Q. What is Agenda Women and why did you start it? 

I've been an entrepreneur since I was 25 and I'm 40 today. And at some point, I reflected on my journey right in the middle. I think I was 30 years old, and I looked at how much I needed access to information and mentorship, and I felt I was in a good position to create a hub or a space where women could get resources, advice, mentorship, and information around how to build their careers and their businesses. That was really the only thing that I wanted to do, and I cannot believe where we are today.

Q. You’re often referred to as an impact entrepreneur, what do you mean by this?

I believe an impact entrepreneur is an entrepreneur that builds a business whose primary objective is social impact, whether that's profitable or not. But I think at the core of the work that I do is social impact. I couldn't do any other work.

Q. What is the female founder effect and how can we all benefit from it? 

The female founder effect is the unique impact that female founders bring to the table as leaders and as business owners. I think what it does for the world is create a space of inclusivity and diversity. Without that, we have a problem of misrepresentation, which is at the heart of the work that we do for underrepresented communities like people of colour and women.

Q. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

I was recently asked this in a podcast, and it sounds so simple, but I think as I've matured, I understand it. Things get better. Things always get better, in the same way that the seasons change. You'll not be in your summer forever or in your winter forever. Your entire lifetime is the reason that you're able to get into your summer. Even when you're in your summer, I think for someone like me, who's experienced a couple of seasons now, I know that winter is coming again, and I'm better prepared for the challenges that I believe I'm going to face because of my mindset. I don't think we can do the work that we do if we didn't believe that it would bear results. Fundamentally, I think a lot of impact entrepreneurs are optimists. We go out into the world, and we really have to believe that all the time we're spending trying to figure out how we change things around in our areas of work. Whether it's in my lifetime or the next, I am setting up my business to outlive me because I think the problem I'm solving is not going to be solved in this one lifetime. It's a big task, it's a huge responsibility, but it's the reason that I'm a social impact entrepreneur.

Q. What’s the proudest moment in your career?

The proudest moment in my career was August 2021 when we did the Agenda Women's Summit post-Covid-19, and I'll tell you why. Every entrepreneur has this big vision, and you tell so many people but the unique thing about vision is that you are the person who sees it. Agenda Women 2021 was the first real-life iteration of what I told people since 2016 about what this platform is, how it feels, what it looks like, what we're talking about, and its impact. We did the Summit in studio, and we made a big noise around how it looked. I am obsessed with design and the way that things feel. I always say when you walk into an environment that is curated well, it shifts something in you. So, in the work that I do, space is a very important piece, how people interface with it, how people feel special when they walk into the spaces that we create. There's something about honouring an individual by taking time to think through what they experience and the things that you create. So, a gender Woman Summit 2021 was definitely that. It was an honour for me to create it. 

Q. What does change look like for you, for women, in 2024?

To me, change for women in 2024 is anchored on representation. I pick representation because of what it does for the next generation of women. We've had to fight through many misconceptions around what it means to be a woman, to get to where we are. I believe that the next generation of women, if we see representation in the political space, in the social space, in the business space, it will shift the way that the world looks fundamentally in how young girls can dream, in what they believe is possible and in what they believe that they can attain. So, in 2024, I really believe we need to be focusing on creating opportunities for women to be represented in multiple spheres, through multiple voices.

Q. On days when you feel like the world is against you, how do you overcome that feeling and move forward?

My spiritual well-being is at the core of my identity and what I fundamentally believe is possible. My faith, my spiritual practices, meditation, praying, yoga, and stillness, are key rituals that anchor me. The ability to see things clearly comes from that space for me. When we take time to connect with what is possible in accessing those transcendental dimensions of who we are, that's the thing that keeps me going. I always say it almost feels like I'm a little crazy, but somehow, I just have a core belief around my purpose, my reason for being. It's not something I am flirting with. It is the true essence of my being. Every day I wake up purpose-driven, purpose-filled, and excited to solve the problems of the day.

Q. What are three defining career tips that you’ve learned on your journey as an entrepreneur?

Number one you need help. You need help. You need help. You need help from your employees. You need help from your employer. You need help from your partners in the business. You need help from your friends. You need a community. You need to be intentional about building a network that helps you get to your objective. Do not be transactional. This needs to be anchored on your values. I'm going to repeat, do not transact in creating relationships. Anchor your relationships with your values. You know what that does for you. You don't have to debate the thing that needs to be done. People will get up and do it because you all believe in the same thing. 

The second thing advocate for yourself. Our purpose as Agenda Women says we want to give women the confidence to own their future. Without confidence, you often trip over yourself. And in advocating for yourself, you need to cultivate confidence. You need to understand the difference between self-esteem, self-worth and confidence. I encourage you to go and google it and understand it very well. I'm also a very big believer in practices like therapy. You have to understand who you are, and how you self-sabotage. 

I think often some things are part of our lives that we light up when we engage with, but we are afraid to pursue because we are not committed to figuring out how those sustain us. You know, when I started Agenda Women, and even to this day, when I speak about Agenda Women as a for-profit business, people say, how do you make money? I didn't know at the beginning, it's a very difficult positioning, right? It's a very difficult business model to solve for. But I understood that this is where I wanted to be impactful. Number one, I also understood that I was not built to run an NGO, but I also knew that I know how to build businesses. Take on the challenge of building the life of your dreams. Take it on. It's going to be a challenge, it's not going to be easy, but just get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Q. Is there one item that you wear that makes you feel feminine?

Ironically, it's earrings. I really love having beautiful earrings. I think they make me feel feminine. So even if I'm like, I have joggers on and then I put, like, pearl earrings or a stud, I find that earrings always make me feel a little bit more feminine than I do when I don't have earrings. 

Q. How would you explain your style? 

I really like structured clothing. Those pieces always appeal to me. I think there's something about structure that says craftsmanship. I think it speaks to the common thread of just excellence and how you're honoured when you participate in excellent ventures. And when I experience things like that, there's something at the back of my head that says, someone took time to curate, someone took time to think about the kind of people that would pick up these pieces. 

Q. What’s next for Agenda Women?

There is so much that you're going to see Agenda Women do over the years. It's a thrill to build a business that I'm committed to having outlive me because it means the rest of my years are going to be about figuring out how we solve some of the challenges that women face around the world. I'm really excited to announce that we're going to be spreading out into the continent. We’re looking at anchoring our presence in four countries over the next twelve months. 

Q. What is your advice to someone who’s thinking of starting a business? 

Start and get comfortable with the beginning being messy. I think a lot of times when we start businesses, we expect it to be a Poetry. That's the vision that you have, but it doesn't start that way. It starts exactly where you are and with exactly what you can do. It is listening to a podcast and getting clues from the podcast. It's reading a book and it's the tiny details, it's the tiny things that you do. I think people get paralysis analysis because they have this big vision, and they want to figure out everything around how you're going to get there. But the beauty of allowing the process to unfold is that it could lead you to a bigger vision, something you haven't even imagined. When you stay on the path and you allow an engagement between yourself and this big, bold dream that you have, it speaks back to you. It absolutely gives you clues around what it is that you can do. The people around you are so important. You can't be trying to build the biggest tequila business, and you're not around tequila drinkers, you need them to tell you their insights in marketing, right?

I know how much you want things to be perfect and that's the thing that paralyzes you, that idea that things need to be perfect. Be comfortable with figuring out the process and be bold enough to be able to stand in the boardroom and say, these are the things that we discovered. Yes, we didn't win there, but these are the things that we discovered. This is how we can do things differently. No one knows everything all the time at any given point, unless they've had experiences where they've failed or they've seen how things can be done better. Lean into that just as a human being, and realise that any mistake you make, anything that you do well, it's still going to give you clues. It's such an important trait to have as a human being, to have the courage to allow the process to unfold. It takes courage to say, well, we didn't do that well, and to confidently say, this is how we do it better, you know? 

Q. How can the public get involved with your cause and what kind of help would be the most meaningful support?

At our organisation, we are dedicated to empowering modern working women by providing valuable content and fostering a supportive community. Here are several ways the public can get involved and make a meaningful impact:

Engage with Our Content: Follow us on social media, subscribe to our newsletters, and participate in our webinars and events. By engaging with our content, you help spread awareness and join a network of like-minded individuals.

Participate in Discussions: Join our online forums, attend virtual meet-ups, and share your experiences and insights. Your participation helps build a vibrant, supportive community where women can learn from each other.

Spread the Word: Share our mission with your network. Whether through social media posts, word-of-mouth, your advocacy helps expand our reach and impact. 

Collaborate with Us: If you are part of an organisation that aligns with our mission, consider collaborating on events, content, or initiatives that can further support working women. 

Sponsorship: If you represent a company, consider sponsoring our events or initiatives. Your support can help us reach more women and provide them with the tools they need to succeed

Share Your Thoughts: We are always looking to improve. Provide feedback on our content and initiatives, and let us know what additional resources or support you would like to see.