Women Igniting Change‪®‬ Robbin Jorgensen

Joining today’s conversation is Jenny Malseed, VP of Strategy and Talent at GlobalGiving, a United States-based nonprofit organization which provides funding for grassroots charitable projects across the globe. As Jenny puts it GlobalGiving was “crowdfunding since before crowdfunding was a thing.” International aid and nonprofits, she explains, can be very paternalistic and inequitable, telling those in need what’s best and, through their practices, attracting only nonprofits from developed countries with English as a first language. GlobalGiving’s Pathways Program focuses on making the platform accessible to those who could benefit most and mapping out journeys which ensure that the organization is solving problems that really need to be solved and not just those that are easiest. Central to GlobalGiving’s mission is community-led change, putting resources and power in the hands of the people closest to the problem, so that communities can drive their own progress. 
 
Equity and community are just as much a part of the organization’s internal mission. A company is only enriched and strengthened by its diversity of backgrounds, skillsets and experiences, and part of Jenny’s work is to oversee the company’s Race Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative. REDI is committed to ensuring that every voice contributes to shaping the company. Jenny highlights how transparency, including the acknowledgment of mistakes, has been instrumental in aligning GlobalGiving closer to its mission. Moreover, fostering a culture of humility and kindness has leveled the playing field between employees and executives. This approach has cultivated a unique culture of recognition within the company, which notably includes a taco-based reward system.
 
A company’s greatest asset is its employees. On today’s episode of Women Igniting Change Jenny shares how her time spent in the Peace Corps shaped her leadership skills and values and how to ensure even the most difficult conversations are productive.
 
Quotes
“There is so much richness in different perspectives, and every individual brings unique skills, expertise to all the problems in the world or anything that we're trying to do.” (4:38 | Jenny)
“It can be very tempting to start focusing externally and say, ‘We need to go do programs, we need to support racial justice,’ which we do, absolutely. But if we don't work on ourselves, that lacks authenticity.” (5:32 | Jenny)
“It sounds like a cliche, but how true is it that your employees are your greatest asset, and particularly in a social service organization or nonprofit? Our employees are what we have. That's it. That's the entire value that we deliver.” (7:10 | Jenny)
 “There are so many terrible things happening in the world all the time and yet I know I’ve got my people working and helping to make it a little bit better.” (15:07 | Jenny)
“When we talk about community led change, just to be clear, as I said, we're talking about communities being the ones that are driving change. And in particular what that means is that we need to put resources and decision-making and even power in the hands of those who are closest to the problems.” (19:47 | Jenny)
 
Links
Connect with Jenny Malseed:
Website: https://www.globalgiving.org/
Jenny's Bio
 
Connect with Robbin Jorgensen (She/Her):
Website: https://womenignitingchange.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-igniting-change/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbinjorgensen/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robbin.jorgensen/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

“It hit me upside the head: how can a whole society be lacking in sports?” 
 
When Marina LeGree arrived in Afghanistan, she was struck by the lack of sport and outdoor physical activity available to Afghan citizens, particularly young women. A dedicated athlete in her youth, Marina understood the power of sport to transform a person emotionally as well as physically, and to bring out the best in oneself.  She knew she wanted to create opportunities for girls in Afghanistan to get out and enjoy their environment, and in 2015 she founded Ascend: Leadership Through Athletics, which began by taking a group of 20 girls on a mountaineering adventure, inspired by Malang Daria and Amruddin Sanjar, the first Afghan citizens to summit the country’s highest mountain. Today, the program, which has since extended its mission to Pakistan, rests on five pillars: mental health, physical fitness and nutrition, leadership and community service. The fifth element, rock climbing and mountaineering, has ceased to be a part of the program in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. 
 
For those young women whose safety and future are threatened by this change in power, the program has proven a lifeline in more ways than one. Ascend Athletics has worked to relocate 134 alumni from the program to other countries. And the program instilled in them hope for the future, expectations for their lives and the courage to pursue it, at the risk of their very lives. Marina tells the story of Mina, who crossed through the city of Kabul in the dark alone, in danger at every turn, to board a bus for a 10 hour journey bound for what would be her new home away from her family.
 
However grim the circumstances for the young women in Afghanistan, the Ascend Athletics program is not meant to change or circumvent policy. Rather, it works to give girls the tools to succeed in their own context and to make change in their own societies. Join today’s conversation for more tales of bravery, resiliency and above all, hope. 
 
Quotes
“We need exercise, we need to play, we need to use our bodies and girls are totally deprived of that in a lot of places.” (4:23 | Marina) 
“That was the biggest challenge, to figure out how to make this not a symbolic activity that would just happen once or twice for some lucky girls, but really building a program around it that could sustain and involve a lot more people.” (7:46 | Marina) 
“I really wanted to equip girls with the internal tools so that they wouldn't need Westerners propping anybody up, they would have the stuff and they would think about themselves as the change makers. So I think when you asked about successes, I think the biggest successes came when I saw the light go on, in certain girls in the program that they wanted that too.” (10:00 | Marina)
“I kept thinking of those mothers, those mothers trusted enough that in us as an organization that we would look after their girls, and they knew, like you said they knew what the future might hold. So they were giving the girls their blessing.” (21:03 | Marina)
“What impressed me about a lot of the girls is their eyes were on the prize. They wanted to get an education. That was the main thing. And a lot of them were already through high school. And they were in their university studies. They had plans and they didn't want to lose that. So yeah, it was a lot of bravery.” (33:22 | Marina)
“We could have easily filled up all of the visas and plane seats that we had with just a few lucky families. We instead chose individual girls who could then transform the lives of themselves and help their families in the future. I could hear the woman who is now our board chair saying, ‘Who is at risk?’ Dads are not really at risk. The brothers aren't. It's the girls.” (43:19 | Marina)
 
Links
Connect with Marina LeGree:
https://www.ascendathletics.org
https://www.ascendathletics.org/ourpeople
Ascend: Forced to flee the Taliban, A

Kay McMahon, often hailed as the most influential figure in the world of golf, holds a distinguished position as a Ladies' Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Hall of Famer. However, her true passion lies in teaching, and through her company, Edukaytion Golf, she's determined to change how golf is taught. She believes that the golf industry has perpetuated the misconception that golf is a challenging sport, deterring many, especially women, from ever starting.
 
This hesitation to embrace golf can put women at a disadvantage, given that golf courses often serve as venues for valuable business networking. Kay aims to encourage more women to confidently take up the sport and open doors to business opportunities.
 
To achieve this, Kay emphasizes the importance of introducing girls to golf at a young age and providing them with female role models who engage in the sport casually and professionally. Despite the support Kay received from her male teammates during her time as a female pro golfer, golf remains predominantly male-dominated, with slow progress in women's inclusion. Even golf course designs favor men. Kay thoughtfully discusses how men can serve as allies to women in golf.
 
In today's episode of Women Igniting Change, Kay introduces her Golf 8.5 method, simplifying the steps involved in forming a golf swing. According to her, it's the first step toward confidently stepping onto the golf course.
 
Quotes
“We don't always listen to ourselves. People say, ‘Go do this; this is what you're good at,’ and you say, ‘No, that doesn't sound like it's right.’ It's hard to sometimes sit back and just listen and say, ‘I'm pretty good at this.’” (6:29 | Kay)
“The interesting thing was that they were very supportive, all the men when I was out there. They were very supportive.” (8:26 | Kay)
“If we change how we teach it, we're going to get more golfers, especially more women, into the game.” (13:01 | Kay)
“When you walk into that boardroom, you might not know what you're doing, but you’d better walk in like you know what you're doing and you own it. I'm going to say this about women: we get to this point where we might be strong in the boardroom, or in corporate America, or globally corporate, but all of a sudden, we get on the golf course and get meek again.” (17:43 | Kay)
“Golf courses are really designed for men.” (21:29 | Kay)
“I think we really need to encourage high school girls to start playing earlier, too…Not every girl is going to get on the LPGA Tour. But every girl doesn't have to be left at the office as they get into corporate America.” (25:44 | Kay)
“I was offered one of my first jobs with IBM because of two things: I was a woman; I could play golf. And that makes a big difference. People think the deals are made on the golf course. No, what you're doing is you're developing those relationships, you're out there doing something with somebody else. And I think that's a big deal.” (26:28 | Kay)

Links
Connect with Kay McMahon:
Website:
https://www.edukaytiongolf.com/
Blog on website:
https://www.edukaytiongolf.com/blog
Other social links:
https://www.facebook.com/kay.mcmahon.1447
https://www.facebook.com/eduKaytiongolf/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/edukaytiongolf/
https://www.youtube.com/user/EduKaytionGolf
https://www.instagram.com/edukaytiongolf/
https://twitter.com/edukaytiongolf

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

“If you want to be known for some type of social change and social impact, what does that look like for you?” 
 
In recent years especially, we’ve watched as major corporations use their profiles and platforms to bring attention to key issues affecting our world. To help promote climate justice, U.S. clothing brand Patagonia contributes 1% of their profits to organizations working to save the environment. American ice cream manufacturer Ben & Jerry’s adorns the walls of its headquarters with information on U.S. voting laws. P&G (Procter & Gamble) has launched campaigns promoting gender equality and helping to eradicate stereotypes. 
 
You, too, are a brand, and as a female leader you have an unrivaled power to affect social change. Yet, many women keep the causes they’re most passionate about to themselves. On today’s episode, Robbin offers a series of tips for engaging in your own personal brand activism. She explains how to let the world know more about your cause, strengthen your professional association to it, amplify your voice, and deal with the inevitable criticism you’ll receive when you do.
 
Take a stand with your brand. Not only will you experience a deeper sense of purpose and meaning in your life but you’ll raise awareness around what deeply matters to you.
 
Quotes
“Now more than ever, consumers are choosing to purchase from brands that align with their own personal values and what they believe. And they're really voting with their wallets for the type of businesses that they want to see in the world. It's just something that's really evolved over the last couple of years.” (4:43 | Robbin) 
“Brand activism exists at the intersection of what people want, what the world needs, and what a brand uniquely offers.” (5:00 | Robbin)
“Here's the thing: You are a brand. What you value, what you believe, how you position yourself out into the world, how you position yourself in the marketplace. And this is regardless of whether you are still inside an organization or whether you own your own business on the other side of the fence.” (5:14 | Robbin)
“One of the things I believe to my core is that every woman on this planet has some type of idea for social change or social impact that could revolutionize her community, her organization, her industry, or the world. We all have that. There's just a fear around putting that out there. But we are the key to solving some of the most pressing global challenges of our time. It is women, it is us, and it is getting ready to put ourselves out there in a larger way, and take a stand for what matters for us.” (6:08 | Robbin) 
“I want to give you a little bit of a caveat: When you do start doing this, you are going to have people who completely align with what you have to say, you're going to have people who think you're nuts, and you are going to have detractors who are going to poke holes in what you’re saying.” (7:52 | Robbin)
 
Links
Patagonia Climate Justice: https://www.patagonia.com/actionworks/campaigns/climate-justice-is-social-justice/
 
Ben & Jerry’s - Silence Is Not An Option
https://www.benjerry.com/about-us/media-center/dismantle-white-supremacy
 
Together, We Can Reimagine Criminal Justice Reform
https://www.benjerry.com/values/issues-we-care-about/justice-remixd.html
 
P&G - The Best Men Can Be
https://gillette.com/en-us/about/the-best-men-can-be
https://us.pg.com/lgbtq-visibility/
 
Widen the Screen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUHop5i8-f4
 
#WeSeeEqual
https://in.pg.com/gender-equality/
Run Like a Girl
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=P%26G+like+a+girl
 
Connect with Robbin Jorgensen (She/Her):
Website: https://womenignitingchange.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-igniting-change/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbinjorgensen/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robbin.jorgensen/
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
 

“Women’s ability to adapt, to transform their lives and the lives of their families and communities, I've seen that all over the world.” As an international women’s rights advocate for the last 30 years, Karen Sherman has not only seen women transform their lives, she’s helped them do it. In her latest venture as founder and CEO of Virunga Mountain Spirits, she is creating jobs for Rwandan women as alcohol-makers, a profession women have turned to support themselves since the beginning of time. She has created a sustainable production process in conjunction with a local chip factory to make vodka from the region’s “unloved” potatoes. The process also gives back to the land and to local farmers by turning all refuse into livestock feed and fertilizer. 
 
When a woman earns her own income she gets to voice decisions in her own life and make choices about where her money goes and to whom. Once this level of empowerment is established for women in Rwanda, they have potential to then start their own businesses and to lead their own communities toward change. A large part of Karen’s job as a womens’ rights advocate is to be a humble and respectful champion, recognizing that no outside force can create sustainable change in another country.
 
Women are survivors–of everything from war to violence to lack of opportunity–and have the power to rebuild their lives, as the title of Karen’s book suggests, “Brick by Brick.” Listeners of today’s episode will learn what they can do to get involved and support global women empowerment, misconceptions about social change and why cynicism and pessimism are luxuries. 
 
Show keywords: #femaleempowerment #sustainablechange #creatingchange #RwandanWomen
 
Quotes
“Men would come in, and say, ‘I just need a million dollars, because I've got this great idea, and it's gonna be amazing.The women would come in and say, I've got this great idea, and I need $50. And I can run with that. And that is really the fundamental difference.” (2:54 | Karen)
“I'm not Rwandan, I can't pretend to be Rwandan, I'm not an Afghani woman. I really feel like the women in their countries should lead. It is really up to them to drive change. Where I feel like I can be helpful and when I'm wearing my development hat, is really as a champion, an advocate, really a catalyst, if you will. It isn't for me to drive change in another society.” (5:59 | Karen)
“We've all had to survive something in our lives, whether it be violence, or abuse, or just a lack of resources or opportunity, the lack of schooling. So to me, it's sort of what do you do with that? How do you rebuild your lives a brick at a time?” (8:37 | Karen)
12:25 - "While education gives women voice, it's really the income piece that gives women choice. One without the other is really insufficient for transformation and social change." (12:43 | Karen)
“You don't have to do everything, you can pick a thing that really means something to you. And you can start small, just pick something: a place, an area that you feel like you want to make a difference because it resonates with you. And you know, let your passion drive you forward.” (23:13 | Karen)
 
Links
Connect with Karen Sherman:
Bio: https://www.karensherman.org/about
Book - Brick by Brick: https://www.karensherman.org/brick-by-brick
Virunga Mountain Spirits: https://www.karensherman.org/virunga-mountain-spirits
 
UN Women:  www.unwomen.org
School of Leadership Afghanistan (SOLA): https://www.sola-afghanistan.org/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

“People can’t conceptualize what they don’t see,” says Deshanna Wiggins, CEO of the Albany Black Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) and Social Club, who was recently nominated into the Power 50 list for the Albany Business Review. Growing up in the capital region, Deshanna felt that her only opportunities lay in the public sector and left for Atlanta to pursue a career as a communications executive and director of courtroom operations. She has since returned to the area to help create platforms and spaces for Black and minority businesses and to inspire Black entrepreneurship and economic development. With 35 percent of the area population being over 65 and 30 percent of the area population under 18, she hopes to help that middle demographic who are enterprising and innovative and setting up businesses. She wants to show the rest of the country that the city is a formidable player on the national stage, and that diversity is a major contributing factor to its success. 
 
No matter how much a majority-white organization is focused on inclusivity, representation is important, and emerging Black entrepreneurs need to see people who look like them running a variety of businesses. Deshanna describes the four pillars upon which her programs are built to establish equitable business in the bipoc community and the biggest challenges she faces as a leader. She explains the importance of collaboration and the benefits of promoting opportunity over charity, the latter of which often catches people in a bad cycle. More important than giving everyone a piece of the pie is creating opportunities for everyone to get their own pie with the flavor of their choice. 
 
Staying true to your mission is crucial to yielding the results you want. Deshanna remains true to herself in every room she enters, and she discusses the importance of authenticity in leadership. 
 
#blackentrepreneurship #diversity #representation
 
Quotes:
“White men are great. They've set up the enterprise for this country but there are other people here…if we don't give them those opportunities, then we'll see the same that we've always seen.” (6:43 | Deshanna)
“When I walk in the room, and I'm the only one, it’s a problem because people want to be in spaces with other people that look like them… if those environments aren't created, then we have issues.” (13:44 | Deshanna)
“It is important because this area is not going to survive…in order for an area to exist, it has to embrace diversity, it has to embrace businesses of all colors and backgrounds, in order to really thrive.” (21:32 | Deshanna)
“A lot of time, if you go to a majority white organization, and they're wanting to be inclusive and do programming, yet, the vendors that they use are not of color…I think the chamber will be that middle ground of bringing those conversations where people come and feel safe enough to open up to be able to foster those relationships.” (28:19 | Deshanna)
“Investment is the biggest piece. We've got the time, we've got the talent, but…capital is certainly necessary to get us there.” (39:53 | Deshanna) 
 
Links
Connect with Deshanna Wiggins:
Website: https://bfg.org/what-we-do/albany-black-chamber-of-commerce/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlbanyBlackChamberofCommerce
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/albanyblackchamber/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/albanyblackchamberofcommerce/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@albanyblackchamber
 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm