While EvolveHer is a co-working space during the day, I created it to be so much more. A space for women to come together to grow. A space to share experiences. A space to collaborate on business opportunities… And a space to unite like-minded people to create social change that not only affects us as women today, but also the next generation of girls who will become tomorrow’s leaders.
Last night I had the honor of hosting Hillary Clinton, J.B. Pritzker and Juliana Stratton at EvolveHer for a private round-table discussion with several high school-age girls about leadership. The evening was a special one and I made it a point to take a moment and really appreciate the evening, because THIS is what the space was created for… to share knowledge and to listen to each other. This wasn’t another event where people were telling you what to do; It was an honest conversation about leadership & understanding the challenges that these young women are facing… and it happened to be with Hillary Clinton, the woman I admire the most - in the space that I love the most.
As I listened to the conversation, I thought of all of the challenges that Hillary overcame, all of the noise she had to ignore and the perseverance that she had to continue to show up every single day. I thought about the times when she was younger and she didn’t agree with the inequality that we unfortunately still face today and she had the courage to stand up and fight for what was right... time and time again.
The girls shared their personal experiences and had the opportunity to learn directly from Hillary, J.B. & Juliana. From understanding what a leader is to discussing changes they want to see made in the world – I found myself listening, smiling and learning from these girls.
Hillary once said “I believe that the rights of women and girls is the unfinished business of the 21stcentury.” I couldn’t agree more and it is up to US to continue to fight for true equity. Special thanks to J.B. Pritzker & Juliana Stratton for supporting organizations that promote women in leadership across IL and for including EvolveHer in the impactful conversation.
Source: ABC 7 Chicago
