should probably be in the record of my own life. (I now force myself to take photos here and there, trying to appreciate the reality of my world with me in it). I much prefer taking pictures (I have several cameras and several bazillion photos), but pictures do speak 1,000 words, as they say.
What did I want those 1,000 words to be? I admit as the trip grew near, I found myself planning ahead to actions that had not yet happened in anticipation for the action shot that could result. It is an interesting concept that I am still thinking about- what do I want my action shot(s) to be? What do I want the record of my existence to convey?
Fun? Glamour? Academics? Friendship? Community? Education? Engineering? Fashion? A little bit of all of that and more, honestly. I do not know if it is possible, as many people viewing the same image can see many different images out of one. It remains an interesting idea to me though.
In a world where people showcase a perfect image that may or may not be true, where depression rises with screen time, where it is very easy to create a false image of fake fabulousness, what is our authentic action shot?
That is the fun of science, oftentimes, there are more questions than answers!
:)
I hope this finds you well. Today I will write about the action shot. What is it you ask? As part of WAKE and the #Tech2Empower Rwanda trip, we had to submit a picture of ourselves they called the action shot. This shot should be reflective of ourselves, spark curiosity, and have a bit of a story to it. Some women chose a welcoming picture of themselves with their children, others were bold portraits, others still were quirky images in Bolivian deserts that defied ordinary optics, some highlighted impressive feats of yoga. I chose a picture of myself and famous astrophysicist Dr. Neil De Grass Tyson, in the middle of highlighting each other's space themed outfits. (Another blog entry on the details of that interaction!).
It got me thinking however, about the action shot.
I initially did not think I had very many cool action shots (recent ones anyway). For a long time, I did not have any pictures of myself, and then I realized, I should probably be in the record of my own life. (I now force myself to take photos here and there, trying to appreciate the reality of my world with me in it). I much prefer taking pictures (I have several cameras and several bazillion photos), but pictures do speak 1,000 words, as they say.
What did I want those 1,000 words to be? I admit as the trip grew near, I found myself planning ahead to actions that had not yet happened in anticipation for the action shot that could result. It is an interesting concept that I am still thinking about- what do I want my action shot(s) to be? What do I want the record of my existence to convey?
Fun? Glamour? Academics? Friendship? Community? Education? Engineering? Fashion? A little bit of all of that and more, honestly. I do not know if it is possible, as many people viewing the same image can see many different images out of one. It remains an interesting idea to me though.
In a world where people showcase a perfect image that may or may not be true, where depression rises with screen time, where it is very easy to create a false image of fake fabulousness, what is our authentic action shot?
That is the fun of science, oftentimes, there are more questions than answers!
:)
Friday, July 5, 2019
WAKE and #Tech2Empower
Hello World!
I have been traveling the world. Quite literally. I am finally able to start blogging again about some amazing experiences. I must first start with the Women's Alliance for Knowledge Exchange (WAKE) and the Tech2Empower program I was a part of in Rwanda. http://www.wakeinternational.org
This began when two female friends said- what can we do to encourage women around the world to learn from each other in meaningful ways on issues that matter? And so they started WAKE (I paraphrase). It is an amazing organization that brings talented women together to engage in entrepreneurship, mentorship, education, and true exchange of knowledge and care. It is an amazing opportunity for all involved.
I had been fortunate to have already been a part of a similarly wonderful program, TechWomen. Not living in the Bay Area anymore though, I could not participate in delegation trips. I applied for a WAKE delegation trip last year but was not accepted (I'm sharing to encourage you to never give up! No is just an opportunity to better prepare for Yes). I applied this year and was part of the team!
We, a diverse group of women from google, small start ups, and the like- all around the world, convened in Kigali for a truly amazing experience.
We started with learning more about the city, experiencing the genocide museum, and learning more about the economy and the women who drive much of it. We continued with an incubator program where we learned about specific companies and were paired to work with the founders in their pursuits sharing what we know and learning from them whether they be menstrual equality, sports, playgrounds, STEM education (and more!). I was paired with the Starlight Rwanda team. (I got to do some data! Which is always fun). Wow! Ariane and Alice are two friends that are changing the world through science. You can read more here
https://www.equals.org/single-post/2018/05/11/Meet-Ariane-A-Daring-Innovator-Bridging-the-Gender-Digital-Divide-in-Rwanda
We continued with visits to schools (teaching and learning), networking events, and cultural education (I learned how to make banana wine, baskets, made my first cocktail ever, learned about local art, dance, etc). It was AMAZING.
A few highlights/moments of emotional impacts (in no particular order):
-Going to a country with more women in government than anywhere else, and meeting one of them!
- Seeing animals in the wild, beautiful, wild, and free. It was just very moving.
- Going through the genocide memorial, seeing how people can be socially engineered for cruelty, and the sadness of a present state of the world in general that still harbors hate of all kinds.
- Experiencing the purposeful social engineering for forgiveness, recovery, peace, and success. Rwanda is a place I'd go back to on my own in a heartbeat- lush, green, beautiful, clean and kind.
- Meeting sisters in STEM, meeting women, who like, me believe it to be fun, exciting, glamorous, and have a mission to share. We really do have more in common than not!
-Meeting diverse women from all walks of life, learning their stories, and what makes all of us remarkable (an exercise in which we share why we are personally and professionally remarkable).
It was simply special and impactful and something I hope I do in some capacity every year, because boundaries are meeting points, not ending points. They broaden our world and bring us face to face with ourselves, good and bad, and each other, as brothers and sisters of the human spirit (and in this case, spirits in STEM!).
:)
I have been traveling the world. Quite literally. I am finally able to start blogging again about some amazing experiences. I must first start with the Women's Alliance for Knowledge Exchange (WAKE) and the Tech2Empower program I was a part of in Rwanda. http://www.wakeinternational.org
This began when two female friends said- what can we do to encourage women around the world to learn from each other in meaningful ways on issues that matter? And so they started WAKE (I paraphrase). It is an amazing organization that brings talented women together to engage in entrepreneurship, mentorship, education, and true exchange of knowledge and care. It is an amazing opportunity for all involved.
I had been fortunate to have already been a part of a similarly wonderful program, TechWomen. Not living in the Bay Area anymore though, I could not participate in delegation trips. I applied for a WAKE delegation trip last year but was not accepted (I'm sharing to encourage you to never give up! No is just an opportunity to better prepare for Yes). I applied this year and was part of the team!
We, a diverse group of women from google, small start ups, and the like- all around the world, convened in Kigali for a truly amazing experience.
We started with learning more about the city, experiencing the genocide museum, and learning more about the economy and the women who drive much of it. We continued with an incubator program where we learned about specific companies and were paired to work with the founders in their pursuits sharing what we know and learning from them whether they be menstrual equality, sports, playgrounds, STEM education (and more!). I was paired with the Starlight Rwanda team. (I got to do some data! Which is always fun). Wow! Ariane and Alice are two friends that are changing the world through science. You can read more here
https://www.equals.org/single-post/2018/05/11/Meet-Ariane-A-Daring-Innovator-Bridging-the-Gender-Digital-Divide-in-Rwanda
We continued with visits to schools (teaching and learning), networking events, and cultural education (I learned how to make banana wine, baskets, made my first cocktail ever, learned about local art, dance, etc). It was AMAZING.
A few highlights/moments of emotional impacts (in no particular order):
-Going to a country with more women in government than anywhere else, and meeting one of them!
- Seeing animals in the wild, beautiful, wild, and free. It was just very moving.
- Going through the genocide memorial, seeing how people can be socially engineered for cruelty, and the sadness of a present state of the world in general that still harbors hate of all kinds.
- Experiencing the purposeful social engineering for forgiveness, recovery, peace, and success. Rwanda is a place I'd go back to on my own in a heartbeat- lush, green, beautiful, clean and kind.
- Meeting sisters in STEM, meeting women, who like, me believe it to be fun, exciting, glamorous, and have a mission to share. We really do have more in common than not!
-Meeting diverse women from all walks of life, learning their stories, and what makes all of us remarkable (an exercise in which we share why we are personally and professionally remarkable).
It was simply special and impactful and something I hope I do in some capacity every year, because boundaries are meeting points, not ending points. They broaden our world and bring us face to face with ourselves, good and bad, and each other, as brothers and sisters of the human spirit (and in this case, spirits in STEM!).
:)
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