We want to be part of the change, we want to be known as disrupters, as a female community that is empowering women globally.
When we speak about Female Empowerment, what do we think about? A couple of thoughts come to our mind: fighting for equality, being ambitious, raising up our voices, respecting ourselves, and changing the perspective from which society looks at us. Among these few phrases we can tell there’s a gap, this is where Like Minded Females saw an opportunity to build a safe community of girls helping each other genuinely. By this, we mean supporting each other, what might be one’s strength, could be another’s weakness.
We saw an opportunity to relate to women, and we didn’t have to go far to find females out there that were looking for this connection. Most of the people have felt lost at least once in their lives, at this moment, sometimes we think we are the only ones that have felt like this, and probably that not a lot of people can understand what we are going through. But we are here to tell you it is more common to feel disengaged than you think.
It can be hard to find guidance in our life, whether it’s professional or personal, it can be scary to look for direction in our growth. Unfortunately, it is more complicated for women, just because we are not only trying to connect with ourselves, but we are also fighting for equality. According to the Office of National Statistics of the UK Statistics Authority, in 2018 we saw the highest percentage of employed women, more than two-thirds of women, 71.8%; that is 188,000 more employed women compared to last year. But, there’s still a gap, the Gender Wage Gap is 17.9%, meaning women make around 80% of men’s median hourly wages. Only 23.7% of leadership roles as Chief Executives and Senior Officials, go toe women. By these means, as females we might feel more pressure to not “give up”, or just to ask for help for fear of failing.
A safe place, that’s one of the pillars of Like Minded Females, for the open and constant exchange of opinions, knowledge, and experiences. We think about a group where there’s reliance between the community, a truthful connection between people, a sense of belonging. In LMF you are not alone, you are surrounded by people who want the best for you, where you can truly be yourself, and you can feel comfortable about it.
Could we think of it as a sorority? If by sorority you mean the opportunity to set up a safe, inclusive space that would empower women, redefining the concept “sorority”, where women are helping each other to flourish; then yes. Knocking down the cultural and social definition of this concept. A place to talk about topics we are intrigued about, say out loud what you’re thinking, without feeling you are going to be judged. Where we will drive you to know your strengths and use them as your power, and your sisters will be your allies.
As Sonya Barlow, founder of Like Minded Females, mentions: “We are constantly thought to be competitive, or that we are not good enough, or that our weaknesses is what we should work on. But if we flip this and focus on our strengths, and what we are good at, and tell each other how to be around good energy and good people, that will significantly change our mental health, how we view the world around us, and the contributions we can make toward ourselves”.
We firmly believe in the power of surrounding ourselves with good energy and positive vibes that will be watering ourselves. People that are next to you because they believe in you, and want to see you grow as good as you can be, the best version of ourselves.
We encourage females to dig into their feelings, their mistakes, their fears, and concerns about the future. Information is power, and we are truly committed to empowering women, through not only connecting them but helping them to learn about the right tools in order to grow in their personal and professional aspects of their lives. Boost them to present their story, and support them with the right information.
We want to be part of the change, we want to be known as disrupters, as a female community that is coming up with innovative spaces for females to gather and elevate themselves. At the beginning, we didn’t know what we were actually creating, it was just meant to be fun, and on the path, we have discovered that it is actually something, something big and transcendental.
Our message is clear and loud: “Nobody is stopping you!” Don’t let the world tell you are not good enough, let’s turn this into a “You are doing your best, and we are here to help you flourish”.
Writer : Tania Croda | IG @tmcroda | TW @tcroda
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