Posts Tagged ‘No Excuses’
Founder of EmpowHER Uses What She’s Got to Make a Difference
One of the inspiring women I profiled in No Excuses is Michelle King Robson. She’s the Founder, Chairperson and CEO of EmpowHER, one of the fastest-growing and largest health media companies dedicated exclusively to women’s health and wellness.
Michelle’s story is especially powerful, because she used adversity–her illness–as a tool that fired her passion to begin advocating for other women. Earlier in the week, we talked about using what you’ve got to make a difference. When you hear Michelle’s story, can you think of a way of turning a potentially negative situation into powerful action?
Read MoreChanging Hands Bookstore: Tempe, Arizona
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Top Left: A packed house waited for the reading to begin. Lots of old friends and family made this event especially special.
Top Center: I love this bookstore!
Top Right: A panel of politically astute women talk about various power tools.
Bottom Left: Debra Boehlke tells how she knew she had the power to at age 16 when she discovered she could earn money to support herself. Debra, Bree Boehlke, executive director of Emerge Arizona and Dana Kennedy, Emerge board member all shared their power political moments.
Bottom Right: Signing AZ state senate candidate (and personal hero) Rita Dickinson’s book.
Read MoreIt’s Time for Women to Step Up
Nicole Baute from The Star asked me to share some of the central messages of No Excuses when she interviewed me last week. Here is an excerpt from that interview.
You called your book No Excuses. Do you think that women are coming up with excuses for why we aren’t getting a little more power and a little more pay?
The honest truth is that my title was Unlimited and the publishers made me change it. They wanted something more controversial. I tend to take the positive approach. I think this is the moment for women, but I did want to sound a clarion call to women to say, this is a moment, but you have to take it. Things won’t just happen.
Why would you have preferred Unlimited?
Because I am hopeful, I am optimistic and I believe that this is just an incredible time for women.
Why is now an incredible time?
Well, the rest of the world knows it. I’m not sure we always do. For example, the World Bank has done studies that found that Parliaments that have 30 or 40 per cent women on them make better decisions, they have less corruption, the performance is better. Marketers know that women buy 85 per cent of the goods.
That old thinking, why is it still persisting?
Read MorePower Tool #3: Use What You’ve Got
In No Excuses, I share this dream I had one night. I was in my out of control speeding car, and I couldn’t stop it. I slowly realized the keys to the car were in my hand, and they had been all along.
You don’t have to sit in the shrink’s office to figure out the metaphor in that dream! Have you ever had a similar experience?
To be able to use power, the first thing you’ve got to do is realize that you have it. I’ve found in personal life and in meeting challenges at work that what you need is usually there if you can only see it and have the courage to use it.
Here are just a few examples women shared with me about how to use what you’ve got:
Read MoreWill No Excuses Be in Oprah’s Book Club?
Jane Fonda says No Excuses is a book that can change your life, and she gave a copy to Oprah.
What next? Who can help me close the deal and appear on Oprah’s show?
Read MoreFree Copies of No Excuses From Progressive Book Club
I am pleased to announce that I’ll be a guest on Book Talk Radio, Wednesday, October 27, at 8pm EST. I hope you’ll join me for the live on-line conversation about No Excuses with Salon.com‘s Joe Conason. RSVP to join the discussion.
Book Talk Radio will email registrants with the tune-in information prior to the event.
This special Book Talk Radio discussion is brought to you by our friends at Progressive Book Club. We hope you can join us!
If you have not yet joined Progressive Book Club, please do so now and get a free copy of No Excuses.
Read MoreBooks, Inc: San Francisco, California
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Top Left: Captured at Books Inc–just a few of the powerful women in this audience: front left: Marya Stark (Emerge America board chair); middle left Google executive Rachel Payne; back row my editor at Seal Press Brooke Warner and publisher Krista Lyons; Front row center activist par excellence Marilyn Fowler representing Women’s Intercultural Network-California Women’s Agenda, and right semi-hidden by my book is environmental blogger Beth Terry of Fake Plastic Fish.
Top Right: Me and Heidi Groshelle at the Books, Inc. signing
Bottom Left: Blogger Beth Terry (check out Fake Plastic Fish) tells her inspiring story of how she used the power tool “create a movement” and got Brita to make its filters recyclable.
Bottom Right: Marilyn Fowler, stalwart leader of U.S. Women Connect and the Women’s Intercultural Network shares her power to story.
Read MoreKepler’s Books: San Francisco, California
I had a whirlwind trip to the Bay Area, with a book event at Kepler’s Books on October 20th, and private book readings in Menlo Park and Palo Alto on October 21st and 22nd.
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Left: Reading a story about baby elephants at the No Excuses event at Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park.
Center: I’d asked Marian if she wanted to have breakfast on my last morning in a week-long Northern CA tour since she couldn’t make the reading at Kepler’s. Next thing I knew she had 40 women coming for breakfast. What a send-off!
Right: The bookseller quickly ran out of books!
Read MoreWhat Does Power-To Look Like?
On Monday I asked you when you first realized that you had the power to . . . And I gave you a brief glimpse at my definition of what power-to looks like. Here’s another look at what power-to means:
Power-over focuses on tactics for gaining compliance, while leadership focuses on getting answers and solutions in order to be able to accomplish something for mutual good.
Power-over makes people feel powerless. Even if it isn’t force or brute power, but a manipulative power such as political dominance, the feeling that one has no control over one’s choices makes her disgruntled, angry, or passive-aggressive.
Power-to makes us feel powerfull.
Power-to supports and enhances whatever power the individual brings to a project, workplace, relationship, or civic activity. It abhors coercion. It opens up the possibility of choices; the ability to choose is what makes us human. Choosing is the basis of morality.
Power-over is amoral. Power-to is responsibility.
Power-over is oppression. Power-to is leadership.
What are your thoughts about this definition? How does it change your ideas about power and leadership? Can you give examples of the use of either definitioneof power?
Read MoreWhat Does Power-To Look Like?
On Monday I asked you when you first realized that you had the power to . . . And I gave you a brief glimpse at my definition of what power-to looks like. Here’s another look at what power-to means:
Power-over focuses on tactics for gaining compliance, while leadership focuses on getting answers and solutions in order to be able to accomplish something for mutual good.
Power-over makes people feel powerless. Even if it isn’t force or brute power, but a manipulative power such as political dominance, the feeling that one has no control over one’s choices makes her disgruntled, angry, or passive-aggressive.
Power-to makes us feel powerfull.
Power-to supports and enhances whatever power the individual brings to a project, workplace, relationship, or civic activity. It abhors coercion. It opens up the possibility of choices; the ability to choose is what makes us human. Choosing is the basis of morality.
Power-over is amoral. Power-to is responsibility.
Power-over is oppression. Power-to is leadership.
What are your thoughts about this definition? How does it change your ideas about power and leadership? Can you give examples of the use of either definitioneof power?
Read More