On Behalf Of All Women Lioness For The Female Entrepreneur

“What does feminism mean to you?” We are living in a remarkable time for women, but has the word feminism lost its original message? Natasha and Dawn talk to actor, producer, and philanthropist Yvonne Huff Lee about feminism, being an entrepreneur and a mother, the power of women storytellers and why more women need to be the architects of their lives.

Yvonne has been taking the entertainment industry by storm with her film financing company The Lagralane Group. Last year alone, Lagralane was honored to be a part of seven feature films which premiered at Sundance in January including “Bisbee ’17,” “Dark Money,” “Investing Tomorrow,” “306 Hollywood” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” which also screened at SXSW. In addition to their festival triumphs, the team’s project “Icarus” took home the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

This is the perfect conversation to kick-off the new year. Tune into this warm and fresh discussion as the trio celebrate womanhood and its complexities (yep — they also talk menstrual cramps, chivalry and being comfortable with not offering second chances), and the importance of pushing the female narrative.

Here are some notable highlights:
We ask what does feminism mean to you, being an entrepreneur and a mother, the power of having women storytellers

(2:50) Yvonne on motherhood and entrepreneurship.

(17:00) Everybody talks about finding your tribe, but recognizing when someone is not in your tribe, or not “your people” is even more important, so you don’t waste your time and energy.

(23:18) Has feminism gotten a bad wrap and what does feminism mean to you?

(33:10) Who are women who are pushing the female narrative and why is it important?

(36:50) How shows like Ozark are brilliantly using women in front of and behind the cameras to develop well-rounded female characters.

(44:32) The power of young girls seeing women who look like them on television.

(47:06) In 2018, gatekeepers no longer have the power that they used to.

Want to hear our thoughts on a particular topic? Send an e-mail with your topics to info@thelionessgroup.com with the subject line, “On Behalf of All Women.”
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“Episode 4” from On Behalf of All Women by Lioness Magazine. Released: 2019. including music from the New Music Mantra (Snowflake’s revox) by Snowflake (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.

What’s up, Lionesses? We’re back with another episode of, “On Behalf of All Women.” Dawn and Natasha want the world to know that women-founded startups are real, our businesses are making money and we need you to help us turn our zebra companies into unicorns. In this episode, our co-founders don’t hold back when it comes to talking venture capital. Natasha says startup investment is high-stakes gambling and VC’s are picking who gets to play.

“Women are feeling this and people of color are feeling this,” Dawn says. “There’s this big game going on and you’re just being told, ‘Hey, you can’t play.’ You’re not even being picked last for the dodgeball game. You’re just not being picked.”

Their unfiltered conversation delves into training your brain for wealth, VC firms needing to diversify deal flow and the incredible rise and fall of unicorn Theranos. Plus, can startups get too big? Why super companies that keep acquiring startups may not be the best thing for the innovation sector.

Want to hear our thoughts on a particular topic? Send an e-mail with your topics to info@thelionessgroup.com with the subject line, “On Behalf of All Women.”

Here are some notable highlights:
(10:20) Venture capital is high stakes gambling and VCs are picking and choosing who gets to play.
(16:20) Real zebra companies generating revenue versus unicorn startups who have generated zero dollars.
(20:53) Women rock it better than men when our startups are venture-backed.
(27:18) A wealth mindset starts at home. What unsaid things did you learn from your parents about money?
(46:00) Understanding that your product/service is NOT for everyone. Embrace demographics.
(50:14) Can companies get too big? What happens when companies like Facebook and Amazon become super companies?
(56:00) Can leading your startup for many years cause it to sink? Dawn and Natasha look at an interesting argument.
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“Episode 3” from On Behalf of All Women by Lioness Magazine. Released: 2018. including music from the New Music Mantra (Snowflake’s revox) by Snowflake (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.

In this episode, Dawn and Natasha talk about the good and bad mentors lurking in entrepreneurship. They dish on impactful people who have left meaningful marks on their lives as well the pitfalls of working with mentors who are a complete waste of your time. Plus, they share the dos and don’ts of finding a great mentor, how to weed out shitty mentors and the red flashing warning signs of people who talk a good game, but who can’t actually help you with squat.

Natasha apologizes for the sounds of summer at her house! Enjoy her windchimes and creaky screen door. A summer downpour passed through and she had to run in doors. (LOL!)

Here are some notable highlights:
(2:30) Dawn shares the earliest memory she has of a mentor in her life.
(12:03) How approaching the former commissioner of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination as a potential mentor gave Natasha access above and beyond what she had anticipated.
(16:30) Why you should keep a male and a female mentor — perspective!
(19:41) Don’t be thirsty! Stop trying to find any famous mentor you can.
(28:40) Do you need a mentor or do you need an advisor? Most people don’t know the difference.
(37:20) Warning signs of a shitty mentor.
(38:35) Avoiding men at startup events who immediatedly say, “you know what you should do …”
(43:00) Run the other way if a potential mentor does this! Yikes!