Q & A with Julia Gartland - The Sassy Gourmet

What really goes on in a woman's mind? As part of the WCC's mission, we hope through narrative and various forms of media to draw on women's connections with one another, creating a greater understanding, compassion, and utility within our relationships to build stronger selves and communities.

Julia Gartland, founder of Sassy Gourmet Bakery and creator of Sassy Kitchen--a blog and website sharing with her readers good food, good talk, and, as she likes to say, "a bit of sass"--shares with us her illuminating thoughts to our questions.  Thank you, Julia, for your fabulous and, as always, sassy contribution.  To learn more about Julia, her blog, and bakery, please visit her website.  To read an essay contributed to the WCC site by Julia, please visit Julia's post here. 

WCC - What have you learned about yourself in the past year?

JG - I learned that I really do have all the power in the world. I always had a feeling that I really could do anything if I really tried, but it was just a feeling. This year, I feel I really executed or overcame so many challenging endeavors for myself. I'm very proud of the risks I've taken, and in sharing more of myself than I previously have.

WCC - What do you see when you look in the mirror?

JG - I see a self-assured, put-together woman. I definitely think I have a presence, for whatever it's worth. I try to mirror my insides on the outsides, literally and figuratively.

WCC - What defines you as a woman?

JG - Fearlessness. I didn't always feel confident to defend my gender, or stand up for my opinion. Now, I'm not afraid to be who I am. I'm not afraid to say I'm a feminist, demand respect, and stay true to myself no matter what people could be thinking of me. It is more important for me to feel myself, and feel proud of what I am at the end of the day.

WCC - What motivates you to get up in the morning?

JG - What doesn't? I absolutely thrive on all of the dreams and ideas I plan on executing in my life. I almost worry I won't have enough time to do them all. I am similarly motivated by connections, family, love and all of my creative pursuits.

WCC - If you could share any piece of wisdom with a woman or girl of a younger generation, what would it be?

JG - All the things you've probably already heard; listen to your gut, stay true to yourself, etc. I think the problem is how abstract those phrases can be if you don't know who you are. I would suggest as much exploration as possible in your younger years. Finding out what isn't you, is just as important as finding out what is. It's all part of the process...

Speaking Her Voice: Q & A - Melissa Kushner

What really goes on in a woman's mind?  

As part of the WCC's mission, we hope through narrative and various forms of media to draw on women's connections with one another; creating a greater understanding, compassion and utility within our relationships to build stronger selves and communities.  

Melissa Kushner, Executive Director and Founder of Goods for Good, took time out of her very busy schedule to answer our questions.  Thank you Melissa for your generous contribution!

WCC - What have you learned about yourself in the past year?

MK - I feel like I learn something new everyday whether it is in my job or at home with my husband. Life is so fast and there are so many things coming at you at once I continue to learn and struggle with how to juggle everything, but I am starting to realize that this is life.

WCC - What do you see when you look in the mirror?

MK - It all depends. M-F I would say a WOMAN. Sat-Sun I would say a tired little girl (does that make any sense?)

WCC - What defines you as a woman?

MK - This does not define me as a woman but as a person...I work among and within many different worlds that require quite a bit of navigating. Whether it is in a rural village in Africa, living in the West Village in Manhattan, fundraising among powerful business people, working hands on with orphans...I am always amazed that I am able to adapt...I think this is a very interesting human characteristic and capability.

WCC - What motivates you to get up in the morning?

MK - The hope that in some small way I am making the world a better place for the millions of orphans and vulnerable children that have no one to fend for them.

WCC -  If you could share any piece of wisdom with a woman or girl of a younger generation, what would it be?

MK - You can do it all, but get ready its tough out there!



(Media printed with permission by Melissa Kushner.  All rights reserved.)

Speaking Her Voice - Q and A

What really goes on in a woman's mind? Is what we think as a woman so different from one another, or are our similarities so glaring but we are afraid of sharing them.

We at the WCC intend to highlight the uniqueness and similarity in women. With the following questions we hope to break down barriers that women inadvertantly put up in order not to expose our vulnerabilities and insecurities; rather we hope to draw on understanding, compassion and utility in our relationships with one another

We want to hear from you!

Check out the following 5 questions and write to us at info@womenscollaborativecircle.org with your answers.

1. What have you learned about yourself in the past year?
2. What do you see when you look in the mirror?
3. What defines you as a woman?
4. What motivates you to get up in the morning?
5. If you could share any piece of wisdom with a woman or girl of a younger generation, what would it be?

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WCC featured poet, Alana Joblin Ain answers a few of our thought-provoking collaborative circle questions. Thanks for sharing your voice with us, Alana!

WCC - What have you learned about yourself in the past year?

AJA - This has been a busy year –I just celebrated my first year of marriage, and while I’ve never had trouble expressing myself through writing, I’ve learned that my in-person communication would benefit from the same patience and thoughtfulness that I have when I sit down to write. This requires a lot of work and grace, which is probably the most important thing I’ve learned to cultivate in myself. Oh, and I re-learned something that I’ve always had a hunch about -- I much prefer cobbling together freelance / flexible work over spending my days in an office – I need a window, fresh air, natural light.

WCC - What motivates you to get up in the morning?

AJA - I like being alive. I really do. Some days are harder than others. And sensitive people are prone to feel the sadness as deeply as the joy. Overall, though, I’m filled with an enormous sense of gratitude. Today I get to write in the morning, and then head over to Hunter to teach my students. I live in NYC where you have so many small but meaningful interactions. November, the night of the election returns, I was riding the subway home from work, and everyone was tense and weary – people just wanted to get back to see the results. Then this kid with a busted-up-duct-taped guitar comes on the train and plays “Here Comes the Sun.” He had an incredible voice. Everyone was smiling and several people teared up. And that night turned out pretty great. Things like that happen in this city, and it’s exciting not to know who you’ll encounter each day. I’m also motivated by the people I do know I’ll encounter: My husband, my family, my friends.

WCC - If you could share any piece of wisdom with a woman or girl of a younger generation, what would it be?

AJA - I was a very shy girl, and there are parts of that shyness that I still struggle to overcome as a woman. My hope for a younger generation of women and girls is community, and finding the comfort and strength to communicate openly with other women about their fears, concerns, desires – so that they feel empowered. This site and organization are so crucial to that, and I’m honored to be a part of it. In terms of imparting wisdom, I’d say spend less time worrying what others think, of being judged, or feeling guilty. Find whatever way is most comfortable to express yourself; never be afraid to articulate your voice.

Change Starts With A Girl

"A revolution led by a 12 year-old girl!"

For more information please visist http://www.girleffect.org/

We at the WCC are thinking how can we get hop on the girl-revolution wagon! How can we inspire, support and lead our future girls - both locally and globally?! Any ideas contact us info@womenscollaborativecircle.org.

The F Word - Feminist!

What do you think about the word feminist?

WCC collaborator Jill wrote to us wanting to know what we thought of the word feminist. She said that she is continually fascinated by the loadedness of the word. We agreed and thought that was a great question.

Are you one? Why or why not? What does the word mean to you?

Email us info@womenscollaborativecircle.org and tell us your thoughts! We would love to share them with the rest of the WCC community!

WCC Question and Answer

We received a question regarding the use of reusable menstrual pads. Now, keep in mind we here at the WCC are no experts, just advocates of providing you with information. You can contact one of many experts at Luna Pads, however here is the question we received and an answer from a member of our WCC community.

Question:

I have a question for you.

When I do menstruate (which is maybe three times in the last four years including miscarriages), I use tampons. I don't really feel bad about it since there is no plastic involved and the tampons will biodegrade. But some part of me wants to use reusable products whenever possible.

Yet although cloth diapering is not in the last bit gross to me, cloth menstrual pads actually nauseate me a little. Perhaps it's the idea of the blood? I'm not sure why: poop is no less disgusting in principle, but blood stains seem harder to remove from other clothing if I put them together in the laundry.

So my question is, how do you deal with the pads? Do you pre-soak them like you'd pre-soak cloth diapers? How many pads do you own? How does the whole process work? I doubt I'll be able to get past the scariness of the blood in with my regular laundry.

Thanks,

Learning to Love Re-Usable Pads

Answer:

Dear Learning to Love,

Good question, glad you asked, and thanks for your honesty!

First, let's discuss the blood. Like poop (which I happen to think is a LOT more nauseating, to be honest), blood is natural and comes from our bodies. In an odd way, I have come to honor and embrace my menstrual blood. Am I smearing it on my face and doing ritual dances? No, but I have come to terms with it thanks to Inga Muscio's book Cunt.

Ok, so first I ordered a starter kit. I also bought Bac-out (check out the bi-o-kleen site) for odor and stain remover (also good when your pet or potty-learning toddler pees on the carpet ;) ) and a waterproof bag to store the used pads in, like this one. You can also call and ask the folks at Luna Pads questions; they are really helpful! After I am done using the pad (which is very comfy and secures well into your underwear) I rinse the pad with cold water in the sink. If at home, I soak the pads in the sink or in a bucket (like reusable diapers) with Bac-out and water. I don't like having pads hanging around in standing water (and neither does my husband). So after an hour or so, I rinse them and either throw them in the wash or let them dry and then throw them in with the rest of my laundry. So, really there are not globs of blood anywhere.

I find it to be a very easy process and one that I actually enjoy. I feel like I am honoring and taking care of myself and the earth. A few thoughts/tips: I ordered darker colored pads just because I thought that "seeing" old but clean blood stains would be less appealing to use. Also, in the summer (although I am not a big tampon user) the Luna pads are fairly warm, but you can supplement with non-bleached chemical tampons, sea sponge, or diva cup.

In summary - it is doable once you get a routine going and not much blood in the laundry if you pre-clean! :)

Happy Learning!

The WCC