EMPOWERED FEMALE FOUNDERS OF WYLD
Happy International Women’s Day to all you Fun, Fierce and Fabulous WYLD WOMEN.
I Haven’t written in a while, so I felt that this was the perfect time to punch the keys and share some thoughts and give you a little insight into where my head and heart are at, as well as share sentiments around Empowerment from some of our Female Founders. ( Sozz she’s a long one! lol)
I think Women are extraordinary.
And I feel privileged to know many. I have been raised by them, I work alongside them, I live with them, they are my tribe and I have the pleasure of meeting, serving and dressing them almost daily.
Now, I can be quite spontaneous! LOL! Who would have thought! And when I decided I wanted to write this blog post, I thought, what do I want to know about these women?? ( women whom I rarely get to see, but have the honor of representing their brands and one of them who I have never met in person yet!). Now I know, EMPOWERED is a word that can be thrown around but I was curious to know how they felt about the people in their worlds’ who have #empowered them in their lives and how they self-empower themselves!!
Because, full-transparency, every now and then, I go through a little (sometimes massive) funk… I get to a cross road, lack self-esteem, have intense feelings of being overwhelmed and when faced with challenges that seem insurmountable, I just want to run awayyy!! And I know (hope) I am not alone!?
So to address my second question, one of the ways I try to empower myself is to be vulnerable, to share truths about struggles and frustrations freely without the fear of judgment or criticism (cos we do that to ourselves constantly anyway - am I right?). Another is reminding myself of my ‘WHY’, then spending time with Positive Humans, Reading, Yoga and consciously practicing Gratitude are all up there on my list!
And this is one of my WHY’s - YOU GUYS! (- our WYLDones). I have this wonderful opportunity and 100% THE enthusiasm to share people's stories and to get loud about things I am passionate about and #EmpoweringWomen is most certainly one of them!!! WYLD has been built over the years with such a strong force of #womenempoweringwomen and we will always advocate for Women, tToday and every other day!!
So I am super grateful to these women who came to the party and shared with me answers to the two questions below… (- in a short space of time - so their answers are barely edited!)
#1 - A Person who has helped them feel empowered in their life and how.
#2 - How they Empower themselves!
LENA KAMARUDIN - Founder of Luulaa
Can you name someone who has helped you feel empowered in your life and explain how?
I would like to say my husband actually. He has always been my Number one supporter whether it was helping me get my feet off the ground with Luulaa as well as my journey as a children's book author. More than that, he values my thoughts and opinions and holds them in high regard. I think the respect he gives me as an equal in the partnership we call marriage is very empowering.How do you Empower yourself?
By empowering others. That's why I decided to embark on my journey writing stories for Majulah Little Ones, chronicling the lives of aspirational Singaporeans. I want our children to know that there are some remarkable people here who have made a huge difference in our country and if they can do it, no dream is too big for them to achieve. I also try to give back to society even in the smallest way possible personally and through my business. We donate monthly to a children's charity of choice for Luulaa and also work with under-privileged ladies in SG and Thailand to do craft work for the brand.
WINONA TAN - Founder of WANT Skincare
Can you name someone who has helped you feel empowered in your life and explain how?
I can’t pinpoint one name specifically as I surround myself with go getters who are there to ride the ups and downs in life. You need people who can speak your mind with from various backgrounds to get different perspectives.
How do you Empower yourself ?
Be myself and do things to get out of my comfort zone.
LINDA PREECE - Founder of Linda Preece Photography
Can you name someone who has helped you feel empowered in your life and explain how?
The greatest inspiration and reason for who I am today, is without a doubt my parents, brothers, and sister. From a young age, they empowered me to take chances, try new things, to just go for it! I was raised to not take life too seriously, but to have commitment, resilience, and perseverance in striving to achieve my goals.
I was taught to keep a positive attitude, never give up and look for colour and inspiration, even in the smallest of joys. I have felt empowered to follow my dreams, live life with passion, and be the best version of myself!!
How do You Empower yourself?
My self-empowerment comes through my passion for creativity and new environments. Living a life that I love, that is full of energy! I can be inspired by the vibrant colours of shophouses, reflections in puddles of water or the shape of trees. And I surround myself with amazing friends. I love to always be on the go, to be learning, finding new techniques and ways of doing things. I am always attending art and photography workshops and then combining what I have learnt to create something unique. I also have a passion for bringing people together, to create communities of like minded individuals to inspire, connect and have fun. After all, life is to be lived!
RORY MARTIN - Founder of Sista & Co
Can you name someone who has helped you feel empowered in your life and explain how?
My mother passed on such wonderful values, morals, beliefs and support in helping me to become the person I am today, so I feel I carry a lot inside me already. But I have found at various stages of my life, people, books and situations have found me to help guide me through. I always remember Oprah being such a fantastic source of thought leaders and change makers that sparked a new way of being/thinking, also Sarah Wilson was a wonderful source of new age thinking and lessons at a significant time in my life that I still carry as wonderful tools and lessons.
How do You Empower yourself?
I find now with social media and various other websites I take snippets of encouraging or empowering articles that resonate with me and where I’m at in life. I think it’s always nice to notice the things you do big or small and really acknowledge the sense of accomplishment, it always boosts me.
AURÉLIE SAMUEL - Founder of Lilie Sai Wan
Can you name someone who has helped you feel empowered in your life and explain how?
I'd say that I am lucky enough to have parents who granted me a great extent of freedom and trust when I was young. As a result, I learned to be quite independent in my decision-making :)
How do you Empower yourself ?
Stick to my ideas, trust my gut feeling, move towards my objectives and try to keep seeing the good side of things when mood and focus are a bit low ;)
CINDI LIM - Founder of Bayou
Can you name someone who has helped you feel empowered in your life and explain how?
Miss Deborah Henry, Founder of Fugeelah. She is a friend of mine and I have always looked up to her, simply because she cares for the refugees and wants to make a difference for them. She constantly seeks their sense of self-worth, their ability to determine their own choices, and their right to influence change for themselves and others.How do you Empower yourself ?
Being a small business owner, there is always a certain degree of self-doubt from time to time. This eventually leads me to think that my life may be out of control and that I'm not in a position to change it. I constantly see the need to empower myself and remember self care. I keep myself busy with fitness regime and spending time mingling with positive and inspiring people. That is when I take control of my life choices and know that I'm on my right path.
MELINDA OLAH - Founder of THE CANDLEIST
Can you name someone who has helped you feel empowered in your life and explain how?
I used to be in awe of women who just seem to have it all: perfect LinkedIn profiles, equally impressive social media accounts. But by now, I am so much more inspired by real & raw role models. Entrepreneurs who unapologetically stand out from the crowd and stick to their journey. And the fab news is that Singapore is full of creative geniuses like that! Their stories keep me grounded and focused for mine. So to answer your question – the list of names is looong…How do you Empower yourself?
I surround myself with the right energy. I carefully hand pick the right crowd & the right wine! Oh and the right outfit. Always.
DAMAN ISSAR - Founder of Roses and Rhinos
Can you name someone who has helped you feel empowered in your life and explain how?
In the early stages of my career I had an amazing boss who empowered me to learn and grow. She always listened, guided me when needed and made me feel valued. I was a shy newbie and with her support my confidence grew and so did my career. I learnt so much from her on how to work with others-most importantly give your time. We all live in a busy world but if you stop, breathe, think and listen-everything becomes clearer.How do you Empower yourself?
It can be hard to empower yourself and something I've really had to learn. The main thing I do is to define what success and happiness means to me, it's a constant re-evaluation. What success and happiness was in my 20s is different to now. Once this is realised, I set my goals. Celebrate my achievements and learn from my mistakes. Constantly evolving and forever learning!
SAMANTHA WINDEBANK - Founder of Indii Breeze
Can you name someone who has helped you feel empowered in your life and explain how?
I would definitely have to say my husband Chris, who I would say is my biggest support. He has always had the ability to offer the right words wisdom and reassurance at times when I wasn’t so sure myself.
How do you Empower yourself?
I always try to take some “me time” whenever possible just to reset and recharge and that could simply be catching up with friends or getting my nails done and being able to let the stresses of that day or week go.
They’re all such contrasting and honest answers, I just love them! Thank you guys for sharing!
And now I am coming for you WYLDones! Who in your world Empowers you? Or do you need to go on a hunt for some empowering vibes? How do you Empower yourself? Do you know how to empower yourself? Should you start to explore new ways to empower yourself?
I chose this topic to write about because when you feel empowered by others and have the ability to find ways to constantly and consistently empower yourself, you become unstoppable. You get to live your life the way you want and ultimately be who you want to be!!
And I truly believe that if there is a strong foundation of confidence and self-esteem that young women and children can build on, we will see the women of our future triumph and hopefully issues of equity and equality will shrink and the fight will have less emphasis.
However, sadly there are some women and young girls who are not afforded these opportunities. Of an education, of having freedom of speech or many basically having no rights whatsoever. (- I am sure most of you are aware of what is currently happening around the world right now, so no need to put a spotlight on these today - I will save this for another time).
There are still women in parts of the world who are still not even treated simply as human beings. Some stories leave me utterly speechless at the thought of the pain and suffering some of these women have endured. And the thought of how the physical, emotional and spiritual trauma affects them leaves my heart completely shattered. But what I am utterly floored by and deeply moved by is the bravery and undeniable strength that comes from it - the HOPE that is visible in the stories they’ve shared.
So for me this will always come back to Gratitude… and this is why it’s so important, now more than ever we must try to empower ourselves and each other, surround ourselves with humans who build us up so that we have the opportunity to cultivate- strong, mindful, kind, courageous and compassionate women.
Making a positive impact and effecting change… this is truly one of my deepest wishes for WYLD.
Thank you for your continued support, it means the world. Hope to see you soon!
Always with Love,
Live WYLD Live Free,
Kb xoxo