She4All Community Guide
She4All is a pitch competition created by Luminary and Berlin Cameron to support women-founded companies who value community. With our She4All Pitch Competition coming up during a time where community is more important than ever, we asked some of our favorite women which community has had the most impact on their businesses and careers.
“THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS MADE AN IMPACT IN MY LIFE IS: THE LIST”
Ann Shoket (Author of The Big Life and the former Editor-In-Chief of Seventeen magazine)
“The List, a group for senior women in media and technology, founded by Rachel Sklar and Glynnis MacNicol, has been such a powerful source of energy for me—personally and professionally. When I first joined, I couldn’t believe the depth of the conversations—smart, thoughtful, successful women trading insider secrets and giving each other the most unbelievable support. This group embodies exactly what you want from colleagues and connections—generous, empathetic, transparent. I feel lucky to be a part of it and I feel a responsibility to pay back all the goodness they give me!”
“THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS MADE AN IMPACT IN MY LIFE IS: THE FINANCIAL GYM”
Yai Vargas (Founder & CEO of The Latinista, Owner of YAI Diversity Consulting)
“When taking a leap of faith into becoming an entrepreneur, I knew the first thing I needed was a strategic financial plan to keep me in business. I found a financial coach and better yet, it came with a community - the 2nd most important item needed as a new business. The Financial Gym has enabled me to take control of my current and future personal and business money decisions. The individuals that make up this community not only support my vision for my business but help me identify other partners and opportunities that position me for success.“
“THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS MADE AN IMPACT IN FAYE’S LIFE IS: THE NEW YORK POST”
Faye Penn (Executive Director at women.nyc)
“The community that’s had the most impact on my career were the reporters and editors I’ve worked with. At The New York Post, where I worked for eight years – mostly in features -- you came in each morning not knowing what you’d be working on. By deadline that evening, you had to deliver something spectacular, accurate, on time and better than what your rivals had cooked up across town. Every day was a hackathon. I struggle with overthinking at times and one of the most basic tenets of productivity is that done is better than perfect. You try to polish it as much as possible, but at some point you just have to send it to the printer.”
“THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS MADE AN IMPACT IN MY LIFE IS: DKNY”
Sandra Campos (CEO of Diane Von Furstenberg)
“When I think of community, I think of people genuinely supporting each other without judgement or competition. I first felt that early in my career when I worked at Donna Karan in the 90’s. The DKNY sales team was young, curious, driven, and supportive of one another at a time that could have been very competitive as we were all trying to climb the corporate ladder. Through late nights and stressful work days with creative personalities, there’s something that bonds a group that’s striving to achieve the same goals. It was so inspiring to be surrounded by greatness. It was in the air, and each of those women has had successful careers. Several women founded and built businesses with lucrative exits, several became CEO’s, and all of them would still pick up the phone today to help anyone if needed. I know this because I have called on them over the years and know I would do the same in return. That support builds confidence and trust, and that is priceless.”
“THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS MADE AN IMPACT IN TARA’S LIFE IS: SHE’S THE FIRST”
Tara Abrahams (Managing Director, Arabella Advisors; Board Chair, She's the First)
“Community that has made a big impact on my career: She's the First. She's the First is a nonprofit organization that fights for a world where every girl chooses her own future, where girls are educated, respected, and heard. In addition to doing powerful work around the world to support girls, She's the First also brings together an extraordinary community of women from a variety of fields and industries--media, fashion, technology, corporate citizenship, and more. By connecting with She's the First in the early days, and offering guidance on their evolving strategy, I've been welcomed into this incredible community, which led to an opportunity to lead The Girl Project at Glamour, a philanthropic initiative focused on supporting girls' education globally. This was a huge chance for me to step back into my career in a big way, after having recently had my third (!) baby! A few years later, I'm now the proud board chair of She's the First, and continue to feel grateful for the community that this organization cultivates around the world, every single day.”
“THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS MADE AN IMPACT IN MY LIFE IS: PROJECT ENTREPRENEUR”
Kori Hale (CEO at CultureBanx)
“Project Entrepreneur is a great community that provided me with many wonderful career opportunities! Being surrounded by and mentoring so many fantastic female entrepreneurs not only inspired me to launch my own company, it also let me know there was a strong network of women building companies that are going to change the world. When transitioning from being an employee to a startup founder, there were so many people from the PE community that I was able to tap into. It allowed me to really zone in on being mentally strong and emotionally vulnerable as I charted a new path and career.”
“THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS MADE AN IMPACT IN MY LIFE IS: DELTA GAMMA”
Olivia Owens (Head of Partnerships at IFundWomen)
“The community I am most thankful for is the new member class in my sorority I had the honor of leading my sophomore year of college. Being a member of Delta Gamma taught me how to be malleable and how to connect with people from all different life experiences. As the New Member Educator, I was responsible for ensuring our newest members were able to acclimate to their new environment and providing a safe space for them to navigate through the many changes we experience during our transformative college years. I'm still close friends with many of the women I shared that experience with and it taught me some of the skillsets I still leverage today.”
“THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS MADE AN IMPACT IN MY LIFE IS: BROOKLYN”
Kristy Wallace (CEO at Ellevate Network)
“My local neighborhood community has made a big impact on my career. Coming from a small town, I never thought I'd find a close-knit community in Brooklyn but I did! My neighbors and fellow parents have impacted my career by helping with kid pick-ups and drop-offs when I had a late meeting, sending me notes from the PTA meeting, offering moral support (and a glass of wine) when life became too hectic. Finding a local community that supports you is critical to managing a career and a family.”
“THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS MADE AN IMPACT IN MY LIFE IS: FLY FEMALE FOUNDERS”
Laura Mignott (CEO at DFlash)
“Fly Female Founders. It's a women's group that I've been a part of for about 4 years. Thru some of my darkest entrepreneurial moments and most proud, the women of this group have been there to support, inspire and make me laugh. Had it not been for them I wouldn't have found my voice for my podcast and speaking career.”
“THE COMMUNITY THAT INSPIRES ME IS: FOODTOEAT”
Surabhi Lal (Chief Impact Officer at Luminary)
“Community has been integral to my career-I have built communities with first-year college students to high-performing entrepreneurs and leaders. One essential piece for me has been the concept of service — thinking of how we can be of service to those around us as a guiding principle of our work. Enter Deepti Sharma, who has pivoted her business FoodtoEat, that supports woman-owned, immigrant-owned restaurants in NYC. She saw the need to help support her restaurant owners and feed those who are on the frontlines and communities that are food insecure. She has been incredibly open and vulnerable in sharing her story as a business owner and entrepreneur, as well as those of the people she serves. Her authenticity around her work and service is inspiring.”
“THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS MADE AN IMPACT IN MY LIFE IS: CONNECT4WOMEN”
Rayna Shah (CEO & Founder of Rays Together)
“Connect4Women because it has helped me expand my network and entrepreneurship skills through meeting such strong women as I am building my business!”
“THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS MADE AN IMPACT IN MY LIFE IS: LUMINARY”
Ramona Ortega (CEO at My Money My Future)
“Luminary is an amazing community of high caliber women coming together to support one another in a beautiful environment led by Cate Luzio and her team. I have experienced working out of many co-work spaces but Luminary is so much more than that, it is a place to forge connections, do deals and collaborate across different industries with amazing female founders. Being a founder is a hard and often lonely journey, so it is truly a breath of fresh air to be surrounded by a group of supportive and inspiring women!”
“THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS MADE AN IMPACT IN MY LIFE IS: ELLEVATE NETWORK”
Cindy Kynard (SVP Brand Marketing, Owner, Kynard Consulting)
“Ellevate is a warm community of women who are about empowering your voice and your career. I knew them when they were 85 Broads but pleasantly re-discovered them 2 years ago at one of their events. They made such an impression on me that I immediately began to volunteer and work with them. What struck me was how inclusive and diverse they were. These are women from all walks of career industries and levels who are actively engaged in helping each other. Their virtual and live events are the heart of this community for that’s how they best inform and inspire, through authentic connection. These ladies are real! I’m proud to be a member and happy to help any who are looking for a tribe or circle of mentors.
Ellevate has helped me meet potential clients, colleagues and new friends who’ve proven to be so rewarding in a time when it’s our relationships who with withstand all, vs the jobs. Relationships that are so vital to our growth and livelihood.”
“THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS MADE AN IMPACT IN MY LIFE IS: THE RIVETER”
Susan McPherson (Founder and CEO of McPherson Strategies)
“The Riveter community has had an impact on me and how I have run my company in the past 18 months. The Riveter was founded by Amy Nelson a former lawyer turned entrepreneur who created the community and work spaces as a modern day union representing working women everywhere. Truly inclusive, it's built by women but open for all and the company quickly and seamlessly pivoted from their physical spaces to a vibrant and exciting online platform, chockfull of events, classes and interactive conversations. I have learned so many leadership skills from Amy, a force of nature and a true community builder, as well as her management team and colleague. Every single member I have met has been a fearless entrepreneur at a different stage of growing her company which again has provided so many resources as I grow my social impact consultancy now at age 7.”