Are You Creative?

bulb with a pink-purple flame inside it

A recent piece in Fast Company mentioned that researchers from McGill University, Harvard University, and the University of Melbourne are collaborating on research to try to find a way to measure human creativity. Specifically, they are targeting one specific type of creativity – divergent thinking. This type of thinking enables individuals to generate a diverse number solutions to an open-ended problem (which is exactly what entrepreneurs are called to do every day).

Interested in taking the 4-minute test? Click here!

Business Accelerator Designed For Women Veterans

woman in military uniform

The Department of Veterans Affairs has partnered with PenFed Foundation to launch its Military “Women Veteran Bootcamp Accelerator”. The six-month long program is designed for women who have 3-5 years of experience in business and are seeking to grow their venture. To learn more about this program and others available to women veteran-owned small businesses, check out the US Department of Veterans Affairs website here.

Women on the 50 Over 50 Impact List

hand holding plastic trophy surrounded by confetti

Forbes recently unveiled its 50 Over 50: Impact list, which spotlights women over the age of 50 who are leaving a positive and lasting impact on the world. The list highlights exceptional women who found success later in life and are constantly working toward increased equity and diversity. Women from all areas are represented – government/military, academia, non-profit and for-profit businesses. Click the link above to learn more.

Best Practices for Digital Storytelling for Nonprofits

Headshot of Liz Ngonzi

Are you a nonprofit leader who is looking for original ways to interact and engage with your supporters and funders? Check out Liz Ngonzi’s (among other things, Liz is a facilitator in the Women’s Entrepreneurship program) new article for The NonProfit Times entitled “Digital Storytelling: Five Best Practices to Activate Supporters on LinkedIn”.

In the piece, Liz discusses:

1. Promoting Your Organization’s Brand (LinkedIn Company Page and Employee LinkedIn Profiles)
2. Building Your Brand by Showcasing Your Impact and Obtaining Insights from Supporters: Posts, Stories and Polls
3. Promoting Events: LinkedIn Events
4. Hosting Events: LinkedIn Live
5. Researching and Engaging Prospects: LinkedIn Sales Navigator

The Key To Innovation In Women’s Health Is Having More Women Inventors

female scientist using a pipette and dropping blue liquid into a petri dish

This June 18, 2021 piece from Science Alert shares the grim reality that in 2020, only 12.8 percent of U.S. inventors receiving patents were women. Why does that matter for women’s health? Because inventors are often inspired to find solutions to problems that hit close to home. With so few women inventors, the opportunity for women’s health concerns to be addressed is lessened. In fact, the piece highlights, “scientific discoveries by female scientists as measured by published research papers are 12 percent more likely to benefit women than discoveries by men.” The article ends by sharing, “biases in who gets to conduct research and commercialize inventions is more than a matter of who gets to play. It’s also a matter of who benefits from the march of progress.” Let’s all work to encourage the women inventors that we know!

Tips on How To Communicate At Work

woman sitting at computer at home - looking intently at screeen.

After a year of working remotely and from home, effective communication with co-workers is more important than ever. This CNBC article shares 5 phrases to avoid in your electronic communication – because it can make the sender appear passive aggressive or petty. The piece also shares ideas on how best to handle challenging professional situations when you can’t be face to face.

Millions Of Women Have Exited The Workforce – And May Not Return

silhouette of woman in motion and holding a briefcase

This recent segment from NPR’s Morning Edition discusses how the direct and indirect impact of the COVID pandemic drove women out of the workforce to be at home. With a return to “normal”, many women aren’t returning to their same roles. The article and accompanying audio segment shares some reasons as to why this might be the case – but one thing is clear from the segment and that is that a lot of women are thinking more about freelancing or launching their own enterprises. While being an entrepreneur may not provide the same financial security as a “traditional” job, it can provide flexibility that many – women especially – have come to see as critical over the past yet.

MSNBC Interview With US Vice President Kamala Harris

Cartoon drawing of US Vice President Kamala Harris

As part of the launch of Forbes‘ “50 Over 50” list, Vice President Kamala Harris sits down for an exclusive interview with MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski to discuss not evaluating herself based on age, eating ‘No’ for breakfast, working with women-owned small businesses and encouraging women and girls to know their strength. Click here to watch.