TED Heads and Why I Love TED Talks

Giving birth to (business) twins! EXCITING NEWS! READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Dear WCC Community,

So, I have REALLY EXCITING news to share with you! 

The Women's Collaborative Circle is growing by LEAPS and BOUNDS! So much so that the WCC (as a brand, business, and organization) has bursted into two!  Well, not quite bursted, but has gone through a strategically planned rebranding and development to bring you TWO new business to best serve your needs ;) 

 

First, let me say that your dedication and commitment to the development of the WCC has meant the world to me!  Because of your support and generosity, I have been able to connect, work with, and serve women locally and globally. Because of your time and energy, I have been able to further grow the vision of the WCC and introduce you to the next level of women's self-care, empowerment, and social change.  

 

I am thrilled to announce the soon-to-be launch of Woman Centered - a personal development and social action organization.  Woman Centered empowers forward thinking women to actively effect change within themselves and in the world around them.  Woman Centered will be offering 1:1 mentoring services, special events, programs, resources, and SO MUCH MORE! YAY! The site is set to launch in another few weeks, so stay tuned!

 

I am equally excited to announce the development of my specialized psychotherapy practice for women.  Dr. Carly Goldberg - Therapy for Women. My private practice offers a dedicated space for women to receive in person psychotherapy services to meet the needs of women's psychological development and emotional wellness.  For more information, please visit www.drcarlygoldberg.com.  

... Wow!  I feel like I just birthed twins! ;) 

As I finish the final touches on both new websites, I want you to know that I am developing this with all of you in mind.  I can not wait for us to further grow as a community and create long lasting change within ourselves, our families, communities, and world around us! 

Please feel free to reach out, let me know your thoughts, feedback, or just say hello! 

With deepest gratitude,

Carly 

Carly Goldberg, DSW, LCSW

www.drcarlygoldberg.com

www.womancentered.org

Occupy Wall Street With Your Voice!

Mic check? Mic check! On the Women's Collaborative Circle Facebook page I recently posted resources for people to learn about the uprisings on Wall Street in New York City and spreading to other cities nationwide.

To learn more check out Occupy Wall Street and We are the 99% and make your voice heard!

So I Had a Baby, Can I Get a Job Too?

Image from www.tanyabrown.org

Domestic Goddess

Domestic Diva

Mommy on Duty

Or the boring title Stay-At-Home-Mom

Whatever you choose to describe the incredible work we do, either of those titles listed on a resume or cover letter is a sure fire way to get your application tossed into the wastebasket (or recycle bin).  So what do you do when you are a Domestic Diva seeking to re-enter the work place? 

Like many first-time parents, it was important for my partner and I to have one of us remain at home and provide full time care for our daughter during her first year of life.  The reason I was solicited to serve as the Domestic Goddess was due to my stunning post-natal figure and the fact I made a series of poor employment choices and at that time had a totally crap job.  

Things were going splendid for us and I began to re-think that whole Women’s Liberation thing, and then one day I glanced at our bank account and determined it was time to go back to work – STAT!  After all, we reside in the heart of one the of the Nation’s most expensive cities and Domestic Diva’s are only for the brilliantly rich (not moderately poor).   

Time to find a job!  No sweat, I have an MBA and years of work experience, this should be a piece of cake.  I’ll just go back to work… during the worst economy or country has known in over a generation. 

Great!

Now what to do about that year gap on my resume?  Should I just state that I have been home with my beautiful baby? NO! NO! and NO!

Here is why I learned never tell a potential employer you were home with a baby:

1) It literally translates to: You care more about your personal choices than you would our company.  

2) You will take time off from work to tend to a sick child, losing site of your bottom line.

3) If you are able to land an interview, employers may inquire about your child care and how it may affect your availability

So what should you do?

1) Volunteer:  If you are able to volunteer one evening or weekend, this could aid in explaining your work hiatus, while retaining your skills

2) Virtual Assistant:  This is the best fit for a domestic goddess, allows you to retain work experience at your own pace and keeps your resume current with employment

3) Add Mom on duty to your resume:  If you have been an at home parent for several years, consider adding those skills to your resume, i.e.: managing home budget, planning events, etc.

I hope this help all those Mommies on Duties facing the daunting task of finding employment during this economic crisis, when many employers are not considering reviewing the skills of the unemployed.

Guest blogger, Chanda is a 30-something former community organizer, turned free-lancer and part-time blogger (causereaction.blogspot.com). I am a true east-coaster, meaning; I have lived in six states between North Carolina and Maine. Currently, I reside in the Washington, DC metropolitan area with my partner and amazing daughter.

Speaking Her Voice - C.E.O. Ursula M. Burns

One of the missions of the Women’s Collaborative Circle is to help women shed their fear of speaking their minds and having their voices heard. Yes, it’s true that in the last 40 years women in the United States have made some very real gains toward equality, including equality in the workplace.  However, it seems that many of us who were reared in more “traditional” environments still find ourselves unwittingly afraid to say what we want to say in the way we want to say it. That is why we here at the WCC got excited when we saw an article in The New York Times about Ursula M. Burns.

In case you haven't heard--and you very well may not have since, until recently, she's been keeping a low profile--Ms. Burns became chief executive officer of Xerox in July. As Adam Bryant of the Times writes, her ascension marks "the first time an African-American woman was named C.E.O. of a major American corporation, and the first time a woman succeeded another woman in the top job at a company of this size."  And if that part of the story alone wasn't inspiring enough, it was the way she rose up through the ranks of Xerox that really caught our attention!

Her precipitous rise began when she spoke rather frankly to her bosses--something quite out of the ordinary in Xerox's corporate culture, which Ms. Burns says is partly defined by "terminal niceness."  In 1989, she challenged her then boss Wayland Hicks, a senior executive, about giving credence to an insensitive question asked during a discussion about diversity initiatives. Hicks took notice and after getting to know her better, promoted her. In 1991 she spoke her mind again, but this time directly to Paul A. Allaire, Xerox’s president, during a meeting with top managers. Her reward? Another promotion.

But best of all, we love what she had to say about her style of communication, which over the years she has been advised to modify: "I can't try to say it in somebody else's voice. I have to say it in my voice." 

We couldn't agree more.

(Photo from ABC news story "Should Women Rule the World.")

Post written by Melissa Zeltser.

Speaking Her Voice - Jacqueline Novogratz on Tackling Poverty

Jacqueline Novogratz is CEO of Acumen Fund. Acumen Fund is a non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty. We seek to prove that small amounts of philanthropic capital, combined with large doses of business acumen, can build thriving enterprises that serve vast numbers of the poor. Our investments focus on delivering affordable, critical goods and services – like health, water, housing and energy – through innovative, market-oriented approaches.   www.acumendfund.org.  Jacqueline's inspirational and innovative story is told in her book The Blue Sweater.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Rape-Free Products

Have you ever considered what your cell phone or ipod has to do with ending violence against women in conflict zones?

Eve Ensler--playwright (The Vagina Monologues), activist, and founder of V-Day, a global movement to end violence among women and girls (http://www.vday.org/) - spoke to a packed audience at the D7: All Things Digital conference. No, Ensler was not there to buy a new computer; she was there to speak out on the connection between one of the major natural resources the Democratic Republic of Congo and the rape of over 1,100 women a month. Ensler showed these followers of the digital revolution that to further the mining of coltan, or columbite tantalite, a mineral that is essential to the manufacturing of a variety of electronics such as cellphones, ipods, and computers, rape is being used as a weapon of war.

According to John Paczkowski, author of "Eve Ensler calls for Rape-Free Cell Phones" (article here), Ensler says that "the coltan trade in the Congo has created a sort of 'Blood Diamond' situation there, with militias using violence and rape as a means of controlling the trade. She recounts some truly horrific examples of the type of violence against women." She continues to explain "that militias gain control of the mines by fracturing communities with rape, using sexual violence to control slave labor as well."

As a result, Ensler started the discussion about not only raising consumer awareness on the human right atrocity that infiltrates our daily life, but challenging corporations to take action by creating rape-free products. Ensler argues that this may be a very good marketing strategy for companies. As for the everyday person, sharing this information alone and raising awareness is key. Every phone call or text message is a reminder that the world is more interconnected than ever, and that our choices at home can have a profound impact on the lives of people on the other side of the world.