Articles Tagged with: women leaders

SFC Congratulates Pallavi Pande of Dtocs LLC for Placing in SEED SPOT’s Retail Brand Accelerator

Green, sustainable, environment-friendly – these are just some buzzwords that brands often use to market their products to eco-conscious consumers.

Unfortunately, the reality is that not all brands that spout these words actually walk their talk.

Not Pallavi Pande, though – she’s an entrepreneur who really walks her talk. As the founder of Dtocs LLC, she produces disposable tableware that is 100% safe for the environment. The production process itself is sustainable and supports communities in the US and India, Pallavi’s home country.

So, it’s not surprising that Pallavi has secured a place in SEED SPOT’s Retail Brand Accelerator. It’s training that will take her brand far and strengthen Dtocs LLC’s community impact even more.

Congratulations, Pallavi!

SEED SPOT empowers founders to succeed in the mass retail market.

The SEED SPOT Retail Brand Accelerator is a dynamic program designed to nurture established founders looking to scale their business in mass retail. The program focuses on founders in the consumer-packaged goods market and provides them with an intensive 10-week training.

This training helps participants refine their sales approach, expand their supply chain and inventory capacities, comply with regulations, and build a standout brand. Virtual workshops and personalized one-to-one mentorship make up the bulk of this training.

The Retail Brand Accelerator is funded by the Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity, Walmart’s philanthropic endeavor to uplift BIPOC communities in education, finance, health, and criminal justice.

Dtocs LLC offers more than just sustainable tableware.

With Pallavi joining the SEED SPOT Retail Brand Accelerator, it’s clear that her Dtocs LLC brand is headed for growth. And if there’s a company that should grow as big as it can and gain as much attention as possible, it’s Dtocs LLC.

Why? It’s because the company greatly impacts the community it serves.

Dtocs LLC manufactures single-use tableware. But they’re nothing like the disposable tableware we see in supermarkets, typically made with plastics and other toxic materials.

Here’s why they’re different:

They’re made using the fallen leaves and shed sheaths of Areca palms. These are usually considered waste materials. Instead, the local farmers in India with whom Dtocs works collect them to be processed into tableware. No part of the living Areca palm is harmed or cut during the process.
They’re processed using an eco-friendly system. From drying to shaping to packaging, the process that these Areca shedding goes through to become single-use tableware poses no harm to the environment. Renewable energy sources power the machines used. The raw materials are cleaned with fresh water. The products are packed with sustainable cardboard.
They’re durable and stylish. Many factors prevent the typical consumer from using eco-friendly disposable tableware. Many consider them not as durable as plastics. People who are conscious of plating and dining table aesthetics may not like how these disposables look. Because they’re made with Areca palms, Dtocs tableware doesn’t crumble easily, even when holding liquids. They also come in stylish shapes and forms.
They’re biodegradable. After you’ve used these palm-leaf dinnerware, you can safely throw them in the bin or even add them to your compost. They will degrade in a few days. So they won’t contribute to the growing garbage problem that the world is facing today.

Their products are not the only things that set Dtocs LLC apart. The company employs women artisans in India to manufacture their products, empowering them to provide for their families and live better lives.

Additionally, Dtocs LLC uses a portion of its earnings to give back to its communities. They’ve partnered with non-profits in India to provide livelihood for women and fund the education of underprivileged children. They also contribute towards equal education opportunities for underrepresented students in Portland.

Pallavi Pande is an inspiration to women entrepreneurs.

Without a doubt, Pallavi embodies the definition of a successful business owner. Her company is thriving and scaling for further growth. Her brand is solid and gaining recognition. And she fulfills her role as a leader by giving back to her communities.

Pallavi’s achievements are more remarkable because she did all of these as a woman from a minority group. While much has been accomplished to secure women’s place in business in the last few decades, it goes without saying that women entrepreneurs still face challenges that men don’t. The stakes get even higher when she is also a woman of color.

Pallavi overcame these challenges. A self-described mompreneur, she also found a way to balance building a successful company and nurturing a family. That’s not an easy feat.

We salute and congratulate Pallavi Pande of Dtocs LLC for her current and future successes. She’s someone we can all admire and emulate, no matter what stage we are in our respective entrepreneurial journeys.

Sacred Fire Creative helps women business owners maximize their entrepreneurial potential through innovative digital marketing strategies and authentic relationship-building with their audiences. Contact us today, and let’s see how we can collaborate.

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Carina Dayondon: First Filipina Mountaineer to Reach the Seven Summits

“What’s more important for me is we showed the Filipinas, the young ones, there’s nothing impossible if you’re determined, focused, and if you believe in your dreams. It’s okay to get a record, but does it have a point? Did you inspire anyone? Did you touch anyone’s heart, inspire them to do something like that? That’s what’s important to us. The message is there, to inspire the kids and the Filipinos,” – Carina Dayondon

Carina Dayondon is a Filipina mountaineer, Philippine Coast Guard officer, and adventurer. She is also the first Filipina to climb and reach the Seven Summits, the seven tallest mountains of each continent. She accomplished this feat in December 2018, when she successfully ascended Vinson Massif in Antarctica.

Her journey towards this amazing accomplishment began in 2006 when she reached the top of Mount Denali in Alaska. The following year, she climbed Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain, with fellow female mountaineers Noelle Wenceslao and Janet Belarmino. She is officially the second Filipina to get to the summit, ten minutes after Wenceslao. They ascended Mt. Everest via the northern route in Tibet and descended through the southern route in Nepal.

Between 2006 and 2018, she climbed the other five highest mountains worldwide. It goes without saying that planning and preparing for these climbs was not easy. Dayondon spent most of her time training for these climbs and overcoming the challenges.

For example, when preparing for her final peak in 2017, she experienced problems with her eye. A doctor told her that she would go blind, but Dayondon continued to pursue her dreams. She trained and tested her body, including her eye, and decided that she could continue her climb. Fortunately, she achieved her goal without losing her eyesight and became the first Filipina to summit the world’s tallest peaks.

Dayondon was raised in the Philippine province of Bukidnon, the fourth of 15 children. She came from humble beginnings and enjoyed the outdoors even as a child. She was a member of the Girl Scouts in her elementary school years. When she entered college, she became a member of her university’s mountaineering society. It took her nine years to complete college because she participated in various adventure racing sports to earn money and help support her siblings. Dayondon also supported herself by working part-time jobs such as climbing instructor, salesperson, and babysitter.

Her challenging upbringing gave her the strength and resilience she needed to get to where she is now. Today, she works as a Coast Guard officer and is taking time off from climbing, although she keeps the door open to future endeavors. Of course, even while she is not actively climbing, she serves as an inspiration to Filipinos everywhere.

Despite coming from a family with limited financial means and needing to take loans out for her climbs, she remained steadfast in working towards her goals. Her story is one of grace, teamwork, and support. Dayondon shows us the importance of lifting each other up and supporting women in our society so they can go beyond what is expected and, in turn, inspire others as well.

5 Ways Women Leaders Are Transforming the Post-Pandemic Workplace

A lot has happened since the world went on lockdown in 2020. But we can say that one of the more positive developments that came out of that period is it created more room for women leaders to rise up in the workplace.

Of course, a lot of work still needs to be done for women to experience true gender equity and inclusivity in the workplace. Still, the women who are leaders now are trying to close the existing gaps.

Here are five ways women leaders are transforming the workplace to make it more inclusive in post-pandemic 2022.

1. More women-led companies rising

A recent Gusto survey reported that 5.4 million new businesses opened in 2021. The survey found that women started 49% of those new businesses, compared to just 28% in 2019. The women who responded to the survey shared different reasons for becoming entrepreneurs, including:

Getting laid off from work due to the pandemic
Finding new opportunities
Seeking more flexible hours so they can balance work with childcare
Seeking better financial security

Ownership allows women to build their companies according to their ideals. Many women entrepreneurs take the opportunity of owning a business to deliver the kind of employee experience they didn’t enjoy at their former workplaces.

2. Move toward compassionate leadership

Women emerged as excellent leaders during the Covid-19 crisis. We only need to look at the examples set by New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen, and Germany’s Angela Merkel. A 2020 research also showed that companies led by women have fared better during the pandemic than those led by men.

This is because women are more likely to exercise compassionate, people-centered leadership than men. When handling complex tasks, women tend to weigh the social cost of their decisions before executing them. And they are not afraid to show vulnerability to those they lead. Compassionate leadership is a significant driver of employee engagement. The more engaged employees are, the more invested they become in a company’s growth through good and not-so-good times.

3. Empathetic and family-centered support at work

According to a 2021 joint research by McKinsey and LeanIn.org, women leaders are exerting more effort to promote employee well-being in the first place. This can be as simple as asking staff members how they are doing and as complicated as removing obstacles that keep them from doing their best work.

As mentioned earlier, women started their own businesses in 2021 because they needed to be more flexible in balancing work with childcare. Women business owners are aware that the brunt of childcare and running the household still falls on female shoulders. Thus, they are more likely to provide more flexible work arrangements in the office, including remote work and benefits like paid and extended parental leaves.

4. Active DEI work

The same McKinsey and LeanIn.org research found that women leaders are more active in championing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. Some 54% of women occupying senior-level positions spend time doing DEI work, compared to 46% of men on the same level. Additionally, 38% of women executives mentor at least one woman of color.

CultureAmp reports that more work needs to be done to advance DEI in the workplace. Issues such as mental health and healthcare for trans employees need to be addressed. Also, groups like returning parents, veterans, caregivers, and employees with disabilities remain underrepresented in DEI work. Still, more women work at the DEI frontlines, pushing for diversity and inclusion to become a reality.

5. Wage transparency

The gender wage gap isn’t going to close any time soon. In fact, the Economic Policy Institute reported that there’s been little progress in closing the wage gap in the last 30 years. Payscale also shared that women earned 82 cents for every $1 that men earned in 2021. The numbers didn’t change at the start of 2022.

These numbers may not seem encouraging. But wage transparency is a growing trend. It’s now seen as the number one solution for closing the wage gap, and women’s groups like Elpha are leading conversations on wage transparency.

There’s still a lot of work to be done for women to experience true gender equity and inclusivity in the workplace. But with more women leaders paving the way, we can look forward to more positive changes, not just in 2022 but in the future.

Sacred Fire Creative promotes positive change by incorporating DEI work in its digital marketing strategies. Do you want to be a brand that is a force for positive change? Work with us today.

Miriam Defensor-Santiago: The Iron Lady of Asia

“What is the meaning of life? This meaning is not for you to find, but for you to define. The meaning of life is found in the purposes that we pursue as we grow older.” — Miriam Defensor-Santiago

Miriam Defensor-Santiago is well-known in Philippine politics for her intelligence, courage, and memorable quotes. While she ran twice for president and never won, she remained a consistent and active figure in politics who made a lasting mark on the Filipino people’s hearts and minds. She passed away in September 2016 from lung cancer, months after a second bid for the Philippine presidency.

Defensor-Santiago was born in 1945, the eldest of seven children of a local judge and college dean in Iloilo City, Philippines. Her parents’ occupations were a precursor to what Santiago would become later on in her accomplished life. From an early age, her parents instilled the value of education. She later said that she and her siblings were raised to be “very bright people and it’s a great disappointment to all our ancestors if we did not live up to the family standards.”

After finishing high school and college as valedictorian in Iloilo City, she continued her stellar educational performance at the University of the Philippines College of Law in Manila. She continued showcasing her intelligence and wit by winning debates and oratorical contests. Defensor-Santiago was also the first female editor of the college newspaper.

Upon completing her law degree, she pursued her Masters of Laws and Doctor of Juridical Science from the University of Michigan, which is considered one of the best law schools in the United States. Defensor-Santiago also finished a Master of Arts in Religious Studies at the Maryhill School of Theology. Aside from this, she also studied at Oxford and Harvard law schools. Her impressive educational background served as further evidence of her brilliant mind. She made the most of her education when she entered the world of Philippine politics.

From lawyer to judge to Senator, Defensor-Santiago worked in all three branches of the Philippine government – judicial, executive, and legislative. She served as a judge at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, an immigration commissioner and cabinet member, and a three-term senator. She was a popular mainstay in Philippine politics, especially when she spoke openly about corruption, injustice, and inefficiencies she saw around her.

More than just a powerhouse politician, Defensor-Santiago was also a wife, mother, and grandmother. Her biggest personal heartbreak came when one of her two sons took his own life in 2003. While she never got over his death, she continued her work in politics and law. In 2012, she became the first Filipino and Asian judge of the International Criminal Court. She also continued her work as a senator and in 2016, ran again for the presidency.

Defensor-Santiago was indeed a female icon for the 21st century, earning the nickname the “Iron Lady of Asia,” even when most Asian women were happy to be behind the scenes. Her intellect, accomplishments, and outspokenness make her an extraordinary role model to the youth, who continue to look up to her today. Defensor-Santiago’s incredible ability to rise above personal tragedy and continue working as a public servant to serve others is also vital to this great woman’s legacy.

Sacred Fire Creative honors women who left a lasting legacy in this #WomenWhoMatter series. Do you want to be a woman who matters? Let’s collaborate to create a meaningful digital marketing strategy for your business.

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Dolores Huerta: Labor Leader and Feminist Icon

“My mother was a dominant force in our family. And I always see her as the leader. And that was great for me as a young woman because I never saw that women had to be dominated by men.” – Dolores Huerta

Dolores Huerta is a labor leader, civil rights activist, and feminist. Though many know her as the co-founder of the labor union United Farm Workers, Dolores has dedicated her life to pushing forward the rights of workers, women, and immigrants, first in California and later throughout the US. She is credited for popularizing the phrase “Si, se puede” or “Yes, we can,” a motto that former US President Barack Obama later adopted. At 92, she still actively fights for her causes through the Dolores Huerta Foundation.

Dolores was born in New Mexico on April 10, 1930, to Juan Fernandez and Alicia Chavez. Her parents divorced when she was three years old. Her mother then took her and her two brothers to live in a farming community in Stockton, California.

A Strong Woman’s Influence

Dolores’ father was a farm worker and coal miner who later became a union leader and state legislator in New Mexico. But it was her mother that influenced and inspired her to become an advocate for workers’ rights. Alicia Chavez supported her young family by working as a waitress and a cannery worker. Through hard work, she was able to buy a 70-room hotel and restaurant.

Dolores saw her mother as a community leader known for her compassion and generosity. Her mother often let immigrant farm workers and their families stay in her hotel for free. Through Alicia, Dolores learned that working toward equality and social justice without resorting to violence is possible. Her views were also shaped by the marginalization and gender bias she experienced as a young Hispanic woman.

In the 1950s, Dolores earned her teaching credentials from the University of the Pacific’s Stockton College and began work as an elementary school teacher. But when she saw so many farm children arriving hungry at school, she realized she could do more to help by organizing farm workers and farmers. She then left her teaching job and embarked on her lifelong crusade for workers’ rights.

A Life of Activism

In 1962, Dolores co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) with Cesar Chavez. The organization was the predecessor of United Farm Workers (UFW). UFW became prominent in the 1960s because of its involvement in the Delano grape strike. This five-year strike led to significant positive changes to California farm workers’ rights and welfare. Dolores later helped organize similar boycotts throughout the US in the 1970s. Through these boycotts, she helped create a national awareness and climate that led to the passage of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975. This was the first law that recognized the rights of California farmworkers to begin bargaining collectively for better wages and working conditions.

Dolores faced ethnic and gender bias throughout her life. Until 2018, she was the only woman to sit on the UFW board. In the 1960s, while traveling to New York City to promote the boycott against California table grapes, Dolores met noted feminist Gloria Steinem. She began to take a feminist approach to her activism after the meeting and shone a spotlight on the rights of women workers. In turn, Dolores influenced Steinem to expand the feminist movement to include issues faced by women of color.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Dolores championed women’s issues and worked to have more Latinos and women elected to political office. She notably endorsed Hillary Clinton’s presidential nomination in 2007 and served as honorary co-chair of the 2017 Women’s March on Washington in protest of the then-newly inaugurated president Donald Trump.

While her work kept her busy, Dolores raised a brood of 11 children. One son, Emilio Huerta, became a lawyer and politician. Her youngest daughter, Camilla Chavez, works as executive director for the Dolores Huerta Foundation.

No Signs of Slowing Down

Dolores received many honors and accolades for her advocacies. In 1998, President Bill Clinton awarded her the inaugural Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award. In 2012, President Barack Obama gave her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She has numerous schools and an asteroid named after her. She was also a board member of the Feminist Majority Foundation and the Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus of the United Farm Workers Association of America.

Despite her age, Dolores shows no signs of slowing down. She now works primarily through the Dolores Huerta Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to “inspire and organize communities to build volunteer organizations empowered to pursue social justice.” It has done this and much more. In 2015 at 85 years old, Huerta said, “As long as I have the energy and health, I am going to do as much as I can.”

Sacred Fire Creative honors exemplary women who worked to change the world in our series #WomenWhoMatter. Work with us to create exemplary changes in your own sphere of influence.

Sofia Ionescu-Ogrezeanu: First Female Neurosurgeon

“This operation changed my life for the next 47 years, as I became a neurosurgeon, turning 180 degrees away from what I had chosen for myself before, the quiet life of an internist in my hometown.” – Sofia Ionescu-Ogrezeanu

Few people are familiar with the name Sofia Ionescu-Ogrezeanu. Despite this, she holds a unique position in history. In 1944, when female doctors were relatively rare, she became the first female neurosurgeon in the world. She was only 24 years old.

Dr. Ionescu-Ogrezeanu was born in România on April 25, 1920. She decided to pursue becoming a doctor after one of her best friends died from an infection after brain surgery. Although female physicians were not the norm then, her mother supported her decision. She studied medicine in Bucharest between 1939 and 1945. At first, she planned to specialize in ophthalmology. However, the beginning of World War II would change this and the rest of her life.

During the war and between semesters, she volunteered to care for injured Soviet soldiers in Stamate Hospital in Fălticeni, Romania. There, she gained experience doing surgical operations, usually limb amputations that were common at the time. In 1943, she began work as an intern at Bucharest’s Hospital Nr. 9.

The following year, an 8-year-old comatose boy came in with severe injuries sustained in a bombing. Because of the war, the hospital was short-staffed, and Dr. Ionescu-Ogrezeanu had to perform emergency brain surgery on the boy herself. This operation transformed her life and officially made her the world’s first female neurosurgeon.

She spent the next 47 years of her life at Hospital Nr. 9, working as a surgeon. She was also part of the first neurological team in Romania that would later be known as “The Golden Neurosurgical Team.” Dr. Ionescu-Ogrezeanu performed all neurosurgical procedures available at the time. This exceptional team helped develop neurosurgery in Romania and had a lasting impact on the country’s healthcare system.

Dr. Ionescu-Ogrezeanu received many accolades and distinctions during her life as a doctor. She received the Red Cross Distinction Mark for her work and dedication early in her career. The World Health Organization also declared Dr. Sofia Ionescu-Ogrezeanu a hero, together with 65 other doctors who achieved exceptional marks in the medical profession. Dr. Ionescu-Ogrezeanu was also recognized and appreciated by her country and received the highest honor bestowed on a Romanian citizen, the Star of the Republic.

She died at 88 in Bucharest after many years of serving and caring for patients. Her influence opened many doors to medicine and neurosurgery for female doctors. While she may not be well-known outside the field of medicine, her global impact is undeniable.

Dr. Sofia Ionescu-Ogrezeanu’s passion for medicine and courage to do what no woman had done before her paved the way for other female doctors to pursue careers in neurosurgery. Her recognition as the world’s first female neurosurgeon inspires all women, not just doctors, worldwide.

Sacred Fire Creative honors women who have achieved the exceptional in their line of work in the series #WomenWhoMatter. Aspiring to achieve the exceptional in your business? Let’s work together to make your aspiration a reality.

Alicia Garza: Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter

“Change does not occur without backlash–at least any change worth having–and that backlash is an indicator that the change is so powerful that the opposing forces resist that change with everything they have.” – Alicia Garza

In 2013, a Black-centered political movement was born called Black Lives Matter. The movement started after George Zimmerman was acquitted for the death of Trayvon Martin the year before. Alicia Garza, along with Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi, was one of its founders. Since then, Black Lives Matter has transformed into a national movement dedicated to fighting racism and anti-Black violence.

While she is most well-known for helping transform Black Lives Matter from a hashtag into an international network, Alicia Garza was already an activist, strategist, and organizer. She has spent more than half her life bringing change to society through different venues. Alicia is also the host of the political commentary podcast “Lady Don’t Take No” and a co-founder of Supermajority. This voting advocacy hub brings women together as a political force transcending race, age, and background.

With over twenty years of experience as a strategist and organizer, Alicia decided to share her personal story through the book “The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart.” Here, she shares her experiences as an activist and beacon for change. The book focuses on sharing her story as an organizer and offers new perspectives to guide a new generation of young adults who want to change the world. Alicia describes the book as the book she would have liked to read when she started as a young organizer.

Alicia wears many hats – organizer, activist, author, podcast host, and more. However, her goal in all her endeavors remains the same – to bring change to the world around her. While she continues to advocate for change, she understands that there is still much to be done. She also understands that she is one person, and more than bringing change on her own, her role is to inspire others around her to work on transforming the world.

She shares, “For a long time, I did this work but wasn’t really hopeful about change. It sounds counterintuitive in some ways, but it happens to a lot of people, actually. You have to believe that change can happen if you are going to be a part of making change. That doesn’t mean we don’t hurt, that we don’t despair, that there isn’t grief—there is all of that. But there also must be a belief that we, too, can make the change we long for. It must be the thing that wakes us up in the morning, the thing we fall asleep thinking about.”

Alicia Garza is a true inspiration, not just for Black women, women, or Black people exclusively. She inspires people worldwide, regardless of race, gender, or nationality. Her dedication to bringing much-needed change and leaving the world a better place encourages others to do the same. How Alicia inspires others around her is her legacy, and this is the welcome impact she makes on society.

Sacred Fire Creative honors women who work to change the world in this #WomenWhoMatter series. If you want to create a lasting, positive impact on your tribe through your business, work with us.

Serena Williams: The GOAT of Women’s Tennis

“I don’t like to lose – at anything – yet I’ve grown most not from victories, but setbacks.” – Serena Williams

If you have access to TV or the Internet, you know who Serena Williams is. She is only one of the greatest tennis players of all time. In 2002, when she was only 21 years old, Serena was named the world’s number 1 singles tennis player by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). Since then, she has gone on to win 23 Grand Slam singles titles, second only to the record of Australian tennis player Margaret Court.

Serena is known for her powerful style of play and excellent athleticism. She started her tennis career playing on public tennis courts in Los Angeles with her father. In 1995, she turned professional, one year after her equally famous sister Venus. In 1999, Serena won her first Grand Slam title at the US Open. Serena and Venus played as partners at the same tournament and won the doubles event. They have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together.

The living legend believes she, together with her sister, brought about significant change to the world of tennis. “We changed it from being two great Black champions to being the best ever, period. And that’s what we did. We took out color and just became the best. Records are proof, and that’s what it is,” she said in an interview.

No doubt about it, Serena and Venus changed the face of women’s tennis. From their sheer athleticism to their standout fashion choices while playing, they created an impact on the court that will last well after they retire. They have empowered other women athletes to do better and hit harder, no matter what other people might say.

Today, Serena is the proud mom of Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., her 4-year-old daughter with her husband, Alexis Ohanian. After a rough start to motherhood, which involved an emergency C-section and four surgeries within a week of becoming a mother, Serena has settled comfortably into her role as a doting parent. Although she is still an active tennis player, she has not joined recent tournaments and spends most of her time with her daughter and other endeavors.

“Despite my body’s wreckage – and the fact that I couldn’t get in much breastfeeding – connecting with Olympia at long last was amazing. It was both the reward and the validation for all I’d been through. I went from not being able to really imagine her in the womb to us being completely inseparable. I still feel like I have to be around her every day of her life, as much as possible. I’m anxious when I’m not around her,” Serena shared.

The quote we started with seems to sum up Serena’s life. While she is known for her victories, she has learned more from setbacks and failures. For every triumph, Serena faced countless hours of practice and a number of losses before finally getting that win. Even motherhood did not come easy for her. After her initial medical issues after giving birth, she came out stronger for it and with an even stronger bond with her daughter.

If you’re looking for inspiration to power through difficult challenges, look to Serena Williams and see how a young girl playing tennis on public courts grew up and became a world-class athlete.

Sacred Fire Creative honors women who change the world in this #WomenWhoMatter series. If you want to change your world and leave a lasting, positive impact on your tribe through effective digital marketing, work with us today.

Josie Natori: Filipino Fashion Trailblazer

“I just don’t like to settle. Good enough is never good enough.” – Josie Natori

Josephina Almeda Cruz, also known in fashion circles as Josie Natori, is considered one of the most outstanding women business owners in the Philippines. This Filipino-American entrepreneur runs The Natori Company, an international women’s fashion brand. Her products retail in the U.S.’s most prominent department stores, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, and Neiman Marcus. Her products are available worldwide today through her brand’s website.

All in the family

Josie grew up in a matriarchal society surrounded by her close-knit Filipino kin. “Women are encouraged to be entrepreneurs,” Josie says of her family. This encouragement stayed with her throughout her life. Even when she was a child, her grandmother would remind her that she should never be in a position where she had to depend on anyone. This upbringing gave her the motivation and inspiration to start her own business.

When she was younger, Josie didn’t plan to enter the fashion industry. Artistically talented and naturally inclined to play the piano, Josie performed in a solo concert with the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra. She was only 9 years old. At 17, she left for New York and pursued an economics degree from Manhattanville College.

From banking to fashion

After graduation, Josie embarked on a career in banking. Eventually, she became the first female vice president of investment banking at Merrill Lynch. There, she met and married Ken Natori, a fellow executive in the banking world. She then gave birth to her son Kenneth Jr. in 1976,

The following year, Josie found herself looking for new challenges and wanting to start her own business. Before entering the fashion industry, Josie opened several different ventures, from a McDonald’s franchise to a carwash.

Josie’s namesake company began when she brought an embroidered garment from the Philippines to a buyer in Bloomingdales. The buyer advised her to turn it into a sleep shirt; the rest was history.

In the early years of The Natori Company, many of Josie’s friends and relatives pitched in to help her make her vision a reality. For example, an uncle pitched in to sew labels onto clothes. Other family members once gathered to help make a small trim cut on a special order of a thousand blouses. In 1985, Josie convinced her husband, who was still working on Wall Street, to help run her growing business. He became chairman of The Natori Company.

An international empire

More than four decades later, The Natori Company has transformed into a lifestyle brand that includes popular lingerie collections, ready-to-wear apparel, home items, eyewear, and fragrance. Aside from being the founder of an internationally successful fashion business, Josie works to give back to society. She sits on the board of several organizations, including the Asian Cultural Council and the Fashion and Design Council of the Philippines. Her factory in the Philippines handles over 60% of her company’s production and employs 500 workers.

Josie Natori is an admirable example of a woman who pursued her dreams and achieved success with the help of family and friends. From a single sleep shirt, she has built an international empire now seen as one of the world’s top lifestyle brands. “Now, as the company grows, we grow our sensibility too, taking our concept and making it a whole world. As we say here, Natori is ‘where life meets art,’” she shared.

Sacred Fire Creative honors visionary women who forged their own path to success in this #WomenWhoMatter series. If you see yourself as a visionary, who wants to create a lasting, positive impact on your community, come work with us.

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