Episode 2: Choose to Challenge
In Episode 2, Challin and Mousumi met with Rachel Misick to talk about her book Second to None, her perspective on the importance of telling diverse stories, and their commitments to challenge inequity this International Women’s Day.
“Entrepreneurship is convincing yourself and others of your self worth. It’s sacrificing what you want to do for what you have to do.”
About This Week’s Guest:
Rachel Misick is a writer, strategist, and author of "Second to None: Interviews and Inspiration from Chicago's Female Founders," a print book containing 27 original interviews with Chicago’s leading female founders who are making waves, building community, and breaking glass ceilings. Much of her work focuses on inclusive feminist narratives and the intersection of creativity and social impact through brand storytelling. She is a contributing writer at various niche culture publications and serves as Director of Brand Strategy for a WOC-owned fashion brand.
Quick Links:
Rachel’s book Second to None, produced by Ettakit, is “a celebration of this tradition of female ingenuity and our acknowledgment of the women who see beyond what is and work for what can be.” You can purchase Second to None here from Weeva.
We’ve outlined our full #ChoosetoChallenge commitments in our latest blog post here. If you want to learn more about International Women’s Day, check out a list of resources on their website.
Inspiration:
For those of us battling imposter syndrome, check out this workbook from the New York Times with simple steps on how to overcome feelings of inadequacy or imposter syndrome. And this article from Forbes does a great job of showing that the reason we feel like imposters is often because of who we’ve internalized as “worthy of” a role.
Imposter syndrome isn’t just about our feelings; it’s about structures in the workplace that can make women feel inferior or like they’re our of place. This piece from Harvard Business Review argues that “the answer to overcoming imposter syndrome is not to fix individuals, but to create an environment that fosters a number of different leadership styles and where diversity of racial, ethnic, and gender identities is viewed as just as professional as the current model.”
For women working to overcome the pressures of being a working mom, we recommend reading up on the Marshall Plan for Moms, which is a piece of legislation that’s been introduced by Congresswoman Grace Meng of New York. The Marshall Plan advocates for a monthly stimulus for moms who have had their paid labor in the workforce replaced by unpaid labor at home. It also includes policies around paid family leave and pay equity. If the full resolution resonates with you, you can sign the petition here.
Shout out to Reshma Saujani, the founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, who created the Marshall Plan for Moms and who leads programs that aim to close the gender gap in STEM and technology jobs.
Where to Find Us
We’re on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Interested in a guest post on our blog, or want to be a featured guest on the podcast? Email us at weareoverworked@gmail.com.
