From the archives: this interview with Clare originally appeared on the site on August 3rd, 2010.

What is your name, age, and location?

Hello, my name’s Clare Owen, I’m 24 and I live in the UK.

What is your profession?

I work for an ethical beauty company and am also an illustrator. Though I’m hoping to be self-employed and drawing full time by autumn.

What did you study in school and what degrees do you have?

I have a Bachelor of Arts in Illustration.

What was your first job?

My Dad made me get my first job at 14, which I’m quite glad of in retrospect, it taught me a good work ethic from a young age. It was just in a news store and I would just chat to and serve pensioners but it helped me see the value in the things my parents paid for and did for me.

Who or what inspired you to break into your current line of work?

I always loved illustration, I just never knew what it was. I read the Jacqueline Wilson books in primary school and would emulate the illustration styles but with drawings of myself or my Mum and Dad. I feel very blessed that I’ve always known what I wanted to do, even if I didn’t know the name of it.

Name/describe what has been your most rewarding project so far?

Setting up an online shop! I didn’t have the confidence for a long while, but knowing that all kinds of people all over the world want to hang your pictures up in their nursery or give them as a wedding gift is just a lovely, lovely feeling. I remember the things I’ve had on my walls at different times in my life and it just feels great to know mine are somewhere sitting in the houses and lives of other people.

Name/describe one incident when being a woman has helped your career?

I’m not sure if this counts. But being a woman seems to have helped me network with and befriend the most amazing talented females, mostly online but occasionally in ‘real life’ too. This new wave of feminine illustration and female orientated craft is amazing, and as much as I dislike the Internet most days, I love being able to contact and learn from ladies all around the world.

Who is your role model or mentor (alive or dead)?

Oh so many. I couldn’t name just one. I have a recent obsession with reading quotes by women whom I regard strong and beautiful. Coco Chanel is a favorite, Virginia Woolf, Miranda July, My Nan! … Loads!

If you could give one piece of advice to a woman starting out in your field, what would it be?

“And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” – Sylvia Plath

I think this quote can apply to any creative field. For your best work, you have to be calm and confident. So try keep your head up and believe in what you do.

Links:

clareowen.co.uk

Clare’s shop on Etsy.com

– Interview by Elena Rossini

When I was twenty-seven, I felt like a pebble on the beach. Now I feel like the whole beach.

– Shirley MacLaine

(b. 1934) American actress and author. In 1983, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Terms of Endearment.

Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.

– Martha Graham

(1894 – 1991) American dancer and choreographer

I first came across Inês’ wonderful work two years ago, while researching girl empowerment communities for my documentary project The Illusionists (for which Inês eventually became an ally, supporter and sponsor).

I was instantly captivated by Inês’ vision, drive, determination, and altruism. Her enterprise 7Wonderlicious is focused on overturning gender stereotypes, empowering girls to achieve their full potential: the site contains a multitude of resources for girls and parents alike and is constantly updated with inspiring blog posts.

Inês’ latest initiative is “A Chain of Girl Goodness“: she aims to create a values-driven online marketplace – similar to Etsy.com – focused on empowering products for girls. In order to create a prototype for this online platform, Inês is currently running a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. Help make it happen here: www.indiegogo.com/GirlPower.

What is your name, age, and location?

Inês Almeida, 38 years old, Sydney Australia.

What is your profession?

I am a Business Leader and Entrepreneur; my areas of expertise include business strategy, marketing, product design and development where Software is the enabler, leadership, organizational design, and change management.

What did you study in school and what degrees do you have?

I have a Masters Degree in Computer Science Engineering. I have also studied performing arts, psychology and leadership.

What was your first job?

I started my career as a Software Developer working for an IT consulting firm called America Management Systems (AMS) in Lisbon, Portugal. My first assignment was supporting a Customer Care and Billing System for a Portuguese Telco, the system was written in Cobol, an old programming language. One year later I had the opportunity to be assigned to another Telco Project in Dusseldorf, Germany where I became a C++ Developer and soon after a Technical Leader.

The project included 400 expats from all over the world; I had the chance to expand my understanding of the different cultures and acquired a huge desire to travel. Since then I have lived in four different countries and have been constantly travelling the world on business and for fun.

Who or what inspired you to break into your current line of work?

A few years ago a relationship that was not right for me ended in the midst of a lot of pain and suffering. I was no longer able to see a little girl that was part of my life since she was two years old. To ease my pain I decided, right then and there, to build a legacy that would not only serve her but many other little girls around the world.

I founded 7Wonderlicious a Business and Community that was created with one single purpose, to help reduce all threats to girlhood that crush our girls’ true nature and potential. 7Wonderlicious focuses on overturning the gender stereotypes that make girls obsess with body image, keep girls from taking leadership roles, that limit girls’ interests in sciences and math and cause them to feel self-aware when playing sports.

This project focuses on activism, literacy and on creating products for girls that counter the gender stereotypes that are so prevalent in our society.

Name/describe what has been your most rewarding project so far?

Recently I decided to expand the focus of my work from one single product business and create a values-driven online marketplace that will bring together all pro-girl businesses from all over the world, this project is called A Chain Of Girl Goodness.

I am so excited with the impact that this project will have, that I have decided to put my corporate career on hold and I have left my day job working as Global Head of Strategic Marketing for a wonderful IT Consulting Company called ThoughtWorks to focus on this initiative full time.

The Project was released only a few weeks ago and it is already getting a huge amount of support from Experts, Not For Profits, and Businesses and from the 7Wonderlicious Tribe.

Name/describe one incident when being a woman has helped your career?

I cannot recall one specific incident per se, but I can talk about how my career is being guided in a wonderful new direction because I am a woman.

I believe this is a wonderful time to be a woman as we are in the tipping point of a huge revolution caused by two main factors: the rise in economic power for the women in the western world, the power of social media and internet, connecting us all, allowing us to exchange ideas as well as engage in organized activism at a global scale.

We have a lot of work to do to ensure that the next generations of women attain equal rights and opportunities all over the world. Many of us now have the confidence and the access to the right tools to finally make it happen.

Name/describe one incident when being a woman has hindered your career?

I have personally been affected by the stereotype threat for most of my life, and although I have had a very successful and fulfilling career, there have been many situations where I have struggled to express my own point of view in decisive meetings or in environments where I was clearly the odd one out. Some time ago I made a promise to myself that I would push myself to speak up when it is most difficult and uncomfortable, it takes practice and courage to do so but I am enjoying every moment of it.

Please say a few words about your experience with the work-life balance.

When you love what you do and do what you love there is no distinction between life and work. I have a meaningful and fulfilled life doing what I love from the moment I wake up in the morning until the time I go to bed at night.

Who is your role model or mentor (alive or dead)?

Amy Goodman and Eve Ensler, for their courage, determination and for their amazing body of work.

If you could give one piece of advice to a woman starting out in your field, what would it be?

Focus on learning and adding value, and self-belief will pour into you and fill you up with all that you need to make a positive impact in the world. See each obstacle as an opportunity to learn and step up your game. Surround yourself with likeminded peers that challenge you and inspire you. Have the courage to leave behind what no longer serves you. Don’t attempt to be anyone other than yourself, you are awesome and don’t let others tell you otherwise.

Links:

A Chain of Girl Goodness

7Wonderlicious

7Wonderlicious on Facebook

Follow Ines on Twitter @GirlEmpowerment

– Interview by Elena Rossini

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The excitement of learning separates youth from old age. As long as you’re learning, you’re not old.

– Rosalyn Yalow

(b. 1921) American medical physicist. In 1977 she became the second woman to be awarded the Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine. She shared the award with Roger Guillemin and Andrew Schally for the development of the radioimmunoassay (RIA) technique.

In honor of the upcoming Earth Day (April 22nd), here’s an interview with Lebanese environmental consultant Sima Hojaij.

What is your name, age, and location?

My name is Sima Hojaij, I’m 23 years old and I’m currently living in Beirut, Lebanon.

What is your profession?

I work as an environmental consultant at G.

What did you study in school and what degrees do you have?

I graduated from the American University of Beirut with a BS degree in Environmental Health and a Minor in Public Health. I then pursued my studies in King’s College London and got an Msc degree in Environmental Monitoring, Modelling and Management.

What was your first job?

I was an intern at Croydon Council in London. I was working with the sustainable development team while I was pursuing my master’s.

Who or what inspired you to break into your current line of work?

Ever since I was a little girl I used to watch environmental documentaries with my cousins. And ever since, my father would encourage me to pursue my studies in this domain as he saw how passionate I was about the environment. People including my friends still don’t seem to understand why I decided to break into this line, and till today they still think I’m just a “Tree Hugger”. It does not bother me; on the contrary it made me want to work in this domain even more. I once came across a quote that I loved: “Hug a tree, they have less issues than people.” This made me even prouder to be called a “Tree hugger”.

Name/describe what has been your most rewarding project so far?

During my internship at Croydon Council, I had a to create an environmental impact assessment template which was then posted on their website for businesses to use as a guideline. I would consider this my most rewarding project taking into consideration that it was my first duty as an employee.

Name/describe one incident when being a woman has helped your career?

Personally, I would consider that being a woman has helped my career during the implementation of awareness campaigns for communities around Lebanon.

Name/describe one incident when being a woman has hindered your career?

I have not yet faced any problems being a woman in my career. However, being an environmental consultant requires having to work on site, I would therefore expect to face some trouble on site at one point in my career.

Please say a few words about your experience with the work-life balance.

Having to balance between work and social life is not an easy task especially at the beginning, which is why time management is important. I try my best to avoid taking home any extra work, but sometimes multitasking is needed especially when one is passionate about their work.

Who is your role model or mentor (alive or dead)?

I think almost every “girl” or “woman” would give the same answer: my father.

If you could give one piece of advice to a woman starting out in your field, what would it be?

I would tell her not to give up, especially if she wants to work in Lebanon as finding a job in my field, or in any field as a matter of fact, is not easy at all.

Links:

G’s website

G’s Facebook page

Follow G on Twitter: @GGreenliving

– Interview by Elena Rossini

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And the trouble is, if you don’t risk anything, you risk even more.

– Erica Jong

(b. 1942) American writer and teacher, best known for her novel Fear of Flying (1973).

What is your name, age, and location?

Natalia Oberti Noguera, 26, New York, United States.

What is your profession?

I am a woman innovator, founder and CEO of Pipeline.

Pipeline is a social venture startup whose mission is to ensure that every woman achieves her potential as an innovator. Pipeline envisions a world where a woman’s gender is viewed as an opportunity and not a disadvantage. Pipeline runs proof-of-concept labs to accelerate women innovators through their career pipelines, operates a social venture fund that invests in women-led triple-bottom line (TBL) startups, and produces #womaninnovator, a media campaign that increases the visibility of women innovators.

What did you study in school and what degrees do you have?

BA in Comparative Literature & Economics, Yale University. MSc in International Healthcare Management, Bocconi University. MA in Organizational Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University (in progress).

What was your first job?

Yale’s Phone Program – I called alumni and asked for money. It was a great way to learn about metrics, connecting with someone, and pitching. I loved hearing people’s stories as they reminisced and felt lucky to be part of a community that had good memories from their time at Yale.

Who or what inspired you to break into your current line of work?

The book Princess by Jean P. Sasson deeply impacted me. Princess narrated the life story of a Saudi Arabian princess. Growing up, she and her brother were like two peas in a pod. Then, suddenly, as they were reaching puberty, their common journey abruptly ended and separate paths began. My feminism was cemented the second I realized that Sultana did not have the same choices her brother did and I have advocated for gender equity and women’s empowerment since then.

Name/describe what has been your most rewarding project so far?

From launching Yale’s first photography journal, The Gaze, to linking women innovators with each other, sharing their stories via #womaninnovator (Pipeline’s media campaign), and providing programs to accelerate women innovators in their career pipelines, the projects I am most proud of are those where I serve the roles of community builder, platform-creator, and matchmaker of needs with resources.

Name/describe one incident when being a woman has helped your career?

In her book The Loudest Duck, Laura Liswood asks the reader to think about what the elephant in the room needs to learn about the mouse in the room, and vice-versa. While the elephant sees no reason to learn anything about the mouse, the mouse’s survival depends on knowing everything about the elephant. Similarly, non-dominant groups, such as women and people of color, learn to be more observant and adaptable.

As a woman, I am aware of what I term on Twitter as the #genderskewed perspective that the media, individuals, and even language perpetuate. Being a woman has given me the opportunity to view the world through a gender lens and this has helped me learn from both the mouse and the elephant throughout my career pipeline.

Name/describe one incident when being a woman has hindered your career?

Being a woman has not hindered my career – it created it.

Do you want to have children? Why or why not?

No. I am aware that this could change, however, it is not part of my identity and it is not something I believe is missing from my life.

Who is your role model or mentor (alive or dead)?

My role models tend to break stereotypes and inspire me to do the same. For example, Anne Mulcahy grooming Ursula Burns to succeed her as Xerox’s CEO. Women can and do help each other succeed in their career pipelines.

If you could give one piece of advice to a woman starting out in your field, what would it be?

As a woman innovator, learn at a minimum a second language and realize that language matters. Languages come with different cultures and ways of communicating, even thinking. The subtle differences and similarities between languages will expand your expectations for what’s possible while emphasizing the importance of finding common ground.

Links:

Pipeline on Facebook

Pipeline’s Blog

Follow Natalia on Twitter

– Interview by Elena Rossini

We should always have three friends in our lives – one who walks ahead who we look up to and follow; one who walks beside us, who is with us every step of our journey; and then, one who we reach back for and bring along after we’ve cleared the way.

– Michelle Obama

(b. 1964) First Lady of the United States. Lawyer. Advocate for poverty awareness and healthy eating.

What is your name, age, and location?

Judy Nogg, 63, Boulder, Colorado.

What is your profession?

I worked in Hollywood for many years, as a story analyst and writer. Now I work at a nonprofit that serves veterans.

What did you study in school and what degrees do you have?

Undergraduate BA in Sociology, Psychology, and Political Science. Masters in Education.

What was your first job?

I worked at my dad’s company at age 16, filling in for people on summer vacations. In college, I worked in a department store selling accessories. After college my first job was as a waitress and my second job was as a pre-school teacher.

Who or what inspired you to break into your current line of work?

When I was student teaching, there was a boy in my class whose mother had murdered his father. She was in prison. I could tell that this kid was in trouble and I kept asking my supervising teacher, the principal, and the school psychologist for help, but it wasn’t happening.

When I moved back to Colorado, I kept thinking about him. Finally, one of my girlfriends got tired of me talking about him and said, “Don’t you think there might be other kids in trouble here that you could help?” So I got in touch with social services and my husband and I became foster parents to teenagers (even though we were just twenty-four years old ourselves). That’s what started me in the general field of human services.

In terms of my interest in the entertainment world, the idea burst into my consciousness when I saw the movie, WELCOME TO L.A.

Name/describe what has been your most rewarding project so far?

I have to say that it’s all been pretty exciting. From having a foster home for five teenage girls to now, working with veterans. The entertainment world was very “exciting” but I get more meaning out of social services.

Name/describe one incident when being a woman has helped your career?

My first experience where I noticed it was when I was substitute teaching at a reformatory. The teenage boys, no matter what trouble they’d caused, viewed me as a mother figure—even though I was just a few years older than they were. No matter how they may have treated female peers, they all had great respect for their moms and they all gave me natural respect. It was quite remarkable.

I feel that the female perspective has provided me with a balance that has helped my career, but I’ve never felt that simply being a woman helped or hindered.

Name/describe one incident when being a woman has hindered your career?

I can’t say that I ever felt that being a woman hindered my career. I always felt equal to men. When I look back, I see that most of the parents I knew when I was a kid talked to their sons about careers and talked to their daughters about going to college to meet a man or to be a nurse or teacher. That all changed very fast in the sixties.

Please say a few words about your experience with the work-life balance.

As I was a single woman most of the time that I raised two daughters, it was very hard balancing motherhood with career. When the kids were little, I recognized that I had the choice of pursuing my career (developing movies in Hollywood) or paying sufficient attention to my kids. I had to decide if I wanted a more secure job with flexibility but not much promise of high pay (and the time to spend with my kids) or to pursue the top executive track and be a workaholic to succeed. I decided that I’d rather spend more time with my kids. I never regretted my decision to sacrifice career heights and money to be more available to my children. But I have never been very interested in money or power. For me, relationships and service are much more nourishing.

Who is your role model or mentor (alive or dead)?

Many, but Eleanor Roosevelt stands out. Meryl Steep would be another. My mom is probably my very best role model. She was remarkably adept at making all people, from whatever background, feel comfortable in her presence. She was a very curious person who loved to read and converse.

If you could give one piece of advice to a woman starting out in your field, what would it be?

I think the best advice I would have for women starting out in either the entertainment or nonprofit world is that there are all types of people out there in every profession. Some of them have it together and some don’t. As a woman, as a human being, we want to keep growing, keep learning how to interact with others, how to promote the positive while keeping firm boundaries. I don’t jump all over myself for my poor choices nor do I get too self-satisfied with my wiser choices. It’s just all one big educational adventure to me. That would be my advice: have an adventure all the time. Be true to yourself. We each know our own truths and when we listen, our lives flourish and when we ignore our own truths, we flounder. The choice is always ours.

Links:

Veterans Helping Veterans Now

– Interview by Eve Richer

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