Thursday's Truth - Networking Authentically

In yesterday's Wednesday's Women of Courage post, I highlighted the research that Cindy Padnos of Illuminate Ventures has made available as yet another data point proving that despite all the hype, women still face an uphill battle to reach parity with men in multiple venues.

In my opinion, the battle is not in the boardrooms or hallways of Corporate America. The truth is - this battle is in the minds of millions of brilliant women, conflicted through nature or nurture over their purpose in life.

Let's be honest, despite all the Political Correctness we display in public regarding equality and women's rights, there is still a large undercurrent of discrimination against women playing out every day in our homes, schools, and in the workplace.

While efforts like The Girl Effect bring tremendous inspiration to the effort, it is up to each individual, woman and man, to show courage and authenticity in every aspect of their lives, if we want to achieve our potential as individuals, families, and the world as a whole. But we must also reach out to one another for support and inspiration if we are to rid our minds of the falsehoods regarding gender equality that are holding us back.

One organization that is working hard to provide women with a place to network authentically is the 85 Broads organization. Recently, they discovered that their database of members included over 750 women with the title of CEO, Co-Founder, or President. This datapoint has led them to the following conclusion:

TREND: Female entrepreneurs are attracting capital through trusted, established networks like 85 Broads. In turn, they are hiring women to play key roles in their businesses, both as employees and as consultants. In essence, they are becoming “buying centers” of other women’s services and products globally.

85 BROADS IS RAPIDLY BECOMING A GLOBAL BUSINESS HUB: ForbesWoman, a terrific magazine and website for "career-minded women who mean business," has selected 85Broads.com as one of the Top 100 Best Sites for Women. Several fellow members of 85 Broads have sites that also made the list!

Take time today to join at least one network of women. Reach out, down, and up to another female colleague or friend and invest in their effort by applying your time, talent, or treasure.

And most of all, take time to defeat the enemy that lurks in your mind. Once you believe in yourself, there is nothing that holds you back from achieving your goals and dreams!