Tails of Lioness

This month I let some of the inspirational lionesses who I have had the honour to know or work with tell their “tail” of woman power and what it means to be a female in business in this modern world.

Lioness no 1) Marje Kennan

"A certain energy and camaraderie develops when women work together and friendships grow. Women’s power lies in the fact that friends can double as therapists when times get tough”

Lioness no 2) Leslie Roberson

“Women have long been a minority in the science and business worlds. To me, the power of women is just like the latent power in any minority or marginalised group.

It means taking advantage of your differences and building on those unique traits, not trying to change or hide them. We (women, people of colour, LGBTQ, etc) should not try to look and act more like heterosexual white men, because diversity is good for science and it's good for business.

Maybe that means doing stereotypically "female" things like baking cookies to bring on a research field trip. I personally have none of these traditional domestic skills, but I assure you everyone in the plane/car/boat/submarine will appreciate the baked goods, and will probably go the extra mile to help you collect your data when said plane/car/boat/submarine breaks down on the way to your remote field site with no cell reception.

So you be you and try to have a sense of humour about everyone else. Structural change is a long, slow process and we women scientists and entrepreneurs are going to hit some ugly and frustrating roadblocks along the way.”

--

Leslie Roberson, B.A., M.Sc.

PhD Candidate, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science

School of Earth and Environmental Sciences

The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia

Alternate email: l.roberson@uq.edu.au | skype: wezzawia |

ResearchGate | GoogleScholar | Academia.edu | LinkedIn

Lioness no 3) Tracy Lee Dalton

What does women power mean to me:

“To be a woman is power within itself. This is something I have more recently begun to understand and respect. There is a collective power in the way woman uplift each other, support each other, encourage each other, and hold each other accountable for things that really matter to them. To be a woman is to have a community, fighting for you and your right to be listened to, respected, and understood.

Advice for success as a female entrepreneur:

Lack of passion is fatal. So do the things that set your soul on fire. As women, we are blessed to have so much depth, and we should use this to our advantage. Be vulnerable, be empathetic - These are not signs of weakness. There is a lot of strength to be found in both, and balancing these with a passionate drive and fiery spirit is what has enabled me to begin my entrepreneurial journey.”

Lioness no 4) Charmaine Adams

“I think the meaning of power is to believe in yourself and tap into your natural talents, knowing your strengths and your limitations, and then surrounding yourself with people who have the strengths and skills to support you in your endeavours.

I believe that it is important to make your achievements more about others than yourself. Challenge yourself by pushing your boundaries. My advice would be to not take no for an answer, tenacity being one of my strengths. Sometimes one has to roll with the punches and just get on with the mission.”

Lioness no 5) Manon Colmant

“Woman power to me is about embodying and sharing with the world the beautiful, powerful gifts of the feminine essence, and in doing so, allowing the long lost balance of feminine and masculine to be restored, an essential evolution for harmony on Earth.

With regards to the return of woman power in entrepreneurship, to me, this symbolises the return to the divine feminine in both men and women, with women acting as an important vehicle for this force to shine again. The intuitiveness, the sensitivity, empathy, gentleness, the aliveness. The connection to Earth and collective consciousness. My advice to women entrepreneurs is to not hold back from shining and sharing this gift in the world of business, even when resistance is met (as it often will be). I believe that this force is the secret weapon which will heal and restore balance in the world of business, and beyond to all aspects of existence on Earth.”

Lioness no 6) Amalia Uys

“Woman power is a lifestyle. It’s about truly getting to know yourself and stepping into the strength of that individual and being- into your full potential for creativity and success that is aligned with your unique voice...your authenticity- whatever that might be!

Woman power for me is also about not just having to be strong and powerful the whole time but also embracing our femininity and the role we can fulfil as nurturing, caring beings.

I believe in oneness and the empowerment of the individual- whatever race or gender they might be. I believe that the moment we realize the power that lies in the divine design of our beautiful planet and civilisation- and that we are actually all connected- tremendous shifts will start happening every day, everywhere.

We have the power to change our world for the better.

We are creativity, we are creation. We are divine. We are one.”

Lionesses no 7 & 8) Do & Tes de Heij

"We have a lot of fun running our business as two sisters. It is incredible what you can achieve if you have a positive attitude and are willing to ask for help. With Gebrouwen door Vrouwen we aim to make the best craft beers, have fun brewing them and try to make a positive impact on our environment."

These two lionesses are based in Amsterdam and as our European operation is at arms reach, we know their beers make a tasty pairing for our 100% Karoo Agave Spirits. We strongly suggest you check out what Gebrouwen Door Vrouwen are up to… and keep an eye out for the #KarooKopstoot - coming soon!

Thank you beautiful lionesses for your words of wisdom and all that you do to add a feminine touch to the world around you.

Happy International Women’s Day!

Updated locally from an original post on Leonista.co.za